
Comprehensive Management of High-risk PopuLatIon of Stroke Based on Social Network
StrokeCerebrovascular Disorders5 moreThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of social network in improving drug compliance and risk factors control rate of stroke high-risk population after discharge.

Sleep and Vascular Health Study
SleepVascular Diseases1 moreHabitual short sleep duration (< 7 hours/night) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. Yet most adults, especially emerging adults (i.e., 18-25 years) do not achieve the National Sleep Foundation recommendation of 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Additionally, the American Heart Association recently included sleep duration in the "Life's Essential 8". This recent development emphasizes the importance of sleep and the need to advance our understanding of how sleep impacts cardiometabolic health (CMH), particularly in emerging adults, a population whose CVD risk trajectory is malleable. Specifically, emerging adulthood is a critical age window when age-related loss of CMH accelerates. Based on my previous work and others, both self-reported and objective measures of poor sleep (e.g., duration, variability) are linked to early signs of elevated CVD risk in emerging adults, such as microvascular dysfunction and elevated central blood pressure (BP), which precede the development of hypertension.

A Study Evaluating the Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Ralinepag in Subjects With PAH Via an Open-Label...
PAHPulmonary Hypertension10 moreStudy ROR-PH-303, ADVANCE EXTENSION, is an open-label extension (OLE) study for participants with WHO Group 1 PAH who have participated in another Phase 2 or Phase 3 study of ralinepag.

Danish Cardiovascular Screening Trial II
Cardiac DiseaseVascular DiseasesThis study attempts to reduce social inequality in cardiovascular health by performing an interventional screening trial on how best to decrease cardiovascular disease (CVD) among people with low social status.

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Subjects With Retinal Vascular Disease
Diabetic RetinopathyRetinal Vein Occlusion2 moreThis study will perform a prospective, longitudinal analysis of clinical and imaging findings from normal controls and subjects with retinal vascular disease to better define the diagnostic imaging criteria that signify change in disease stage. This includes disease progression in early stages of disease or disease regression with appropriate standard-of-care treatment.

Effects of Blueberries in Older Adults
Blood PressureOrthostatic Hypotension1 moreThis randomized, parallel-design trial will evaluate specific clinical and physiological effects of whole blueberries in adults 70 years of age or older.

Promoting Goals-of-Care Discussions for Patients With Memory Problems and Their Caregivers
DementiaChronic Disease21 moreThe goal of this clinical trial is to improve communication among clinicians, patients with memory problems, and their family members. We are testing a way to help clinicians have better conversations to address patients' goals for their healthcare. To do this, we created a simple, short guide called the "Jumpstart Guide." The goal of this research study is to show that using this kind of guide is possible and can be helpful for patients and their families. Patients' clinicians may receive a Jumpstart Guide before the patient's clinic visit. Researchers will compare patients whose clinician received a Jumpstart Guide to patients whose clinician did not receive a guide to see if more patients in the Jumpstart Guide group had conversations about the patient's goals for their healthcare. Patients and their family members will also be asked to complete surveys after the visit with their clinician.

Immune Mediators and Metabolites to Stratify Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients at High Risk...
Systemic Lupus ErythematosusAccelerated atherosclerosis is an established complication of systemic autoimmune diseases, particularly SLE. Young female patients with SLE are more likely to develop myocardial infarction than matched healthy controls, and CVD is nowadays one of the most common causes of death (27%) in lupus patients. While traditional CV risk factors cannot explain such increased CV morbidity associated with SLE, common disease factors shared between SLE, atherosclerosis and treatment exposure may be of outmost importance in this process. Our group made 3 findings of particular interest that could link SLE pathogenesis and atherosclerosis-associated immune dysregulation: 1/ the investigators identified specific immunometabolites (circulating nucleotide-derived metabolites adenine and N4-acetylcytidine), which are increased in the circulation of SLE patients. These immunometabolites trigger a constitutive inflammasome activation resulting in aberrant IL1-β production. Given that IL1-β inhibition was reported to significantly reduce CV events without altering lipid levels, the investigators propose that these immunometabolites may represent novel candidate biomarkers of CV risk stratification in SLE. 2/ the investigators identified OX40L as an important costimulatory molecule implicated in follicular helper T cell (Tfh) activation in SLE. Interestingly, OX40L polymorphism has been associated to both SLE and atherosclerosis, and Tfh have been recently shown to accelerate atherosclerosis progression. 3/ Immune complexes-activated platelets sustain aberrant immune response in SLE and block immunosuppressive functions of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in a P-selectin/PSGL1 dependent manner. Selectins and Tregs cell dysfunction are well accepted players in atherosclerosis pathogenesis. Thus there are multiple pathways that are shared between SLE and atherosclerosis and that may results in an increased risk of CV-associated morbidity in SLE patients. Exploring these interconnected pathways in SLE patients together with traditional and other well-established disease-related factors, might lead to a better stratification of CV risk in SLE. The aim of this study is to investigate the accuracy, predictive value and utility of immunological disease-related biomarkers in stratifying CV risk in patients with SLE.

The Effects of Oral Inorganic Nitrate Supplementation on Lower Limb Perfusion During Exercise in...
Peripheral Arterial DiseasePeripheral Vascular DiseasesPeripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a highly prevalent and costly condition. Intermittent claudication (IC), defined as ischemic leg pain that occurs with walking, results in functional impairment, reduced daily physical activity, and a lower quality of life. Although the mechanisms contributing to functional impairment are not fully delineated, current evidence suggests that the uncoupling of skeletal muscle cellular metabolism from tissue perfusion may be responsible for exercise intolerance. We have previously shown increases in plasma inorganic nitrite, via oral nitrate, produced clinically significant increases exercise performance in patients with PAD+IC. The hypothesis of this proposal is in patients with PAD+IC, 3-6 days of oral dietary nitrate consumption (in the form of concentrated beetroot juice) will produce a greater tissue perfusion, oxygen delivery, and enhanced muscle metabolism in comparison to placebo. This will translate into an increase in physical performance in both muscle specific plantar flexion exercise and treadmill measures of pain free ambulation. In order to test this hypothesis, we will recruit 10 patients PAD+IC in a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, cross over design.

Project to Improve Communication About Serious Illness--Hospital Study: Comparative Effectiveness...
DementiaChronic Disease22 moreThe objective of this protocol is to test the effectiveness of a Jumpstart intervention on patient-centered outcomes for patients with chronic illness by ensuring that they receive care that is concordant with their goals over time, and across settings and providers. This study is particularly interested in understanding the effect of the intervention to improve quality of palliative care for patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) but will also include other common chronic, life-limiting illnesses. The specific aims are: To evaluate the efficacy of the Survey-based Patient/Clinician Jumpstart compared to the EHR based clinician Jumpstart and usual care for improving quality of care; the primary outcome is EHR documentation of a goals-of-care discussion from randomization through hospitalization or 30 days. Secondary outcomes include: a) intensity of care outcomes (e.g., ICU use, ICU and hospital length of stay, costs of care during the hospitalization, 7 and 30 day readmission); and b) patient- and family-reported outcomes assessed by surveys at 3 days and 4 weeks after randomization, including occurrence and quality of goals-of-care discussions in the hospital, goal-concordant care, psychological symptoms, and quality of life. To conduct a mixed-methods evaluation of the implementation of the intervention, guided by the RE-AIM framework for implementation science, incorporating quantitative evaluation of the intervention's reach and adoption, as well as qualitative analyses of interviews with participants, to explore barriers and facilitators to future implementation and dissemination.