Catheter ablation of concomitant atrial fibrillation improves survival of patients undergoing transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common concomitant disease in patients undergoing transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) for mitral regurgitation (MR) and detrimentally affects their outcome. While there is increasing evidence for prognostic improvement and safety of catheter ablation (CA) of AF in the overall cohort of heart failure patients, corresponding data in TEER patients are lacking.

Objectives: To investigate the impact of treatment regimens for concomitant AF on survival of TEER patients.

Second primary malignancies induced by radioactive iodine treatment of differentiated thyroid carcinoma - a critical review and evaluation of the existing evidence.

Purpose: Concern is growing about long-term side effects of differentiated thyroid cancer treatment, most notably radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy. However, published studies on the subject have had heterogeneous cohorts and conflicting results. This review seeks to provide an updated evaluation of published evidence, and to elucidate the risk of second primary malignancies (SPMs), especially secondary hematologic malignancies (SHMs), attributable to RAI therapy.

Impact of Rhythm vs. Rate Control in Atrial Fibrillation on the Long-Term Outcome of Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Mitral Valve Repair.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a highly prevalent comorbidity in patients with severe mitral valve regurgitation (MR) undergoing transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) and has been shown to significantly worsen their outcome. However, data on the impact of AF treatment strategy in this rapidly growing cohort of patients is unknown. In a multicenter, observational cohort study, 542 consecutive patients undergoing TMVR were enrolled, and subsequently, comprehensive survival analyses according to AF status and therapy were performed using propensity score matching and Cox regression.

Characteristics of a large sample of candidates for permanent ventricular pacing included in the Biventricular Pacing for Atrio-ventricular Block to Prevent Cardiac Desynchronization Study (BioPace).

Aims: The general clinical profile of European pacemaker recipients who require predominant ventricular pacing (VP) is scarcely known. We examined the demographic and clinical characteristics of the 1808 participants (out of 1833 randomized patients) of the ongoing Biventricular Pacing for Atrio-ventricular Block to Prevent Cardiac Desynchronization (BioPace) study.

Methods And Results: BioPace recruited patients between May 2003 and September 2007 predominantly in European medical centres.

Forced needle advancement during needle-nerve contact in a porcine model: histological outcome.

Background: In this study, we determined whether needle advancement during needle-nerve contact (forced needle-nerve contact) is associated with a higher risk of nerve injury compared with needle-nerve contact without needle advancement (nonforced needle-nerve contact).

Methods: In 8 anesthetized pigs, the brachial plexus nerves underwent forced (0.15 Newton) or nonforced (0.

Limited prognostic value of the 2004 International Union Against Cancer staging classification for adrenocortical carcinoma: proposal for a Revised TNM Classification.

Background: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy, and it was only in 2004 that the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) defined TNM criteria and published the first staging classification. However, to date, the prognostic value of the proposed classification has not been evaluated.

Methods: The German ACC Registry comprising 492 patients was searched for patients who were diagnosed between 1986 and 2007 with detailed information on primary diagnosis and a minimum follow-up of 6 months.

Does fine-needle aspiration cytology optimize the surgical management of thyroid disorders in endemic goiter region?

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) before thyroidectomy in an endemic goiter region.

Methods: One hundred patients with preoperative FNAC of thyroid nodules who underwent thyroidectomy were recruited. FNAC were classified into five groups.

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.

Modulation of human motor cortex excitability by single doses of amantadine.

Amantadine-sulfate has been used for several decades to treat acute influenza A, Parkinson's disease (PD), and acute or chronic drug-induced dyskinesia. Several mechanisms of actions detected in vivo/in vitro including N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor antagonism, blockage of potassium channels, dopamine receptor agonism, enhancement of noradrenergic release, and anticholinergic effects have been described. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to evaluate the effect of single doses of amantadine on human motor cortex excitability in normal subjects.

Prognostic significance of serum cholesterol levels in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Aims: Previous studies indicate that low cholesterol levels are associated with adverse prognosis in heart failure patients, because elevated lipoprotein levels may negate bacterial endotoxin load induced by gastrointestinal congestion.

Methods And Results: We examined the prognostic significance of lipid levels in a cohort of 422 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (iDCM) [50+/-12 years, 342 males, 80 females, left ventricular ejection fraction (LV-EF): 31.6+/-10.

Levetiracetam influences human motor cortex excitability mainly by modulation of ion channel function--a TMS study.

Purpose: Levetiracetam (LEV) is a new compound with anticonvulsive efficacy in focal and generalized epilepsies. Recent in vitro studies suggest LEV to act as a selective N-type-calcium-channel blocker.

Methods: We used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in order to investigate if ion-channel blockade is relevant to the inhibitory CNS effects of LEV in vivo and if motor thresholds (MTs) are a valid TMS parameter to detect this mode of action.

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for plantar fasciitis: randomised controlled multicentre trial.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy compared with placebo in the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.

Design: Randomised, blinded, multicentre trial with parallel group design.

Setting: Nine hospitals and one outpatient clinic in Germany.