Predicting cardiovascular events with fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy using a standard cardiovascular risk calculator.

Aims: Fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy is important for treatment of many solid tumours but is associated with cardiotoxicity. The relationship of fluoropyrimidine-associated cardiotoxicity (FAC) with conventional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors is poorly understood, and standard cardiovascular risk scores are not validated in this context.

Methods And Results: Single-centre retrospective study of patients treated with fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy using electronic health records for cardiovascular risk factors (and calculation of QRISK3 score), cancer treatment, and clinical outcomes.

Clinical and echocardiographic predictors of decompensation in acute severe aortic regurgitation due to infective endocarditis.

Background: Patients with acute severe aortic regurgitation (AR) due to infective endocarditis can progress rapidly from the hemodynamically stable patient to pulmonary edema and cardiogenic shock. We sought to identify patients at risk of decompensation where emergent surgery should be undertaken.

Methods: We identified 90 patients with acute severe AR from the echocardiography laboratory database.

Ablation guided by STAR-mapping in addition to pulmonary vein isolation is superior to pulmonary vein isolation alone or in combination with CFAE/linear ablation for persistent AF.

Introduction: The optimal ablation approach for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear.

Methods And Results: Objective was to compare the long-term rates of freedom from AF/AT in patients that underwent STAR mapping guided ablation against outcomes of patients undergoing conventional ablation procedures. Patients undergoing ablation for persistent AF as part of the Stochastic Trajectory Analysis of Ranked signals (STAR) mapping study were included.

A meta-analysis of literacy and language in children with rolandic epilepsy.

Aim: Rolandic epilepsy is the most common childhood epilepsy, often presenting with neuropsychological impairments. The aim of the study was to formally assimilate the findings of existing studies varying widely in methodology, thereby confirming the nature and prevalence of impairments in literacy and language.

Methods: Using meta-analytical techniques, we evaluated 22 studies of literacy and/or language skills in children with rolandic epilepsy, published after 2000, among participants with IQs>70 and in which effect sizes could be acquired.