Mortality in African-Americans Following Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: A Single Center Experience.

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) improves clinical outcomes and reduces mortality in heart failure patients who remain symptomatic despite optimal medical therapy. CRT trials have reported significant hemodynamic benefits, improvement in functional status, and reduced mortality and heart failure hospitalizations. However, African-American patient representation in these studies is limited thus the results may not be applicable to them.

Biventricular paced QRS predictors of left ventricular lead locations in relation to mortality in cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) lead location during cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has influenced mortality and heart failure events; however the biventricular paced QRS morphology has not been established as a predictor of LV lead location or mortality.

Methods: We evaluated the biventricular paced QRS morphology in 306 patients undergoing CRT in relation to specific anatomic locations. A logistic regression model and Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were used to determine predictors of LV lead location and survival.

T-cell responses induced in normal volunteers immunized with a DNA-based vaccine containing HIV-1 env and rev.

Objective: An effective HIV-1 vaccine will likely need to induce strong cell-mediated immunity in humans. Therefore, we examined the ability of a DNA HIV-1 vaccine to induce a T-cell response in HIV-1 seronegative humans.

Design: Individuals were enrolled in a phase I clinical trial of safety and immune responses to an env/rev-containing plasmid at doses of 100, 300 or 1000 microg.