Design and rationale of Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: a global registry program on long-term oral antithrombotic treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, affecting 1% to 2% of the population and raising the risk of stroke 5-fold. Until recently, the only treatment choices for stroke prevention in patients with AF have been vitamin K antagonists (VKA) or antiplatelet drugs. With approval of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) antithrombotic treatment, patterns are changing.

Population-based cohort study of warfarin-treated patients with atrial fibrillation: incidence of cardiovascular and bleeding outcomes.

Objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac rhythm disorder with a significant health burden. The aim of this study was to characterise patients with recently diagnosed AF and to estimate the rates of comorbidities and outcome events requiring hospitalisation in routine clinical practice.

Design: Pharmacoepidemiological cohort study using observational data.

Metrics for covariate balance in cohort studies of causal effects.

Inferring causation from non-randomized studies of exposure requires that exposure groups can be balanced with respect to prognostic factors for the outcome. Although there is broad agreement in the literature that balance should be checked, there is confusion regarding the appropriate metric. We present a simulation study that compares several balance metrics with respect to the strength of their association with bias in estimation of the effect of a binary exposure on a binary, count, or continuous outcome.

Non-response bias in a surveillance program for asbestos-related lung cancer.

Objectives: In a cohort study non-response might lead to a biased selection of cohort members and may affect the validity and reliability of the study outcome. To detect the possible effects of a non-response bias on study results, we evaluated the reasons for non-participation and the differences of respondents and non-respondents in a health surveillance program for power industry workers, formerly exposed to asbestos.

Methods: A cohort of former power plant workers was formed to participate in an early detection program for lung cancer.

Retrospective exposure assessment to airborne asbestos among power industry workers.

Background: A method of individually assessing former exposure to asbestos fibres is a precondition of risk-differentiated health surveillance. The main aims of our study were to assess former levels of airborne asbestos exposure in the power industry in Germany and to propose a basic strategy for health surveillance and the early detection of asbestos related diseases.

Methods: Between March 2002 and the end of 2006, we conducted a retrospective questionnaire based survey of occupational tasks and exposures with airborne asbestos fibres in a cohort of 8632 formerly asbestos exposed power industry workers.

Influence of temperature on the positive inotropic effect of levosimendan, dobutamine and milrinone.

Background And Objective: Patients in cardiac surgery and critically ill patients often demonstrate either hypothermia or fever. In addition, owing to heart failure, they frequently require inotropic support. The relative effectiveness of modern inotropic agents at various temperatures has not yet been evaluated.

Risk factors for cardiovascular calcifications in non-diabetic Caucasian haemodialysis patients.

Background/aims: Dialysis patients display an increased mortality which is associated with cardiovascular calcifications. Diabetes mellitus and ethnicity are known factors that affect the extent of cardiovascular calcifications. However, most studies have investigated mixed cohorts with diabetics and/or mixed ethnicity.

Effect of different saline chaser volumes and flow rates on intravascular contrast enhancement in CT using a circulation phantom.

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of different saline chaser volumes and different saline chaser flow rates on the intravascular contrast enhancement in MDCT.

Materials And Methods: In a physiological flow phantom contrast medium (120 ml, 300 mgI/ml, Ultravist 300) was administered at a flow rate of 6 ml/s followed by different saline chaser volumes (0, 30, 60 and 90 ml) at the same injection rate or followed by a 30-ml saline chaser at different injection rates (2, 4, 6 and 8 ml/s). Serial CT-scans at a level covering the pulmonary artery, the ascending and the descending aorta replica were obtained.

Image fusion in dual energy computed tomography: effect on contrast enhancement, signal-to-noise ratio and image quality in computed tomography angiography.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different weighting factors on contrast enhancement, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and image quality in image fusion in dual energy computed tomography (DECT) angiography.

Material And Methods: Fifteen patients underwent a CT angiography of the aorta with a SOMATOM Definition Dual Source CT (DSCT; Siemens, Forchheim, Germany) in dual energy mode (DECT) (tube voltage: 80 and 140 kVp; tube current: 297 eff. mA and 70 eff.

Supportive Versus Immunosuppressive Therapy of Progressive IgA nephropathy (STOP) IgAN trial: rationale and study protocol.

Introduction: The best treatment of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is currently not well defined. The Supportive Versus Immunosuppressive Therapy of Progressive IgA Nephropathy (STOP IgAN) trial aims to answer if, in IgAN patients, an immunosuppressive treatment is more effective than a supportive treatment.

Methods: In a randomized prospective multicenter study (www.

The risk to develop a recurrence of a gastric cancer-is it independent of time?

Background And Aims: Recurrence is the main reason for early death of cancer patients. Therefore, survival curves are regarded as crucial tools for clinicians to evaluate therapies and to estimate the patients' prognosis. Current models for the development of recurrence are based on the assumption of a residual cancer cell burden after therapy.