Frequency of Electrocardiogram-Defined Cardiac Conduction Disorders in a Multi-Institutional Primary Care Cohort.

Background: Disorders affecting cardiac conduction are associated with substantial morbidity. Understanding the epidemiology and risk factors for conduction disorders may enable earlier diagnosis and preventive efforts.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to quantify contemporary frequency and risk factors for electrocardiogram (ECG)-defined cardiac conduction disorders in a large multi-institutional primary care sample.

The bidirectional association between atrial fibrillation and myocardial infarction.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and vice versa. This bidirectional association relies on shared risk factors as well as on several direct and indirect mechanisms, including inflammation, atrial ischaemia, left ventricular remodelling, myocardial oxygen supply-demand mismatch and coronary artery embolism, through which one condition can predispose to the other. Patients with both AF and MI are at greater risk of stroke, heart failure and death than patients with only one of the conditions.

Step Count, Self-reported Physical Activity, and Predicted 5-Year Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: Cross-sectional Analysis.

Background: Physical inactivity is a known risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). Wearable devices, such as smartwatches, present an opportunity to investigate the relation between daily step count and AF risk.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between daily step count and the predicted 5-year risk of AF.

The association between eicosanoids and incident atrial fibrillation in the Framingham Heart Study.

Chronic inflammation is a continuous low-grade activation of the systemic immune response. Whereas downstream inflammatory markers are associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), upstream inflammatory effectors including eicosanoids are less studied. To examine the association between eicosanoids and incident AF.

PR interval duration is associated with the presence of white matter hyperintensities: Insights from the epidemiologic LIFE-Adult Study.

Background: PR interval prolongation is a preliminary stage of atrial cardiomyopathy which is considered as an intermediate phenotype for atrial fibrillation (AF). AF is a known risk factor for cerebrovascular adverse outcomes including stroke. Cerebral ischemia is one cause of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), and cognitive dysfunction.

Relations Between BMI Trajectories and Habitual Physical Activity Measured by a Smartwatch in the Electronic Cohort of the Framingham Heart Study: Cohort Study.

Background: The prevalence of obesity is rising. Most previous studies that examined the relations between BMI and physical activity (PA) measured BMI at a single timepoint. The association between BMI trajectories and habitual PA remains unclear.

The association of education and household income with the lifetime risk of incident atrial fibrillation: The Framingham Heart study.

Background: Social determinants of health, in particular education and income, influence the incidence, management, and outcomes of cardiovascular diseases including atrial fibrillation (AF). Data are limited on the associations of socioeconomic status with lifetime risk of incident AF.

Methods: We selected 2172 FHS participants (51% women) who were free of AF at the index age of 55 years.

The association between social network index, atrial fibrillation, and mortality in the Framingham Heart Study.

Social isolation might be considered as a marker of poor health and higher mortality. The aim of our analysis was to assess the association of social network index (SNI) with incident AF and death. We selected participants aged ≥ 55 years without prevalent AF from the Framingham Heart Study.

Design, deployment, and usability of a mobile system for cardiovascular health monitoring within the electronic Framingham Heart Study.

Background: The electronic Framingham Heart Study (eFHS) is an ongoing nested study, which includes FHS study participants, examining associations between health data from mobile devices with cardiovascular risk factors and disease.

Objective: To describe application (app) design, report user characteristics, and describe usability and survey response rates.

Methods: Eligible FHS participants were consented and offered a smartwatch (Apple Watch), a digital blood pressure (BP) cuff, and the eFHS smartphone app for administering surveys remotely.

Neck Circumference and Risk of Incident Atrial Fibrillation in the Framingham Heart Study.

Background Increased neck circumference, a proxy for upper-body subcutaneous fat, is associated with cardiovascular risk and metabolic risk factors, accounting for body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. The association between neck circumference and incident atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear. The aim of current study was to evaluate the association between neck circumference and incident AF.

Comparison of Daily Routines Between Middle-aged and Older Participants With and Those Without Diabetes in the Electronic Framingham Heart Study: Cohort Study.

Background: Daily routines (eg, physical activity and sleep patterns) are important for diabetes self-management. Traditional research methods are not optimal for documenting long-term daily routine patterns in participants with glycemic conditions. Mobile health offers an effective approach for collecting users' long-term daily activities and analyzing their daily routine patterns in relation to diabetes status.

Epigenetic Age and the Risk of Incident Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: The most prominent risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) is chronological age; however, underlying mechanisms are unexplained. Algorithms using epigenetic modifications to the human genome effectively predict chronological age. Chronological and epigenetic predicted ages may diverge in a phenomenon referred to as epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), which may reflect accelerated biological aging.

Deep learning detects heart failure with preserved ejection fraction using a baseline electrocardiogram.

Aims: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a rapidly growing global health problem. To date, diagnosis of HFpEF is based on clinical, invasive, and laboratory examinations. Electrocardiographic findings may vary, and there are no known typical ECG features for HFpEF.

Biatrial volume ratio predicts low voltage areas in atrial fibrillation.

Background: Left atrial volume (LAV) and low voltage areas (LVAs) are acknowledged markers for worse rhythm outcome after ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). Some studies reported the importance of increased right atrial volume (RAV) as a predictor for arrhythmia recurrences in AF patients.

Objective: To investigate association between the LAV/RAV ratio and LVAs presence.

Anti-inflammatory HDL effects are impaired in atrial fibrillation.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL), best known for cholesterol transport, also has anti-inflammatory effects. Previous studies suggest involvement of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in modification of HDL. HDL bound Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) has been implied to be an essential protein regarding beneficial HDL effects.

Rare Coding Variants Associated With Electrocardiographic Intervals Identify Monogenic Arrhythmia Susceptibility Genes: A Multi-Ancestry Analysis.

Background: Alterations in electrocardiographic (ECG) intervals are well-known markers for arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk. While the genetics of arrhythmia syndromes have been studied, relations between electrocardiographic intervals and rare genetic variation at a population level are poorly understood.

Methods: Using a discovery sample of 29 000 individuals with whole-genome sequencing from Trans-Omics in Precision Medicine and replication in nearly 100 000 with whole-exome sequencing from the UK Biobank and MyCode, we examined associations between low-frequency and rare coding variants with 5 routinely measured electrocardiographic traits (RR, P-wave, PR, and QRS intervals and corrected QT interval).

Association of Habitual Physical Activity With Home Blood Pressure in the Electronic Framingham Heart Study (eFHS): Cross-sectional Study.

Background: When studied in community-based samples, the association of physical activity with blood pressure (BP) remains controversial and is perhaps dependent on the intensity of physical activity. Prior studies have not explored the association of smartwatch-measured physical activity with home BP.

Objective: We aimed to study the association of habitual physical activity with home BP.

NT-proANP levels in peripheral and cardiac circulation.

Background: Recent studies have reported an association between N-terminal atrial natriuretic peptide (NT-proANP) and the progression of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, NT-proANP levels in peripheral and cardiac circulation in AF patients and in non-AF individuals need to be defined. The aims of the current study are (1) to analyze NT-proANP levels in peripheral and cardiac circulation in AF patients and (2) to compare NT-proANP levels in individuals with and without AF.

Social determinants of atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation affects almost 60 million adults worldwide. Atrial fibrillation is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular morbidity and death as well as with social, psychological and economic burdens on patients and their families. Social determinants - such as race and ethnicity, financial resources, social support, access to health care, rurality and residential environment, local language proficiency and health literacy - have prominent roles in the evaluation, treatment and management of atrial fibrillation.