Specific aim 1 will be to determine the correlation of echocardiographic parameters of systolic and diastolic functional entry with circulating inflammatory mediators: TNF, IL-6 and TNF receptors 1 and 2. Specific aim 2 will be to determine the predictive value of early plasma TNFα levels and of left ventricular size by transthoracic echo at baseline in predicting improvements in left ventricular ejection function (LVEF) at 6 months. Specific aim 3 will evaluate the effects of the TNFA 1/2 promoter polymorphism on circulating plasma TNF levels and its influence on subsequent improvement in LVEF. Specific aim 4 will look at the impact of the deletion allele of the angiotensin-converting enzyme and the genetic variation of beta 1 and beta 2 adrenergic receptors on left ventricular recovery.