Clinical Research Directory

NRM on Vascular Perfusion in Healthy Adults

The purpose of this study is to better understand the effects of nicotinamide riboside supplement in overall cardiovascular health in healthy adults.

Withings Study to Analyze the Accuracy of Pulse Wave Velocity Measurement With Bathroom Scales (WIVOP-Scales)

The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of Withings bathroom scales WBS08 and WBS12 to measure PWV (Pulse Wave Velocity).

Effects of Acute Sleep Deprivation on Health

This study will investigate whether various types of regular exercise can provide protective effects against metabolic abnormalities induced by sleep restriction. It will examine responses related to metabolic health, cognitive function, energy expenditure, subjective feelings, and human behaviors, including physical activity and energy intake.

Diabetic Neuropathy in Spinal Cord Stimulator Patients

The objective of this study is to assess the effect Spinal Cord Stimulators have toward improving vascular changes of diabetes mellitus in patients eligible for SCS placement based on their condition of painful diabetic neuropathy; we will evaluate improving their disability and quality of life, improving micro-circulatory changes induced by Diabetes Mellitus (DM), improving macro-circulatory changes induced by DM and improving arterial stiffness of the vessels of the lower extremity.

Secondhand Effects of Hookah (i.e., Waterpipe) Smoke and Aerosol

In the United States, secondhand smoke is the third leading preventable cause of death. Flavored hookah (waterpipe) tobacco smoking, a highly social activity common in hookah bars, is a key source of SHS exposure. While smoke-free air laws have decreased exposure to secondhand smoke, the majority of laws do not include hookah smoking. Thus, as a social outlet for youth and young adults, hookah smoke exposure may harm non-smokers, including women of reproductive age or pregnant, hookah bar workers, children, and individuals with heart and lung disease. While more is known on the acute effects of active hookah smoking and the literature is emerging on active e-hookah vaping, little is known about the acute vascular effects of secondhand exposure to hookah smoke and aerosol. The study aims to examine the acute effects of secondhand exposure of hookah smoke and aerosol on endothelial and vascular function. Eligible volunteers will be invited to participate in a total of 3 study visits (2-3 hours each): e-hookah aerosol exposure, charcoal-heated hookah smoke exposure and smoke-free room air. Non-invasive blood pressure and blood flow measurements will be taken before and after the exposure sessions.

NightWare and Cardiovascular Health in Veterans With PTSD

The purpose of this study is to learn more about the effectiveness of a prescription wrist-wearable device called NightWare (NW) on improving sleep in Veterans with nightmares related to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The investigators also want to learn whether it improves cardiovascular health among this population.

NightWare and Cardiovascular Health in Women With PTSD

The purpose of this study is to determine whether NightWare therapeutic intervention improves biomarkers of vascular and renal function in premenopausal women with PTSD-related nightmares, and examine whether these improvements restore them to levels observed in age-matched women without PTSD.

Puberty Suppression and Cardiometabolic Health

This observational study will evaluate the effect of puberty suppression on insulin sensitivity, metabolic rate and vascular health among transgender female youth at baseline and 6 months after initiation of a gondoatropin releasing hormone agonist compared to matched cisgender male controls.

Arterial Stiffness and Blood Pressure

Hypertension is a common and treatable disorder that remains the leading preventable cause of heart disease. Blood pressure treatment relies mainly on upper arm blood pressure readings and ignores blood vessel physiology and underlying individual genetic information. Older Veterans with hypertension are less likely to be treated to goal blood pressure because there are conflicting recommendations for what constitutes "optimal" in older adults. The investigators have developed a novel way to non-invasively assess the components of blood vessel stiffness that is related to blood pressure (load-dependent stiffness). This project will generate new knowledge about how different blood pressure treatment goals (intensive vs standard) impact different components of arterial stiffness and if these differences can be explained through genetic analysis. Results from this project will offer the VA an updated blueprint for personalizing blood pressure care in older adults, ultimately improving cardiovascular health.

Micro-doses of Physical Activity for COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease of the lungs that makes it hard for people to breath. Those with COPD spend considerably more time sitting and lying and less time performing physical activity than healthy individuals. Those who are the most sedentary have a greater risk of heart and blood vessel disease, which may lead to an early death. This project will investigate the effect of sitting still for 3 hours on blood vessel health in individuals with COPD. It will also investigate whether breaking up the amount of time patients sit with regular short bouts of walking (5 minutes each hour) at a comfortable pace chosen by the patient can have a positive effect on maintaining the health of their blood vessels. It is hypothesized that blood vessel health will be worse after 3 hours of sitting compared to when the sitting is broken up by short bouts of walking.

Sodium Lowering Vascular Effects Trial

The proposed mechanistic trial will test the effect of dietary sodium reduction on cardiac and vascular structure and function in those with elevated blood pressure or hypertension. Findings from this study will fill the knowledge gap on the underlying mechanisms of dietary sodium intake on cardiovascular disease risk in addition to blood pressure and could provide further evidence on sodium reduction for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Early Vascular Ageing Among Cypriots

The LifeEVA project aims to tackle the significant public health challenge of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by addressing early vascular ageing (EVA), characterized by increased arterial stiffness and reduced vascular compliance, particularly in young adults. The project seeks to develop and implement innovative, personalized lifestyle interventions targeting Cypriots aged 18-40 who are overweight or obese. Utilizing genetic data from biobank.cy, LifeEVA aims to understand the progression of EVA and reduce CVD risk through tailored dietary and physical activity counseling. The methodology involves a prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint trial over one year. Participants will be recruited from biobank.cy's database, ensuring a robust sample. They will receive personalized interventions based on their genetic profile, including a hypocaloric diet, physical activity plan and taking into account other factors (i.e. sleep, anxiety etc). The project's work is divided into five work packages: project management, dissemination and exploitation activities, baseline assessment and recruitment, intervention implementation and data collection, and data analysis and manuscript preparation. Anticipated results include significant reductions in vascular stiffness, improved cardiovascular health markers, and enhanced understanding of the interplay between genetics and lifestyle in EVA. The project's impact extends to the establishment of a vascular health assessment clinic, contributions to public health by reducing CVD prevalence, and advancing the field of personalized preventive healthcare. LifeEVA is positioned to make significant contributions to cardiovascular research, promote innovation, and enhance the scientific and public health landscape in Cyprus.

Inspiratory Muscle Training X CardioBreath App Effects On Vagal Modulation And Pulse Wave Velocity

Existing data points to relevant beneficial effects of respiratory exercises on cardiovascular health, with special regards to decreases on arterial pressure and improves on autonomic and vascular profiles, though mechanistics of such results have not yet been cleared. Among the available ways to perform respiratory exercises, there is the highly recommended Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) and slow breathing exercises like Yoga pranayamas. Lately, the development of new technologies has allowed the use of Apps to perform respiratory exercises. This study will be take the just developed CardioBreath®App to validate it as a tool to perform respiratory exercises. Therefore, it will be compared to IMT on cardiac vagal modulation and pulse wave velocity on normotensive post menopause women.

Impact of Peripheral Vascular Stiffness Assessment on Risk Prediction in Patients With Myocardial Infarction

Risk assessment after myocardial infarction is critical in daily practice and evolution toward heart failure especially diastolic heart failure remains a key issue. All consecutive patients with myocardial infarction (either STEMI or NSTEMI but excluding type 2 MI) presenting at university hospital of Lille within 48 hours after symptom onset will be recruited in the RIGID-MI registry. The RIGID-MI study proposes to deeply evaluate at 1 month after MI: peripheral vascular disease, vascular stiffness, ventriculo-arterial coupling and other usual risk factors. The main objective is to identify clinical, biological and imaging parameters associated with poor prognosis, especially evolution toward diastolic heart failure, recurrence of MI, and bleeding.

Women's Advanced Risk-assessment in Manitoba

The main objective of this study is to test the ability of novel cardiovascular disease (CVD) prognostic tools to identify women at risk for future CVD. We plan to establish a cardiovascular health screening program at the St. Boniface Hospital and to test the efficacy of these tests for predicting adverse cardiovascular outcomes amongst a cohort of 1000 Manitoban women aged 55 years and older in the 5-year period after screening. A second purpose of this project is to identify novel CVD biomarkers that may indicate a person is at risk for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, we plan to ask participants for permission to collect and store a sample of both their blood and stool for future research.