Whole Blood Gene Expression Differentiates between Atrial Fibrillation and Sinus Rhythm after Cardioversion.

Background: Treatment to restore sinus rhythm among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) has limited long-term success rates. Gene expression profiling may provide new insights into AF pathophysiology.

Objective: To identify biomarkers and improve our understanding of AF pathophysiology by comparing whole blood gene expression before and after electrical cardioversion (ECV).

Prevalence and determinants of chronic kidney disease in the Swiss population.

Questions Under Study: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing worldwide, corresponding to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The latest study on prevalence of CKD involving the three linguistic regions of Switzerland dates back to 2002-2003 and definitions have changed since then. We aimed to assess the current prevalence and determinants of CKD in the Swiss general population.

Relationships of iron metabolism with insulin resistance and glucose levels in young and healthy adults.

Aims: Several biomarkers within the iron metabolism pathway have been related to the occurrence of diabetes mellitus, but underlying mechanisms are unknown. The aim of our study was to investigate the differential relationships of iron metabolism with a broad range of diabetes markers in young and healthy adults.

Design: 2160 participants aged 25 to 41years were enrolled in a population-based study.

The interrelationships of birthweight, inflammation and body composition in healthy adults.

Background: Lower birthweight is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. We hypothesized that inflammation and body fat may be potential mediators for these inverse relationships.

Materials And Methods: Healthy adults aged 25-41 years were enrolled in a prospective population-based cohort study in the Principality of Liechtenstein.

Relationship of N-Terminal fragment of Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and copeptin with erythrocytes-related parameters: A population-based study.

Background: Plasma levels of natriuretic peptides (NP) have been inversely related to hemoglobin (Hb) concentration in prior studies. However, the mechanism underlying this association remains unclear. We aimed to obtain further insights into potential mechanisms for this correlation in a cohort of healthy adults.

Left atrial anatomy, atrial fibrillation burden, and P-wave duration-relationships and predictors for single-procedure success after pulmonary vein isolation.

Aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with changes in left atrial (LA) volume, but the relationship between LA size, AF burden, and electrical conduction behaviour is still uncertain. The aim of this study was to quantify the association and impact of these parameters on the single-procedure outcome after circumferential antral ablation for pulmonary vein isolation.

Methods And Results: Left atrial assessment was performed in 129 consecutive patients using pre-procedural imaging in three dimensions (sphericity, indexed volume), two dimensions (diameters), and from echocardiography in one dimension (long axis).

Healthy lifestyle and heart rate variability in young adults.

Background: We aimed to determine the association of a comprehensive healthy lifestyle with heart rate variability (HRV), a validated measure of autonomic function.

Design: This was a prospective cohort study.

Methods: A population-based sample of 2079 individuals aged 25-41 years without prevalent cardiovascular disease was investigated.

Sex difference in appropriate shocks but not mortality during long-term follow-up in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.

Aims: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) have been shown to improve survival, although a considerable number of patients never receive therapy. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators are routinely implanted regardless of sex. There is continuing controversy whether major outcomes differ between men and women.

Relationships of electrocardiographic parameters with ambulatory hypertension in young and healthy adults.

Background: Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a leading cardiovascular risk factor and a major determinant of left ventricular mass. Te aim of this study was to assess electrocardiographic (ECG) changes associated with hypertension in a large cohort of young and healthy adults.

Methods: Healthy individuals aged 25–41 years without known cardiovascular disease were enrolled in a population based cohort study.

Plasma copeptin levels and ambulatory blood pressure characteristics in healthy adults.

Objective: We investigated whether copeptin - a well characterized vasopressin-related stress hormone - is associated with circadian ambulatory blood pressure (BP) variability and/or mean BP levels in young adults.

Method And Results: We studied a population-based sample of healthy adults aged 25-41 years. Individuals with diabetes, treated hypertension, and cardiovascular disease were excluded.

Medication incidents in primary care medicine: protocol of a study by the Swiss Federal Sentinel Reporting System.

Background/rationale: Patient safety is a major concern in healthcare systems worldwide. Although most safety research has been conducted in the inpatient setting, evidence indicates that medical errors and adverse events are a threat to patients in the primary care setting as well. Since information about the frequency and outcomes of safety incidents in primary care is required, the goals of this study are to describe the type, frequency, seasonal and regional distribution of medication incidents in primary care in Switzerland and to elucidate possible risk factors for medication incidents.

Plasma levels of glucagon-like peptide 1 and markers of obesity among young and healthy adults.

Objective: Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1)-related pathways may partially explain the strong relationship between obesity and type 2 diabetes. We therefore aimed to evaluate the relationships between fasting GLP-1 levels, body fat mass and other obesity markers in a large sample of young and healthy adults.

Design And Patients: Our population-based study included 2096 individuals aged 24-44.

Misconceptions and Facts About Atrial Fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation is an increasingly common arrhythmia associated with substantial but largely preventable risk of ischemic stroke. There has been an exponential increase in research related to atrial fibrillation in recent years, resulting in some major advances in the therapeutic management. Novel oral anticoagulant agents have become available and require thorough assessment of risk-to-benefit ratio.

Plasma endothelin-1 and cardiovascular risk among young and healthy adults.

Objectives: Endothelial dysfunction is a major precursor of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to assess the interrelationships between plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels and cardiovascular risk among young and healthy individuals.

Methods: We performed a population-based study among 2160 healthy adults aged between 25 and 41 years in the Principality of Liechtenstein.

Effects of sinus rhythm maintenance on left heart function after electrical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation: implications for tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy.

Background: The role of tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy vs tachycardia-related short diastolic filling period and reduced atrial contraction in decline of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in atrial fibrillation (AF) is uncertain. We aimed to characterize left heart changes over time in patients with AF who undergo electrical cardioversion (ECV).

Methods: Consecutive AF patients who were to undergo ECV were enrolled.

Atrial fibrillation: a moving target.

Present atrial fibrillation research focuses on three different fields of interest: Basic research to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms leading to atrial fibrillation, epidemiological studies to learn about the time course, the risk factors and the complications of atrial fibrillation, and clinical trials to further improve existing treatment strategies and develop new ones. The focus of this manuscript was the mechanisms, the epidemiology, the diagnosis and the treatment of the arrhythmia per se. Therefore, the field of prevention of stroke and systemic embolism is mostly excluded for the purpose of this article.

Association of urinary calcium excretion with serum calcium and vitamin D levels.

Background And Objectives: Population-based data on urinary calcium excretion are scarce. The association of serum calcium and circulating levels of vitamin D [25(OH)D2 or D3] with urinary calcium excretion in men and women from a population-based study was explored.

Design, Settings, Participants, & Measurements: Multivariable linear regression was used to explore factors associated with square root-transformed 24-hour urinary calcium excretion (milligrams per 24 hours) taken as the dependent variable with a focus on month-specific vitamin D tertiles and serum calcium in the Swiss Survey on Salt Study.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 and blood pressure in young and healthy adults from the general population.

Hypertension and diabetes mellitus are highly correlated, but the underlying mechanisms are only partly understood. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the relationships between plasma levels of glucagon-like peptide-1, a key factor in the regulation of glucose homeostasis, and various blood pressure indices. Healthy adults aged 25 to 41 years were enrolled in a population-based study.

Relationship between high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and blood pressure among young and healthy adults.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of cardiac troponin (cTn) levels with conventional and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) in young and healthy adults.

Methods: We performed a population based cross-sectional analysis among 2,072 young and healthy adults aged 25-41 years free of cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. cTnI was measured using a highly sensitive (hs) assay.

Long-term efficacy and safety of biodegradable-polymer biolimus-eluting stents: main results of the Basel Stent Kosten-Effektivitäts Trial-PROspective Validation Examination II (BASKET-PROVE II), a randomized, controlled noninferiority 2-year outcome trial.

Background: Biodegradable-polymer drug-eluting stents (BP-DES) were developed to be as effective as second-generation durable-polymer drug-eluting stents (DP-DES) and as safe >1 year as bare-metal stents (BMS). Thus, very late stent thrombosis (VLST) attributable to durable polymers should no longer appear.

Methods And Results: To address these early and late aspects, 2291 patients presenting with acute or stable coronary disease needing stents ≥3.