Catheter Ablation of Post-Infarct VT: Mechanisms, Strategies and Outcomes.

Ventricular arrhythmias are one of the leading causes of death in patients with a prior myocardial infarction. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are very effective in the prevention of sudden cardiac death but the risk of recurrence remains an issue since defibrillation does not alter the underlying substrate. Recurrent ICD shocks are distressing and are associated with an increase in mortality.

Epidemiology of Sudden Cardiac Death: Global and Regional Perspectives.

Despite advancements in prevention and treatment, sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains a leading cause of mortality and is responsible for approximately half of all deaths from cardiovascular disease. Outcomes continue to remain poor following a sudden cardiac arrest, with most individuals not surviving. Although coronary heart disease remains the dominant underlying condition, our understanding of SCD is improving through greater knowledge of clinical risk factors, cardiomyopathies, and primary arrhythmic disorders.

Epidemiology of Atrial Fibrillation: The Australian and Asia-Pacific Perspective.

The epidemic of atrial fibrillation (AF) is increasingly recognised as a growing health problem worldwide. Although epidemiological studies on AF in the Asia-Pacific region are scarce, given the increasing age and size of populations in this region, the burden of AF is expected to be far greater than in North America and Europe. This is not only due to the growing, ageing population but also an increased incidence of risk factors for AF, such as hypertension, obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, in the Asia-Pacific region.

Implications of the LEGACY trial on US Atrial Fibrillation Patients: An NCDR Research to Practice (R2P) Project.

The Long-term Effect of Goal Directed Weight Management in an Atrial Fibrillation Cohort: A Long-term Follow-up Study (LEGACY) demonstrated that weight reduction in a cohort of Australian patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) resulted in a reduction in AF burden and improvement in AF symptom severity. The applicability of LEGACY in US cardiovascular practice is not known. A cohort of patients with AF from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry Practice Innovation and Clinical Excellence (PINNACLE) registry of US cardiovascular ambulatory care practices was created.

Feasibility and safety of Reveal LINQ insertion in a sterile procedure room versus electrophysiology laboratory.

Background: Insertable cardiac monitors (ICMs) are increasingly utilized for diagnosis of unexplained syncope and arrhythmia monitoring. The Reveal LINQ is a novel miniaturized ICM with improved algorithms. The feasibility and safety of insertion outside the traditional electrophysiology laboratory is unknown.

Diurnal variation in the performance of rapid response systems: the role of critical care services-a review article.

The type of medical review before an adverse event influences patient outcome. Delays in the up-transfer of patients requiring intensive care are associated with higher mortality rates. Timely detection and response to a deteriorating patient constitute an important function of the rapid response system (RRS).

Junctophilin 3 (JPH3) expansion mutations causing Huntington disease like 2 (HDL2) are common in South African patients with African ancestry and a Huntington disease phenotype.

Huntington disease (HD) is a progressive autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by abnormal movements, cognitive decline, and psychiatric symptoms, caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene on chromosome 4p. A CAG/CTG repeat expansion in the junctophilin-3 (JPH3) gene on chromosome 16q24.2 causes a Huntington disease-like phenotype (HDL2).

Obesity and the Risk of Incident, Post-Operative, and Post-Ablation Atrial Fibrillation: A Meta-Analysis of 626,603 Individuals in 51 Studies.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to quantify the magnitude of association between incremental increases in body mass index (BMI) and the development of incident, post-operative, and post-ablation atrial fibrillation (AF).

Background: Obesity has been estimated to account for one-fifth of all AF and approximately 60% of recent increases in population AF incidence. From a public health perspective, obesity, therefore, is a modifiable risk factor that could be profitably targeted.

Underuse and overuse of anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation: A study in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a leading cause of preventable stroke in Australia. Given that anticoagulation therapy can significantly reduce this stroke risk, we sought to characterise anticoagulation use in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians with AF.

Methods: Administrative, clinical and prescription data from patients with AF were linked.

Nationwide trends in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction in Australia, 1993-2010.

Although most of the additional increases in coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality are estimated to occur outside developed regions such as North America and Europe, few nationwide studies have been published of acute myocardial infarction (MI) epidemiology from other regions. We thus sought to expand the global data regarding MI trends. Nationwide trends of incident MI, ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI), and non-ST-segment MI (non-STEMI) were analyzed during a 17-year period in Australia.

The Role of Pericardial and Epicardial Fat in Atrial Fibrillation Pathophysiology and Ablation Outcomes.

Emerging evidence suggests that epicardial and pericardial fat are related to the presence, severity and outcome of AF. These associations, independent of generalized obesity, suggest that they may become increasingly useful as markers for risk stratification or monitoring in the clinical setting. Mechanistically, studies have suggested the effects of epicardial and pericardial fat may be mediated by local adipokines, inflammation, fatty infiltration, modulation of AF drivers and left atrial dilatation.

Factors associated with the epidemic of hospitalizations due to atrial fibrillation.

Recent reports have described that hospitalizations for atrial fibrillation (AF) are continuing to increase. Given that hospitalizations are responsible for most of the economic burden associated with AF, the aim of this study was to characterize the impact of age and how changing procedural practices may be contributing to the increasing rates of AF hospitalizations. The annual age- and gender-specific incidence of hospitalizations for AF, electrical cardioversions, electrophysiologic studies, and radiofrequency ablation procedures in Australia were determined from 1993 to 2007 inclusive.

Coronary artery disease affecting the atrial branches is an independent determinant of atrial fibrillation after myocardial infarction.

Background: During acute myocardial infarction (MI), the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is 6% to 22%, and its occurrence in this setting is associated with increased short- and long-term morbidity and mortality.

Objective: The purpose of this case control study was evaluate the characteristics associated with the development of new-onset AF.

Methods: Of 2,460 consecutive patients with acute MI, 149 (6%) were identified as having AF within 7 days of MI.

Primary bone tumors of the orbit.

Primary tumors of orbital bone constitute 0.6% to 2% of all orbital tumors. Our experience over a 24-year period in the Orbital Clinic at the University of British Columbia yielded 62 (1.

ISSLS prize winner: The innervation of the intervertebral disc: a quantitative analysis.

Objective: The first quantitative analysis of the innervation of the lumbar intervertebral disc is presented.

Methods: A sheep model was used allowing evaluation of the whole motion segment. Four sheep spines were used.

Osteoprotegerin and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB ligand (RANKL) regulate osteoclast formation by cells in the human rheumatoid arthritic joint.

Objective: This study investigated the involvement of the recently identified regulators of osteoclast formation RANKL [receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB (RANK) ligand, osteoclast differentiation factor, TRANCE, osteoprotegerin ligand] and its natural inhibitor, osteoprotegerin (OPG), in the bone erosion of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: mRNA was extracted from cells isolated from the pannus and synovial membrane regions of joints of 11 RA patients. Semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was carried out, and the isolated cells were also cultured to determine their ability to form osteoclasts.

Importance of dissection of the hernial sac in laparoscopic surgery for large hiatal hernias.

Hypothesis: Laparoscopic repair of large hiatal hernia is an appropriate management strategy.

Design: A prospective patient series.

Setting: A university teaching hospital.

Loosening of matt and polished cemented femoral stems.

We have compared prospectively the incidence of loosening of 20 femoral stems with a matt surface with that of 20 polished stems of an otherwise identical tapered, non-modular design of Exeter hip replacement. The stems were inserted using the same technique at operation and radiographs showed no difference in the adequacy of the cement mantle or of fixation. All the patients were reviewed regularly and none was lost to follow-up.

Regulation of bone cells by particle-activated mononuclear phagocytes.

Bone loss around replacement prostheses may be related to the activation of mononuclear phagocytes (MNP) by prosthetic wear particles. We investigated how osteoblast-like cells were regulated by human MNP stimulated by particles of prosthetic material. Particles of titanium-6-aluminium-4-vanadium (TiAIV) stimulated MNP to release interleukin (IL)-1beta, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)alpha, IL-6 and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2).