Clinical Research Directory

Predication of Arterial Stiffness in Healthy Adults by Oral Health and Chewing Assessments

INN.oral.HEALTH is an sub-study embedded in the Innsbruck Health Promotion Program (INN.HEALTH). The study investigates whether oral health, oral structure, and oral function provide additional information for understanding vascular health in adults from the general population. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as heart attack and stroke, remain major causes of death and disability. Many risk factors, including blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar, smoking, physical activity, sleep, and diet, are already known to influence vascular health. However, oral health may also be related to vascular risk. Conditions such as tooth loss, impaired chewing, reduced tongue strength, or oral disease burden may reflect or contribute to general health and vascular ageing, but their additional value in prevention programs is not yet well understood. The main hypothesis of this study is that a standardized oral structure and function profile can improve the explanation of central arterial stiffness beyond established cardiovascular risk factors and lifestyle-related health metrics (INN.HEALTH study). Central arterial stiffness will be assessed using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, a marker of vascular ageing and cardiovascular risk. Participants will undergo a single oral assessment during Visit 4 of the INN.HEALTH study. The assessment includes screening of oral health status, dentition, bite force, tongue pressure, chewing efficiency, chewing and swallowing performance, questionnaires on oral health-related quality of life and food avoidance, and measurement of masseter muscle thickness. The study does not involve any treatment. The results may help clarify whether oral structural and functional markers can contribute to future vascular risk assessment and prevention strategies in the general adult population.

Vascular Aging and Lp299v Study in Healthy Adults

Emerging data suggest the gut microbiota regulates multiple mechanisms related to vascular aging, but no intervention targeting the gut microbiota has been tested in older adults without cardiovascular risk factors or cardiovascular disease. Early human data suggest an increase in potentially pathological gut metabolites such as trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) are associated with older age, increased vascular stiffness, increased oxidative stress, and reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability as evidenced by impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation. Based on this data, the investigators hypothesize that supplementation with Lp299v will reverse human vascular aging in healthy older adults free of known traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Efficacy and Safety of Coenzyme I for Injection on Vascular Aging.

Emerging evidence identifies vascular aging independently predicting cardiovascular events, yet effective clinical interventions remain lacking. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an essential cofactor whose levels decline with age, and preclinical studies suggest that boosting NAD+ can improve vascular function and structure. Preliminary clinical studies in healthy older adults indicate that supplementation with NAD+ precursors, such as nicotinamide riboside(NR) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), can reduce arterial stiffness as measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV). However, whether NAD+ supplementation can improve vascular endothelial function and exert anti-stiffening effects in patients who have already developed measurable arterial stiffness remains unknown. Based on this evidence, the investigator hypothesize that the Coenzyme I for Injection will reverse vascular aging in older adults with established arterial stiffening.

Exclusive Human-milk in Preterm NEOnates and Early VASCular Aging Risk Factors (NEOVASC)

Early vascular aging has its origins in fetal and neonatal life. The NEOVASC clinical trial aims to determine the effects of an exclusive human milk diet in extremely preterm infants on long-term cardiovascular health.