Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: A Twenty Six-week, Dose Titration Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Aliskiren Compared to HCTZ With the Optional Addition of Amlodipine, Followed by a Second Twenty Six Weeks of Blinded Treatment, in Patients With Essential Hypertension
Brief Summary: This study is designed to compare the long-term efficacy and safety of an aliskiren based regimen to an HCTZ based treatment regimen with optional addition of amlodipine in patients with essential hypertension


Options:
A: Inclusion criteria:

* Patient hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of worsening heart failure ≥ 18 years of age, male or female.
* Patients with a diagnosis of acute heart failure expressed by symptoms (dyspnea or fatigability - NYHA Class III-IV) and signs of fluid overload (i.e., jugular venous distension, edema or positive rales auscultation or pulmonary congestion on chest x-ray) at the time of hospitalization.

  * LVEF \< 40% (measured within the last 6 months).
  * Hospitalization for ADHF and remain "stabilized" for at least 6 hours (defined as SBP ≥ 110 mm Hg after acute decompensated episode) and did not receive IV vasodilators (other than nitrates) and/or IV inotropic drugs at anytime from ADHF presentation to time of randomization.
* Elevated BNP at Visit 1 or at randomization (BNP ≥ 400 pg/ml).
* Patients with a history of chronic heart failure on standard therapy defined as requiring HF treatment for at least 30 days before the current hospitalization (NYHA Class II - IV).

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients that required any use of IV vasodilators (except nitrates), and/or any IV inotropic therapy from the time of presentation for worsening HF to randomization.
* Concomitant use of ACEI and ARB at randomization.
* Right heart failure due to pulmonary disease.
* Diagnosis of postpartum cardiomyopathy.
* Myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery, including percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), within past 3 months.
* Patients with a history of heart transplant or who are on a transplant list.
* Unstable angina or coronary artery disease likely to require coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) or PTCA before randomization.

Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria applied.
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients with CAD who have blood pressure in the pre-hypertensive range defined as a msSBP ≥ 125 and ≤ 139mmHg and a msDBP \< 90mmHg.
* Patients with or without current treatment for hypertension
* Angiographic evidence of coronary artery disease
* At least 2 qualifying Cardiovascular risk factors at Visit 1

Exclusion Criteria:

* Baseline IVUS determined unacceptable
* Patients requiring treatment with disallowed study medications
* Patients with clinically significant heart disease
* Previous or current diagnosis of heart failure (NYHA Class IV) or a documented left ventricular ejection fraction of \< 25%
* Patients requiring treatment with any 2 of the following classes of medication at Visit 1 or Visit 2:

  * Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors
  * Angiotensin receptor blockers
  * aldosterone receptor blockers or a direct renin inhibitor.
* Other conditions may apply
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients with essential hypertension

Exclusion Criteria:

* Severe hypertension
* History or evidence of a secondary form of hypertension
* History of myocardial infarction.
* Other protocol-defined inclusion exclusion criteria also apply.
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* Male and female outpatients 18 years of age and older
* Patients who are eligible and able to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

* Severe hypertension
* History or evidence of a secondary form of hypertension
* History of hypertensive encephalopathy or cerebrovascular accident.

Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria may apply

Answer: C