A pilot exercise intervention to improve lower extremity functioning in peripheral arterial disease unaccompanied by intermittent claudication.

Purpose: A pilot study was conducted to test the feasibility of supervised treadmill exercise training to improve functioning in study participants with peripheral arterial disease who did not have classical symptoms of intermittent claudication.

Methods: For this study, 32 men and women with peripheral arterial disease but no symptoms of claudication were randomized to exercise training or usual care. The intervention was a 12-week supervised treadmill walking program.

Novel echogenic drug-immunoliposomes for drug delivery.

Rationale And Objectives: We have developed novel echogenic immunoliposomes (ELIPs) that can be antibody-conjugated for the specific highlighting of atheroma and atheroma components. The utility of these agents for regional drug delivery has not been evaluated previously. We chose to use an antibiotic as the prototype drug.

The role of echocardiography in the diagnosis and management of heart failure.

Heart failure has emerged as one of the most pressing health care issues in the United States. It is estimated that 4.8 million people have chronic heart failure, and approximately 400,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

Improvement in heart rate recovery after cardiac rehabilitation.

Purpose: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation has been shown to reduce mortality in patients with coronary artery disease. Although the exact mechanisms by which exercise reduces mortality are unclear, one hypothesis invokes the effect of exercise on autonomic tone. Heart rate recovery (HRR) immediately after exercise is a marker of vagal tone that findings have shown to be a powerful predictor of all-cause mortality.