Germline variants in HEY2 functional domains lead to congenital heart defects and thoracic aortic aneurysms.

Purpose: In this study we aimed to establish the genetic cause of a myriad of cardiovascular defects prevalent in individuals from a genetically isolated population, who were found to share a common ancestor in 1728.

Methods: Trio genome sequencing was carried out in an index patient with critical congenital heart disease (CHD); family members had either exome or Sanger sequencing. To confirm enrichment, we performed a gene-based association test and meta-analysis in two independent validation cohorts: one with 2685 CHD cases versus 4370 .

Intracardiac origin of heart rate variability, pacemaker funny current and their possible association with critical illness.

Heart rate variability (HRV) is an indirect estimator of autonomic modulation of heart rate and is considered a risk marker in critical illness, particularly in heart failure and severe sepsis. A reduced HRV has been found in critically ill patients and has been associated with neuro-autonomic uncoupling or decreased baroreflex sensitivity. However, results from human and animal experimental studies indicate that intracardiac mechanisms might also be responsible for interbeat fluctuations.