Clinical outcomes of Asian patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation and previously diagnosed atrial fibrillation: Insights from the CODE-AF Registry.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) may have different clinical features in its early phase.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics and clinical outcomes of early-phase AF with later-phase AF using a large multicenter prospective registry (CODE-AF [COmparison study of Drugs for symptom control and complication prEvention of Atrial Fibrillation]).

Methods: Patients enrolled between June 2016 and March 2021 were divided into 2 groups based on AF duration: (1) newly diagnosed (AF duration ≤90 days); and (2) previously diagnosed (AF duration >90 days).

Impact of Atrial Fibrillation with Rapid Ventricular Response on Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence: From the CODE-AF Registry.

: Relatively little has been established about the association of rapid ventricular response (RVR) with further recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF). This study investigated the impact of RVR on the recurrence of AF. : Data were obtained from a multicenter, prospective registry of non-valvular AF patients.

Multifunctional Magnetic Muscles for Soft Robotics.

Despite recent advancements, artificial muscles have not yet been able to strike the right balance between exceptional mechanical properties and dexterous actuation abilities that are found in biological systems. Here, we present an artificial magnetic muscle that exhibits multiple remarkable mechanical properties and demonstrates comprehensive actuating performance, surpassing those of biological muscles. This artificial muscle utilizes a composite configuration, integrating a phase-change polymer and ferromagnetic particles, enabling active control over mechanical properties and complex actuating motions through remote laser heating and magnetic field manipulation.

The anticoagulation one year after ablation of atrial fibrillation in patients with atrial fibrillation (ALONE-AF) trial: Study protocol.

Background: The ideal long-term antithrombotic strategy for patients after successful catheter-based atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation is still uncertain. Presently, practices vary, and the advantages of oral anticoagulation (OAC) for the post-ablation population are not clearly established. To date, no randomized trials have addressed this therapeutic question.

New Insights into Pacing Induced Cardiomyopathy.

Pacing induced cardiomyopathy (PICM) can occur as a complication due to pacing the right ventricle. Its precise definition varies across different studies, leading to uncertainty as to the best approach for managing this entity. More than 10% of patients who undergo chronic right ventricular pacing develop PICM.

Clinical characteristics of apixaban prescription in AF patients with single dose-reduction criterion: the ASPIRE (efficAcy and safety of aPixaban in rEal-world practice in Korean frail patients with atrial fibrillation) study.

Background: Data on off-label reduced dose risk among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who qualify for a single-dose reduction of apixaban is scarce.

Objectives: We prospectively assessed apixaban dosing and clinical characteristics in AF patients meeting a dose reduction criterion.

Methods: The multicentre, prospective cohort study, the efficAcy and Safety of aPixaban In REal-world practice in Korean frail patients with AF (ASPIRE), encompasses patients with AF who met the criteria for a single-dose reduction of apixaban and were given varying doses of apixaban, either the on-label standard dose or the off-label reduced dose.

Reinforcement of a Subcutaneous Pocket for Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Insertion Using Acellular Dermal Matrix: A Case Report.

Pediatric patients who undergo implant insertion into the chest wall face a high risk of implant exposure to the external environment. Five months after an 8-year-old boy underwent implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation in a subcutaneous pocket in the left anterolateral chest wall to manage long QT syndrome, ICD replacement became necessary owing to exposure risk from distal and lateral thinning of the ICD pocket. Pocket rupture and exposure would increase the risk of infection; therefore, we performed ICD removal and primary pocket closure.

Case Report: Comprehensive evaluation of ECG phenotypes and genotypes in a family with Brugada syndrome carrying .

Background: Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a channelopathy that can lead to sudden cardiac death in the absence of structural heart disease. Patients with BrS can be asymptomatic or present with symptoms secondary to polymorphic ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. Even though BrS can exhibit autosomal dominant inheritance, it is not easy to identify the phenotype and genotype in a family thoroughly.

Association Between Atrial Fibrillation Symptoms and Clinical Outcomes: A Prospective Multicenter Registry Study.

The presence of symptoms plays an important role in determining whether to focus on rhythm control or rate control when treating atrial fibrillation (AF). Previous comparative studies on the clinical outcomes of symptomatic and asymptomatic AF have yielded inconsistent results, and a link between AF symptoms and left atrial (LA) remodeling is not established. Patients selected from the COmparison study of Drugs for symptom control and complication prEvention of AF (CODE-AF) registry, which is a prospective, multicenter study consisting of patients with non-valvular AF, were grouped into 2 groups: symptomatic and asymptomatic.

Modified application of SAMe-TT2R2 scoring system in Asian patients with atrial fibrillation for the selection of oral anticoagulants.

Background/aims: The SAMe-TT2R2 score is used for assessing anticoagulation control (AC) quality with warfarin. However, it is hard to apply SAMe-TT2R2 score in Asian patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), because it has not been proven in those populations. This study aimed to validate the SAMe-TT2R2 score in Asian patients with AF and suggest a modified SAMe- TT2R2 score for this population.

Identification of concealed cardiomyopathy using next-generation sequencing-based genetic testing in Korean patients initially diagnosed with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation.

Aims: Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) is a disease in which the cause of ventricular fibrillation cannot be identified despite comprehensive clinical evaluation. This study aimed to investigate the clinical yield and implications of genetic testing for IVF.

Methods And Results: This study was based on the multi-centre inherited arrhythmia syndrome registry in South Korea from 2014 to 2017.

Sex-related differences in presentation, treatment, and outcomes of Asian patients with atrial fibrillation: a report from the prospective APHRS-AF Registry.

We aimed to investigate the sex-related differences in the clinical course of patients with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) enrolled in the Asia-Pacific-Heart-Rhythm-Society Registry. Logistic regression was utilized to investigate the relationship between sex and oral anticoagulant, rhythm control strategies and the 1-year chance to maintain sinus rhythm. Cox-regression was utilized to assess the 1-year risk of all-cause, and cardiovascular death, thromboembolic events, acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, and major bleeding.

Low-dose non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation.

In the last decade, non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs), a new generation of OACs, were introduced to prevent thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation. Although vitamin K-dependent anticoagulants have long been used as OACs, their inherent disadvantage of considerable bleeding complications has limited their use. NOACs demonstrate similar or superior clinical outcomes to those of warfarin.

Clinical and Genetic Features of Korean Inherited Arrhythmia Probands.

Background And Objectives: Inherited arrhythmia (IA) is a more common cause of sudden cardiac death in Asian population, but little is known about the genetic background of Asian IA probands. We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and analyze the genetic underpinnings of IA in a Korean cohort.

Methods: This study was conducted in a multicenter cohort of the Korean IA Registry from 2014 to 2017.

Integrated Care for Atrial Fibrillation Using the ABC Pathway in the Prospective APHRS-AF Registry.

Background: The Atrial Fibrillation Better Care (ABC) has been proposed as an integrated approach to improve management in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), based on 3 pillars: "A" Avoid stroke with Anticoagulation; "B" Better symptoms control; "C" Cardiovascular risk-factor and comorbidities management.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate the association with outcomes of ABC adherence in the prospective multinational Asia-Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS) Atrial Fibrillation registry.

Method: Cox-regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, CHADS-VASc score, paroxysmal AF, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, cancer, dyslipidemia, and dementia were performed to investigate the association with outcomes.

Joseph E. Murray's Struggle to Transplant Kidneys: Failure, Individuality, and Plastic Surgery, 1950-1965.

This paper offers a historical analysis of the American plastic surgeon and Nobel laureate Joseph E. Murray's kidney transplantation. After succeeding in the first kidney transplantation between monozygotic twins in 1954, he transplanted kidneys between genetically distinct people after X-radiation and immunosuppressants.

Edoxaban treatment in atrial fibrillation in routine clinical care: One-year outcomes of the prospective observational ETNA-AF study in South Korean patients.

Background: The real-world outcomes of edoxaban treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) were analyzed in the ETNA-AF (Edoxaban Treatment in Routine Clinical Practice) study involving data from multiple regional registries. This report addresses effectiveness and safety of edoxaban in the Korean ETNA-AF population.

Methods: One-year data from 1887 Korean ETNA-AF participants were analyzed according to edoxaban dose and patient age and compared with results of other ETNA-AF registries.

Rhythm Control and Cardiovascular or Cerebrovascular Outcomes in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: A Study of the CODE-AF Registry.

Background: It is not clear whether the data regarding rhythm control during atrial fibrillation (AF) contained in AF registries is prognostically significant. Thus, this study investigated the relationship between rhythm control and cardiovascular outcomes in patients in contemporary AF registries.

Methods: This study was conducted using data from 6670 patients with AF receiving oral anticoagulation in the CODE-AF registry.

Antiarrhythmic Effect of Artemisinin in an Ex-vivo Model of Brugada Syndrome Induced by NS5806.

Background And Objectives: Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an inherited arrhythmia syndrome that presents as sudden cardiac death (SCD) without structural heart disease. One of the mechanisms of SCD has been suggested to be related to the uneven dispersion of transient outward potassium current () channels between the epicardium and endocardium, thus inducing ventricular tachyarrhythmia. Artemisinin is widely used as an antimalarial drug.

Comparing the Efficacy of Carvedilol and Flecainide on the Treatment of Idiopathic Premature Ventricular Complexes from Ventricular Outflow Tract: A Multicenter, Randomized, Open-Label Pilot Study.

The mechanism of premature ventricular complexes (PVC) occurring in the ventricular outflow tract (OT) is related to an intracellular calcium overload and delayed afterdepolarizations that lead to triggered activity. The guidelines recommend using beta-blockers and flecainide for idiopathic PVCs, but they also acknowledge the limited evidence supporting this recommendation. We conducted a multicenter, randomized, open-label pilot study comparing the effect of carvedilol and flecainide on OT PVC, which are widely used to treat this arrhythmia.