Publications by authors named "Christian Steinberg"

Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on using long-term implantable loop recorders (ILRs) to assess arrhythmia risk in patients with inherited arrhythmia syndromes who do not have a strong indication for implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation.
  • Researchers conducted a multicenter study from 2015 to 2020, enrolling 45 individuals, primarily with long-QT syndrome and Brugada syndrome, to monitor for arrhythmias and complications over time.
  • Results indicated that ILRs successfully identified significant arrhythmic events in 42% of patients, leading to ICD implantation in 11% of cases, and highlighted their potential to improve risk stratification without any occurrences of sudden cardiac death during the study
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Background: Limited empirical evidence informs driving restrictions after implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation. We sought to evaluate real-world motor vehicle crash risks after ICD implantation.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using 22 years of population-based health and driving data from British Columbia, Canada (2019 population: 5 million).

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Background: Short-coupled ventricular fibrillation (SCVF) is increasingly being recognized as a distinct primary electrical disorder and cause of otherwise unexplained cardiac arrest. However, the pathophysiology of SCVF remains largely elusive. Despite extensive genetic screening, there is no convincing evidence of a robust monogenic disease gene, thus raising the speculations for alternative pathogeneses.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The text discusses Calcium Release Deficiency Syndrome (CRDS), a serious genetic heart condition that can cause sudden cardiac arrest without clear reasons and is not detectable through standard tests.
  • - The study aimed to analyze electrocardiogram (ECG) responses after brief periods of fast heart rates followed by pauses in order to develop a diagnostic test for CRDS.
  • - Findings showed that patients with CRDS had a significantly greater change in T-wave amplitude on their ECG after a pause compared to control groups, indicating a potential diagnostic marker for this syndrome.
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Cardiac troponin is extensively used as a biomarker in modern medicine due to its diagnostic capability for myocardial injury, as well as its predictive and prognostic value for cardiac diseases. However, heterophile antibodies, antitroponin antibodies, and macrotroponin complexes can be observed both in seemingly healthy individuals and patients with cardiac diseases, potentially leading to false positive or disproportionate elevation of cTn (cardiac troponin) assay results and introducing discrepancies in clinical interpretations with impact on medical management. In this review article, we describe the possible mechanisms of cTn release and the sources of variations in the assessment of circulating cTn levels.

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Article Synopsis
  • There is limited understanding of how idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) starts, but previous research suggests that it usually doesn't depend on pauses in heart rhythm.
  • The study aimed to investigate the initiation patterns of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PVT) in IVF patients, analyzing a total of 410 arrhythmia episodes among 180 patients.
  • Results showed that about 27.2% of PVT episodes were pause-dependent, with the majority occurring during normal heart rhythms and initiating PVCs mostly having short coupling intervals (under 350 ms).
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Importance: Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is associated with syncope, ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden death. Half of patients with LQTS have a normal or borderline-normal QT interval despite LQTS often being detected by QT prolongation on resting electrocardiography (ECG).

Objective: To develop a deep learning-based neural network for identification of LQTS and differentiation of genotypes (LQTS1 and LQTS2) using 12-lead ECG.

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This is the first study determining the effects of bath exposure to fulvic acid, a humic substance, on the skin mucosal immunity of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Humic substances have recently been gaining attention for their increasing concentrations in aquatic ecosystems and their use as supplements in sustainable aquaculture. This study demonstrated that water exposure to fulvic acid at concentrations of 5 mg C/L and 50 mg C/L increased lysozyme and alkaline phosphatase activities in the mucus by approximately 2-fold and 2.

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A suspension of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) is a mixture of dissolved and particulate Cu, the relative proportions of which highly depend on the water chemistry. However, the relationship between different proportions of particulate and dissolved Cu and the overall toxicity of CuO NPs is still unknown. This study investigated the response of Chlorella vulgaris to CuO NPs at varying solution pH and at different tannic acid (TA) additions, with a focus on exploring whether and how dissolved and particulate Cu contribute to the overall toxicity of CuO NPs.

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A prolonged QT interval on the electrocardiogram is associated with an increased risk of the torsades de pointes form of ventricular arrhythmia resulting in syncope, sudden cardiac arrest or death, or misdiagnosis as a seizure disorder. The cause of QT prolongation can be congenital and inherited as an autosomal dominant variant, or it can be transient and acquired, often because of QT-prolonging drugs or electrolyte abnormalities. Automated measurement of the QT interval can be inaccurate, especially when the baseline electrocardiogram is abnormal, and manual verification is recommended.

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Cardiovascular conditions are among the most frequent causes of impairment to drive, because they might induce unpredictable mental state alterations via diverse mechanisms like myocardial ischemia, cardiac arrhythmias, and vascular dysfunction. Accordingly, health professionals are often asked to assess patients' fitness to drive (FTD). The Canadian Cardiovascular Society previously published FTD guidelines in 2003-2004; herein, we present updated FTD guidelines.

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Background: There is growing evidence that mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is associated with otherwise unexplained cardiac arrest (UCA). However, reports are hindered by the absence of a systematic ascertainment of alternative diagnoses.

Objectives: This study reports the prevalence and characteristics of MVP in a large cohort of patients with UCA.

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Background: Familial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) causes heart failure and may lead to heart transplantation. DCM is typically a monogenic disorder with autosomal dominant inheritance. Currently disease-causing variants have been reported in over 60 genes that encode proteins in sarcomeres, nuclear lamina, desmosomes, cytoskeleton, and mitochondria.

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Among the alternatives to synthetic plant protection products, biocontrol appears as a promising method. This review reports on the diversity of fungal secondary metabolites phytotoxic to weeds and on the approach generally used to extract, characterize, identify and exploit them for weed management. The 183 phytotoxic fungal secondary metabolites discussed in this review fall into five main classes of molecules: 61 polyketides, 53 terpenoids, 36 nitrogenous metabolites, 18 phenols and phenolic acids, and 15 miscellaneous.

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Background: In patients with refractory atrial fibrillation (AF), atrioventricular nodal (AVN) ablation and permanent pacemaker implantation is recommended. The Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (Micra) is a single chamber leadless pacemaker (LPM) and thus offers the possibility of AV node (AVN) ablation in the same procedure. Pacing threshold (PT) elevation after radiofrequency (RF) ablation is a potential complication.

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Ongoing climate change will both profoundly impact land-use (e.g., changes in crop species or cultivar and cropping practices) and abiotic factors (e.

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Short-Coupled Ventricular Fibrillation.

Card Electrophysiol Clin

September 2023

Short-coupled ventricular fibrillation (SCVF) is a distinct phenotype among individuals with unexplained cardiac arrest accounting for 7% to 14% of cases of idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF). VF is typically initiated by a trigger premature ventricular contraction with a short-coupling interval of less than 350 milliseconds. In the absence of specific electrocardiographic features or provocative tests, the diagnosis remains challenging and requires documentation of VF onset.

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The sarcoplasmatic reticulum (SR) cardiac ryanodine receptor/calcium release channel RyR2 is an essential regulator of cardiac excitation-contraction coupling and intracellular calcium homeostasis. Mutations of the RYR2 are the cause of rare, potentially lethal inherited arrhythmia disorders. Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) was first described more than 20 years ago and is the most common and most extensively studied cardiac ryanodinopathy.

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Aims: Risk stratification for sudden cardiac death in patients with Brugada syndrome remains a major challenge. Contemporary risk prediction models have only modest predictive value. The aim of this study was to assess the role of micro-RNAs from peripheral blood as candidate biomarkers in Brugada syndrome.

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Background: The role of multidisciplinary clinics for psychosocial care is increasingly recognized for those living with inherited cardiac conditions (ICC). In Canada, access to healthcare providers differ between clinics. Little is known about the relationship between access to specialty care and a patient's ability to cope with, and manage their condition.

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Introduction: Superior vena cava (SVC) tear is the most lethal complication during transvenous lead extraction (TLE) with a mortality rate as high as 50%. Treatment involves aggressive attempts to maintain cardiac output and immediate sternotomy to localize and repair the vascular tear. Occlusion balloons have been developed to provisionally occlude the lacerated SVC and to provide hemodynamic stability allowing time for surgery.

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