In conclusion, careful interpretation of the ECG can identify the sinus P waves followed by irregular narrow complexes, thus avoiding misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment. Unifocal HPS tachycardia could present with alternating and gradually changing narrow QRS complexes tachycardia and lead to tachycardia cardiomyopathy. Electrophysiology study and catheter ablation were useful for the diagnosis and treatment of HPS tachycardia but with high risk of atrioventricular block. However, successfully elimination the tachycardia would resolve and reverse the enlarged heart and deteriorative heart function.
  To investigate how strongly smoking dependence and smoking dependence motives are associated with depressive symptoms among daily smokers and if these associations are independent of measured confounders and shared familial factors.
 
  Cross-sectional individual-based and within-pair analyses.
 
  Fourth wave of the population-based Finnish Twin Cohort conducted in 2011.
 
  918 daily smokers born 1945-1957 (48% men), mean age 59.5years including 38 twin pairs discordant for depression.
 
  Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale with a cut off value ≥20 for depression. Smoking dependence was assessed using the Fagerström Test for Cigarette Dependence (FTCD) and smoking dependence motives with three subscales from the multi-dimensional Brief Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives (WISDM) primary dependence motives (PDM), affective enhancement (AE), and Taste. Logistic regressions, using standardized scores of independent variables and adjusted for muroticism but are independent of shared familial influences.
 Depression appears to be associated with smoking dependence and smoking dependence motives related to heavy, automatic use and use to regulate affective states. The associations appear to be confounded or mediated by neuroticism but are independent of shared familial influences.
  The risk of ventricular arrhythmias in patients on QT prolonging drugs is indicated to be increased early after cardioversion (CV) of atrial fibrillation (AF) to sinus rhythm (SR). Sotalol, used to prevent AF relapse, prolongs cardiac repolarization and corrected QT interval (QTc). A pronounced QTc prolongation is an established marker of pro-arrhythmias. Our objective was to use novel technique to quantify and evaluate the diurnal variation of the QTc interval after elective CV to SR in patients on sotalol or metoprolol.
 
  Fifty patients underwent twelve-lead Holter recording for 24hr after elective CV for persistent AF. All patients had the highest tolerable stable dose of sotalol (n=27) or metoprolol (n=23). Measurements of QT and RR intervals were performed on all valid beats.
 
  A clear diurnal variation of both HR and QTc was seen in both groups, more pronounced in patients on sotalol, where a high percentage of heartbeats with QTc >500ms was observed, especially at night. Six patients (22%) on sotalol but none on metoprolol had >20% of all heart beats within the 24-hour recording with QTc >500ms.
 
  Twenty-four-hour Holter recordings with QT-measurement immediately after CV demonstrated that one in five patients on sotalol had >20% of all heart beats with prolonged QTc >500ms, especially during night-time. The QTc diurnal variation was retained in patients on β-blockade or a potent class III anti-arrhythmic drug with β-blocking properties.
 500 ms, especially during night-time. The QTc diurnal variation was retained in patients on β-blockade or a potent class III anti-arrhythmic drug with β-blocking properties.
  To investigate the role of complete blood cell count (CBC) measures in retinal artery occlusion (RAO).
 
  This was a case-control study, including 73 newly diagnosed RAO patients and 73 sex- and age-matched subjects without RAO.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ly333531.html  On the same day of RAO diagnosis, a blood sample was collected and CBC was determined using an automatic blood counter. Dimensional CBC indices, such as mean platelet volume (MPV) and red cell distribution width (RDW), and some CBC-combined indices, including neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived NLR [dNLR=neutrophils/(white blood cells - neutrophils)] and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), were evaluated. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was also measured.
 
  Median neutrophils, red cell distribution width (RDW), NLR and dNLR were 4.5x10
  /L (IQR=3.8-5.8), 13.4% (IQR=12.7-14.75), 2.47 (IQR=1.85-3.13) and 1.70 (IQR=1.26-2.18) in RAO patients and 4x10
  /L (IQR=3.18-4.93), 12.9% (IQR=12-14), 1.86 (IQR=1.42-2.44) and 1.32 (IQR=1.02-1.64) in controls. RAO patients had significantotential biomarkers of RAO.
  To investigate the association between retinal microvasculature and the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).
 
  The cross-sectional study was conducted in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, China. Retinal microvasculature parameters were measured by OCTA of the optic disc, including the vessel density (VD) and retinal nerve fibre thickness of the radial peripapillary capillary. In terms of the entire macula, VD of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP) and foveal density (FD-300) were included. The Gensini score was used to evaluate the severity of coronary artery obstructive lesions in CAD patients.
 
  A total of 410 participants (270 CAD patients and 140 controls) were included. Overall, participants showed significantly greater odds of having CAD in the lower versus higher VD for mean SCP, OR = 2.33 (95% CI 1.49-3.65); in the parafoveal SCP, OR = 2.68 (95% CI 1.70-4.23); and in the perifoveal SCP, OR  in CAD patients.
  Patient engagement is becoming more customary in medicine development. However, embedding it in organizational decision-making remains challenging, partly due to lack of agreement on its value and the means to evaluate it. The objective of this project was to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework, with metrics, to demonstrate impact and enhance learning.
 
  A consortium of five patient groups, 15 biopharmaceutical companies and two academic groups iteratively created a framework in a multi-phase participatory process, including analysis of its application in 24 cases.
 
  The framework includes six components, with 87 metrics and 15 context factors distributed among (sub)components (a) Input expectations, preparations, resources, representativeness of stakeholders; (b) Activities/process structure, management, interactions, satisfaction; (c) Learnings and changes; (d) Impacts research relevance, study ethics and inclusiveness, study quality and efficiency, quality of evidence and uptake of products, empowerment, reputation and trust, embedding of patient engagement; (e) Context policy, institutional, community, decision-making contextual factors.