Evaluation of the effectiveness of a wearable cardioverter defibrillator detection algorithm.

Background: Wearable cardioverter defibrillators (WCDs) provide protection from sudden cardiac death. The efficacy of a WCD detection algorithm has not been reported outside of clinical trial.

Methods: The efficacy of the algorithm was reviewed through a retrospective analysis of appropriate shocks, inappropriate shocks, and arrhythmia detections during a 1-year period.

Exploring QT interval changes as a precursor to the onset of ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia.

In the present study, we have retrospectively analyzed the corrected QT (QTc) interval before spontaneous episodes of sudden cardiac arrest in patients with a wearable cardioverter defibrillator. Corrected QT interval was measured for all normal beats from 32 recordings of baseline rhythm and compared to normal rhythm before a paired spontaneous cardiac arrhythmia. Before arrhythmia, the QTc (505 +/- 73 ms) was not significantly longer than the baseline rhythm (497 +/- 73 ms) (P = .

Identification and association analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the human noggin (NOG) gene and osteoporosis phenotypes.

Noggin, an extracellular bone morphogenic protein (BMP) antagonist, blocks BMP signaling and decreases osteoblastogenesis. The purpose of this study was to identify novel sequence variations in the human noggin gene and to perform association analyses of these variations with phenotypes related to osteoporosis. Novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified by resequencing 7 kb of the noggin gene region in 24 randomly selected Afro-Caribbean men without regard to their bone mineral density (BMD) level.