Identification and electrophysiological characterization of early left atrial structural remodeling as a predictor for atrial fibrillation recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation.

Background: Voltage-guided substrate ablation following pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) improves atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation outcomes. However, by setting an upper voltage cutoff of 0.5 mV during sinus rhythm (SR) to guided substrate ablation using electroanatomic voltage mapping (EAVM), mildly affected low-voltage area (maLVA) may be undetected.

Safety of computed tomography in patients with cardiac rhythm management devices: assessment of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory in clinical practice.

Objectives: To assess the safety of computed tomography (CT) imaging in patients with cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices, which was subject to an advisory from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2008.

Survival after in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Background: The use of postarrest variables to predict survival after discharge following in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation has not been definitive. This study evaluates whether the duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and other variables affect discharge rates and survival rates after discharge.

Methods: Prospective cohort survival data and arrest variables were collected, including initial observed rhythm, duration of CPR, time of arrest, and number of arrests.

Invariant chain and the MHC class II cytoplasmic domains regulate localization of MHC class II molecules to lipid rafts in tumor cell-based vaccines.

Cell-based tumor vaccines, consisting of MHC class I+ tumor cells engineered to express MHC class II molecules, stimulate tumor-specific CD4+ T cells to mediate rejection of established, poorly immunogenic tumors. Previous experiments have demonstrated that these vaccines induce immunity by functioning as APCs for endogenously synthesized, tumor-encoded Ags. However, coexpression of the MHC class II accessory molecule invariant chain (Ii), or deletion of the MHC class II cytoplasmic domain abrogates vaccine immunogenicity.