Publications by authors named "Aro A"

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major risk factor for ischemic stroke (IS), but whether the magnitude of this risk has changed over time is unknown.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate temporal trends in IS rates in patients with incident AF before oral anticoagulant agent (OAC) therapy.

Methods: The nationwide FinACAF (Finnish Anticoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation) study covers patients with AF at all levels of care in Finland from 2007 to 2018.

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Aim: A recent European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) practical guide provides guidance on the use of novel digital devices for heart rhythm analysis using either electrocardiogram (ECG) or photoplethysmography (PPG) technology for the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF). This survey assesses physicians' preferences to use digital devices in patients with possible AF and their impact on clinical decision-making.

Methods And Results: Participants of the DAS-CAM III initiated and distributed an online survey assessing physician preferences in using digital devices for the management of AF in different clinical scenarios.

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  • The study aimed to assess how living alone affects mortality in older patients with and without diabetes.
  • Researchers analyzed data from electronic patient records and tracked 429 patients with diabetes and 650 matched controls over a median period of 4.3 years, utilizing various statistical methods to evaluate mortality rates.
  • Findings revealed that living alone was linked to higher mortality rates in both groups, while having diabetes did not significantly increase mortality risk among older adults.
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Background: Catheter ablation is a well-established treatment to prevent atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFL) recurrences and to relieve symptoms, whereas pacemaker implantation and atrioventricular node (AVN) ablation is used for rate control when medical therapy fails.

Aims: We investigated temporal trends and patient characteristics in catheter ablation procedures for AF, AFL and AVN in Finland between 2012-2018.

Methods: Finnish AntiCoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation (FinACAF) is a registry-based study including all patients with AF or AFL in Finland between 2012-2018.

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  • A 74-year-old male with Kartagener's syndrome and permanent atrial fibrillation underwent successful cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and atrioventricular node (AVN) ablation using remote magnetic navigation (RMN) through peripheral access.
  • The patient had severe heart failure, a low ejection fraction of 30%, and significant complications from a left bundle branch block, leading to unsuccessful bi-ventricular pacing prior to the procedure.
  • Post-ablation, the patient's bi-ventricular pacing efficiency improved to 100%, and there were notable improvements in both cardiac function and overall symptoms, highlighting the effectiveness of RMN-guided techniques in treating complex cardiac cases.
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  • Atrial fibrillation (AF) patients often need rhythm control therapy, and the study explored whether there are gender disparities in the use of antiarrhythmic therapies (AATs) among these patients in Finland from 2007-2018.
  • Out of 229,565 patients studied, women were older, had different health profiles compared to men, and were treated with AATs less frequently, with 17.6% of women and 25.1% of men receiving treatment.
  • Interestingly, while women received antiarrhythmic drugs more often across all ages, they underwent fewer cardioversion and ablation procedures, especially those under 65 years old.
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Objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased mortality. Previous studies have reported conflicting results in temporal trends of mortality after AF diagnosis. We aim to address this disparity by investigating the 1-year mortality and causes of death in Finnish patients diagnosed with AF between 2010 and 2017.

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Purpose: Bacterial cellulose (BC) has shown high capacity for the treatment of wounds and burns, providing a moisty environment. Calcium alginate can be associated with BC to create gels that aid in wound debridement and contribute to appropriate wound healing. This study is aimed at characterizing and evaluating the use of bacterial cellulose/alginate gel in skin burns in rats.

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  • The study investigates how time-in-therapeutic-range (TTR) impacts the effectiveness and safety of warfarin compared to direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).
  • Researchers analyzed data from a nationwide Finnish study between 2011 and 2018, using hazard ratios to assess risks of ischaemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, and mortality among patients using warfarin and different DOACs.
  • Results indicated that lower TTR was associated with higher risks of complications and mortality in warfarin users, while differences in outcomes between high TTR groups and standard dose DOACs were minimal.
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Aims: Elective cardioversion (ECV) is routinely used in atrial fibrillation (AF) to restore sinus rhythm. However, it includes a risk of thromboembolism even during adequate oral anticoagulation treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of thromboembolic and bleeding complications after ECV in a real-life setting utilizing data from a large AF population.

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Background And Aims: Female sex has been linked with higher risk of ischaemic stroke (IS) in atrial fibrillation (AF), but no prior study has examined temporal trends in the IS risk associated with female sex.

Methods: The registry-linkage Finnish AntiCoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation (FinACAF) study included all patients with AF in Finland from 2007 to 2018. Ischaemic stroke rates and rate ratios were computed.

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Aims/hypothesis: Type 2 diabetes is associated with a high risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), but the risk of dying from another cause (non-SCD) is proportionally even higher. The aim of the study was to identify easily available ECG-derived features associated with SCD, while considering the competing risk of dying from non-SCD causes.

Methods: In the SURDIAGENE (Survie, Diabete de type 2 et Genetique) French prospective cohort of individuals with type 2 diabetes, 15 baseline ECG parameters were interpreted among 1362 participants (mean age 65 years; HbA 62±17 mmol/mol [7.

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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrythmia and one of the strongest risk factors and causal mechanisms of ischemic stroke (IS). Acute IS due to AF tends to be more severe than with other etiology of IS and patients with treated AF have reported to experience worse outcomes after endovascular treatment compared with patients without AF. As cardioembolism accounts for more than a fifth of ISs and the risk of future stroke can be mitigated with effective anticoagulation, which has been shown to be effective and safe in patients with paroxysmal or sustained AF, the screening of patients with cryptogenic IS (CIS) for AF is paramount.

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Background: Limited data exist on the temporal relationship between new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) and ischemic stroke and its impact on patients' clinical characteristics and mortality.

Methods: A population-based registry-linkage database includes all patients with new-onset AF in Finland from 2007 to 2018. Ischemic stroke temporally associated with AF (ISTAF) was defined as an ischemic stroke occurring within ±30 days from the first AF diagnosis.

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Background: Edge-to-edge intervention is the most common trans-catheter procedure performed for isolated severe tricuspid regurgitation in high-surgical-risk patients. However, it creates an obstacle for future right ventricular (RV) procedures such as implantation of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). Reports of the management of CIED implantation after tricuspid edge-to-edge therapy are scarce.

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Aims: To investigate sex-specific temporal trends in the initiation of oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy among patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF) in Finland between 2007 and 2018.

Methods: The registry-linkage Finnish AntiCoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation (FinACAF) Study included all patients with incident AF in Finland from 2007 to 2018. The primary outcome was the initiation of any OAC therapy.

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This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the growth-inhibitory effects against periodontal disease-causing bacteria and cytotoxic effects against mouse fibroblast cells of the Stryphnodendron adstringens (barbatimão) hydroalcoholic extract. The contents of phenols and tannins in the extract were determined. The growth-inhibitory activity of the barbatimão was evaluated by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC).

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Tuberculosis (TB) is currently rated as the 13th leading cause of mortality and the second leading cause of death after COVID-19, and above AIDS. Existing challenges relating to the development of multidrug-resistant strains and dangerous side effects of currently used drugs add impetus to the search for additional TB treatments. Hence, interest has grown in the use of medicinal plants as a source of bioactive preparations with efficacy against TB-causing organisms, and also with the ability to ameliorate the negative effects of TB drugs.

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Background Patients with aortic stenosis (AS) have been underrepresented in the trials evaluating direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to assess whether AS impacts outcomes in patients with AF and estimate the effects of DOACs versus warfarin in patients with AF and AS. Methods and Results The registry-based FinACAF (Finnish Anticoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation) study covered all patients with AF diagnosed during 2007 to 2018 in Finland.

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The bacterial cellulose membrane (CM) is a promising biomaterial due to its easy applicability and moist environment. Moreover, nanoscale silver compounds (AgNO) are synthesized and incorporated into CMs to provide these biomaterials with antimicrobial activity for wound healing. This study aimed to evaluate the cell viability of CM incorporated with nanoscale silver compounds, determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and its use on in vivo skin lesions.

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The aim of this study was to test the effect of electrical stimulation in association with topical Arnica montana gel on organisational changes in the dermis during tissue repair. An experimental rat incisional skin lesion was used for the study. This involved making an incisional lesion on the dorsum of the animals using a scalpel.

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Article Synopsis
  • Guidelines for managing atrial fibrillation (AF) have significantly evolved, and a study examined trends in treatment and outcomes from 2007 to 2017 in Finland, assessing data from a nationwide cohort of 206,909 patients.
  • The use of oral anticoagulants (OACs) rose dramatically from 43.6% to 76.3%, particularly among patients at higher risk for strokes, leading to a decrease in one-year mortality from 13.3% to 10.6% and a significant reduction in ischaemic strokes from 5.3% to 2.2%.
  • Despite a rise in major bleeding events, catheter ablation for rhythm control saw continuous growth, while other rhythm
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