Agostini D, Carrio I, Verberne HJ How to use myocardial 123I-MIBG scintigraphy in chronic heart failure. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2009 Apr;36(4):555-9. doi: 10.1007/s00259-008-0976-x.
Caldwell JH, Link JM, Levy WC, Poole JE, Stratton JR Evidence for pre- to postsynaptic mismatch of the cardiac sympathetic nervous system in ischemic congestive heart failure. J Nucl Med. 2008 Feb;49(2):234-41. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.107.044339. Epub 2008 Jan 16.
Flotats A, Carrió I Radionuclide noninvasive evaluation of heart failure beyond left ventricular function assessment. J Nucl Cardiol. 2009 Mar-Apr;16(2):304-15. doi: 10.1007/s12350-009-9064-2. Epub 2009 Feb 27. Review.
Kiilavuori K, Toivonen L, Näveri H, Leinonen H Reversal of autonomic derangements by physical training in chronic heart failure assessed by heart rate variability. Eur Heart J. 1995 Apr;16(4):490-5.
Middlekauff HR How does cardiac resynchronization therapy improve exercise capacity in chronic heart failure? J Card Fail. 2005 Sep;11(7):534-41. Review.
Patwala AY, Woods PR, Sharp L, Goldspink DF, Tan LB, Wright DJ Maximizing patient benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy with the addition of structured exercise training: a randomized controlled study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009 Jun 23;53(25):2332-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2009.02.063.
Santa-Clara H, Fernhall B, Mendes M, Sardinha LB Effect of a 1 year combined aerobic- and weight-training exercise programme on aerobic capacity and ventilatory threshold in patients suffering from coronary artery disease. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2002 Oct;87(6):568-75. Epub 2002 Jul 30.
Shechter M, Matetzky S, Arad M, Feinberg MS, Freimark D Vascular endothelial function predicts mortality risk in patients with advanced ischaemic chronic heart failure. Eur J Heart Fail. 2009 Jun;11(6):588-93. doi: 10.1093/eurjhf/hfp053. Epub 2009 Apr 30.
Smart N, Marwick TH Exercise training for patients with heart failure: a systematic review of factors that improve mortality and morbidity. Am J Med. 2004 May 15;116(10):693-706. Review.
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
