Aims: Age-induced changes and electrical remodelling are important components of the atrial fibrillation (AF) substrate. To study regional distribution and age-dependent changes in gene expression that may promote AF in human atria.
Methods And Results: Human left atrial (LA) and right atrial (RA) tissue samples were obtained from donor hearts unsuitable for transplantation and from patients undergoing mitral valve repair. Atrial fibrillation was mimicked in vitro by tachypacing of human atrial tissue slices. Ionic currents were studied by the whole-cell patch-clamp technique; gene expression was analysed by real-time qPCR and immunoblotting. Both healthy RA and RA from older patients showed greater CACNA1c mRNA and CaV1.2 protein expression than LA. No age-dependent changes of Kir2.1 expression in both atria were seen. Remodelling occurred in a qualitatively similar manner in RA and LA. IK1 and Kir2.1 protein expression increased with AF. MiR-1, miR-26a, and miR-26b were down-regulated with AF in both atria. ICa,L was decreased. CACNA1c and CACNA2b expression decreased and miR-328 increased in RA and LA during AF. Ex vivo tachypacing of human atrial slices replicated these findings. There were age-dependent increases in miR-1 and miR-328, while miR-26a decreased with age in atrial tissues from healthy human donor hearts.
Conclusion: Features of electrical remodelling in man occur in a qualitatively similar manner in both human atria. Age-related miR-328 dysregulation and reduced ICa,L may contribute to increased AF susceptibility with age.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/europace/euz135 | DOI Listing |
N Engl J Med
January 2025
From the TIMI Study Group, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (C.T.R., S.M.P., R.P.G., D.A.M., J.F.K., E.L.G., S.A.M., S.D.W., M.S.S.); Anthos Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA (B.H., S.P., D.B.); the Heart Rhythm Center, Taipei Veterans General Hospital and Cardiovascular Center, Taipei, Taiwan (S.-A.C.); Taichung Veterans Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (S.-A.C.); National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (S.-A.C.); National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan (S.-A.C.); St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto (S.G.G.); Canadian VIGOUR Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (S.G.G.); the Division of Cardiology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea (B.J.); the Department of Cardiology, Central Hospital of Northern Pest-Military Hospital, Budapest, Hungary (R.G.K.); the Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary (R.G.K.); the Internal Cardiology Department, St. Ann University Hospital and Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic (J.S.); the Department of Cardiology and Structural Heart Diseases, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland (W.W.); the Departments of Medicine and of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada (J.W.); and the Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute, Hamilton, ON, Canada (J.W.).
Background: Abelacimab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds to the inactive form of factor XI and blocks its activation. The safety of abelacimab as compared with a direct oral anticoagulant in patients with atrial fibrillation is unknown.
Methods: Patients with atrial fibrillation and a moderate-to-high risk of stroke were randomly assigned, in a 1:1:1 ratio, to receive subcutaneous injection of abelacimab (150 mg or 90 mg once monthly) administered in a blinded fashion or oral rivaroxaban (20 mg once daily) administered in an open-label fashion.
J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown)
February 2025
Division of Cardiology, Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University, Rome.
Atrial cardiomyopathy (AC) has been defined by the European Heart Rhythm Association as "Any complex of structural, architectural, contractile, or electrophysiologic changes in the atria with the potential to produce clinically relevant manifestations".1 The left atrium (LA) plays a key role in maintaining normal cardiac function; in fact atrial dysfunction has emerged as an essential determinant of outcomes in different clinical scenarios, such as valvular diseases, heart failure (HF), coronary artery disease (CAD) and atrial fibrillation (AF). A comprehensive evaluation, both anatomical and functional, is routinely performed in cardiac imaging laboratories.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Pfizer Ltd., Tadworth, United Kingdom.
Background: Risk factors and comorbidities can complicate management of non-valvular atrial fibrillation. We describe and compare real-world safety and effectiveness of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs; apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran) and vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in subgroups of patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation at high risk for gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, utilizing data from a national quasi-exhaustive French database.
Methods: Anticoagulant-naïve adults with non-valvular atrial fibrillation with ≥1 gastrointestinal bleeding risk factor, initiating anticoagulant treatment January 2016-December 2019, and covered by the French national health data system were eligible.
Blood Press
January 2025
Jagiellonian University Medical College, 1st Department of Cardiology, Interventional Electrocardiology and Arterial Hypertension, Kraków, Poland.
Purpose: Ventricular-arterial coupling (VAC) is a crucial concept in cardiovascular physiology, representing the dynamic interaction between the left ventricle and the arterial system. This comprehensive literature review explores the changes in VAC with aging and various cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
Materials And Methods: This literature review covers studies on changes in VAC with age and common CVDs such as arterial hypertension, atrial fibrillation, heart failure with preserved and reduced ejection fraction and aortic stenosis.
Circ Genom Precis Med
January 2025
Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, the Netherlands (S.L.V.M.S., N.J.B., M.F.G.H.M.V., V.P.M.v.E., J.A.J.V.).
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