Catch-AF-Early Diagnosis of Symptomatic Arrythmias in the Waiting Period Prior to Seeing a Cardiologist in Victoria, British Columbia.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Given its often-paroxysmal nature, screening at a single time point, using a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) or a Holter monitor, has limited benefit. The AliveCor KardiaMobile device is a validated ECG recorder that can be used for patient-directed arrhythmia diagnosis and symptom-rhythm correlation.

A method to image brain tissue frozen at autopsy.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can provide the location and signal characteristics of pathological regions within a postmortem tissue block, thereby improving the efficiency of histopathological studies. However, such postmortem-MRI guided histopathological studies have so far only been performed on fixed samples as imaging tissue frozen at the time of extraction, while preserving its integrity, is significantly more challenging. Here we describe the development of cold-postmortem-MRI, which can preserve tissue integrity and help target techniques such as transcriptomics.

Postmortem MRI of Tissue Frozen at Autopsy.

Introduction: Postmortem MRI provides insight into location of pathology within tissue blocks, enabling efficient targeting of histopathological studies. While postmortem imaging of fixed tissue is gaining popularity, imaging tissue frozen at the time of extraction is significantly more challenging.

Methods: Tissue integrity was examined using RNA integrity number (RIN), in mouse brains placed between -20 °C and 20 °C for up to 24 hours, to determine the highest temperature that could potentially be used for imaging without tissue degeneration.

Same-day discharge for atrial fibrillation ablation: outcomes and impact of ablation modality.

Aims: Same-day discharge is increasingly common after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the impact of same-day discharge on healthcare utilization after ablation and whether this differs by ablation modality remains uncertain. We examined the safety, efficacy, and subsequent healthcare utilization of a same-day discharge protocol for AF ablation, including radiofrequency (RF) and cryoballoon ablation, in a contemporary cohort.

[Nutritional Therapy in the Elderly - What Do We Know Today?].

Nutritional Therapy in the Elderly - What Do We Know Today? Malnutrition in the elderly has a high prevalence and is a strong and independent risk factor for complications and high mortality. Early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention have demonstrated positive effects on the risk for complications and morbidity/mortality. The nutritional therapy should be individually tailored to meet patients' needs and nutritional goals.

Optimization of nutrition during allogeneic hematologic stem cell transplantation.

Purpose Of Review: Malnutrition before and during hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an independent risk factor for mortality in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Yet, optimal use of nutritional support to improve outcomes remains controversial. Our aim was to do an up-to-date literature review regarding nutritional therapy in allogeneic HSCT, the neutropenic diet and the use of immunonutrients.

Stimulation of dural vessels excites the SI somatosensory cortex of the cat via a relay in the thalamus.

Aim: We carried out experiments in cats to determine the thalamo-cortical projection sites of trigeminovascular sensory neurons.

Methods: 1) We stimulated the middle meningeal artery (MMA) with C-fibre intensity electrical shocks and made field potential recordings over the somatosensory cortical surface. 2) We then recorded neurons in the ventroposteromedial (VPM) nucleus of the thalamus in search of neurons which could be activated from the skin, MMA and superior sagittal sinus.

The effects of the TRPV1 receptor antagonist SB-705498 on trigeminovascular sensitisation and neurotransmission.

This report examines the effect of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 receptor antagonist SB-705498 on neurotransmission and inflammation-induced sensitisation in the trigeminovascular sensory system. A single-neuron electrophysiological animal model for neurovascular head pain was used to evaluate dural and facial noxious inputs and the effects of SB-705498 administered by intravenous (i.v.

Cortico-NRM influences on trigeminal neuronal sensation.

We tested the idea that migraine triggers cause cortical activation, which disinhibits craniovascular sensation through the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) and thus produces the headache of migraine. Stimulation of the dura mater and facial skin activated neurons in the NRM and the trigeminal nucleus. Stimulation of the NRM caused suppression of responses of trigeminal neurons to electrical and mechanical stimulation of the dura mater, but not of the skin.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection among antenatal women in remote far west New South Wales, Australia.

A prospective, cross-sectional study was undertaken of pregnant women attending antenatal services in the remote far west of New South Wales, Australia, between October 2004 and May 2006. Of 420 eligible women, 218 (52%) participated in the study. Six women (2.

Use of a community sexual health information line.

Background: Since 1989 Sydney Sexual Health Centre has provided a community phone information line (PIL). The service aims to educate and promote the sexual health of the community and facilitate efficient use of the centre's resources through the provision of information and advice to the community and health professionals; a referral service; and patient triage. In October 1997 a comprehensive computerised database was developed to collect caller information.

Patterns of fos expression in the rostral medulla and caudal pons evoked by noxious craniovascular stimulation and periaqueductal gray stimulation in the cat.

Functional imaging studies and clinical evidence suggest that structures in the brainstem contribute to migraine pathophysiology with a strong association between the brainstem areas, such as periaqueductal gray (PAG), and the headache phase of migraine. Stimulation of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) in humans evokes head pain. Second-order neurons in the trigeminal nucleus that are activated by SSS stimulation can be inhibited by PAG stimulation.

Dilatation induced by 5-HT in the middle meningeal artery of the anaesthetised cat.

In chloralose-anaesthetised cats, we studied the effects of intravenous and intra-carotid injections of 5-HT on the middle meningeal artery and the way these were modified by 5-HT antagonists. Cats were prepared for blood pressure recording and intravenous injections and a catheter inserted into one carotid artery via a lingual artery. The middle meningeal arteries were exposed and blood flow recorded with laser Doppler probes.

Nitrergic and glutamatergic neuronal mechanisms at the trigeminovascular first-order synapse.

Nitric oxide (NO) donors such as glyceryl trinitrate cause headache, which suggests involvement of NO in trigeminovascular sensory processing. Sensory transmission at first-order synapses is believed to involve glutamate and the question arises as to whether it is also involved in trigeminovascular sensation and whether it might interact with nitrergic mechanisms. We investigated these questions at the first central synapse in the trigeminovascular sensory system of the cat.

The 5-hydroxytryptamine1B/1D/1F receptor agonists eletriptan and naratriptan inhibit trigeminovascular input to the nucleus tractus solitarius in the cat.

Migraine pain arises in the trigeminovascular system and is often associated with nausea and sometimes with vomiting. In this study, an in vivo cat model of trigeminovascular stimulation was used to determine first whether there is a functional connection between the trigeminovascular system and the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), which is involved in regulating vomiting, and second whether anti-migraine drugs have any effect on such a connection. Chloralose-anaesthetised cats (n=16) were prepared for single neuron recording.

Suppression by eletriptan of the activation of trigeminovascular sensory neurons by glyceryl trinitrate.

The effect of intracarotid arterial infusions of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), a substance known to precipitate vascular headache, on the spontaneous activity of trigeminal neurons with craniovascular input was studied in cats. Cats were anaesthetised with alpha-chloralose, immobilised and artificially ventilated. The superior sagittal sinus (SSS) was isolated and stimulated electrically.

Adenosine A1 receptor agonists inhibit trigeminovascular nociceptive transmission.

There is a considerable literature to suggest that adenosine A1 receptor agonists may have anti-nociceptive effects, and we sought to explore the role of adenosine A1 receptors in a model of trigeminovascular nociceptive transmission. Cats were anaesthetized (alpha-chloralose 60 mg/kg, intraperitoneally), and prepared for physiological monitoring. The superior sagittal sinus (SSS) was stimulated electrically, and linked units were recorded in the trigeminocervical complex.

The role of 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptors in the selective inhibitory effect of naratriptan on trigeminovascular neurons.

The importance of 5-HT(1B) and 5-HT(1D) receptors in the actions of the anti-migraine drug naratriptan was investigated using the relatively selective 5-HT(1) receptor ligands SB224289 and BRL15572. Electrical stimulation of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) in cats activated neurones in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis. Facial receptive fields (RF) were also electrically stimulated to activate the same neurones.

Fos expression in the midbrain periaqueductal grey after trigeminovascular stimulation.

There is an accumulating body of evidence suggesting that the periaqueductal grey (PAG) is involved in the pathophysiology of migraine. Positron emission tomography (PET) studies in humans have shown that the caudal ventrolateral midbrain, encompassing the ventrolateral PAG, has activations during migraine attacks. The PAG may well be involved not only through the descending modulation of nociceptive afferent information, but also by its ascending projections to the pain processing centres of the thalamus.

Fos expression in the trigeminocervical complex of the cat after stimulation of the superior sagittal sinus is reduced by L-NAME.

Primary neurovascular headaches, such as migraine and cluster headache probably involve activation of trigeminovascular pain structures projecting to the trigeminocervical complex of neurons in the caudal brain stem and upper cervical spinal cord. It has recently been demonstrated that blockade of the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) by an NO synthesis inhibitor can abort acute migraine attacks and thus it is of interest to determine whether there is an influence of NO generation on trigeminocervical neurons. Cats were anaesthetised with alpha-chloralose (60 mg/kg, i.

Vasodilator agents and supracollicular transection fail to inhibit cortical spreading depression in the cat.

It remains an open question as to whether cortical spreading depression (CSD) is the pathophysiological correlate of the neurological symptoms in migraine with aura. In the experimental animal, CSD is an electrophysiological phenomenon mainly mediated via NMDA receptors. However, according to case reports in humans, visual aura in migraine can be alleviated by vasodilator substances, such as amyl nitrite and isoprenaline.

Stimulation of the middle meningeal artery leads to Fos expression in the trigeminocervical nucleus: a comparative study of monkey and cat.

The pain of a migraine attack is often described as unilateral, with a throbbing or pulsating quality. The middle meningeal artery (MMA) is the largest artery supplying the dura mater, is paired, and pain-producing in humans. This artery, or its branches, and other large intracranial extracerebral vessels have been implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine by theories suggesting neurogenic inflammation or cranial vasodilatation, or both, as explanations for the pain of migraine.

Differential effects of low dose CP122,288 and eletriptan on fos expression due to stimulation of the superior sagittal sinus in cat.

CP122,288, a conformationally restricted analogue of sumatriptan, is a highly potent inhibitor of neurogenic plasma protein extravasation (PPE) in rat and guinea pig at low doses where it has no 5HT1B-mediated vascular actions. We have examined its effect on a model of trigeminovascular nociception to assess the relative importance of vasoconstrictor and serotonin (5HT)(1B/1D) agonist activity to the modulation trigeminal neuronal activation. For comparison to activate relevant 5HT receptors, the clinically effective relatively lipophilic 5HT(1B/1D) agonist eletriptan was studied in parallel.

Exposure and isolation of the superior sagittal sinus elicits Fos in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis and dorsal horn of the cervical spinal cord: how long should you wait?

The immunohistochemical detection of the proto-oncogene Fos is widely used as a marker of cell activation in the central nervous system for mapping neurobiological pathways. This study examined the time course of Fos disappearance following surgery by studying neurons in the trigeminocervical complex after three different rest periods, 4, 8 and 24 h. The region of interest was the trigeminocervical complex (TCC) which extends from the caudal medulla to the caudal level of the C2 spinal cord.

Substance P blockade with the potent and centrally acting antagonist GR205171 does not effect central trigeminal activity with superior sagittal sinus stimulation.

The development and use of serotonin-1B/1D agonists to treat the acute attack of migraine has been a significant advance, but their vasoconstrictor effects have lead to a search for non-vasoconstrictor approaches to the management of the acute attack of migraine. One such suggested approach has been substance P (neurokinin-1) antagonists, since substance P is involved in mediating neurogenic plasma protein extravasation and has long been held to have a role in pain transmission. In this study, one such candidate compound, GR205171, a highly lipophilic potent neurokinin-1 antagonist, has been tested in a model of trigeminovascular nociception with considerable predictive value for anti-migraine activity.