Effects of Exercise Training versus Attention on Plasma B-type Natriuretic Peptide, 6-Minute Walk Test and Quality of Life in Individuals with Heart Failure.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare an Exercise Training Group (EX) with an Attention-Control Group (AT-C) to more specifically assess the impact of exercise training on individuals with heart failure (HF).

Methods: Forty-two individuals with HF were randomized to AT-C or EX that met with the same frequency and format of investigator interaction. Baseline, 12- and 24-week measurements of B-type naturetic peptide (BNP), 6-minute walk test (6-MWT), and the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) were obtained.

Social regulation of the stress response in the transitional newborn: a pilot study.

The purpose of the study was to explore relationships between caregiver holding and feeding behaviors and the transitional newborn infant's cortisol response. Behaviors of 46 mothers, fathers, and their term transitional newborn infants were measured with the Index of Mother-Infant Separation (IMIS). Repeated measures of infant salivary cortisol were used to calculate area under the curve.

Cluster analysis of symptom occurrence to identify subgroups of heart failure patients: a pilot study.

Background And Research Objective: The aim of this small-scale study was to explore the use of cluster analysis to identify subgroups of heart failure patients whose patterns of symptoms may help guide clinical management. The empirically derived clusters were compared on (1) demographics, (2) clinical characteristics, and (3) subscales of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire.

Subjects And Methods: A demographics questionnaire, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, and the investigator-developed Heart Failure Symptom Survey were mailed to a random sample of 300 patients at a Midwestern outpatient heart failure clinic.

Relationship of resting B-type natriuretic peptide level to cardiac work and total physical work capacity in heart failure patients.

Purpose: Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels obtained at rest have been previously shown to be correlated with the global functional capacity measures of peak oxygen uptake (V(O(2peak))) and the minute ventilation/carbon dioxide (VE/V(O(2))) slope. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of the plasma BNP level to the rate-pressure product (RPP) as an indicator of central or cardiac work capacity.

Methods: Twenty-two subjects (12 men), mean age 57 +/- 12 years, diagnosed with heart failure (8 ischemic/14 nonischemic) were recruited.

Considerations in determining sample size for pilot studies.

There is little published guidance concerning how large a pilot study should be. General guidelines, for example using 10% of the sample required for a full study, may be inadequate for aims such as assessment of the adequacy of instrumentation or providing statistical estimates for a larger study. This article illustrates how confidence intervals constructed around a desired or anticipated value can help determine the sample size needed.

Longitudinal field comparison of the RT3 and an activity diary with cardiac patients.

This study investigated reliability and validity of two methods of measuring patients' physical activity following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Sixty-five patients wore an RT3 accelerometer and recorded activity in a diary at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months postsurgery. Generalizability coefficients greater than .