Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: INternational VErapamil SR Trandolapril STudy
Brief Summary: Because blood pressure affects the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and the entire body, it is important to keep it as normal as possible. There are several different ways to control blood pressure and to prevent or limit the development of heart disease due to high blood pressure. The purpose of this study is to compare two treatments to see how well they work and the difference in their side effects. One treatment includes the use of a calcium antagonist drug (Isoptin sustained release \[SR\] or Verapamil SR). The other treatment excludes the calcium antagonist and may include a non-calcium antagonist drug called a beta blocker (Tenormin or Atenolol). Both treatments may also include medication called angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and water pills. None of the drugs in this study are experimental, they are all approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).


Options:
A: INCLUSION:

Small subcortical ischemic stroke or subcortical TIA.

Inclusion criteria are based on TOAST criteria supplemented by required MRI data. All of the following criteria must be met:

* One of the lacunar stroke clinical syndromes (adapted from Fisher) lasting \> 24 hrs within the past 6 months
* Absence of signs or symptoms of cortical dysfunction such as aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, agraphia, homonymous visual field defect, etc.
* No ipsilateral cervical carotid stenosis (≥50%) by a reliable imaging modality done in an approved laboratory since the qualifying small subcortical stroke (S3), if hemispheric.
* No major-risk cardioembolic sources requiring anticoagulation or other specific therapy. Minor-risk cardioembolic sources will be permitted if anticoagulation is not prescribed by the patient's primary care physician.
* Subcortical TIA with corresponding lesion on DWI.
* MRI evidence of S3: a. Presence of an S3 (1.5 and 2 cm in diameter corresponding to the qualifying event on DWI; when TIA, ADC image must confirm lesion or T2/FLAIR (hyperintense lesions) (required for all brainstem events) OR multiple S3s on FLAIR/TI(\<1.5 cm in diameter) (hypointense lesions) b. Absence of cortical stroke and large subcortical stroke (recent or remote).

EXCLUSION:

To be eligible for entry into the study, the patient must not meet any of the criteria listed below:

* Disabling stroke (Modified Rankin Scale less than or equal to 4)
* Previous intracranial hemorrhage (excluding traumatic) or hemorrhagic stroke
* Age under 30 years
* High risk of bleeding (e.g. recurrent GI or GU bleeding, active peptic ulcer disease, etc)
* Anticipated requirement for long-term use of anticoagulants (e.g. recurrent DVT) or other antiplatelets
* Prior cortical stroke (diagnosed either clinically or by neuroimaging), or prior cortical or retinal TIA
* Prior ipsilateral carotid endarterectomy
* Impaired renal function: GFR \<40
* Intolerance or contraindications to aspirin or clopidogrel (including thrombocytopenia, prolonged INR)
* A score \< 24 (adjusted for age and education) on the Folstein Mini Mental Status Examination
* Medical contraindication to MRI
* Pregnancy or women of child-bearing potential who are not following an effective method of contraception
* Geographic or social factors making study participation impractical
* Unable or unwilling to provide informed consent
* Unlikely to be compliant with therapy/unwilling to return for frequent clinic visits
* Patients concurrently participating in another study with an investigational drug or device
* Other likely specific cause of stroke (e.g. dissection, vasculitis, prothrombotic diathesis, drug abuse)
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* Qualifying event: stroke or TIA 1 to 6 months previous to randomization.
* All patients should have a CT scan or MRI (preferably MRI) at screening. The CT scan or MRI carried out at the time of the qualifying event, if available, is acceptable. Stroke will be defined as imaging evidence of a recent brain infarction (or haemorrhage) independently of duration of clinical symptoms, or as duration of clinical symptoms \> 24 h even in absence of imaging evidence of lesion
* TIA as clinical symptoms (involving limbs or speech) lasting \< 24 h without imaging evidence of infarction. Enrolling units should avoid enrolling patients with TIA in a proportion greater than 25% of enrolled patients. The general coordinators in Milan and Beijing may decide stopping enrolment of TIA patients if their proportion is becoming greater than expected.
* A haemorrhagic stroke (1 to 6 months previously) is also a qualifying event, but only for the BP-lowering component of the trial (see Exclusion criteria).
* Age: 65 years and above. No fixed upper age limit is introduced, but frail patients aged above 80 years should not be enrolled.
* Gender: either gender.
* BP: Only hypertensive patients: untreated patients with SBP ≥140 mmHg; patients on antihypertensive treatment with any BP (but see exclusion criteria)
* LDL-C: Patients without statin treatment with LDL-C \> 2.8 mmol/l; patients on statin treatment with any LDL-C value (but see exclusion criteria)
* Antiplatelet therapy: All patients should be under antiplatelet therapy (agents and doses chosen by the investigator according to accepted guidelines), unless contraindicated. Anticoagulant (instead of antiplatelet) therapy whenever indicated (e.g. atrial fibrillation).

Exclusion Criteria:

* Qualifying event:

  1. Patients in unstable clinical conditions
  2. Clinical disturbances caused by non-stroke pathology
  3. patients with haemodynamically significant carotid stenosis or requiring carotid revascularization
  4. haemorrhagic stroke is an exclusion criterion for the lipid lowering component of the trial; however, these patients should be randomized to the BP component, but considered in addition to the number of patients requested to each enrolling unit, in order not to decrease the power of the lipid-lowering component.
* BP: - known secondary hypertension;
* SBP \>140 mmHg under three antihypertensive drugs at full doses (these patients are unlikely to achieve SBP \< 125 mmHg, if so randomized);
* orthostatic hypotension (SBP fall \> 25 mmHg on standing);
* LDL-C: - LDL-C \>2.8 mmol/l under full dose of a statin (these patients are unlikely to achieve LDL-C targets).
* LDL-C \> 4.5 mmol/l under low dose of a statin or untreated (these patients are unlikely to achieve the lower LDL-C target).
* Others: - Patients with a myocardial infarction (preceding or subsequent to the qualifying stroke or TIA) if their baseline LDL-C is \< 1.8 mmol/l
* Dementia
* Severe disability (modified Rankin scale \> 4)
* Severe chronic renal failure defined as serum creatinine \> 250 micromol/l
* Hepatic disease as determined by either AST or ALT values \> 2 times the upper limit of normal
* History of hepatic encephalopathy, esophageal varices or portocaval shunt
* History of gastrointestinal surgery or disorders which could interfere with drug absorption
* Known allergy or contraindications to one of the drugs to be administered in the study
* History of malignancy including leukaemia and lymphoma (but not basal cell skin cancer) within the last 5 years
* History of clinically significant autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus
* History of drug or alcohol abuse within the last 5 years
* History of non-compliance to medical regimens and/or patients who are considered potentially unreliable
* Inability or unwillingness to give free informed consent
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* At least 50 years old

Systolic blood pressure of

* 130 - 180 mm Hg on 0 or 1 medication
* 130 - 170 mm Hg on up to 2 medications
* 130 - 160 mm Hg on up to 3 medications
* 130 - 150 mm Hg on up to 4 medications

Risk (one or more of the following)

1. Presence of clinical or subclinical cardiovascular disease other than stroke
2. CKD, defined as eGFR 20 - 59 ml/min/1.73m2
3. A Framingham Risk Score for 10-year CVD risk ≥ 15%
4. Age greater than 75 years

Exclusion Criteria:

* An indication for a specific BP lowering medication that the person is not taking and the person has not been documented to be intolerant of the medication class.
* Known secondary cause of hypertension that causes concern regarding safety of the protocol.
* One minute standing SBP \< 110 mm Hg.
* Proteinuria in the following ranges (based on a measurement within the past 6 months)

  * 24 hour urinary protein excretion ≥1 g/day, or
  * 24 hour urinary albumin excretion ≥ 600 mg/day, or
  * spot urine protein/creatinine ratio ≥ 1 g/g creatinine, or
  * spot urine albumin/creatinine ratio ≥ 600 mg/g creatinine, or
  * urine dipstick ≥ 2+ protein
* Arm circumference too large or small to allow accurate blood pressure measurement with available devices
* Diabetes mellitus,
* History of stroke (not CE or stenting)
* Diagnosis of polycystic kidney disease
* Glomerulonephritis treated with or likely to be treated with immunosuppressive therapy
* eGFR \< 20 ml/min /1.73m2 or end-stage renal disease (ESRD)
* Cardiovascular event or procedure (as defined above as clinical CVD for study entry) or hospitalization for unstable angina within last 3 months
* Symptomatic heart failure within the past 6 months or left ventricular ejection fraction (by any method) \< 35%
* A medical condition likely to limit survival to less than 3 years or a malignancy other than non-melanoma skin cancer within the last 2 years
* Any factors judged by the clinic team to be likely to limit adherence to interventions.
* Failure to obtain informed consent from participant
* Currently participating in another clinical trial (intervention study). Note: Patient must wait until the completion of his/her activities or the completion of the other trial before being screened for SPRINT.
* Living in the same household as an already randomized SPRINT participant
* Any organ transplant
* Unintentional weight loss \> 10% in last 6 months
* Pregnancy, currently trying to become pregnant, or of child-bearing potential and not using birth control.
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* Male or female
* Age 50 to no upper limit
* Hypertension documented according to the 6th report of the Joint National Committee on Detection and Evaluation of the treatment of high BP (JNC VI) and the need for drug therapy (previously documented hypertension in patients currently taking antihypertensive agents is acceptable)
* Documented CAD (e.g., classic angina pectoris (stable angina pectoris; Heberden angina pectoris), myocardial infarction three or more months ago, abnormal coronary angiography, or concordant abnormalities on two different types of stress tests)
* Willingness to sign informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Unstable angina, angioplasty, coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) or stroke within one month. Patients taking beta blockers after myocardial infarction are excluded if study enrollment is planned within 12 months of myocardial infarction. No time limitation if not taking beta-blocker.
* Use of a ß-blocker within past two weeks
* Patients without a pacemaker and any of the following:

  * Sinus bradycardia (\< 50 beats/min.)
  * Sick sinus syndrome
  * Atrioventricular (AV)-block of more than 1st degree
* Documented contraindication to verapamil; documented contraindication to both atenolol and hydrochlorothiazide
* Atrial fibrillation/flutter with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW)-Syndrome
* Severe heart failure (New York Heart Association \[NYHA\] IV).
* Concomitant illnesses (e.g., severe renal failure \[Serum creatinine ≥4.0 mg/dl\], severe hepatic failure or known cirrhosis, etc.) which may affect outcome variables or where life expectancy is two years or less or which are likely to require frequent hospitalizations and/or treatment adjustments.
* Patients with psychiatric, cognitive, or social (e.g., alcoholism, etc.) conditions that would interfere with giving consent or cooperating or remaining available for follow-up for two years.

Answer: D