Cardiac Pulsed Field Ablation Lesion Durability Assessed by Polarization-Sensitive Optical Coherence Reflectometry.

Background: Pulsed field ablation uses electrical fields to cause nonthermal cell death over several hours. Polarization-sensitive optical coherence reflectometry is an optical imaging technique that can detect changes in the tissue ultrastructure in real time, which occurs when muscular tissue is damaged. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of a polarization-sensitive optical coherence reflectometry system to predict the development of chronic lesions based on acute changes in tissue birefringence during pulsed field ablation.

Losses of Yeast-Fermented Carbon Dioxide during Prolonged Champagne Aging: Yes, the Bottle Size Does Matter!

When it comes to champagne tasting, dissolved CO is a key compound responsible for the very much sought-after effervescence in glasses. Nevertheless, the slow decrease of dissolved CO during prolonged aging of the most prestigious cuvees raises the issue of how long champagne can age before it becomes unable to form CO bubbles during tasting. Measurements of dissolved CO concentrations were done on a collection of 13 successive champagne vintages stored in standard 75 cL bottles and 150 cL magnums showing prolonged aging ranging from 25 to 47 years.

In-hospital cardiac arrests admitted alive in intensive care units: Insights from the CubRéa database.

Background: In-hospital cardiac arrest(IHCA) has received little attention compared with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Aim: To address the paucity of data on IHCA patients, we examined key features, variations in mortality and predictors of death among patients admitted in French intensive care units(ICUs) from 1997 to 2015.

Methods: Using the database of the Collège des Utilisateurs de Bases de données en Réanimation(CUB-Réa) that prospectively collects data from ICUs in the greater Paris area, we determined temporal trends in the incidence of IHCA, patients' outcomes, crude and Simplified Acute Physiology Score(SAPS)-II Standardized mortality and predictors of in-ICU mortality.

Physiological Responses to Low-Volume Interval Training in Women.

Interval training is a form of exercise that involves intermittent bouts of relatively intense effort interspersed with periods of rest or lower-intensity exercise for recovery. Low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprint interval training (SIT) induce physiological and health-related adaptations comparable to traditional moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) in healthy adults and those with chronic disease despite a lower time commitment. However, most studies within the field have been conducted in men, with a relatively limited number of studies conducted in women cohorts across the lifespan.

Colored-Light Preference in Zebrafish ().

Over the past decade, the zebrafish has been increasingly employed in biomedical neuroscience research due to its numerous evolutionarily conserved features with mammals. Its simple brain and the several molecular tools available for this species make the zebrafish an appealing model to study mechanisms of complex brain functions, including learning and memory. Most learning paradigms developed for the zebrafish have employed visual stimuli as the associative cue.

Prevalence of Complete Airway Closure According to Body Mass Index in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Background: Complete airway closure during expiration may underestimate alveolar pressure. It has been reported in cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), as well as in morbidly obese patients with healthy lungs. The authors hypothesized that complete airway closure was highly prevalent in obese ARDS and influenced the calculation of respiratory mechanics.

Developmental stage-dependent deficits induced by embryonic ethanol exposure in zebrafish: A neurochemical analysis.

FASD results from the developing fetus being exposed to alcohol, and is characterized by morphological, behavioural and cognitive deficits. However, the expression, severity and age of onset of these symptoms has been found to show variation. This variation may partly be due to the developmental stage at which alcohol reached the developing fetus.

Impact of hyperoxia on patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit for acute heart failure.

Background: Oxygen therapy remains a cornerstone of treatment for acute heart failure in patients with pulmonary congestion. While avoiding hypoxaemia has long been a goal of critical care practitioners, less attention has been paid to the potential hazard related to excessive hyperoxia.

Aim: To evaluate the impact of early hyperoxia exposure among critically ill patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit for acute heart failure.

Weaning from veno-arterial extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation: which strategy to use?

Refractory cardiogenic shock patients may be rescued by veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO). After a few days of mechanical assistance, the device can sometimes be successfully removed if the patient has partially or fully recovered from the condition that required the use of ECMO. The percentage of patients with refractory cardiogenic shock who are successfully weaned from ECMO varies from 31% to 76%.

Prognostic impact of prepercutaneous coronary intervention TIMI flow in patients with ST-segment and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: Results from the FAST-MI 2010 registry.

Background: Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade 2 or 3 before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with improved outcomes. However, no recent data are available on its impact beyond 1 year and/or by type of AMI.

Aims: To assess the prognostic impact of prePCI TIMI flow at 30 days and 3 years in patients with ST-segment elevation (STEMI) or non-ST-segment elevation (NSTEMI) AMI.

Factors Associated With Infarct-Related Artery Patency Before Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (from the FAST-MI 2010 Registry).

Early infarct-related artery (IRA) patency is associated with better clinical outcomes in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Using the French Registry of ST-elevation and non-ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction (FAST-MI) 2010 registry, we investigated factors related to IRA patency (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction [TIMI] 2/3 flow) at the start of procedure in patients admitted for primary percutaneous coronary intervention. FAST-MI 2010 is a nationwide French registry including 4,169 patients with acute MI.

Auricular reconstruction of congenital microtia: personal experience in 225 cases.

Microtia is a congenital disease with various degrees of severity, ranging from the presence of rudimentary and malformed vestigial structures to the total absence of the ear (anotia). The complex anatomy of the external ear and the necessity to provide good projection and symmetry make this reconstruction particularly difficult. The aim of this work is to report our surgical technique of microtic ear correction and to analyse the short and long term results.

Personalized management of atrial fibrillation: Proceedings from the fourth Atrial Fibrillation competence NETwork/European Heart Rhythm Association consensus conference.

The management of atrial fibrillation (AF) has seen marked changes in past years, with the introduction of new oral anticoagulants, new antiarrhythmic drugs, and the emergence of catheter ablation as a common intervention for rhythm control. Furthermore, new technologies enhance our ability to detect AF. Most clinical management decisions in AF patients can be based on validated parameters that encompass type of presentation, clinical factors, electrocardiogram analysis, and cardiac imaging.

Prospective randomized study to assess the efficacy of site and rate of atrial pacing on long-term progression of atrial fibrillation in sick sinus syndrome: Septal Pacing for Atrial Fibrillation Suppression Evaluation (SAFE) Study.

Background: Atrial-based pacing is associated with lower risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) in sick sinus syndrome compared with ventricular pacing; nevertheless, the impact of site and rate of atrial pacing on progression of AF remains unclear. We evaluated whether long-term atrial pacing at the right atrial (RA) appendage versus the low RA septum with (ON) or without (OFF) a continuous atrial overdrive pacing algorithm can prevent the development of persistent AF.

Methods And Results: We randomized 385 patients with paroxysmal AF and sick sinus syndrome in whom a pacemaker was indicated to pacing at RA appendage ON (n=98), RA appendage OFF (n=99), RA septum ON (n=92), or RA septum OFF (n=96).

Subclinical atrial fibrillation and the risk of stroke.

Background: One quarter of strokes are of unknown cause, and subclinical atrial fibrillation may be a common etiologic factor. Pacemakers can detect subclinical episodes of rapid atrial rate, which correlate with electrocardiographically documented atrial fibrillation. We evaluated whether subclinical episodes of rapid atrial rate detected by implanted devices were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke in patients who did not have other evidence of atrial fibrillation.

Facial animation with free-muscle transfer innervated by the masseter motor nerve in unilateral facial paralysis.

Purpose: Facial paralysis is a congenital or acquired disorder of varying severity leading to an asymmetric or absent facial expression. It represents an important debilitation from both esthetic and functional points of view. In this article we report our experience with patients treated with gracilis muscle transplantation innervated by the motor nerve to the masseter muscle.

Biventricular stimulation to prevent cardiac desynchronization: rationale, design, and endpoints of the 'Biventricular Pacing for Atrioventricular Block to Prevent Cardiac Desynchronization (BioPace)' study.

Despite the deleterious effects of cardiac dyssynchrony and the positive effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy, patients with high-degree atrioventricular block continue to receive desynchronizing right ventricular (RV) pacing systems. Although it is unclear whether the negative effects of RV pacing and left bundle branch block (LBBB) are comparable, and whether they depend on the presence and the degree of structural heart disease, one may hypothesize that RV pacing may have similar effects to LBBB. In the BioPace trial, the long-term effects of RV pacing vs.

Randomized comparison of simultaneous biventricular stimulation versus optimized interventricular delay in cardiac resynchronization therapy. The Resynchronization for the HemodYnamic Treatment for Heart Failure Management II implantable cardioverter defibrillator (RHYTHM II ICD) study.

Background: The clinical value of interventricular (V-V) delay optimization in patients with chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) undergoing implantation of a device for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has not been clearly demonstrated.

Methods: RHYTHM II was a single-blind randomized trial including 121 recipients of a device for CRT with cardioverter/defibrillator capabilities (CRT-D) randomly assigned in a 1:3 ratio to simultaneous (n = 30) versus optimized (OPT) (n = 91) biventricular pacing. V-V delay was optimized by echocardiography.