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An abstract of the study "An Elevated Cholesterol Has a Protective Effect in Patients With Heart Failure Who Have an Increased Inflammatory Response," by J. Windram et al. is presented.

An abstract of the study "Is Initiation or Continuation of Statin Therapy Following Diagnosis of Heart Failure Associated With Lower All-Cause Mortality in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease?" by P. H. Loh et al is presented.

An abstract of the study "The Increased Inflammatory Response Seen in Heart Failure Is Related to the Severity of Tricuspid Regurgitation Rather Than the Severity of LV Impairment," by J. Windram et al. is presented.

Background. Treatment of angina recalcitrant to conventional pharmacological therapy and revascularization remains problematic. Safe, effective and affordable treatments with high patient acceptability are desirable. Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) may fulfil these criteria better than many other proposed interventions. Objective. To examine the immediate and long-term effect of EECP in treatment of chronic stable refractory angina. Design. Prospective observational study of consecutive patients treated with EECP and follow-up for 1 year. Setting. Teaching hospital. Main outcome measures. Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) angina grading, weekly angina frequency and glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) use. Results. Sixty-one patients were treated with EECP and 58 completed a course of treatment. Further analysis is confined to those who completed EECP. About 52% of patients suffered from CCS III and IV angina prior to EECP. Immediately post-EECP, angina improved by at least one CCS class in 86% and by two classes in 59%. At 1-year follow-up, sustained improvement in CCS was observed in 78% of the patients. The median weekly angina frequency and GTN use were significantly reduced immediately after EECP [7 (4–14) vs. 1 (0–4) episodes per week and 7 (2–16) vs. 0 (0–2) times per week respectively, P < 0.0001; data in median (interquartile range)]. The reduction was sustained at 1-year follow-up. In 48 patients, their mean exercise time improved significantly after EECP [301 ± 130 s vs. 379 ± 147 s, P < 0.0001]. Major adverse treatment-related events were rare. Conclusion. This study shows that for patients who fail to respond to conventional measures, a high proportion gain symptomatic benefit from EECP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the study "Prevalence and Prognosis of HF in Post MI Patients," by A. Torabi et al. is presented.

An abstract of the study "Haemodilution Is the Primary Cause of Mild Anaemia in Heart Failure," by L. Tin et al. is presented.

An abstract of the study "Clinical characteristics of patients referred with suspected heart failure and preserved left ventricular systolic function," by C. Constantin and colleagues is presented.