
Muscle, Essential Amino Acids, and eXercise in Heart Failure
Heart FailureDiastolicHalf of heart failure patients have preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Like patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), HFpEF patients suffer from exercise intolerance (low VO2max), which reduces physical function, quality of life, and survival. Strikingly, there is no medication proven to increase survival for HFpEF patients. Whereas exercise intolerance in HFrEF patients is the result of cardiovascular limitations, physical dysfunction in HFpEF patients is largely the result of peripheral abnormalities in skeletal muscle. Indeed, research in HFpEF patients identified that physical function and VO2peak are directly related to leg lean mass, and drugs focused on improving cardiovascular function have failed to improve VO2peak. Unfortunately, no therapy has been identified for this population that can concurrently improve cardiovascular and muscle health. The need for improved muscle therapies is reinforced by the fact that HFpEF patients are commonly older adults who are predisposed to muscle wasting. Strategic essential amino acid (EAA) ingestion has been shown to improve the adaptive response of muscle to exercise. Therefore, the investigators will determine, in HFpEF patients, the extent to which ingesting a strategic mixture of EAAs during an acute aerobic exercise training program enhances the response to this exercise strategy.

Supplementation With Vitamin D to Patients With Heart Failure (D-Heart).
Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection FractionVitamin D DeficiencyIn 200 patients with documented systolic heart failure give supplementation with vitamin D in those with a 25-OH- vitamin D < 50nmol/L - or placebo. In those with a vitamin D level <25nmol/L a substitution of 2400IU will be given, and in those with a vitamin D level 25-50nmol/L a substitution of 1600IU will be given. Intervention time 12 months. Biomarkers of heart function, quality of life, and hospitalisation will be analysed.

Exploratory Study of the Edwards Transcatheter Atrial Shunt System (ALt FLOW CANADA)
Heart FailureThe Exploratory study of the Edwards Transcatheter Atrial Shunt System is a multi-center, prospective, exploratory study to evaluate initial clinical safety, device functionality, and effectiveness of the Edwards Transcatheter Atrial Shunt System.

Effects of a Home-based Exercise Program on Functional Capacity and Quality of Life in Heart Failure...
Chronic Heart FailureHeart failure (HF) is a multisystemic disease leading to exercise intolerance and fatigue. Supervised physical training improves functional capacity, quality of life and reduces hospital admissions in HF patients. In this way, home physical training may be a good alternative to patients who, for any reason, cannot perform supervised training. Objective: To asses the effects of a home-based training program on functional capacity, sedentary lifestyle and quality of life of patients with chronic HF compared to supervised training.

Flow Regulation by Opening the Septum in Patients With Heart Failure Trial
Heart Failure With Normal Ejection FractionTo investigate the safety and efficacy of a novel atrial flow regulator (AFR) device in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction.

Effects of Iron Therapy in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction and Iron Deficiency (PREFER-HF)...
Heart Failure With Normal Ejection FractionFerropenic AnemiaThe purpose of the study is to evaluate whether the administration of iron to patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction results in an improvement of symptoms and functional class, in addition to evaluating whether oral iron is equivalent to intravenous iron to achieve this improvement.

Neuromodulation of Inflammation and Vascular Function in Systolic Heart Failure
Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection FractionHeart failure (HF) is the leading cause of death in US. It is associated with abnormal vascular function termed endothelial dysfunction. It is also associated with increased stress on the blood vessels and high levels of inflammation. Vagus nerve stimulation can help improve inflammation, vascular function and vascular stress. The investigator has recently completed a study showing that 1 hour of noninvasive vagus stimulation can improve vascular health. However, it is unknown if 4 weeks of stimulation will be beneficial in systolic heart failure. The purpose of this study is to determine if transcutaneous vagal stimulation (TVS) will lead to improvement in the function of the inner lining of participants' arteries, memory, and in the levels of certain chemical markers of arterial function in the blood. Participants will be randomized to receive either TVS or a sham stimulation and undergo 4 weeks of stimulation. Vascular function will be assessed by several non-invasive measurements, including Flow Mediate Dilation (FMD), Pulse Wave Analysis (PWA), EndoPAT, and Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI). Participants' memory will also be measured through electronic assessments and blood will be collected and analyzed for arterial function chemical markers.

Effect of Furosemide Withdraw in Stable Chronic Heart Failure Outpatients
Heart FailureThe ReBIC-1 trial was designed to evaluate the potential clinical risks and benefits of withdrawing furosemide use in stable, apparently euvolemic, chronic HF outpatients in a multicentric double-blinded randomized clinical trial.

Value of SGLT2 Inhibitor (Dapagliflozin) as an Added Therapy in Diabetic Patients With Heart Failure...
Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF)Diabete Type 21 moreType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a well-recognized independent risk factor for heart failure (HF). Whereas the prevalence of HF in the general population is 1-4%, it reaches approximately 12% in T2DM patients. In 1972, Rubler reported a specific diabetes-associated cardiac injury called diabetic cardiomyopathy. This cardiomyopathy is defined by ventricular dysfunction occurring without coronary disease or hypertension. Diabetic cardiomyopathy is also characterized by left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis. A large body of work indicates that diabetic cardiomyopathy is associated with altered cardiac energy metabolism. Indeed, in obese T2DM patients, heart lipid uptake is increased. Several studies support that free fatty acid (FFA) accumulation leads to the increased production of diacylglycerol (DAG), ceramides and reactive oxygen species (ROS), affecting cardiac insulin sensitivity and cardiac contractility. On the other hand, hyperglycemia and glucose overload have been involved in cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction in the context of T2DM and obesity. The diabetic heart is simultaneously characterized by impaired insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and obvious signs of glucose overload, such as ROS and advanced glycation end-product (AGE) production as well as hexosamine pathway chronic activation. Interestingly, when comparing diabetic and nondiabetic obese patients, we previously demonstrated that hyperglycemia per se plays a central role in the impaired cardiac mitochondrial activity associated with myocardial contractile dysfunction.

Treatment of Heart Failure Using Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells(hUC-MSC)
Myocardial IschemiaVentricular Dysfunction1 moreThis study is an exploratory clinical study to observe the improvement of heart function before and after the treatment by human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, and the purpose is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of heart failure. The study is a randomized parallel controlled study. Patients receive a review of which main content includes symptom improvement, cardiac function improvement, and adverse events.