Long-term outcomes of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation in octogenarians.

Background And Aims: Catheter ablation is superior to pharmacological therapy in controlling atrial fibrillation (AF). There are few data on the long-term outcome of AF ablation in octogenarian patients. This analysis aims to evaluate the outcome of AF ablation in octogenarians vs.

Divergent Temporal Trends of Mercury in Arctic Char from Paired Lakes Influenced by Climate-Related Drivers.

Climate-driven changes including rising air temperatures, enhanced permafrost degradation, and altered precipitation patterns can have profound effects on contaminants, such as mercury (Hg), in High Arctic lakes. Two physically similar lakes, East Lake and West Lake at the Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory on Melville Island, Nunavut, Canada are being affected by climate change differently. Both lakes have experienced permafrost degradation in their catchments; however, West Lake has also undergone multiple underwater Mass Movement Events (MMEs; beginning in fall 2008), leading to a sustained 50-fold increase in turbidity.

Structural integrity of the polyurethane female condom after multiple cycles of disinfection, washing, drying and relubrication.

The female condom provides an important alternative means of protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections for women, particularly in situations where partners are reluctant or refuse to use male condoms. The relatively high cost of the device, however, is a barrier to its use in resource-poor environments. This has led to some reuse of the product and two studies have demonstrated that female condoms can withstand a limited level of reuse without an excessive loss of structural integrity when washed with soap and water.

Acrogeric Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV: report of a new patient with additional findings.

We report a 21 year-old Turkish male with acrogeric Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV, a rare autosomal dominant disorder. In addition to the usual findings, the patient also had glaucoma and some unusual skeletal features including impressio digitalis in the skull, prognathism of the lower jaw and maxiller hypoplasia, not previously described as part of acrogeric Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV. These features expand the phenotypic spectrum of acrogeric Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV.