Clinical Research Directory

Impact of Obicetrapib and Obicetrapib Plus Repatha on Lp(a) Levels

The goal of this open label 16 week trial is to evaluate Lp(a) levels for patients with elevated Lp(a) being treated with obicetrapib and obiceptrapib/evolocumab Patients will: Have baseline Lp(a) tested at randomization Take 10mg/dL obiceptrapib daily for 8 weeks and have Lp(a) tested at Week 8 Take 10 mg/dL obicetrapib daily/evolocumab 140 every other week for 8 weeks and have Lp(a) retested at Week 16

The PIVOT Trial: Project on EHR-Integrated Lifestyle Interventions for Adults Aged Fifty and Older

This is a multisite clinical trial of healthy lifestyle programs for middle-to-older-aged adults (50 -74 years) to improve their weight and, therefore, reduce risk for chronic disease. This study will investigate whether a proven, self-directed video-based lifestyle program can be significantly enhanced with the assistance of a coach via videoconference or phone to help people as they adopt healthy eating and exercise behaviors. Additionally, the study will examine what factors might explain why some people achieve better outcomes than others. Understanding this can help to tailor the program to an individual for personalized care in the future. Importantly, this study aims to demonstrate how readily a digital lifestyle program, with or without remote coaching, can be seamlessly delivered to patients at home via the patient portal of their electronic health record. This practical use of existing telehealth tools could be a feasible and effective means to offer behavioral treatments during routine medical care.

Using Big Data to Conduct Innovative Cardiovascular Clinical Trials

Traditional randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have provided extremely valuable information on medical therapies and procedures that have changed the way heart diseases are treated. However, despite these contributions, traditional RCTs are costly, the findings may not be applicable to patients unlike those in the study, and the use of trial findings may be infrequent. These limitations may be addressed by incorporating 'big data' in RCTs, which is the emerging field using electronic information that is routinely collected in various large administrative health databases. The Community Heart Outcomes Improvement and Cholesterol Education Study (CHOICES) will test the potential of using 'big data' in a 'real-world' clinical trial to measure outcomes using routinely collected health information. CHOICES aims to increase the use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs to prevent heart attack and stroke in high-risk health regions across Ontario using a 'toolbox' of interventions. The 'toolbox' of interventions are informational strategies targeted for both patients and family physicians to help improve cholesterol management and contribute to shared decision making for heart healthy goals.

A Safety and Tolerability Trial Evaluating CTX310 in Participants With Refractory Dyslipidemias

This is a single-arm, open-label, multicenter, ascending dose Phase 1 trial that will enroll participants 18 to 75 years of age with dyslipidemias that are refractory to available treatments.

Phase 2 Trial Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of RBD5044 in Patients With Mixed Dyslipidemia

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if drug RBD5044 works to treat mixed dyslipidemia in adults. It will also learn about the safety of drug RBD5044. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does drug RBD5044 reduce the triglyceride levels? What medical problems may participants experience when taking drug RBD5044? Researchers will compare drug RBD5044 to a placebo to see if drug RBD5044 works to treat mixed dyslipidemia. Participants will: Receive RBD5044 or placebo twice during the trial (Day 1 and Day 84). Visit the clinic 11 times during 12 months (visit every 4-8 weeks) for checkups and tests.

PILI 'Āina Household

Native Hawaiians' traditional lifestyles and diets ensured the mutual health and well-being of the land and its inhabitants, which stand in stark contrast to the disproportionately high prevalence of diet-related, cardiometabolic diseases they experience today. In this project, the investigators will adapt and test an evidence-based multilevel intervention entitled PILI 'Āina to improve the self-management of prevalent cardiometabolic diseases and reduce risk factors for developing new diet-related illnesses and implement and evaluate the impact and sustainability of community-wide cooking demonstrations. The objectives of this project are to optimize the effectiveness and sustainability of PILI 'Āina, improve diet quality, cardiometabolic markers, promote traditional Native Hawaiian diets, and improve social cohesion.

'Ai Pono Cooking Demonstrations

Native Hawaiians' traditional lifestyles and diets ensured the mutual health and well-being of the land and its inhabitants, which stand in stark contrast to the disproportionately high prevalence of diet-related, cardiometabolic diseases they experience today. In this project, the investigators will adapt and test an evidence-based multilevel intervention entitled PILI 'Āina to improve the self-management of prevalent cardiometabolic diseases and reduce risk factors for developing new diet-related illnesses and implement and evaluate the impact and sustainability of community-wide cooking demonstrations. The objectives of this project are to optimize the effectiveness and sustainability of PILI 'Āina, improve diet quality, cardiometabolic markers, promote traditional Native Hawaiian diets, and improve social cohesion.

Statin-Intolerance Registry

The Statin-Intolerance Registry will characterize the patient population suffering from statin-intolerance which is a frequent but incompletely understood patient condition with important clinical implications for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) prevention. Patients will be systematically and prospectively included and followed by the registry.

Meta-analyses of Soy Protein and Its Food Sources for Cholesterol Reduction

Although soy protein has approved health claims in Canada and the US, and is recognized by major cardiovascular clinical practice guidelines for the reduction of cholesterol and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), these claims are based almost exclusively on evidence from foods containing isolated soy protein (ISP). The role of other non-ISP food sources of soy protein (e.g Tofu, tempeh, edamame) in these effects is unclear. The role of food form and matrix (e.g soy beverage versus meat analogue) on the effects of ISP is also unclear. As national dietary guidelines and clinical practice guidelines for nutrition therapy shift from a focus on single nutrients to a focus on foods and dietary patterns, it is important to understand whether non-ISP food sources of soy protein and ISP food sources with different food matrices produce the same reductions in LDL-cholesterol and CHD risk. To strengthen the evidence-base for health claims and guidelines development, the investigators will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of the effect of ISP and non-ISP food sources of soy protein on stablished lipid targets in individuals with and without dyslipidemia.

A Longitudinal Cohort Study to Evaluate Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Disease in Haiti

Investigators will establish a longitudinal cohort of \~3,000 adults \>18 years in Port-au-Prince using multistage random sampling, and follow them longitudinally to evaluate the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular disease risk factors and diseases. Cardiovascular risk factors include hypertension, diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, kidney disease, poor diet, cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, and inflammation. Cardiovascular disease include angina and myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, and CVD mortality. It is anticipated that hypertension prevalence will be ≥10% in 18-30 year olds, that hypertension incidence will be \>10 events/1000 person years. Association of determinants and risk factors with CVD will also be examined. Whole blood, serum, plasma, stool, and urine samples will be biobanked for future studies.

Effects of Berberine on Preventing Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes Mellitus

This multicenter, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effect of berberine on preventing cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus among individuals with high cardiometabolic risk in China.

Taining Golden Lake Comprehensive Chronic Disease Management Initiative

This study aims to establish the first county-level, population-based prospective cohort in Taining County, Fujian Province, China. The cohort will include at least 20,000 residents aged 18 years or older. The project will systematically collect questionnaires, physical measurements, laboratory tests, imaging data, and biological samples to build a multi-dimensional health database and biobank. Through 3-year follow-up, the study seeks to reveal the epidemiological patterns and risk factors of chronic diseases, characterize the natural course of multimorbidity and aging syndromes, and develop a comprehensive chronic disease management model suitable for rural and mountainous regions.

Evaluation of Milk Polar Lipids in Dyslipidemic Adults With Abdominal Obesity

The major objective of this project is to examine whether daily consumption of milk polar lipids (MPLs) influences cardiometabolic risk factors.

Cholesterol and Inflammation Lowering Via Bempedoic Acid, an ACL-inhibiting Regimen in HIV Trial (CLEAR HIV Trial)

This is a randomized placebo-controlled study in treated and suppressed HIV-infected individuals aged ≥40 years with either known CVD or 1 CVD risk factor to study the effect of Bempedoic acid (BA) on safety, arterial inflammation as assessed by FDG-PET/CT, lipids, inflammation, immune activation, cardiometabolic indices, and non-calcified plaque (NCP) in the coronary arteries (assessed by coronary CT angiography, CCTA). This trial will be enrolled at UCSF and UCLA. Collaborators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) will serve as the core facility for imaging.

Causal Mechanisms in Adolescent Arterial Stiffness

Hardening of the blood vessels, called arterial stiffness, is a risk factor for future heart disease and its causes are unclear. The proposed study will 1) randomly assign adolescents at high risk of stiffening blood vessels to take a protein supplement called carnitine and study its effects on arterial stiffening and 2) study carnitine related genes for their effect on arterial stiffening. The study will definitively establish a role for carnitine action as a cause of stiffening blood vessels and signal a way to treat or prevent stiffening.

Lipid Testing After Myocardial Infarction at the Montreal Heart Institute

Because treatment decisions are usually based on a single measurement of the lipid panel at the time of an admission for an MI, the overarching objective of this project is to evaluate whether the measurement of LDL, non-HDL, and apoB values are reliable through all the duration of the hospitalization. It will be a single-center, prospective, observational study will be conducted, including consecutive patients hospitalized for myocardial infarction at the Montreal Heart Institute. Every patient at the Cardiac Care Unit will undergo non-fasting lipid panel testing at day 0 of their admission for Myocardial Infarction during the study period. Patients who consent to participate will have a 2nd non-fasting lipid panel drawn at day 2 of their admission. Thereafter, the levels of the different lipid values from the panel will be compared between day 0, day 2, and 4-6 weeks after discharge.

Comparative Study of Rosuvastatin/Ezetimib 20/10 mg and Atovastatin/Ezetimib 40/10 mg (TOLERANT Trial)

the investigators would like to compare the differences between roschvastin and atovastatin in patients who require high-dose statin/ejetimib to undergo a new generation of drug elution stent implantation for cardiovascular disease and maintain LDL cholesterol below 55 mg/dL.

Military Health and Nutrition Examination Study

The Military Health and Nutrition Examination Study (MHANES) is a Department of Defense funded study conducted by Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. This cross-sectional study will assess, in a large, diverse sample of Army Service Members (n=600), food and supplement intake, cardiovascular health, body composition, biomarkers of nutritional status, measures of health status, injury prevalence, mental wellbeing, gut microbiome composition, and physical performance outcomes. The proposed study is modeled after the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and customized for the Army population.

Gut Microbiota in Metabolic Surgery

Metabolic surgery is an emerging option to treat obesity-related metabolic diseases (e.g., type 2 diabetes) and prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD). Metabolic surgery can profoundly alter the gut microbiota; meanwhile, gut microbiota may affect surgical outcomes. Longitudinal studies that examined pre- to post-surgery changes in gut microbiota and its relation to cardiometabolic health after surgery are limited. Furthermore, few studies have included African Americans, a population with high rates of cardiometabolic diseases. The investigators aim to fill these research gaps by establishing a longitudinal, observational study of metabolic surgery patients and applying multi-omics to identify stool, blood, and/or tissue microbial features related to post-surgery cardiometabolic outcomes. In the current study, the investigators plan to enroll up to 300 patients who undergo metabolic surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and follow them for up to 10 years after surgery. Fasting blood and stool samples will be collected at pre-surgery and 3-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year post-surgery clinical visits. Tissue samples (e.g., biopsies of the liver and adipose and remnants of the stomach) will be collected during operation. Meanwhile, participants will complete a REDCap survey at baseline and 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year post-surgery. Participants' electronic medical records will be used to obtain additional information and facilitate long-term follow-up. The investigators will evaluate pre- to post-surgery changes in the fecal microbiome and fecal and blood levels of metabolites and proteins and the associations of microbiome, metabolites, and proteins with cardiometabolic improvements after surgery. This study will advance our understanding of the role of gut microbiota in metabolic surgery, which may translate into novel approaches to identify and treat obese patients for better cardiometabolic health.

The Effects of Fresh Mango Consumption on Cardiometabolic Outcomes in Free-living Individuals With Prediabetes

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effect of 12 weeks of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango on glucose control, insulin resistance, lipids, inflammation, oxidation and body composition in individuals with prediabetes. The main questions it aims to answer are: * What is the effect of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango over 12 weeks on indicators of glycemic control including fasting glucose and HgbA1c? * What is the effect of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango over 12 weeks on fasting blood insulin and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)? * What is the effect of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango over 12 weeks on lipids including LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides? * What is the effect of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango over 12 weeks on oxidative stress including oxidized LDL-cholesterol and 8-iso-PGF2-alpha? * What is the effect of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango over 12 weeks on markers of inflammation including c-reactive protein, e-selectin, ICAM, VCAM, TNF-alpha and IL-beta? * What is the effect of 1.5 cups per day of fresh mango over 12 weeks on percent body fat, fat mass, and lean mass? Participants will be asked to: * Consume 1.5 cups of mango per day for 12 weeks, take a 4 to 8 week break, and then avoid consuming mangos for 12 weeks * Attend a prerandomization clinic prior to study * Attend three (3) clinics where blood will be drawn during weeks 0, and 12 of the first phase and last week of the second phase of the study * Attend eight (8) clinics where anthropometric measurements (height, weight, body composition) will be conducted and interaction with study clinicians will occur during weeks 0, 4, 8, 12 of each phase of the study * Complete questionnaires and surveys in person and remotely, including six (6) 24-hour dietary recalls. Researchers will compare the 12 weeks participants consume mango to the 12 weeks the participants are not consuming mango to see if there are differences in glycemic indicators, insulin resistance, lipids, inflammation, oxidation and body composition between the two time periods.

Retinal Vascular Manifestations in Patients With Common Internal Diseases on OCTA Tomography Angiography

Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia are common internal diseases, and all diseases are atherosclerosis risk factors. Previous studies applied color fundus photography to analyze retinal vascular changes (including exudation, hemorrhage, neovascularization, etc.) in patients with hypertension or diabetes, but the examination results could not be quantified. This study intends to apply optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to examine retinal vessels. This method has the following advantages: 1) It can quantify vascular changes, and 2) It is noninvasive and reproducible for patients' follow-up. This study was designed to investigate retinal vascular changes in patients with hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia on OCTA. We will collect the patients' general information (gender, age), comorbidities, medications, blood lipids, blood glucose, carotid ultrasound, ankle-brachial index, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, color fundus photography, and OCTA results. We will follow up with the patients for five years and conduct the mentioned examinations once a year. We will also investigate the correlation between systemic atherosclerosis (such as coronary artery stenosis, and carotid artery stenosis) and retinal vasculopathy in patients with these diseases.

Dachundou No Sugar Added Soymilk for Lipid Modulation

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and high cholesterol is a major risk factor. Diet is known to play an important role in managing blood lipids. Soy milk is a common plant-based drink rich in protein and isoflavones, which may help lower cholesterol and improve heart health. This clinical trial will evaluate whether daily consumption of Dachundou No Sugar Added Soymilk can help reduce cholesterol levels in adults with elevated total cholesterol (≥200 mg/dL). A total of 50 participants aged 18-65 will be recruited. Participants will drink two bottles of soymilk per day (375 mL each, total 750 mL) for 8 weeks. During the study, researchers will measure cholesterol, blood pressure, body weight, waist circumference, and other health indicators. The results will help determine whether Dachundou No Sugar Added Soymilk can improve blood lipid levels and contribute to cardiovascular health.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Alert-Based Computerized Decision Support for Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease Not Prescribed Lipid-Lowering Therapy

This single-center, 400-patient, randomized controlled trial assesses the impact of a patient- and provider-facing EPIC Best Practice Advisory (BPA; alert-based computerized decision support tool) to increase guideline-directed utilization of statin and statin-alternative oral LDL-C lowering therapies in patients with PAD who are not being prescribed LDL-C-lowering therapy.

Evaluation of Dyslipidemia Management After Statin and Ezetimibe Complex Treatment

This study is a large-scale, prospective, multi-site, and non-interventional observational study to observe the change and safety of dyslipidemia management status when administering statin+etimib complex drugs in patients with dyslipidemia.