Half-Normal Saline vs Normal Saline for Cavotricuspid Isthmus-Dependent Atrial Flutter Ablation.

Background: Cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) ablation requires permanent bidirectional block to prevent recurrence of typical atrial flutter (AFL). Catheter irrigation with half-normal saline (HNS) produces larger and deeper lesions in experimental models compared with normal saline (NS). This study was performed to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of HNS vs NS irrigation for typical AFL ablation.

Electrocardiographic predictors of atrial fibrillation in patients with cryptogenic stroke.

Background: Empiric anticoagulation is not routinely indicated in patients with cryptogenic stroke without documentation of atrial fibrillation (AF). Therefore, identification of patients at increased risk of AF from this vulnerable group is vital.

Objectives: To identify electrocardiographic (ECG) predictors of AF in patients with cryptogenic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) undergoing insertion of an implantable cardiac monitor (ICM).

Reverse Remodeling in Human Heart Failure after Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Is Associated With Reduced RHO-Kinase Activation.

Reverse remodeling is a clinically relevant endpoint in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Rho-kinase (ROCK) signaling cascade activation correlates with cardiac remodeling and left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction in HFrEF patients. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is effective in HFrEF, especially when there is a left bundle block, as this treatment may stimulate reverse remodeling, thereby improving quality of life and prolonging survival for patients with this severe condition.

Close-coupled pacing to identify the "functional" substrate of ventricular tachycardia: Long-term outcomes of the paced electrogram feature analysis technique.

Background: The conduction delay and block that compose the critical isthmus of macroreentrant ventricular tachycardia (VT) is partly "functional" in that they only occur at faster cycle lengths. Close-coupled pacing stresses the myocardium's conduction capacity and may reveal late potentials (LPs) and fractionation. Interest has emerged in targeting this functional substrate.

Psychopathological Symptoms and Psychological Wellbeing in Mexican Undergraduate Students.

College life involves a process of adaptation to changes that have an impact on the psycho-emotional development of students. Successful adaptation to this stage involves the balance between managing personal resources and potential stressors that generate distress. This epidemiological descriptive and transversal study estimates the prevalence of psychopathological symptomatology and psychological well-being among 516 college students, 378 (73.

[Clinical usefulness of biomarkers in cardiac failure].

The assessment of patients with a suspected cardiac failure aims to an early and precise diagnosis and risk stratification. Only natriuretic peptides have demonstrated to be clinically useful. Brain natriuretic peptide stands out due to its diagnostic and prognostic value.

Living close, doing differently: small-scale asynchrony in demography of two species of seabirds.

Studies on spatiotemporal pattern of population abundance predict that close populations should exhibit a high level of synchrony, reflected in a parallel time variation of at least one demographic parameter. We tested this prediction for two threatened species of Procellariiformes sharing similar life history traits: the European Storm Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) and the Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus). Within each species, we compared adult survival, proportion of transients (breeders that do not settle), and average productivity at two neighboring colonies.

Acceptance of lactational amenorrhoea for family planning after postpartum counseling.

Objective: To determine the impact of postpartum counseling on the acceptance of lactational amenorrhoea method (LAM) for family planning.

Methods: In a prospective cross-sectional study 1490 postpartum women were included. Women who accepted or refused LAM for family planning were identified by means of a written survey.

Staging of regional lymph nodes in melanoma patients by means of 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy.

Unlabelled: Most first relapses in patients with melanoma occur in regional lymph node basins. Such lesions are frequently diagnosed clinically during the first 2 y of follow-up. In the last few years, our group has been studying the usefulness of (99m)Tc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) scintigraphy in the evaluation of recurrent melanoma lesions.