Circulating and Myocardial Cytokines Predict Cardiac Structural and Functional Improvement in Patients With Heart Failure Undergoing Mechanical Circulatory Support.

Background Recent prospective multicenter data from patients with advanced heart failure demonstrated that left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support combined with standard heart failure medications, induced significant cardiac structural and functional improvement, leading to high rates of LVAD weaning in selected patients. We investigated whether preintervention myocardial and systemic inflammatory burden could help identify the subset of patients with advanced heart failure prone to LVAD-mediated cardiac improvement to guide patient selection, treatment, and monitoring. Methods and Results Ninety-three patients requiring durable LVAD were prospectively enrolled.

Dulce Digital: An mHealth SMS-Based Intervention Improves Glycemic Control in Hispanics With Type 2 Diabetes.

Objective: Type 2 diabetes is growing in epidemic proportions and disproportionately affects lower-income, diverse communities. Text messaging may provide one of the most rapid methods to overcome the "digital divide" to improve care.

Research Design And Methods: A randomized, nonblinded, parallel-groups clinical trial design allocated = 126 low-income, Hispanic participants with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes to receive the Dulce Digital intervention or usual care (UC).