Blood Pressure Clinical Trials

Lower attainment of cardiovascular health (CVH), indicated by the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 (LS7; physical activity, diet, cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, smoking, glycemia) and Life's Essential 8 (LE8; LS7+sleep) metrics, is a major contributor to Black men having the shortest life-expectancy of any non-indigenous race/sex group. Unfortunately, a paucity of literature exists on interventions aimed at improving CVH among Black men. The team of clinician scientists and community partners co-developed a community-based lifestyle intervention titled Black Impact: a 24-week intervention for Black men with less-than-ideal CVH (\<4 LS7 metrics in the ideal range) with 45 minutes of weekly physical activity, 45 minutes of weekly health education, and engagement with a health coach, group fitness trainer, and community health worker. Single-arm pilot testing of the intervention (n=74) revealed high feasibility, acceptability, and retention and a 0.93 (95% confidence interval: 0.40, 1.46, p\<0.001) point increase in LS7 score at 24 weeks. Secondary outcomes included improvements in psychosocial stress (i.e., perceived stress, depressive symptoms), patient activation, and social needs. Thus, robustly powered clinical trials are needed to determine the efficacy of Black Impact and to evaluate the underlying interpersonal and molecular pathways by which Black Impact improves psychosocial stress and CVH. Thus, the investigators propose a randomized, wait-list controlled trial of Black Impact. This novel, community-based intervention to provide a scalable model to improve CVH and psychosocial stress at the population level and evaluate the biological underpinnings by which the intervention mitigates cardiovascular disease risk. The proposed study aligns with American Heart Association's commitment to addressing CVH equity through innovative, multi-modal solutions. Read Less

Most Americans consume excess dietary salt based on the recommendations set by the American Heart Association and Dietary Guidelines for Americans. High dietary salt impairs blood pressure control by affecting systemic blood vessels and the kidneys. These changes contribute to excess salt consumption being associated with increased risk for chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in America. Salt is particularly deleterious in older adults who are more likely to exhibit salt-sensitive hypertension. However, salt consumption remains high in the United States. Thus, there is a critical need for strategies to counteract the effects of high dietary salt as consumption is likely not going to decrease. One promising option is ketones, metabolites that are produced in the liver during prolonged exercise and very low-calorie diets. While exercise and low-calorie diets are beneficial, not many people engage in these activities. Limited evidence indicates that ketone supplements improve cardiovascular health in humans. Additionally, published rodent data indicates that ketone supplements prevent high salt-induced increases in blood pressure, blood vessel dysfunction, and kidney injury. Our human pilot data also indicates that high dietary salt reduces intrinsic ketone production, but it is unclear whether ketone supplementation confers humans' protection against high salt similar to rodents. Therefore, the investigators seek to conduct a short-term high-dietary salt study to determine whether ketone supplementation prevents high dietary salt from eliciting increased blood pressure, blood vessel dysfunction, and kidney injury/impaired blood flow. The investigators will also measure inflammatory markers in blood samples and isolate immune cells that control inflammation. Lastly, the investigators will also measure blood ketone concentration and other circulating metabolites that may be altered by high salt, which could facilitate novel therapeutic targets to combat high salt. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to test the proof-of-concept for adding a novel mHealth application, USeeBP, to the established UChicago Medicine Ambulatory Medicine Remote-Patient Monitoring (UCM-RPM) Hypertension Management Program in a population of African American adults with poorly controlled hypertension. Read Less

Background: Blood pressure is one of the key markers of cardiovascular health. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, can increase the risk of heart disease or stroke. Monitoring a person s blood pressure continuously over a 24-hour period at home is the best way to diagnose hypertension, but the equipment currently used to do it is cumbersome. This natural history study will test a new technique for monitoring blood pressure continuously over time. Objective: To test a new technique (speckle plethysmography) for measuring blood pressure in healthy adults. Eligibility: Healthy people aged 18 years and older. Design: Participants will come to the clinic a minimum of 2 times. The screening visit will last up to 2 hours. Participants will have a physical exam. Their vital signs will be taken. The clinical visit will last up to 1 hour. Participants will recline in a chair. Sensors to measure the activity of the heart will be placed on their chest. Different sensors will be placed on two fingers and one big toe. A device to measure blood pressure will be placed on one arm. While wearing the sensors, participants will undergo 3 tests: They will be asked to breathe slowly for 2 minutes. They will be asked to solve a math problem. They will immerse one hand or foot into an ice bath for up to 2 minutes. Each test will be followed by a 5-minute recovery period. Participants may elect to return for up to 3 more visits during the following week. Read Less

This is a cross-sectional study in which the investigators will determine the impact of premature/early menopause on MSNA, BP and baroreflex sensitivity in younger (≤49 yr old) and older (≥50 yr old) women. Specifically, aim one will determine mechanisms driving autonomic dysregulation of BP in premature and early menopausal women and aim two will determine mechanisms driving autonomic dysregulation of BP in older menopausal women. The study design outlined below will permit testing of aim one and aim two. Read Less

This study will incorporate critical cross viscero-visceral intersystem interactions to 1) investigate in a controlled laboratory setting and then with mobile at-home monitoring the extent, severity, and frequency of occurrence of autonomic dysreflexia with respect to daily bladder and bowel function, in conjunction with identifying potential underlying mechanisms by examining urinary biomarkers for several specific vasoactive hormones, and 2) to regulate cardiovascular function therapeutically as part of bladder and bowel management using spinal cord epidural stimulation. Read Less

Brief Summary: Black adults have a higher incidence of hypertension (HTN) and a greater risk of HTN-related cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with White adults. Even mild elevations in blood (BP) above 115/75 mm Hg are associated with increased CVD risk. Accordingly, emphasis is being placed on early interventions for high BP, particularly in those who are low cardiovascular risk(systolic BP 110-139 and diastolic BP \< 90 mm Hg), for participants lifestyle modification is recommended. Although lifestyle modifications are effective to lower BP, implementation is suboptimal in Black communities, especially those participants residing in low-income urban settings. Pervasive negative social determinants of health (SDoH), such as poor access to healthcare, food insecurity, limited availability of healthy foods, lack of safe places to engage in physical activity, and low health literacy are major drivers of inequities in HTN and a critical barrier to implementation of recommended lifestyle modifications in Black communities. To achieve health equity, effective strategies must address negative SDoH that are root causes of racial disparities in health outcomes as clearly demonstrated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Predominantly Black cities like Detroit, Michigan, where the mortality rate from heart disease is nearly twice the national average, have been devastated by COVID-19. To address this, the investigators developed an innovative mobile health unit (MHU) program that uses geospatial health and social vulnerability data to direct deployment of testing and vaccination services to communities with highest needs. Since April 2020, the investigators conducted 500 events with 220 community partners where 40,000 people have been tested or vaccinated for COVID in MHUs. Using a hybrid type I effectiveness-implementation design in the proposed Linkage, Empowerment, and Access to Prevent Hypertension (LEAP-HTN) study, the investigators will implement a novel approach that links low cardiovascular risk Black adult participants without stage-2 hypertension to collaborative care delivered in deprived neighborhoods by community health workers (CHWs) using a personalized, adaptable approach to lifestyle and life circumstance (PAL2) intervention. The investigators will leverage our MHU program, layering on top of existing services to streamline access for screening, recruitment and all ongoing follow-up throughout the study period. Our specific aims are: AIM 1: To compare the effect of PAL2 intervention versus usual care (MHU engagement without PAL2) on systolic BP reduction and prevention of stage 2 HTN (systolic BP ≥ 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP \>90 mm Hg) among 500 Black adults with baseline untreated systolic BPs below stage 2 (ranging 110-139 mm Hg) and a diastolic BP \< 90 mm Hg. Hypothesis (H) 1a: Systolic BP (primary outcome) will be reduced more in those randomized to PAL2 intervention versus usual care at 6 and 12 months. H1b: Diastolic BP levels and the incidence of stage 2 HTN (systolic BP ≥ 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP \>90 mmm Hg) at 6 and 12 months (secondary outcomes) will be lower in participants randomized to the PAL2 intervention versus usual care. AIM 2: To use the RE-AIM framework to assess the reach, adoption, effectiveness, sustainability and cost of LEAP-HTN at 12 months post-randomization. H2a: The rates of adoption and sustainability of the PAL2 intervention will increase from baseline to 12 and up to 24 months in subjects with available data, respectively. H2b: PAL2 intervention will be more cost-effective than usual care at 12 months and projected to be more cost-effective at 10 years. Health Equity Impact: Targeted deployment of MHUs and PAL2 can mitigate several key adverse SDoH. LEAP-HTN contributes to the RESTORE Network by testing a sustainable and scalable approach to advance health equity and prevent HTN in Black adults participants. If successful, the use of MHU can be easily implemented in similar urban Black communities across the U.S. Read Less

A single-center, prospective, observational pilot of the Cerebral Adaptive Index for assessing personalized blood pressure targets Read Less

This research is being done to learn if a smartphone app with and without a just in time adaptive intervention (JITAI) can help patients with hypertension manage their sodium intake and improve their blood pressure. Read Less

The Cocooned Moms Study is a pre- and post-design study primarily aimed at reducing stress, depressive symptoms, and blood pressure among expectant Black women by providing them with free access to the InovCares mobile app. InovCares is a culturally-sensitive telehealth platform designed for community-based care coordination in maternal care. It also offers a culturally tailored maternal mental health program, which provides access to resources addressing social determinants of health, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy, and compassion-focused therapy (CFT), along with peer-to-peer support and gamification. The study will evaluate the impact of these interventions on reported stress levels, depressive symptoms, sleep quality, and blood pressure (BP) among Black pregnant women. Read Less

This study is being done to adapt the Staying Healthy After Childbirth (STAC) intervention for implementation among Black Women and Birthing Persons (WBP). Read Less

The purpose of our study is to understand the extent to which the blood vessels are affected by glucose and fat (lipids) in lean healthy adults and if these changes in the blood vessels contribute to the development of high blood pressure. Read Less