Current Research Projects  

Clinical Trials / Studies (contact Heart Disease Prevention Program at 949-824-7688 or e-mail: ndwong@uci.edu for current availability regarding patient enrollment)      

Antihypertensive Lipid-Lowering to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT) –  Multicenter National Institutes of Health-sponsored clinical trial involving approximately 40,000 men and women aged 55 and older, examining the effect of chlorthalidone, atenolol, and lisinopril on preventing heart attacks and stroke over 5-7 years.  The UCI Heart Disease Prevention Program is one of the clinical sites.   Scheduled to end in 2002, this trial is closed to further enrollment (Nathan D. Wong, Ph.D. and Stanley S. Franklin, M.D.).       

Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) – Multicenter NIH-sponsored observational and clinical trial involving approximately 160,000 postmenopausal women ages 50-79, examining role of hormone replacement therapy and a low-fat, high-fiber diet in preventing cardiovascular disease, cancer, and hip fractures, and role of newer risk factors for cardiovascular and other diseases.   UCI site investigators: Allan Hubbel, M.D. (PI), Nathan D. Wong, PhD, and Gail Frank, Dr.P.H. (Co-Pis).  Scheduled to end in 2007, this study is closed to further enrollment.        

Lipid-Lowering, Antithrombotic, and Antiinflammatory Effects of Ayurvedic Therapies – This clinical trial conducted only by the UCI Heart Disease Prevention Program is examining the effect of an Indian traditional herbal compound on lowering cholesterol levels, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, and other measures of cardiovascular risk in adults with moderately elevated cholesterol levels (Nathan D. Wong, Ph.D. and John W. Zamarra, M.D.).        

Efficacy of Cardiopril in Lipid-Lowering – This clinical trial conducted only by the UCI Heart Disease Prevention Program is examining the effect of an Asian herbal compound on lowering cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular risk factors in adults with moderately elevated cholesterol levels (Nathan D. Wong, Ph.D. and John W. Zamarra, M.D).        

EASE – Study for persons currently taking a statin (e.g., Lipitor, Zocor, Pravacol, etc.) to lower their cholesterol levels. Participants will remain on their current statin medication and be given either an active or placebo of Ezetimibe, a new cholesterol-lowering agent, to examine the additional effects this drug may have on lowering cholesterol levels further. Approximately five visits are required to the UCI Heart Disease Prevention Irvine campus location.

Epidemiologic Studies (no subject enrollment at UCI)       

CT Reading Center for Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA), and Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) Studies – Dr. Nathan D. Wong serves as UC Irvine subcontract principal investigator with the Harbor-UCLA NIH CT Reading Center (Robert C. Detrano, M.D., Ph.D., Principal Investigator) for these major NIH-sponsored studies examining the role of coronary artery calcium evaluated by CT in relation to other noninvasive imaging modalities for predicting the transition of subclinical disease to cardiovascular events (MESA), in relation to risk factor development in young adults (CARDIA), and in relation to Type I diabetes and risk factors (EDIC) (Nathan D. Wong, Ph.D.).          

Coronary Calcium, Risk Factors, and Cardiovascular Events – Prospective study of relation of risk and health behavioral factors and coronary calcium to future cardiovascular events (Nathan D. Wong, Ph.D.).        

Framingham Heart Study – The UCI Heart Disease Prevention Program continues ongoing evaluation of blood pressure patterns and subtypes, including isolated systolic hypertension, in relation to cardiovascular events in this prospective study of heart disease based in Framingham, MA involving 5,209 subjects since 1948 (Stanley S. Franklin, M.D. and Nathan D. Wong, Ph.D.).        

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey – The UCI Heart Disease Prevention Program continues ongoing evaluation of blood pressure, lipid, and inflammatory risk factor evaluation, including studies to examine the relation of metabolic syndrome to estimated coronary heart disease risk using Framingham algorithms, and impact of treatment on reducing risk of projected clinical events (Nathan D. Wong, PhD and Stanley S. Franklin, M.D.).