NCT01178320

Brief Summary

Heart attacks and strokes caused by the unstable atherosclerotic plaques remain the leading cause of death in the United States. Unstable plaques often have more fat than stable plaques. This study will investigate if a treatment with LDL-lowering plus HDL-raising compared with LDL-lowering alone would more effectively reduce the plaque fat content assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), therefore, further reducing heart attacks and strokes.

Trial Health

90
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
230

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for all trials

Timeline
Completed

Started Mar 2008

Longer than P75 for all trials

Geographic Reach
2 countries

19 active sites

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 1, 2008

Completed
2.4 years until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

August 5, 2010

Completed
5 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

August 10, 2010

Completed
2.6 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

April 1, 2013

Completed
1.8 years until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

February 1, 2015

Completed
Last Updated

February 9, 2018

Status Verified

February 1, 2018

Enrollment Period

5.1 years

First QC Date

August 5, 2010

Last Update Submit

February 7, 2018

Conditions

Keywords

Magnetic Resonance ImagingAtherosclerotic PlaqueLipid Lowering Therapy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Mean plaque lipid composition in carotid arteries assessed by MR

    To test the primary hypothesis that compared with LDL-lowering alone, intensive LDL-lowering plus HDL-raising therapy decreases the mean plaque lipid composition in carotid arteries assessed by MRI.

    Through 24Months post AIM-HIGH Randomization

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Additional plaque characteristics as assessed by MRI

    Through 24Months post AIM-HIGH Randomization

Study Arms (2)

Simvastatin

Participants in the main AIM-HIGH study who are receiving simvastatin.

Drug: Simvastatin, simvastatin plus extended-release niacin

Simvastatin and Extended-Release Niacin

Participants in the main AIM-HIGH study who are receiving simvastatin and extended-release niacin.

Drug: Simvastatin, simvastatin plus extended-release niacin

Interventions

Participants will be enrolled in this substudy only if they are candidates for the main AIM-HIGH study (NCT00120289). Participants will be randomly assigned to simvastatin or simvastatin plus niacin as a part of the main AIM-HIGH protocol, and adjustments in simvastatin and/or niacin doses will be made as per the protocol for the main AIM-HIGH study.

Also known as: simvastatin, Zocor, niacin, Niaspan
SimvastatinSimvastatin and Extended-Release Niacin

Eligibility Criteria

Age45 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
Sampling MethodProbability Sample
Study Population

Participants in the main AIM-HIGH study (NCT00120289)

You may qualify if:

  • Eligible for main AIM-HIGH study (NCT00120289)
  • Medically able to undergo MRI procedure
  • Willing to provide informed consent for participation in this substudy

You may not qualify if:

  • Uses pacemaker or has metallic implants
  • History of bilateral carotid endarterectomy
  • Glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m\^2

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (19)

Cardiovascular Consultants

Phoenix, Arizona, 85032, United States

Location

Long Beach VA Medical Center

Long Beach, California, 90822, United States

Location

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California, 90033, United States

Location

University of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, United States

Location

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, United States

Location

Mayo Clinic

Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States

Location

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States

Location

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States

Location

Philadelphia VA Medical Center

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

Location

Baylor College of Medicine

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

Location

Kelsey Research Foundation

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

Location

Methodist Hospital

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

Location

Harborview Medical Center

Seattle, Washington, 98104, United States

Location

University of Washington

Seattle, Washington, 98105, United States

Location

Puget Sound VA Medical Center, Seattle Campus

Seattle, Washington, 98108, United States

Location

Heart Health Institute

Calgary, Alberta, T2E-7C5, Canada

Location

University of Calgary

Calgary, Alberta, T2N-2T9, Canada

Location

Vancouver General Hospital

Vancouver, British Columbia, V5Z-1M9, Canada

Location

University of Western Ontario

London, Ontario, N6A-5A5, Canada

Location

Related Publications (6)

  • Hippe DS, Phan BAP, Sun J, Isquith DA, O'Brien KD, Crouse JR, Anderson T, Huston J, Marcovina SM, Hatsukami TS, Yuan C, Zhao XQ. Lp(a) (Lipoprotein(a)) Levels Predict Progression of Carotid Atherosclerosis in Subjects With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease on Intensive Lipid Therapy: An Analysis of the AIM-HIGH (Atherothrombosis Intervention in Metabolic Syndrome With Low HDL/High Triglycerides: Impact on Global Health Outcomes) Carotid Magnetic Resonance Imaging Substudy-Brief Report. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2018 Mar;38(3):673-678. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.117.310368. Epub 2018 Jan 4.

  • Sun J, Zhao XQ, Balu N, Hippe DS, Hatsukami TS, Isquith DA, Yamada K, Neradilek MB, Canton G, Xue Y, Fleg JL, Desvigne-Nickens P, Klimas MT, Padley RJ, Vassileva MT, Wyman BT, Yuan C. Carotid magnetic resonance imaging for monitoring atherosclerotic plaque progression: a multicenter reproducibility study. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2015 Jan;31(1):95-103. doi: 10.1007/s10554-014-0532-7. Epub 2014 Sep 13.

  • Chen H, Sun J, Kerwin WS, Balu N, Neradilek MB, Hippe DS, Isquith D, Xue Y, Yamada K, Peck S, Yuan C, O'Brien KD, Zhao XQ. Scan-rescan reproducibility of quantitative assessment of inflammatory carotid atherosclerotic plaque using dynamic contrast-enhanced 3T CMR in a multi-center study. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2014 Aug 1;16(1):51. doi: 10.1186/s12968-014-0051-7.

  • Zhao XQ, Hatsukami TS, Hippe DS, Sun J, Balu N, Isquith DA, Crouse JR 3rd, Anderson T, Huston J 3rd, Polissar N, O'Brien K, Yuan C; AIM-HIGH Carotid MRI Sub-study Investigators. Clinical factors associated with high-risk carotid plaque features as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging in patients with established vascular disease (from the AIM-HIGH Study). Am J Cardiol. 2014 Nov 1;114(9):1412-9. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2014.08.001. Epub 2014 Aug 13.

  • Zhao XQ, Sun J, Hippe DS, Isquith DA, Canton G, Yamada K, Balu N, Crouse JR 3rd, Anderson TJ, Huston J 3rd, O'Brien KD, Hatsukami TS, Yuan C; AIM-HIGH Carotid MRI Substudy Investigators. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Intraplaque Hemorrhage and Plaque Lipid Content With Continued Lipid-Lowering Therapy: Results of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Substudy in AIM-HIGH. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. 2022 Nov;15(11):e014229. doi: 10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.122.014229. Epub 2022 Nov 15.

  • O'Brien KD, Hippe DS, Chen H, Neradilek MB, Probstfield JL, Peck S, Isquith DA, Canton G, Yuan C, Polissar NL, Zhao XQ, Kerwin WS. Longer duration of statin therapy is associated with decreased carotid plaque vascularity by magnetic resonance imaging. Atherosclerosis. 2016 Feb;245:74-81. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2015.11.032. Epub 2015 Dec 1.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Coronary Artery DiseaseCarotid Artery DiseasesAtherosclerosisPlaque, Atherosclerotic

Interventions

SimvastatinNiacin

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Coronary DiseaseMyocardial IschemiaHeart DiseasesCardiovascular DiseasesArteriosclerosisArterial Occlusive DiseasesVascular DiseasesCerebrovascular DisordersBrain DiseasesCentral Nervous System DiseasesNervous System DiseasesPathological Conditions, AnatomicalPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

LovastatinNaphthalenesPolycyclic Aromatic HydrocarbonsHydrocarbons, AromaticHydrocarbons, CyclicHydrocarbonsOrganic ChemicalsPolycyclic CompoundsNicotinic AcidsAcids, HeterocyclicHeterocyclic CompoundsPyridinesHeterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring

Study Officials

  • Xue-Qiao Zhao, MD

    University of Washington

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
observational
Observational Model
COHORT
Time Perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

August 5, 2010

First Posted

August 10, 2010

Study Start

March 1, 2008

Primary Completion

April 1, 2013

Study Completion

February 1, 2015

Last Updated

February 9, 2018

Record last verified: 2018-02

Locations