Clinical Research Directory

Purinergic Signaling and the Postmenopausal Heart

There is an increased risk of diastolic heart failure in post menopausal women. Estrogen plays a positive role in regulating molecular pathways in heart remodeling. Such pathways may work through purinergic signaling and its downstream effects on the heart's mitochondrial metabolism and angiogenic response to stress. Loss of estrogen functionality in post menopausal women may account for the increased risk of diastolic heart failure. The investigators will explore said pathways using cardiac tissue obtained from patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Assessment of CCM in HF With Higher Ejection Fraction

The AIM HIGHer Clinical Trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of Cardiac Contractility Modulation (CCM) therapy in patients with heart failure with LVEF ≥40% and ≤70%.

Left Ventricular Reverse Remodeling Evaluation After Surgical Correction of Aortic Regurgitation

Investigators assume that surgical correction approach to functional mitral regurgitation during intervention for chronic aortic regurgitation in patients with severe enlargement of the left heart chambers influences reverse remodeling of the left ventricle (LV) in the postoperative period. It is suggested that functional mitral regurgitation (MR) provides supra-physiological left ventricle volume overload and this fact plays positive role in early-stage post-operative left ventricle volume and function recovery. LV volume, systolic and diastolic function will be monitored with echocardiography (EchoCG) along with life quality in patients with different grades of functional mitral regurgitation secondary to severe chronic aortic insufficiency after surgical treatment of aortic regurgitation.

Prevention of Age-associated Cardiac and Vascular Dysfunction Using Avmacol ES

Our local IRB approved clinical studies seeking proof of principle for the hypothesis that SFN can be safely administered to humans at doses sufficient to protect age-associated cardiac dysfunctions. Beneficial effects of SFN-therapy will be assessed by Pre- and post-intervention echocardiography, and exercise endurance at 0 and 24 weeks. Peripheral blood cells from treated and control subjects will be compared for mitochondrial respiratory function, oxidative damage, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and expression of antioxidant \& anti-electrophile genes.

Treatment Of Atrial Fibrillation In Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) with preserved left ventricular function (pEF) is difficult clinical syndrome to treat effectively with few evidence based therapies. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is now an important co-morbidity being observed in 43% of patients with HFpEF. Rhythm control has not been studied in this population. Catheter ablation and antiarrhythmic drugs are rhythm control therapies that have been used for treatment of AF without HF or HF with reduced systolic function but have not been widely applied in HFpEF. No controlled comparative evaluation has been performed in HFpEF. The introduction of wireless pulmonary artery hemodynamic monitoring has permitted optimization of HF therapy in patients with chronic HF with reduced and preserved EF. Reduction in HF hospitalizations has been observed in post hoc analyses of HFpEF patients but has not been systematically applied in AF patients with HFpEF. In this study, we propose to study both rhythm control and optimized HF therapeutic approaches in an AF with HFpEF study population in a pilot study using a sequential two phase randomized controlled clinical trial design.