Disease relevance of Atrial Fibrillation

• Randomized clinical trials have proved that warfarin therapy decreases the risk of stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and in those who have had a myocardial infarction [1].
• Warfarin to prevent thromboembolism in chronic atrial fibrillation [2].
• Degeneration of junctional tachycardia to pre-excited atrial fibrillation after intravenous verapamil [3].
• Adenosine led to atrial fibrillation (n = 22) or atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter (n = 2) in 24 patients (12% [CI, 7.5% to 16.5%]) [4].
• Three patients developed severe ventricular arrhythmias while taking flecainide for atrial fibrillation [5].

Psychiatry related information on Atrial Fibrillation

• We found no association of WMLeON with diabetes, stroke, hyperlipidaemia, migraine, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, or systemic lupus erythematosus [6].
• Patients with symptoms of cardiac failure at rest or during light physical activity, X-ray signs of pulmonary congestion, proven need of digoxin therapy following earlier withdrawal, atrial fibrillation with a ventricular rate greater than 95 beats/min and patients in whom digitalis intoxication was suspected were excluded from the study [7].
• It is concluded that the serum digoxin level is a poor predictor of the ventricular rate in patients with atrial fibrillation because of marked individual differences [8].
• A 43-y-o male with a history of AIDS, atrial fibrillation, and alcohol abuse presented to the emergency department 2 h after ingestion of 25 tablets of 15 mg mirtazapine (total 375 mg) with ethanol in a suicide attempt (no other coingestion) [9].

High impact information on Atrial Fibrillation

• Amiodarone to prevent recurrence of atrial fibrillation [10].
• CONCLUSIONS: Amiodarone is more effective than sotalol or propafenone for the prevention of recurrences of atrial fibrillation [11].
• METHODS: We undertook a prospective, multicenter trial to test the hypothesis that low doses of amiodarone would be more efficacious in preventing recurrent atrial fibrillation than therapy with sotalol or propafenone [11].
• Dofetilide for atrial fibrillation [12].
• CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of transthoracic cardioversion for converting atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm was enhanced by pretreatment with ibutilide [13].

Chemical compound and disease context of Atrial Fibrillation

• Randomized trials of warfarin for atrial fibrillation [14].
• Verapamil-induced atrial fibrillation [15].
• Atrial fibrillation after administration of calcium and pentagastrin [16].
• Enhanced atrioventricular conduction atrial fibrillation after lidocaine administration [17].
• Atrial fibrillation while chewing nicotine gum [18].

Biological context of Atrial Fibrillation

• Preoperative amiodarone as prophylaxis against atrial fibrillation after heart surgery [19].
• The rapid ventricular response to atrial fibrillation is frequently treated with digoxin to produce a controlled heart rate [20].
• First, the pharmacokinetics of diltiazem in patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter is nonlinear with an apparent dose-dependent decrease in systemic clearance with increasing infusion rate [21].
• BACKGROUND: Platelet activation and decreased levels of nitrite and nitrate (NOx), stable end products of nitric oxide (NO), are reported in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) [22].
• Up-regulation of inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate receptor expression in atrial tissue in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation [23].

Anatomical context of Atrial Fibrillation

• Prophylactic amiodarone and atrial overdrive pacing should be considered in patients at high risk for postoperative atrial fibrillation (for example, patients with previous atrial fibrillation or mitral valve surgery) [24].
• Frequency-dependent effects of diltiazem on the atrioventricular node during experimental atrial fibrillation [25].
• Effect of phenylephrine on focal atrial fibrillation originating in the pulmonary veins and superior vena cava [26].
• Radiofrequency energy was applied to the posteroseptal or mid-septal right atrium to lower the ventricular rate in atrial fibrillation to 120 to 130 beats/min during an infusion of 4 micrograms/min of isoproterenol [27].
• To assess the effects of digoxin as single therapy and in combination with quinidine in the treatment of atrial fibrillation, the atrial fibrillation threshold was determined from the right atrial appendage and Bachmann's bundle in 11 open chest dogs [28].

Gene context of Atrial Fibrillation

• Identification of a KCNE2 gain-of-function mutation in patients with familial atrial fibrillation [29].
• De novo KCNQ1 mutation responsible for atrial fibrillation and short QT syndrome in utero [30].
• Endothelin system in human persistent and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation [31].
• Short QT syndrome and atrial fibrillation caused by mutation in KCNH2 [32].
• Severe neurologic deficit, greater infarct volume, atrial fibrillation, increased levels of inflammatory parameters (ESR and IL-6), and reduced levels of free PS were associated with disabling stroke at 3 months, but only neurologic severity and ESR remained as independent predictors of stroke disability on multiple regression analysis [33].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Atrial Fibrillation

• Because individual studies evaluating the role of quinidine in the maintenance of sinus rhythm after cardioversion from chronic atrial fibrillation have involved relatively few patients, a meta-analysis of randomized control trials was performed [34].
• The thrombus and control groups were similar with regard to recent myocardial infarction, remote infarction, anterior infarction, ejection fraction, atrial fibrillation, echocardiographic referral for source of emboli, and warfarin therapy [35].
• The purpose of this multicenter study was to determine the efficacy and safety of repeated doses of intravenous ibutilide, a class III antiarrhythmic drug, in terminating atrial fibrillation or flutter [36].
• Radiofrequency catheter ablation of the atria eliminates pacing-induced sustained atrial fibrillation and reduces connexin 43 in dogs [37].
• The results do not justify a change in the current recommendation of adjusted-dose warfarin (INR, 2.0-3.0) for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation [38].

References