Randomised, siteless study to compare systematic atrial fibrillation screening using enrichment by a risk prediction model with standard care in a Swedish population aged ≥ 65 years: CONSIDERING-AF study design.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and confers an increased risk of mortality, stroke, heart failure and cognitive decline. There is growing interest in AF screening; however, the most suitable population and device for AF detection remains to be elucidated. Here, we present the design of the CONSIDERING-AF (deteCtiON and Stroke preventIon by moDEl scRreenING for Atrial Fibrillation) study.

Carotid atherosclerosis, changes in tissue remodeling and repair in patients with aortic coarctation.

Background And Aims: After aortic coarctation (CoA) repair, patients still suffer from cardiovascular complications. The aim of this study was to measure cardiovascular markers, intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaques in controls and patients with CoA.

Methods: Sixty-four patients with CoA (66% male, mean age 48 ± 15 years) and controls (54% men, mean age 47 ± 16 years) underwent ultrasound of their arteries.

Bleeding and thromboembolism due to drug-drug interactions with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants-a Swedish, register-based cohort study in atrial fibrillation outpatients.

Purpose: To study the association between interacting drugs and bleeding or thromboembolism in atrial fibrillation outpatients treated with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs).

Methods: Population-based cohort study of outpatients treated with NOACs in Sweden from 2008 to 2017. Patients with atrial fibrillation and newly initiated NOAC treatment were identified in the Prescribed Drug Register.

Prevalence of potential drug-drug interactions in Swedish pediatric outpatients.

Purpose: To describe the occurrence of potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in prescribed drugs, dispensed to pediatric outpatients in Sweden.

Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted based on data from a national register of prescribed drugs, dispensed at pharmacies, to children 0-17 years old. The study period was January 1 to April 30, 2010.

Statistical monitoring and dynamic simulation of a wastewater treatment plant: A combined approach to achieve model predictive control.

The on-line monitoring of Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phosphorus (TP) restrains wastewater treatment plants to achieve better control of aeration and chemical dosing. In this study, we applied principal components analysis (PCA) to find out significant variables for COD and TP prediction. Multiple regression method applied the variables suggested by PCA to predict influent COD and TP.

Discriminatory ability of right atrial volumes with two- and three-dimensional echocardiography to detect elevated right atrial pressure in pulmonary hypertension.

Aims: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients have high mortality due to right ventricular failure. Predictors of poor prognostic outcome are increased right atrial volume (RAV) and elevated mean right atrial pressure (mRAP). Our aim was to determine whether RAV measured with 2D echocardiography (2DE) and 3D echocardiography (3DE) can detect elevated mRAP in patients evaluated for PH.

Changes in blood volume shunting in patients with atrial septal defects: assessment of heart function with cardiovascular magnetic resonance during dobutamine stress.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of stress on left-to-right shunting in patients with atrial septal defect (ASD) and to investigate if the degree of shunting, cardiac output (CO), and right ventricular (RV) volumes are related to exercise capacity.

Methods: Twenty-six patients with a secundum ASD and 16 healthy volunteers were studied with rest/stress cardiac magnetic resonance using 20 µg/kg/min dobutamine and 0.25-0.

Ecological Effect of Solithromycin on Normal Human Oropharyngeal and Intestinal Microbiota.

Solithromycin is a new fluoroketolide. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of orally administered solithromycin on the human oropharyngeal and intestinal microbiota. Thirteen healthy volunteers (median age, 27.

[Few drugs dominate among clinically important interactions. Swedish register study lists problem drugs].

In a recent Swedish register study, a limited number of specific drugs explained a large part of clinically relevant, potential drug-drug interactions (DDI), as defined and detected by the DDI database SFINX. Regarding interactions that should be avoided according to the definition in the database (class D), 15 drug combinations accounted for as much as 80 % of the prevalence in the Swedish population. Ten specific drugs were involved in 94 % of all detected class D interactions.

A limited number of prescribed drugs account for the great majority of drug-drug interactions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of prescribed combinations of interacting drugs in the Swedish population.

Methods: This study design was retrospective and cross-sectional, based on a national register of dispensed prescription drugs during the period from January 1 to April 30, 2010. Prescription data was linked to the drug-drug interaction database SFINX to yield the prevalence of interacting combinations dispensed in the population.

Risperidone metabolic ratio as a biomarker of individual CYP2D6 genotype in schizophrenic patients.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the predictive value of the risperidone metabolic ratio for the individual CYP2D6 genotype.

Methods: The determination of risperidone, 9-hydroxyrisperidone, and CYP2D6 genotype was performed in 89 schizophrenic patients. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) method and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) were used to illustrate the predictive value of risperidone metabolic ratio for the individual CYP2D6 genotype.

Manual correction of semi-automatic three-dimensional echocardiography is needed for right ventricular assessment in adults; validation with cardiac magnetic resonance.

Background: Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) and semi-automatic right ventricular delineation has been proposed as an appropriate method for right ventricle (RV) evaluation. We aimed to examine how manual correction of semi-automatic delineation influences the accuracy of 3DE for RV volumes and function in a clinical adult setting using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) as the reference method. We also examined the feasibility of RV visualization with 3DE.

Comparison of different views with three-dimensional echocardiography: apical views offer superior visualization compared with parasternal and subcostal views.

Studies seeking to validate real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) with regard to cardiac function and dimensions have almost exclusively used apical views. However, it has never been examined whether apical views are preferable to parasternal or subcostal views. In the present study, we compared the feasibility of 3DE volumetric measurements of the four heart chambers in three different views.

Intracardiac thrombus in adults with the Fontan circulation.

Objectives: To determine the treatment and outcomes of a cohort of adults with the Fontan circulation diagnosed with intracardiac thrombus.

Background: Formation of thrombus is common after the Fontan operation, albeit little has been published on the treatment and outcomes of these patients once they have developed an intracardiac thrombus.

Methods: We identified all patients who had been converted to the Fontan circulation from the cardiology database at the Toronto Congenital Cardiac Centre for Adults, Toronto, and The Royal Brompton Hospital, London, studying the period from 1981 to 2003.

Comparison of echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for assessing right ventricular function in adults with repaired tetralogy of fallot.

Adults with repaired tetralogy of Fallot and significant chronic pulmonary regurgitation are at risk for progressive right ventricular (RV) dilatation and dysfunction. The assessment of RV function is important in the management in these patients. There is still a lack of an adequate geometric model to quantify RV function by echocardiography.

Topography characterization of a deep grating using near-field imaging.

Using near-field optical microscopy at the wavelength of 633 nm, we image light intensity distributions at several distances above an approximately 2-microm-deep and a 1-microm-period glass grating illuminated from below under the condition of total internal reflection. The intensity distributions are numerically modeled, and an inversion procedure based on a least-squares-fit optimization is employed to extract the grating geometry from the optical images.

Early identification of acute myocardial infarction by activated protein C--protein C inhibitor complex.

Introduction: Increased coagulation activity due to coronary thrombosis in a ruptured plaque should result in activation of the protein C anticoagulant system with formation of complexes between activated protein C (APC) and the protein C inhibitor (PCI), which reflects coagulation activity. We hypothesized that elevated APC-PCI concentration might allow earlier detection of ongoing myocardial infarction than traditional biochemical markers. We have evaluated a newly devised immunofluorimetric assay for measuring plasma concentration of APC-PCI complexes among patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome.

Genetic variation in the human thrombomodulin promoter locus and prognosis after acute coronary syndrome.

Introduction: Endothelial thrombomodulin (TM) plays a critical role in both anticoagulation and anti-inflammation. An impaired TM cofactor function or reduced TM gene expression could constitute a prethrombotic abnormality leading to acute coronary events. Mutations in the TM gene occur, but their functional consequences on the expression and activity of the gene are not yet fully understood.

Effect of fixed low-dose warfarin added to aspirin in the long term after acute myocardial infarction; the LoWASA Study.

Aim: To evaluate whether long-term treatment with a fixed low dose of warfarin in combination with aspirin improves the prognosis compared with aspirin treatment alone after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: Patients who were hospitalized for AMI were randomized to either 1.25mg of warfarin plus 75mg of aspirin (n=1659) daily or 75mg of aspirin alone (n=1641).

Parallel flow measurements in microstructures by use of a multifocal 4 x 1 diffractive optical fan-out element.

We have developed a multifocal optical fluorescence correlation spectroscopy system for parallel flow analyses. Multifocal excitation was made possible through a 4 x 1 diffractive optical fan-out element, which produces uniform intensity in all four foci. Autocorrelation flow analyses inside a 20 microm x 20 microm square microchannel, with the 4 x 1 fan-out foci perpendicular to the flow direction, made it possible to monitor different flows in all four foci simultaneously.