Quantifying absolute protein synthesis rates reveals principles underlying allocation of cellular resources.

Quantitative views of cellular functions require precise measures of rates of biomolecule production, especially proteins-the direct effectors of biological processes. Here, we present a genome-wide approach, based on ribosome profiling, for measuring absolute protein synthesis rates. The resultant E. coli data set transforms our understanding of the extent to which protein synthesis is precisely controlled to optimize function and efficiency. Members of multiprotein complexes are made in precise proportion to their stoichiometry, whereas components of functional modules are produced differentially according to their hierarchical role. Estimates of absolute protein abundance also reveal principles for optimizing design. These include how the level of different types of transcription factors is optimized for rapid response and how a metabolic pathway (methionine biosynthesis) balances production cost with activity requirements. Our studies reveal how general principles, important both for understanding natural systems and for synthesizing new ones, emerge from quantitative analyses of protein synthesis.

A Stress Response that Monitors and Regulates mRNA Structure Is Central to Cold Shock Adaptation.

Temperature influences the structural and functional properties of cellular components, necessitating stress responses to restore homeostasis following temperature shift. Whereas the circuitry controlling the heat shock response is well understood, that controlling the E. coli cold shock adaptation program is not. We found that during the growth arrest phase (acclimation) that follows shift to low temperature, protein synthesis increases, and open reading frame (ORF)-wide mRNA secondary structure decreases. To identify the regulatory system controlling this process, we screened for players required for increased translation. We identified a two-member mRNA surveillance system that enables recovery of translation during acclimation: RNase R assures appropriate mRNA degradation and the Csps dynamically adjust mRNA secondary structure to globally modulate protein expression level. An autoregulatory switch in which Csps tune their own expression to cellular demand enables dynamic control of global translation. The universality of Csps in bacteria suggests broad utilization of this control mechanism.

Three-dimensional intracardiac echocardiography for left atrial appendage sizing and percutaneous occlusion guidance.

AIMS: Left atrial appendage (LAA) imaging is critical during percutaneous occlusion procedures. 3D-intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) features direct visualization of LAA from multiple cross-sectional planes at a time. We aimed at reporting procedural success of 3D-ICE-guided LAA occlusion and the correlation between pre-procedural transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and intraprocedural 3D-ICE for LAA sizing. METHODS AND RESULTS: Among 274 patients undergoing left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) with a Watchman FLX, periprocedural ICE guidance was achieved via a commercially available 2D-ICE catheter (220 patients) or a novel (NUVISION™) 3D-ICE one (54 patients). Primary endpoint was a composite of procedural success and LAA sealing at follow-up TEE. Secondary endpoint was a composite of periprocedural device recapture/resizing plus presence of leaks ≥ 3 mm at follow-up TEE. 3D-ICE measurements of maximum landing zone correlated highly with pre-procedural TEE reference values [Pearson's: 0.94; P < 0.001; bias: -0.06 (-2.39, 2.27)]. The agreement between 3D-ICE-based device selection and final device size was 96.3% vs. 79.1% with 2D-ICE (P = 0.005). The incidence of the primary endpoint was 98.1% with 3D-ICE and 97.3% with 2D-ICE (P = 0.99). 2D-ICE patients had a trend towards a higher incidence of periprocedural device recapture/redeployment (31.5% vs. 44.5%; P = 0.09). The secondary endpoint occurred in 31.5% of 3D-ICE patients vs. 45.9% of 2D-ICE ones (P = 0.065). CONCLUSION: Intracardiac echocardiography-guided LAAO showed a very high success, with no major adverse events. A very high level of agreement for LAA sizing was found between pre-procedural TEE and periprocedural 3D-ICE. 3D-ICE performed significantly better than 2D-ICE for FLX size selection and may provide better guidance during device deployment.

Clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of atrioesophageal fistula resulting from atrial fibrillation ablation.

BACKGROUND: Atrioesophageal fistula (AEF) is a worrisome complication of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Its clinical manifestations and time course are unpredictable and may contribute to diagnostic and treatment delays. We conducted a systematic review of all available cases of AEF, aiming at characterizing clinical presentation, time course, diagnostic pitfalls, and outcomes. METHODS: The digital search retrieved 150 studies containing 257 cases, 238 (92.6%) of which with a confirmed diagnosis of AEF and 19 (7.4%) of pericardioesophageal fistula. RESULTS: The median time from ablation to symptom onset was 21 days (interquartile range [IQR]: 11-28). Neurological abnormalities were documented in 75% of patients. Compared to patients seen by a specialist, those evaluated at a walk-in clinic or community hospital had a significantly greater delay between symptom onset and hospital admission (median: 2.5 day [IQR: 1-8] vs. 1 day [IQR: 1-5); p = .03). Overall, 198 patients underwent a chest scan (computed tomography [CT]: 192 patients and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]: 6 patients), 48 (24.2%; 46 CT and 2 MRI) of whom had normal/unremarkable findings. Time from hospital admission to diagnostic confirmation was significantly longer in patients with a first normal/unremarkable chest scan (p < .001). Overall mortality rate was 59.3% and 26.0% survivors had residual neurological deficits at the time of discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Since healthcare professionals of any specialty might be involved in treating AEF patients, awareness of the clinical manifestations, diagnostic pitfalls, and time course, as well as an early contact with the treating electrophysiologist for a coordinated interdisciplinary medical effort, are pivotal to prevent diagnostic delays and reduce mortality.

Analysis of Freestyle Swimming Sprint Start Performance After Maximal Strength or Vertical Jump Training in Competitive Female and Male Junior Swimmers.

Born, DP, Stöggl, T, Petrov, A, Burkhardt, D, Lüthy, F, and Romann, M. Analysis of freestyle swimming sprint start performance after maximal strength or vertical jump training in competitive female and male junior swimmers. J Strength Cond Res 34(2): 323-331, 2020-To investigate the freestyle swimming sprint start performance before and after 6 weeks of maximal strength compared with vertical jump training. With a between-group repeated-measure design, 21 junior swimmers (12 female and 9 male) competing in national and international championships performed 2 weekly sessions of either maximal strength (heavy-loaded back squat and deadlift exercise) or vertical jump training (unloaded box jumps) for 6 weeks during the precompetition phase of the seasonal main event. Session ratings of perceived exertion were used to compare the load of both training programs. Before and after the training period, sprint start performance was investigated on a starting block equipped with force plates synchronized to a 2-dimensional motion capture system. Total training load did not differ between the 2 groups. Sprint start performance and most kinematic and kinetic parameters remained unaffected. In pooled data of the U17 swimmers, however, 5-m, 15-m, and 25-m split times were improved with maximal strength (p = 0.02, 0.03, and 0.01), but not with vertical jump training (p = 0.12, 0.16, and 0.28). Although there was no global effect, focus on the subgroup of U17 swimmers showed an improved sprint start performance with 2 sessions of maximal strength training integrated into a 16-hour training week. Although outcomes of the conditioning program seemed to be affected by the training history and performance level of the athletes involved, strength and conditioning coaches are encouraged to introduce maximal strength training at a young age.

Translation efficiency is maintained at elevated temperature in Escherichia coli.

Cellular protein levels are dictated by the balance between gene transcription, mRNA translation, and protein degradation, among other factors. Translation requires the interplay of several RNA hybridization processes, which are expected to be temperature-sensitive. We used ribosome profiling to monitor translation in Escherichia coli at 30 °C and to investigate how this changes after 10-20 min of heat shock at 42 °C. Translation efficiencies are robustly maintained after thermal heat shock and after mimicking the heat-shock response transcriptional program at 30 °C by overexpressing the heat shock σ factor encoded by the rpoH gene. We compared translation efficiency, the ratio of ribosome footprint reads to mRNA reads for each gene, to parameters derived from gene sequences. Genes with stable mRNA structures, non-optimal codon use, and those whose gene product is cotranslationally translocated into the inner membrane are generally less highly translated than other genes. Comparison with other published datasets suggests a role for translational elongation in coupling mRNA structures to translation initiation. Genome-wide calculations of the temperature dependence of mRNA structure predict that relatively few mRNAs show a melting transition between 30 and 42 °C, consistent with the observed lack of changes in translation efficiency. We developed a linear model with six parameters that can predict 38% of the variation in translation efficiency between genes, which may be useful in interpreting transcriptome data.

Thromboembolic events and need for anticoagulation therapy following left atrial appendage occlusion in patients with electrical isolation of the appendage.

INTRODUCTION: Electrical isolation of the left atrial appendage (LAA) is an important adjunctive ablation strategy in patients with nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients who have impaired LAA contractility following isolation may require long-term oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy irrespective of their CHADS2 -VASc score. Percutaneous LAA occlusion (LAAO) is a potential alternative to life-long OAC therapy. We aimed to assess the rate of OAC discontinuation and thromboembolic (TE) events following percutaneous LAAO in patients who underwent LAA electrical isolation (LAAI). METHODS: This is a retrospective two-center study of patients who underwent percutaneous LAAO following LAAI. Patients with at least 3-month follow-up were included in the study. The antithrombotic therapy and TE events at the time of the last follow-up were noted. RESULTS: The LAA was successfully occluded in 162 (with Watchman device in 140 [86.4%] and Lariat in 22 [13.6%]). A total of 32 patients had leaks detected on the 45-day transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE); 21 (15%) Watchman and 11 (50%) Lariat cases (P = 0.0001). Two (one Watchman and one Lariat) of the 32 leaks were more than 5 mm. After the 45-day TEE, 150 (92.6%) patients were off-OAC. No TE events were reported in the 150 patients who stopped the anticoagulants. Four (2.47%) patients experienced stroke following the LAAO (three Watchman and one Lariat) procedure while on-OAC, two of which were fatal. At the median follow-up of 18.5 months, 159 (98.15%) patients were off-anticoagulant. CONCLUSION: Up to 98% of patients with LAAI could safely discontinue OAC after undergoing the appendage closure procedure.

Arrhythmogenecity and thrombogenicity of the residual left atrial appendage stump following surgical exclusion of the appendage in patients with atrial fibrillation.

INTRODUCTION: It is common to find residual stump after the amputation or clip exclusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA). We evaluated the arrhythmogenic and thrombogenic potential of LAA stumps in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing catheter ablation for AF recurrence with LAA stump detected at baseline transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) were included in the analysis. Nonpulmonary vein (non-PV) triggers were ablated based on operator's discretion. RESULTS: A total of 213 patients with LAA stump were included in the analysis. Firing from the LAA stump was detected in 186 cases, of which 145 received stump isolation (group I) and the stump was not targeted for isolation in 41 (group II) patients. In 27 patients with no firing from the stump (group III) only non-PV triggers from sites other than the LAA stump were targeted for ablation. At 16.7 ± 8.5 months of follow-up, 126 (86.9%) patients from group I, eight (19.5%) from group II, and eight (33.3%) from group III remained arrhythmia-free off antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) (P < 0.001). Sixty out of 70 patients underwent redo procedure; electrical isolation of the stump and ablation of other non-PV triggers was done in all 60 cases. At 1 year after the repeat procedure, 55 (91.7%) patients remained arrhythmia-free off-AAD. A total of four (1.88%) thromboembolic (TE) events reported, three of which were transient ischemic attacks and all three patients had "smoke" detected in the left atrium. CONCLUSION: LAA stump is arrhythmogenic and electrical isolation improves clinical outcome. TE events are rare and mostly associated with left atrial smoke in this subset of AF population.

Design of orthogonal genetic switches based on a crosstalk map of σs, anti-σs, and promoters.

Cells react to their environment through gene regulatory networks. Network integrity requires minimization of undesired crosstalk between their biomolecules. Similar constraints also limit the use of regulators when building synthetic circuits for engineering applications. Here, we mapped the promoter specificities of extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σs as well as the specificity of their interaction with anti-σs. DNA synthesis was used to build 86 ECF σs (two from every subgroup), their promoters, and 62 anti-σs identified from the genomes of diverse bacteria. A subset of 20 σs and promoters were found to be highly orthogonal to each other. This set can be increased by combining the -35 and -10 binding domains from different subgroups to build chimeras that target sequences unrepresented in any subgroup. The orthogonal σs, anti-σs, and promoters were used to build synthetic genetic switches in Escherichia coli. This represents a genome-scale resource of the properties of ECF σs and a resource for synthetic biology, where this set of well-characterized regulatory parts will enable the construction of sophisticated gene expression programs.

Catheter ablation of asymptomatic longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation: impact on quality of life, exercise performance, arrhythmia perception, and arrhythmia-free survival.

BACKGROUND: Impact of catheter ablation on exercise performance, quality of life (QoL) and symptom perception in asymptomatic longstanding persistent AF (LSP-AF) patients has not been reported yet. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sixty-one consecutive patients (mean age 62 ±13 years, 71% males) with asymptomatic LSP-AF undergoing first catheter ablation were enrolled. Extended pulmonary vein antrum isolation plus ablation of complex fractionated atrial electrograms and nonpulmonary vein triggers was performed in all. QoL survey was taken at baseline and 12-months postablation, using Short Form-36 (SF-36). Information on arrhythmia perception was obtained using a standard questionnaire and corroborating symptoms with documented evidence of arrhythmia. Exercise tests were performed on 38 patients at baseline and 5 months after procedure. Recurrence was assessed using event recorder, cardiology evaluation, electrocardiogram, and 7-day holter monitoring. After 20 ± 5 months follow-up, 36 (57%) patients remained recurrence-free off-AAD. Of the 25 patients experiencing recurrence, 21 (84%) were symptomatic. Compared to baseline, follow-up SF-36 scores improved significantly in many measures. For patients with successful ablation, physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) demonstrated substantial improvement ( MCS: 64.2 ± 22.3 to 70.1 ± 18.6 [P = 0.041]; PCS: 62.6 ± 18.4 to 70.0 ± 14.4 [P = 0.032]). Postablation exercise study in recurrence-free patients showed significant reduction in resting and peak heart rate (75 ± 11 vs. 90 ± 17 and 132 ± 20 vs. 154.5 ± 36, respectively, P < 0.001), increase in peak oxygen pulse (13.4 ± 3 vs. 18.9 ± 16 mL/beat, Δ5.5 ± 15, P = 0.001), peak VO2 /kg (19.7 ± 5 to 23.4 ± 13 mL/kg/min [Δ 3.7 ± 10, P = 0.043]), and corresponding MET (5.6 ± 1 to 6.7 ± 4 [Δ1.1 ± 3, P = 0.03]). No improvement was observed in patients with failed procedures. CONCLUSION: Successful ablation improves exercise performance and QoL in asymptomatic LSP-AF patients.

Long-term outcome of catheter ablation in atrial fibrillation patients with coexistent metabolic syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea: impact of repeat procedures versus lifestyle changes.

INTRODUCTION: Metabolic syndrome (MS) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are well-known independent risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence. This study evaluated ablation outcome in AF patients with coexistent MS and OSA and influence of lifestyle modifications (LSM) on arrhythmia recurrence. METHODS AND RESULTS: We included 1,257 AF patients undergoing first catheter ablation (30% paroxysmal AF). Patients having MS + OSA were classified into Group 1 (n = 126; 64 ± 8 years; 76% male). Group 2 (n = 1,131; 62 ± 11 years; 72% male) included those with either MS (n = 431) or OSA (n = 112; no CPAP users) or neither of these comorbidities (n = 588). Patients experiencing recurrence after first procedure were divided into 2 subgroups; those having sporadic events (frequency < 2 months) remained on previously ineffective antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) and aggressive LSM, while those with persistent arrhythmia (incessant or ≥2 months) underwent repeat ablation. After 34 ± 8 months of first procedure, 66 (52%) in Group 1 and 386 (34%) in Group 2 had recurrence (P < 0.001). Recurrence rate in only-MS, only-OSA, and without MS/OSA groups were 40%, 38%, and 29%, respectively. Patients with MS + OSA experienced substantially higher recurrence compared to those with lone MS or OSA (52% vs. 40% vs. 38%; P = 0.036). Of the 452 patients having recurrence, 250 underwent redo-ablation and 194 remained on AAD and LSM. At 20 ± 6 months, 76% of the redo group remained arrhythmia-free off AAD whereas 74% of the LSM group were free from recurrence (P = 0.71), 33% of which were off AAD. CONCLUSIONS: MS and OSA have additive negative effect on arrhythmia recurrence following single procedure. Repeat ablation or compliant LSM increase freedom from recurrent AF.

Key performance indicators and reference values for turn performance in elite youth, junior and adult swimmers.

This study aimed to determine kinematic and kinetic key performance indicators (KPI) of swimming turn performance using principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple linear regression analysis and provide reference values using percentiles. Touch and tumble turn performances of male (n = 68) and female (n = 48) Swiss national team members from three age categories-adult (20.2 ± 2.7 yrs, 790 ± 57 points), junior (16.2 ± 0.8 yrs, 729 ± 53 points) and youth swimmers (14.4 ± 1.0 years of age, 667 ± 53 World Aquatics swimming points, respectively)-were assessed with a motion analysis system equipped with a force plate on the pool wall, one over- and four underwater cameras sampling forces at 500 Hz and footages at 100 Hz. The PCA reduced the 27 original variables by up to 15% depending on turn type and age category using Varimax component loading of >0.6 and explained up to 91% of the total variance. The highest Varimax component loadings for each principal component were used to determine KPI for each turn type and age category using multiple-regression analysis with total turn time as dependent variable. These KPI should be used to interpret turn performances and identify individual swimmers' strengths, weaknesses and future potentials with the help of the percentiles as reference values.

Blood tumor mutational burden and response to pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer: KEYNOTE-782.

BACKGROUND: First-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy has shown clinical benefit in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) regardless of tissue tumor mutational burden (tTMB) status. Blood tumor mutational burden (bTMB), assessed using plasma-derived circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), may be a surrogate for tTMB. The KEYNOTE-782 study evaluated the correlation of bTMB with the efficacy of first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in NSCLC. METHODS: Previously untreated patients with stage IV nonsquamous NSCLC received pembrolizumab 200 mg plus pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 and investigator's choice of carboplatin area under the curve 5 mg/mL/min or cisplatin 75 mg/m2 for 4 cycles, then pembrolizumab plus pemetrexed for ≤31 additional cycles every 3 weeks. Study objectives were to evaluate the association of baseline bTMB with objective response rate (ORR) (RECIST v1.1 by investigator assessment; primary), progression-free survival (PFS; RECIST v1.1 by investigator assessment), overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AEs; all secondary). A next-generation sequencing assay (GRAIL LLC) with a ctDNA panel that included lung cancer-associated and immune gene targets was used to measure bTMB. RESULTS: 117 patients were enrolled; median time from first dose to data cutoff was 19.3 months (range, 1.0-35.5). ORR was 40.2 % (95 % CI 31.2-49.6 %), median PFS was 7.2 months (95 % CI 5.6-9.8) and median OS was 18.1 months (95 % CI 13.5-25.6). Treatment-related AEs occurred in 113 patients (96.6 %; grade 3-5, n = 56 [47.9 %]). Of patients with evaluable bTMB (n = 101), the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for continuous bTMB to discriminate response was 0.47 (95 % CI 0.36-0.59). Baseline bTMB was not associated with PFS or OS (posterior probabilities of positive association: 16.8 % and 7.8 %, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: AEs were consistent with the established safety profile of first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in NSCLC. Baseline bTMB did not show evidence of an association with efficacy.

Key performance indicators and leg positioning for the kick-start in competitive swimmers.

The aim of the study was to (1) assess the test-retest reliability of a novel performance analysis system for swimming (KiSwim) including an instrumented starting block and optical motion capture system, (2) identify key performance indicators (KPI) for the kick-start, (3) determine the most beneficial position of the strong leg and (4) investigate the effect of acute reversal of leg positioning. During three sessions, kick-starts of 15 competitive swimmers were investigated. Eighteen kinematic and kinetic parameters showed high reliability (ICC>0.75) from which principal component analysis identified seven KPI (i.e., time to 15 m, time on-block, depth at 7.5 m, horizontal take-off velocity, horizontal impulse back plate, horizontal peak force back plate and vertical peak force front plate). For the preferred start position, the back plate showed a higher horizontal peak force (0.71 vs. 0.96 x body mass; p < 0.001) and impulse (0.191 vs. 0.28Ns/BW; p < 0.001) compared to front plate. Acute reversal of the leg position reduced performance (i.e., increased time to 15 m and reduced horizontal take-off velocity). However, plate-specific kinetic analysis revealed a larger horizontal peak force (p < 0.001) and impulse (p < 0.001) for the back compared to the front plate in any start position investigated. Therefore, swimmers are encouraged to position the strong leg in the back.

Baseline B-type natriuretic peptide: a gender-specific predictor of procedure-outcome in atrial fibrillation patients undergoing catheter ablation.

BACKGROUND: Close association between atrial fibrillation (AF) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been demonstrated by several studies. Important gender differences exist in AF patients including a higher plasma BNP level in women. Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate the relationship between AF and BNP separately in men and women. OBJECTIVE: This study examined possible gender-specific role of BNP in predicting procedure outcome in AF patients undergoing catheter ablation. METHOD: The study population included 568 consecutive patients (age 62 ± 10, male 73%, paroxysmal 25%, persistent 38%, and long-standing persistent AF 37%) undergoing AF ablation, who had structurally normal heart and left ventricular ejection fraction ≥45%. Baseline BNP was measured in all. Patients were grouped into "normal" and "high" BNP based on gender-specific cut-off values (<50 and ≥50 pg/mL in males, <100 and ≥ 100 pg/mL in females). RESULT: Baseline BNP was significantly higher among women than men (126 ± 112 versus 87 ± 99, P = 0.009). At 12 ± 6 month follow-up, 304 of 414 (73%) males and 98 of 154 (64%) females were AF/atrial tachycardia-free off antiarrhythmic drugs (log-rank P = 0.018). In multivariable analysis, BNP remained an independent predictor of AF recurrence (BNP ≥ 50: hazard ratio [HR] 2.54, P = 0.006) in males. No such association was observed among females (BNP ≥ 100: HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.43-1.42; P = 0.426). CONCLUSION: Baseline BNP was found to be an independent predictor of AF recurrence in male patients undergoing ablation. This correlation between BNP and AF recurrence was not observed in females. Thus, BNP plays a gender-specific prognostic role in AF.

Safety/Efficacy of DOAC Versus Aspirin for Reduction of Risk of Cerebrovascular Events Following VT Ablation.

OBJECTIVES: The STROKE-VT (Safety and Efficacy of Direct Oral Anticoagulant Versus Aspirin for Reduction of Risk of Cerebrovascular Events in Patients Undergoing Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation) study is a multicenter, randomized controlled trial that examined the differences in cerebrovascular events between direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) and aspirin (ASA) use postprocedurally in patients who underwent left ventricular arrhythmia (LVA) ablation (ventricular tachycardia [VT] or premature ventricular contraction [PVC]) using radiofrequency ablation (RFA). BACKGROUND: There exists limited data regarding antiplatelet or anticoagulation strategy following LVA ablation. METHODS: A total of 246 patients scheduled for LVA-RFA were randomized 1:1 postprocedurally to receive DOACs or ASA. The study's primary endpoint was the incidence of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) or asymptomatic cerebrovascular events (ACEs) detected by magnetic resonance imaging at 24 hours and 30 days of follow-up. The secondary endpoints included procedure-related complications (composite of any vascular complication, pericardial complication, heart block, and thromboembolic event, excluding stroke or TIA) and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: There were no differences between groups regarding baseline and ablation characteristics (except the percentage of patients who underwent VT ablation, rate of amiodarone use, and total RFA time). Postprocedure cerebrovascular events (stroke and TIA) were lower in the DOAC arm versus the ASA arm (0% vs 6.5%; P < 0.001 and 4.9% vs. 18%; P < 0.001, respectively). Patients in the ASA group had more MRI-detected ACEs compared with the DOAC group both at 24-hour (23% vs 12%; P = 0.03) and 30-day (18% vs 6.5%; P = 0.006) follow-up. Acute procedure-related complications and in-hospital mortality were similar between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: DOAC use following endocardial and/or epicardial ablation for LVA-RFA was associated with reduced risk of TIA or stroke and asymptomatic MRI-detected cerebrovascular events.

Catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia in ischemic cardiomyopathy: Impact of concomitant amiodarone therapy on short- and long-term clinical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Substrate catheter ablation of scar-related ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a widely accepted therapeutic option for patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether concomitant amiodarone therapy affects procedural outcomes. METHODS: A total of 134 consecutive patients (89% male; age 66 ± 10 years) with ICM undergoing catheter ablation of VT were included in the study. Patients were sorted by amiodarone therapy before ablation. In all patients, a substrate-based catheter ablation (endocardial ± epicardial) in sinus rhythm abolishing all "abnormal" electrograms within the scar was performed. The endpoint of the procedure was VT noninducibility. After the ablation procedure, all antiarrhythmic medications were discontinued. All patients had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, and recurrences were analyzed through the device. RESULTS: In 84 patients (63%), the ablation was performed on amiodarone; the remaining 50 patients (37%) were off amiodarone. Patients had comparable baseline characteristics. Mean scar size area was 143.6 ± 44.9 cm2 on amiodarone vs 139.2 ± 36.8 cm2 off amiodarone (P = .56). More radiofrequency time was necessary to achieve noninducibility in the off-amiodarone group compared to the on-amiodarone group (68.1 ± 20.1 minutes vs 51.5 ± 19.7 minutes; P <.001). In addition, due to persistent VT inducibility, more patients in the off-amiodarone group required epicardial ablation than in the on-amiodarone group (13/50 [26%] vs 5/84 [6%], respectively; P <.001). During mean follow-up of 23.9 ± 11.6 months, recurrence of any ventricular arrhythmias off antiarrhythmic drugs was 44% (37/84) in the on-amiodarone group vs 22% (11/50) in the off-amiodarone group (P = .013). CONCLUSION: Albeit, VT noninducibility after substrate catheter ablation for scar related VT was achieved faster, with less radiofrequency time and less need for epicardial ablation in patients taking amiodarone, these patients had significantly higher VT recurrence at long-term follow-up when this medication was discontinued.

Left atrial appendage tip: an unusual site of successful ablation after failed endocardial and epicardial mapping and ablation.

Uncommon sites of ablation for arrhythmias can be the cause of failed ablations. This series includes 4 cases requiring ablation at the tip of the left atrial appendage after both endocardial and epicardial mapping and ablation failed.

Focal ablation versus single vein isolation for atrial tachycardia originating from a pulmonary vein.

BACKGROUND: Rapid, disorganized firing from a pulmonary vein (PV) focus may initiate atrial fibrillation. The natural history of PV atrial tachycardia (AT), resulting in a slower, more organized form of firing, is less clear. Furthermore, the optimal therapeutic approach to a PV AT is poorly defined. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the characteristics and long-term outcomes of focal ablation versus PV isolation for ATs arising from a single PV. METHODS: We reviewed 886 consecutive patients who underwent an AT radiofrequency ablation at our institution from January 1997 through August 2008. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients had focal AT with a mean cycle length of 364 +/- 90 ms that arose from within a single PV. Ten patients underwent focal ablation of their AT and 16 patients underwent PV isolation of the culprit vein. All procedures were acutely successful. The average follow-up was 25 months (range 2-90 months). There were three recurrences of AT in patients who underwent a focal ablation. There were no recurrences in patients who underwent targeted PV isolation (P = 0.046). No patients developed atrial fibrillation or AT from another focus during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: PV AT can be successfully treated with single vein isolation or focal ablation with a low risk of recurrence or the development of atrial fibrillation. PV isolation may be the preferred approach when the AT focus arises from a site distal to the ostium where targeted ablation could result in phrenic nerve injury or occlusion of a pulmonary venous branch.

Competition-Based Success Factors During the Talent Pathway of Elite Male Swimmers.

Marginal differences in race results between top swimmers have evoked the interest in competition-based success factors of long-term athlete development. To identify novel factors for the multi-dimensional model of talent development, the aim of the study was to investigate annual variation in competition performance (ACV), number of races per year, and age. Therefore, 45,398 race results of all male participants (n = 353) competing in individual events, i.e., butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and individual medley, at the 2018 European Long-Course Swimming Championships (2018EC) were analyzed retrospectively for all 10 years prior to the championships with Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression analysis. Higher ranked swimmers at the 2018EC showed significant medium correlations with a greater number of races per year and small but significant correlations with higher ACV in 10 and nine consecutive years, respectively, prior to the championships. Additionally, better swimmers were older than their lower ranked peers (r = -0.21, p < 0.001). Regression model explained a significant proportion of 2018EC ranking for 50 m (47%), 100 m (45%), 200 m (31%), and 400 m races (29%) but not for 800 and 1,500 m races with number of races having the largest effect followed by age and ACV. In conclusion, higher performance variation with results off the personal best in some races did not impair success at the season's main event and young competitors at international championships may benefit from success chances that increase with age. The higher number of races swum per year throughout the career of higher ranked swimmers may have provided learning opportunities and specific adaptations. Future studies should quantify these success factors in a multi-dimensional talent development model.