Pulmonary vein reconnection and repeat ablation characteristics following cryoballoon-compared to radiofrequency-based pulmonary vein isolation.

Background: Despite advances in efficacy and safety of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after PVI remains common. PV-reconnection is the main finding during repeat PVI procedures performed to treat recurrent AF.

Objective: To analyze pulmonary vein (PV) reconnection patterns during repeat ablation procedures in a large cohort of consecutive patients undergoing radio frequency or cryoballoon-based PVI.

[Impact of cardiovascular diseases on fitness to drive: mobility limitations in the elderly].

The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases increases with age. Common symptoms such as dyspnea, chest pain, dizziness, or syncope can impact driving fitness. Due to a growing number of private drivers aged 65 and older and an increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, questions regarding driving fitness restrictions for cardiological patients are gaining prominence in clinical settings.

Safety and Efficacy of Excimer Laser Powered Lead Extractions in Obese Patients: A GALLERY Subgroup Analysis.

Background: The incidence of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED)-related complications, as well as the prevalence of obesity, is rising worldwide. Transvenous laser lead extraction (LLE) has grown into a crucial therapeutic option for patients with CIED-related complications but the impact of obesity on LLE is not well understood.

Methods And Results: All patients ( = 2524) from the GermAn Laser Lead Extraction RegistrY (GALLERY) were stratified into five groups according to their body mass index (BMI, <18.

Think outside the box: a case report of utilization of an excimer laser sheath as an intracardiac bioptome.

Background: Malignant cardiac tumours are rare entities that cause severe morbidity and mortality. Possible treatment options vary between surgical removement, (immuno-) chemotherapy, and palliative care, whilst diagnostic workup comprises of imaging and histopathology analysis. Excimer laser sheaths are a new possibility to extract significant tissue samples to offer adequate treatment.

Digestive, Anorectal, and Urogenital Functions in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Impaired Glucose Tolerance and Normal Glucose Tolerance: Association with Autonomic Neuropathy.

Aims: Gastrointestinal disorders, including constipation and fecal incontinence, are common in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and may derive from diabetic autonomic neuropathy, severe intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or a dysfunctional anorectal sphincter. The present study aims to characterize the correlation between these conditions.

Methods: Patients with T2DM, prediabetes, and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) were included.

Impact of obesity on acute complications of catheter ablation for cardiac arrhythmia.

Introduction: The prevalence of obesity is increasing. However, data on the periprocedural complication rate of catheter ablation for arrhythmia in patients stratified by body mass index (BMI) are scarce.

Methods: This study included 1000 consecutive patients (age 62.

Acute effects of linagliptin on intact and total glucagon-like peptide-1 and gastric inhibitory polypeptide levels in insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes patients with and without moderate renal impairment.

Aims: To investigate the effect of renal impairment on incretin metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) before and after treatment with the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor linagliptin.

Materials And Methods: Long-standing T2DM patients with normal (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] >90 mL/min/1.73m ) and impaired (eGFR <60 mL/min/1.

Efficacy of Catheter Ablation for Atrial Arrhythmias in Patients with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy-A Multicenter Study.

Atrial arrhythmias are present in up to 20% of patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Catheter ablation (CA) is an effective treatment for atrial arrhythmias in the general population. Data regarding CA for atrial arrhythmias in ARVC are scarce.

Macronutrient intake, appetite, food preferences and exocrine pancreas function after treatment with short- and long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in type 2 diabetes.

Aim: To clarify the distinct effects of a long-acting (liraglutide) and a short-acting (lixisenatide) glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) on macronutrient intake, gastrointestinal side effects and pancreas function.

Materials And Methods: Fifty participants were randomized to either lixisenatide or liraglutide for a treatment period of 10 weeks. Appetite, satiety, macronutrient intake, gastrointestinal symptoms and variables related to pancreatic function and gastric emptying were assessed at baseline and after treatment.

Short-term use of "ECMELLA" in the context of fulminant eosinophilic myocarditis with cardiogenic shock.

Background: Eosinophilic myocarditis (EM) is a rare form of myocarditis. Clinical presentation is various, includes cardiogenic shock and can often be fatal. Diagnosis is based on myocardial eosinophilic infiltration in endomyocardial biopsy.

Absence of detectable effect of radiotherapy and chemotherapy for breast cancer on the presence of low voltage areas in patients receiving left atrial catheter ablation.

Purpose: Radiation and chemotherapy for breast cancer are known to cause side effects to the heart. However, it still remains unclear whether those therapies affect left atrium fibrosis. We sought to examine the effects of radiation and chemotherapy on the electroanatomic features of the left atrium (LA) in patients who received catheter ablation for LA arrhythmias and underwent radiation and/or chemotherapy prior to the procedure.

Cardiac Arrest and Successful Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation as a Result of a Refeeding Syndrome in a Young Female with Anorexia Nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa is a potentially life-threatening eating disorder, characterized by an abnormally low body weight. This case report illustrates a 22-year old female with cardiac arrest due to a refeeding syndrome in a patient with anorexia nervosa. It features the successful use of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a case of severe left ventricular dysfunction resulting in a favorable outcome.

Effects of Lixisenatide Versus Liraglutide (Short- and Long-Acting GLP-1 Receptor Agonists) on Esophageal and Gastric Function in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

Objective: Short-acting glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) decelerate gastric emptying more than long-acting GLP-1 RAs. Delayed gastric emptying is a risk factor for gastroesophageal reflux disease. We aimed to measure esophageal reflux and function as well as gastric emptying and acid secretion during treatment with short-acting (lixisenatide) and long-acting (liraglutide) GLP-1 RAs.

Effects of sequential treatment with lixisenatide, insulin glargine, or their combination on meal-related glycaemic excursions, insulin and glucagon secretion, and gastric emptying in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Aim: To examine the glucose-lowering mechanisms of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist lixisenatide after two subsequent meals and in combination with basal insulin.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-eight metformin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to treatment sequences with either lixisenatide or insulin glargine alone for 4 weeks, and a combination of both treatments for 4 weeks. Metabolic examinations were performed before and after each treatment period following breakfast and a late lunch 8 hours later.

Small Area Estimation of Cancer Risk Factors and Screening Behaviors in US Counties by Combining Two Large National Health Surveys.

Background: National health surveys, such as the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), collect data on cancer screening and smoking-related measures in the US noninstitutionalized population. These surveys are designed to produce reliable estimates at the national and state levels. However, county-level data are often needed for cancer surveillance and related research.

Relationship between kurtosis and bi-exponential characterization of high b-value diffusion-weighted imaging: application to prostate cancer.

Background: High b-value diffusion-weighted imaging has application in the detection of cancerous tissue across multiple body sites. Diffusional kurtosis and bi-exponential modeling are two popular model-based techniques, whose performance in relation to each other has yet to be fully explored.

Purpose: To determine the relationship between excess kurtosis and signal fractions derived from bi-exponential modeling in the detection of suspicious prostate lesions.

Defects in α-Cell Function in Patients With Diabetes Due to Chronic Pancreatitis Compared With Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Healthy Individuals.

Objective: Diabetes frequently develops in patients with chronic pancreatitis. We examined the alterations in the glucagon response to hypoglycemia and to oral glucose administration in patients with diabetes due to chronic pancreatitis.

Research Design And Methods: Ten patients with diabetes secondary to chronic pancreatitis were compared with 13 patients with type 2 diabetes and 10 healthy control subjects.

Impact of insulin glargine and lixisenatide on β-cell function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized open-label study.

It is known that β-cell function can be enhanced by direct stimulation of insulin secretion or by induction of β-cell rest, but whether both strategies can complement each other has not yet been examined. A total of 28 people with type 2 diabetes (glycated haemoglobin 7.8% ± 0.

Multiple imputation of completely missing repeated measures data within person from a complex sample: application to accelerometer data in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The Physical Activity Monitor component was introduced into the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to collect objective information on physical activity including both movement intensity counts and ambulatory steps. Because of an error in the accelerometer device initialization process, the steps data were missing for all participants in several primary sampling units, typically a single county or group of contiguous counties, who had intensity count data from their accelerometers. To avoid potential bias and loss in efficiency in estimation and inference involving the steps data, we considered methods to accurately impute the missing values for steps collected in the 2003-2004 NHANES.

MULTIPLE IMPUTATION FOR MISSINGNESS DUE TO NONLINKAGE AND PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS: A CASE STUDY OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY LINKED TO MEDICARE CLAIMS.

Record linkage is a valuable and efficient tool for connecting information from different data sources. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has linked its population-based health surveys with administrative data, including Medicare enrollment and claims records. However, the linked NCHS-Medicare files are subject to missing data; first, not all survey participants agree to record linkage, and second, Medicare claims data are only consistently available for beneficiaries enrolled in the Fee-for-Service (FFS) program, not in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.