Coronary heart disease (CHD) affects millions of people in the United States and is an increasingly important health problem. People who have a family member with CHD may have a higher risk for developing CHD because of shared genetic factors and similar lifestyles. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of the Family Passport to Heart Health Program, which is a personalized screening and education program aimed at lowering CHD risk for family members of patients hospitalized with CHD.

In stent restenosis and myocardial infarction are have been linked the balance between injury and healing of the endothelium These processes can be measured respectively using the number of circulating endothelial cells and endothelial progenitor cells. We therefore aimed to evaluate the relationship between the balance of injury and healing of the endothelium at the time of PCI and major adverse cardiovascular events including death, myocardial infarction and target lesion revascularization at 6 and 12 months follow-up.

Lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a disease in which fatty build-up, or plaque, accumulates in the arteries of the legs. People with lower extremity PAD often experience leg pain while walking, which is caused by reduced blood flow to the legs. Regular walking has significant benefits for people with blood flow problems in their legs, but previous studies have shown that most men and women with PAD do not walk for exercise on a regular basis. A group home-based walking program may help people with PAD to walk more often and improve their lower extremity functioning. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based group mediated cognitive behavioral (GMCB) exercise program in helping people with lower extremity PAD to increase their walking frequency and improve their lower leg functioning.

Eleven National Sports Teams are located in the Quebec Metropolitan Area. In these groups, many athletes are aiming for Olympic medals in Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. A consultation of the coaches of these National Teams revealed that although a large proportion of these athletes present various cardio-respiratory symptoms, they do not have a rapid access to a systematic medical evaluation and follow-up. Furthermore, little is done in regard to prevention and optimization of treatment of pulmonary and cardiac conditions in the elite athlete's population of the Quebec area. Cardiorespiratory problems are therefore commonly found in high-level athletes. However, these pathologies are not well characterized in athletes and the associated symptoms often not well perceived. These problems can be serious and it is important to detect them before they appear1 while setting up a systematic medical follow-up. Health professionals should monitor health of the young athletes and help to reduce the risks associated with high level exercise. The following project is an evaluation and follow-up program of high-level athletes, aiming at gathering key-information on long-term effects of high-level training on cardio-respiratory and metabolic parameters. Our aims will be

1. to establish a long-term program of systematic evaluation and follow-up of cardiorespiratory health and performance of high elite athletes.
2. to evaluate the prevalence of respiratory, circulatory and metabolic problems among high-level athletes
3. to evaluate the effects of treatments on cardiorespiratory conditions and exercise performance in athletes who need asthma medication.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States and many people that die of heart disease have no previous symptoms. This study will look specifically at the response to four short-term environmental exposures including: the body's response to a cold stimulus, to a high fat milk shake, to aspirin, and to a high and low salt diet. These interventions are all known to influence CVD and people can have different responses to these interventions, which may be due, at least in part, to differences in genetic make up.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a certain kind of fish fat that has recently been shown to have health benefits. This study will examine the effectiveness of fish oil supplementation for reducing the early signs of heart disease risk and for improving mood, impulsivity, and anger levels.

We propose to develop a personalized pharmacogenetic approach including the major genetic markers of warfarin (coumadin) dosing and patients' age and weight. The known genetic determinants include several functional and common polymorphisms in CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genes, which explain the low-end of warfarin dosing range and mostly occur in patients of Caucasian and Chinese origins. We identified a new VKORC1 polymorphism that is specifically indicative of the high dose requirements and is dominant over the dose-reducing effect of the known CYP2C9 and VKORC1 markers. This marker is significantly over-represented in Jews of Ethiopian origin, but is also common in Ashkenazis, it is also linked to the VKORC1 genetic markers characteristic of the Afro-American population (published in Blood 2007, 109:2477-80). This information prompts the development of a more inclusive and universal diagnostic approach to the individualized warfarin therapy. The present study aims at evaluation of our novel pharmacogenetic model for predicting warfarin (coumadin) dose response on the basis of patient's genetic markers of warfarin sensitivity and resistance, and other patient specific factors. To this end, we proposes to re-evaluate our previously developed pharmacogenetic model in stabilized warfarin treated patients (N=200) and then to implement it in a prospective study of patients new on warfarin as compared to the "traditionally" treated patients (N=500).

Insulin will safely reduce glucose levels in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction and admission hyperglycemia.

This is a multi-site prospective epidemiological investigation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Abuja residents from the rural and metropolitan area.

The purpose of this study is to determine if treatment with a drug called fenofibrate, which is a PPAR-alpha agonist and controls how the heart metabolizes fats, will reverse the age-related decline in cardiac fat metabolism and mechanical function.