Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: Finding the Needle in the Haystack.

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (SCJD) is a rare neurodegenerative disease with a very low prevalence. The aetiology is theorised to be genetic. Modern laboratory techniques, such as the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay, have allowed us to diagnose CJD with greater sensitivity and specificity.

Convergent ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation: A UK multicentre perspective.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia worldwide and remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, a significant proportion of patients have persistent AF, for which conventional catheter ablation is less effective. However, convergent ablation has emerged in recent years as a hybrid treatment targeting both the epicardium and endocardium in a multidisciplinary joint cardiothoracic and electrophysiology procedure, with promising efficacy outcomes in recent studies.