Kitzman DW Diastolic dysfunction in the elderly. Genesis and diagnostic and therapeutic implications. Cardiol Clin. 2000 Aug;18(3):597-617, x. Review.
Kitzman DW Diastolic heart failure in the elderly. Heart Fail Rev. 2002 Jan;7(1):17-27. Review.
Kitzman DW Heart Failure in the Elderly: Systolic and Diastolic Dysfunction. Am J Geriatr Cardiol. 1996 Jan;5(1):20-26.
Kitzman DW Heart failure with normal systolic function. Clin Geriatr Med. 2000 Aug;16(3):489-512. Review.
Little WC, Ohno M, Kitzman DW, Thomas JD, Cheng CP Determination of left ventricular chamber stiffness from the time for deceleration of early left ventricular filling. Circulation. 1995 Oct 1;92(7):1933-9.
Zile MR, Brutsaert DL New concepts in diastolic dysfunction and diastolic heart failure: Part I: diagnosis, prognosis, and measurements of diastolic function. Circulation. 2002 Mar 19;105(11):1387-93. Review.
Zile MR, Brutsaert DL New concepts in diastolic dysfunction and diastolic heart failure: Part II: causal mechanisms and treatment. Circulation. 2002 Mar 26;105(12):1503-8. 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.
