Febuxostat (Feburic tablet) in the management of hyperuricemia in a general practice cohort of Japanese patients with a high prevalence of cardiovascular problems.

Hyperuricemia is increasing in prevalence and this is paralleled by an increased incidence of acute gout. In addition, there is growing evidence of an association between high serum levels of uric acid (sUA) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this preliminary report, we present 12-16 week results from a multicenter, general practice study in which we evaluated the usefulness of febuxostat in a cohort of untreated patients with hyperuricemia with a high prevalence of CVD.

Prognostic significance of T-wave amplitude in lead aVR in heart failure patients with narrow QRS complexes.

Background: Prolonged duration of the QRS complex is a prognostic marker in patients with heart failure (HF), whereas electrocadiographic markers in HF with narrow QRS complex remain unclear. We evaluated the prognostic value of the T-wave amplitude in lead aVR in HF patients with narrow QRS complexes.

Methods: We examined 331 patients who were admitted to our hospital for worsening HF (68 ± 15 years, mean ± standard deviation) from January 2000 to October 2004 who had sinus rhythm and QRS complex <120 ms.

Prognostic significance of circadian variability of RR and QT intervals and QT dynamicity in patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: In patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), circadian variability of RR and QT intervals may be altered because of neurohumoral activation and functional and structural remodeling of the heart.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of circadian variability of the RR and QT intervals and QT dynamicity (QT/RR slope) in CHF patients.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 121 patients with stable CHF in sinus rhythm (age 67 +/- 14 years, mean +/- SD; range 34 to 87 years).

Seasonal variation in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation documented by 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram.

Background: The incidence of various cardiovascular diseases is known to exhibit seasonal variations, but seasonal patterns of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) have not been well characterized.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether seasonal variation affects the incidence of paroxysmal AF and whether this pattern is affected by patient age.

Methods: We identified 258 paroxysmal AF episodes in 237 patients (age 65 +/- 14 years, mean +/- standard deviation; age range 16-95 years) among 12,390 consecutive 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram recordings obtained from 2001 to 2005 at our institute.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein is predictive of successful cardioversion for atrial fibrillation and maintenance of sinus rhythm after conversion.

Background: Cardioversion for atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most effective treatment for the restoration of sinus rhythm (SR). Recently, an elevated level of hs-CRP has been shown to be associated with AF burden, suggesting that inflammation increases the propensity for persistence of AF. We examined whether the level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was predictive of the outcome of cardioversion for AF.