Cardiovascular Diseases Clinical Trials in United Kingdom

Cardiovascular disease (for example, heart attack, stroke, heart failure) is the commonest complication of kidney failure. Kidney transplantation reduces cardiovascular risk but cardiovascular disease remains the commonest cause of death in patients following transplantation. Current strategies to assess patient's cardiovascular risk prior to kidney transplantation do not identify those at highest risk and do not improve outcomes. This study will use a heart scan known as computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) to see whether this scan can identify patients at highest risk of future cardiovascular disease prior to transplantation. Studies have shown it is able to do this in patients with normal kidney function. The aim of this study is to develop CTCA as an effective tool to risk stratify patients prior to kidney transplantation. Read Less

The objective of this post marketing observational registry is to evaluate clinical outcomes (safety and performance) in an all-comers population with coronary artery disease (CAD) treated with the Polymer Free Sirolimus Eluting Coronary Stent Vivo ISAR and planned for an abbreviated (≤ 3 months) dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) regimen. Read Less

ORFAN is a prospective, multi-centre, multi-ethnic cohort observational study collecting CT scans, biological material and outcomes data, to develop and validate novel biomarkers of cardiometabolic and other disease risk. Read Less

Inflammation is the way that the body reacts against infection, injury or illness. An uncontrolled inflammatory response can lead to the development of inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular conditions. Recent studies have shown that inflammation is a regulated process coordinated by a group of molecules known as specialized pro-resolving mediator (SPM). These molecules are produced by enzymes via the enzymatic conversion of essential fatty acids; whereas their biological actions are mediated by proteins expressed on the surface of cells known as receptors. Given the central role that pro-resolving mediators play in regulating the immune response, the aim of this study is to investigate whether there are genetic variants (mutations) in genes encoding for enzymes and receptors involved in the biology of these molecules and to determine how these mutations affect SPM's activity or function. Findings made as part of these studies will help shed light into mechanism influencing disease onset and/or progression and potentially enhance the discovery of new and more effective treatments. Read Less

Low energy availability (LEA) signifies a condition where the body lacks sufficient energy to support essential physiological functions crucial for maintaining optimal health (1). This energy insufficiency can be exacerbated by the demands of sports and exercise, resulting in negative impacts on various physiological, psychological, and sports performance (11, 8, 2). While LEA is commonly associated with cardiovascular abnormalities, such as early atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction, and lower blood pressure, the existing body of research faces limitations, including small sample sizes and primarily exploratory approaches (2). Additionally, despite a growing body of evidence suggesting a strong link between DNA methylation (an epigenetic modification influencing gene expression by tagging specific parts of the DNA code) and cardiovascular disease (9, 6), there has been no prior investigation exploring the interplay between DNA methylation, cardiovascular disease, and LEA. To better understand LEA and its effects on cardiovascular health, it is imperative to address these limitations through further research. Utilising more comprehensive markers of cardiovascular disease and expanding the scope of investigations will contribute to a great understanding of LEA and its implications on cardiovascular health (10). Read Less

The researchers would like to know more about cardiovascular abnormalities in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID) and with the aim to provide new biomarkers (clinical, blood, imaging) for early diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of CVD in patients with IMID. This is important as there are still many things that are not known about this and finding out more could improve how patients are treated in future. Participants with IMID diagnoses will be recruited from rheumatology/cardiology departments as in-patients or outpatients. Once consented, researchers will collect past, present and future clinical information about them, including routine cardiovascular imaging and blood tests. Participants will also be asked to complete questionnaires at predetermined intervals. The participants could also be approached to take part in the following sub-studies; Biological sub-study, in which blood and urine would be collected; And the Imaging-sub study, in which one or more of Echocardiography, Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMR) and Laser Doppler Imaging (LDI) will be performed. Participants with CVD without IMID and healthy volunteers will also be recruited as comparison groups. The research is to be funded by the NIHR Manchester BRC ('Integrated Cardiovascular' and 'Rheumatic \& Musculoskeletal Diseases' themes). Other funding eg Manchester Academic Health Sciences and a recently awarded Medical Research Council Partnership grant will also support this programme. The study will recruit in specialist NHS centres; Recruitment will start in Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Read Less

The goal of this pilot and feasibility study is to is to test the feasibility of conducting a cross-sectional study on adiposity and cardiometabolic and neurocognitive risk factors at Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (KCH). The main aim is to assess and compare anthropometric measurements of adiposity (weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), Waist-to-Hip ratio (WHR), Neck circumference (NC)), liver fat (hepatic steatosis and fibrosis), cardiometabolic risk factors (dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, hypertension) and neurocognitive risk factors among participants, according to their ethnic background. Participants will come at KCH for one visit and will have their anthropometric measurements and cardio-metabolic profile assessed. They will also perform questionnaires on lifestyle, socio-economic status and neuro-cognitive health during their visit. Read Less

The Canadian Australasian Randomized Trial of Screening Kidney Transplant Candidates for Coronary Artery Disease (CARSK) will test the hypothesis that eliminating the regular use of non-invasive screening tests for CAD AFTER waitlist activation is not inferior to regular (i.e., annual) screening for CAD during wait-listing for the prevention of Major Adverse Cardiac Events. Secondary analyses will assess the impact of screening on the rate of transplantation, and the relative cost-effectiveness of screening. Read Less

This study will determine the limiting factors in progression from phase III to IV cardiac rehabilitation in underepresented populations (as defined by the National Audit of Cardiac Rehab, NACR). This will be done by recruiting participants from phase III cardiac rehab programmes and issuing questionnaires (either a non-initiator questionnire, or an initiator questionnaire based on if the participant is intiating into phase IV cardiac rehab. The questionnaires will assess reasons for/against progression as well as collecting some demographic and data indicative of socioeconomic status. Semi-structured interviews will then be conducted to assess reasons/barriers for progression to phase IV in a convenience sample of both initiators and non-initiators. Read Less

The aim of this randomised control trial is to investigate the role of fasted exercise on cardiometabolic health. Participants will be assigned to one of three conditions, fasted exercise, fed exercise and control (no exercise). Participants in the exercise groups will complete four weeks of moderate intensity cycling exercise, three times per week, either in the fasted or fed state according to their group assignment. Experimental trials involving anthropometric and cardiometabolic disease risk factor measurements as well as metabolic responses to a subsequent meal ingestion following exercise will be compared pre-intervention and post intervention. Read Less

An individual's experience of their breathlessness is influenced by multiple factors including their medical condition, psychology, sociological and situational circumstances which will include ethnicity. There is currently a lack of evidence exploring the impact of ethnicity in the experience and presentation of breathlessness. The non-medical management of breathlessness in respiratory diseases includes pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). PR is a highly evidenced exercise-based intervention to help manage breathlessness, improving health-related quality of life and improving survival. Recent audits in England and Wales showed 89% of patients attending PR were recorded as having a White British ethnicity which is in contrast to national ethnicity demographics. This may be because the cultural acceptability of PR components are not fully considered. Therefore, this study will explore how individuals with cardiorespiratory disease from different ethnicities from the Leicestershire population experience and manage their breathlessness through art workshops, focus groups and interviews. Informed by these results, the study team will work with individuals from under-represented ethnicities and key stakeholders to co-design adaptations of PR that may improve the management of breathlessness in underrepresented ethnicities that do not attend conventional PR programmes. The study is funded by the Wellcome Trust as part of the Leicestershire Health Inequalities Improvement Programme at the University of Leiceste Read Less

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) refers to any condition that affects the heart and/or blood vessels (e.g. heart attack, stroke) and is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Regular exercise and statin therapy are widely recommended as frontline prevention strategies to reduce CVD risk. Recent changes to National Health Service (NHS) healthcare guidelines state that even individuals with a relatively low risk of CVD (≥10% risk score) should take a statin. When prescribed after a heart attack or stroke, both exercise and statins reduce the risk of a CVD-related death by \~25%, with some evidence to suggest that the combination of these therapies may offer additive cardiovascular protection. However, far less is known about the combined effects of exercise and statin therapy in primary CVD prevention (i.e. before a CVD event). Poor blood vessel function represents the earliest stage of CVD, which can be measured with ultrasound at different regions of the body (limbs, brain, heart) to sensitively detect early CVD risk. Regular exercise provides a variety of cardiovascular benefits and has a direct therapeutic effect on blood vessel function. In contrast, statin therapy primarily reduces CVD risk by lowering cholesterol, which may also improve blood vessel function. Although both therapies can separately reduce CVD risk, the interaction between exercise training and statin therapy on blood vessel function has never been directly compared in the setting of primary prevention, and it's currently unknown whether a combination of both therapies offers additional cardiovascular benefit. Therefore, the main aims of this study are to (i) investigate the effect of supervised exercise training on blood vessel function (limbs, brain, heart) in individuals with a CVD-risk score of ≥10% and (ii) examine whether these exercise effects differ in individuals taking a statin compared to those not taking a statin. Read Less