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Scand J Pain 2014 Apr 1;5(2):111-118. Epub 2014 Apr 1.

Department of Neurophysiology, Center for Biomedicine and Medical Technology Mannheim (CBTM), Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.

Background and purpose Conventional neurophysiological techniques do not assess the function of nociceptive pathways and are inadequate to detect abnormalities in patients with small-fiber damage. This overview aims to give an update on the methods and techniques used to assess small fiber (Aδ- and C-fibers) function using evoked potentials in research and clinical settings. Methods Noxious radiant or contact heat allows the recording of heat-evoked brain potentials commonly referred to as laser evoked potentials (LEPs) and contact heat-evoked potentials (CHEPs). Read More

BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2018 May 21;18(1):100. Epub 2018 May 21.

Department of Respiration Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Renmin Street, Jinzhou, 121000, Liaoning Province, China.

Background: Preexcitation syndrome is characterized by a dominant delta wave on the baseline electrocardiogram (ECG), resulting from the change in QRS initial vector by the accessory pathway (AP). This study is to explore the effect of ventricular preexcitation on the QRS initial, maximal and terminal vector in an experimental rabbit with preexcitation syndrome induced by programmed electrical stimulation.

Methods: Rabbits (n = 10) were randomized for the experimental model of ventricular preexcitation. Read More

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2017 Nov;21(22):5283-5289

Department of Cardiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, China.

Objective: To observe the expressions of myocardial connexin43 (Cx43) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) rats and investigate its possible mechanism of telmisartan in the prevention and treatment of arrhythmia in AMI.

Materials And Methods: Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were selected and myocardial infarction model was established. After the successful modeling, the rats were randomly divided into three groups: Sham group, MI group, Telm group. Read More

BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2017 Dec 8;17(1):289. Epub 2017 Dec 8.

Arrhythmia Clinic, Skåne University Hospital and Department of Cardiology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, 21185, Lund, Sweden.

Background: Atrial fibrillatory cycle length has been considered one of the indices of atrial electrical remodelling during atrial fibrillation (AF), which can be assessed from surface ECG by computer-assisted calculation of atrial fibrillatory rate (AFR). Horses have been suggested as a bona fide model for AF studies since horses too, develop lone AF, however data on AF characteristics in horses are extremely sparse and non-invasive characterization of AF complexity using surface ECG processing has not been reported.

Aim: The aim was to study characteristics of induced AF and its modification by flecainide. Read More

Europace 2017 Dec;19(suppl_4):iv17-iv24

The Heart Center of Chonnam National University Hospital, 42 Jaebongro, Dong-gu, Gwangju 61469, South Korea.

Aims: Prolonged Tpeak-Tend interval has been shown to be markers of arrhythmogenesis in various cardiac disorders. However, its dynamicity is one of the obstacles to predict fatal ventricular arrhythmia. This study investigated whether Tpeak-Tend interval during therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is associated with ventricular fibrillation (VF) inducibility and clinical arrhythmia in subjects with aborted arrhythmic sudden cardiac death (SCD). Read More

Circulation 2017 Nov 3;136(21):2037-2050. Epub 2017 Oct 3.

Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Los Angeles, CA (J.H.C., R.Z., P.J.K., G.d.C., J.I.G., E.M., E.C.)

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) represents approximately half of heart failure, and its incidence continues to increase. The leading cause of mortality in HFpEF is sudden death, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Dahl salt-sensitive rats were fed a high-salt diet (8% NaCl) from 7 weeks of age to induce HFpEF (n=38). Read More

J Am Heart Assoc 2017 Sep 19;6(9). Epub 2017 Sep 19.

Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China

Background: With chronic ischemia after myocardial infarction, the resulting scar tissue result in electrical and structural remodeling vulnerable to an arrhythmogenic substrate. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway elicited by vagal nerve via α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7-nAChR) can modulate local and systemic inflammatory responses. Here, we aimed to clarify a novel mechanism for the antiarrhythmogenic properties of vagal nerve during the ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). Read More

Heart Rhythm 2018 01 24;15(1):48-55. Epub 2017 Aug 24.

San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics and outcome of patients undergoing ablation after electrical storm (ES).

Methods: Clinical and procedural characteristics, ventricular tachycardia (VT) recurrence, and mortality rates from 1940 patients undergoing VT ablation were compared between patients with and without ES.

Results: The group of 677 patients with ES (34. Read More

Elife 2017 08 21;6. Epub 2017 Aug 21.

Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.

Programmed cell death widely but heterogeneously affects the developing brain, causing the loss of up to 50% of neurons in rodents. However, whether this heterogeneity originates from neuronal identity and/or network-dependent processes is unknown. Here, we report that the primary motor cortex (M1) and primary somatosensory cortex (S1), two adjacent but functionally distinct areas, display striking differences in density of apoptotic neurons during the early postnatal period. Read More

Am J Cardiol 2017 Sep 15;120(5):797-802. Epub 2017 Jun 15.

Heart Rhythm Management Centre, UZ Brussels-VUB, Brussels, Belgium.

Risk stratification in Brugada syndrome in young patients remains challenging. We investigated the clinical characteristics, prognosis, and risk in young patients with the Brugada syndrome. We studied 95 patients with the Brugada syndrome aged ≤19 years. Read More

Trends Cardiovasc Med 2017 11 7;27(8):542-555. Epub 2017 Jun 7.

First Department of Cardiology, Electrophysiology Laboratory, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration General Hospital, Athens, Greece. Electronic address:

Publication of the DANISH randomized trial led to considerable debate, given that it demonstrated no survival benefit stemming from current implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) allocation criteria in patients with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM). Consequently, a thorough reconsideration of our approach to sudden cardiac death (SCD)-risk stratification appears to be in order. NIDCM encompasses a wide spectrum of disease entities, often with differing arrhythmogenicity; however, in its kernel, is still defined by the fundamentals of electrophysiology that dictate that abnormal tissue, exhibiting altered electrophysiological properties is necessary for arrhythmogenesis, but not enough, given that formation of functional circuits is required. Read More

Neuromodulation 2017 Oct 25;20(7):654-660. Epub 2017 May 25.

Washington & Jefferson College, Washington, PA, USA.

Objectives: Methods of energy delivery for traditional spinal cord stimulation (SCS) systems consist of adjusting programming parameters to affect the total charge delivered per unit time. One high electrical charge delivery method being considered is subthreshold high density (HD) programming. To date, there is limited clinical evidence for the efficacy and safety of paresthesia-free HD programming. Read More

Circ Res 2017 Jun 12;121(1):56-70. Epub 2017 Apr 12.

From the Cardiology, Heart Center (M.M., K.F., M.L., J.G., L.R., C.K., J.S., T.R., M.M., M.H., G.P., D.M., M.A., K.M., T.K.R., S.B., A.K., V.R.), Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (M.M., K.F., M.L., J.G., L.R., C.K., J.S., T.R., M.M., M.H., G.P., D.M., M.A., K.M., T.K.R., S.B., A.K., V.R.), and Center for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Institute for Neurophysiology, Medical Faculty (T.S.), University of Cologne, Germany; University Heart Center Hamburg, Germany (J.K., D.L.); General and Interventional Cardiology (F.G.D.) and Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology (B.G., T.E.), University Heart Center Hamburg, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Germany; Institute of Biophysics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno (L.K.); International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Czech Republic (L.K., A.K.); Mathematics, Cleveland State University, OH (Y.W.); and Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, OH (W.H.W.T., S.L.H.).

Rationale: Ventricular arrhythmias remain the leading cause of death in patients suffering myocardial ischemia. Myeloperoxidase, a heme enzyme released by polymorphonuclear neutrophils, accumulates within ischemic myocardium and has been linked to adverse left ventricular remodeling.

Objective: To reveal the role of myeloperoxidase for the development of ventricular arrhythmias. Read More

Anesthesiology 2017 06;126(6):1096-1106

From the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine (K.H.-Q., T.T., E.A.D., K.Y., W.Z., A.M.), UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center (U.B., A.M.), and UCLA Neurocardiology Research Center of Excellence, David Geffen School of Medicine (K.H.-Q., U.B., A.M.), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California.

Background: Imbalances in the autonomic nervous system, namely, excessive sympathoexcitation, contribute to ventricular tachyarrhythmias. While thoracic epidural anesthesia clinically suppresses ventricular tachyarrhythmias, its effects on global and regional ventricular electrophysiology and electrical wave stability have not been fully characterized. The authors hypothesized that thoracic epidural anesthesia attenuates myocardial excitability and the proarrhythmic effects of sympathetic hyperactivity. Read More

Europace 2017 Dec;19(12):1973-1980

NAMSA, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Aims: Single-chamber (VR-ICD) and subcutaneous (S-ICD) implantable cardioverter-defibrillators are effective to protect patients against sudden death but expose them to higher risk of inappropriate shock (IS). We sought to quantify the annual rate and influencing factors of ISs in VR- and S-ICDs from the literature.

Methods And Results: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for full text articles with IS rates. Read More

J Toxicol Sci 2017 ;42(2):183-192

Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University.

In order to characterize human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) sheets as a model for detecting drug-induced conduction disturbance, we examined their electrophysiological and electropharmacological properties by using the multi-electrode array system with a programmed electrical stimulation protocol. At pre-drug control, the conduction speed, effective refractory period and field potential duration were 0.14 ± 0. Read More

Prog Urol 2017 Mar 9;27(3):111-145. Epub 2017 Mar 9.

Service de réadaptation neurologique, centre de médecine physique et de réadaptation de L'ADAPT, 25, avenue de la Paix, 92320 Chatillon, France. Electronic address:

Objectives: Search processing algorithms in a primary care setting, analyzing the specifics of care management for seniors suffering from urinary incontinence (UI), described the recommendations and levels of evidence of treatment.

Methods: A literature review carried out via PubMed and websites of scientific societies with search keywords classified according to an algorithm.

Results: One hundred algorithms have been discovered in the field of evaluation and treatment of UI. Read More

J Am Acad Audiol 2017 Mar;28(3):187-199

Department of Otolaryngology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY.

Background: Cochlear implants (CIs) successfully restore hearing in postlingually deaf adults, but in doing so impose a frequency-position function in the cochlea that may differ from the physiological one.

Purpose: The CI-imposed frequency-position function is determined by the frequency allocation table programmed into the listener's speech processor and by the location of the electrode array along the cochlea. To what extent can postlingually deaf CI users successfully adapt to the difference between physiological and CI-imposed frequency-position functions?

Research Design: We attempt to answer the question by combining behavioral measures of electroacoustic pitch matching (PM) and measures of electrode location within the cochlea. Read More

Curr Opin Cardiol 2017 Mar 6. Epub 2017 Mar 6.

aMolecular Cardiology Laboratories, IRCCS Maugeri Foundation bDepartment of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.

Purpose Of Review: In this article, we discuss the most recent and relevant studies published in the field of inherited arrhythmogenic disorders, focusing in particular on channelopathies (Long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia) and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC).

Recent Findings: We discuss the updated diagnostic criteria for channelopathies released by the European Society of Cardiology, the new results on the value of programmed electrical stimulation in patients with Brugada syndrome, and the recent evidences supporting a genotype-specific therapy for Long QT syndrome type 3. Moreover, we will present further insights into the clinical course and risk stratification of patients affected by ARVC, analyzing in particular the role of antiarrhythmic drugs for the prevention of life-threatening arrhythmias. Read More

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2017 02;21(3):584-589

Department of Cardiology, Zhengzhou People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.

Objective: Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) patient has higher prevalence ratio of atrial fibrillation (AF), while AF recurrence remains a high ratio after radiofrequency ablation (RFCA). This study explored AF prevalence and atrial vulnerability in PSVT patients after RFCA, using ROC curve to analyze atrial effective refractory period dispersion (dERP) on postoperative AF in the prediction of PSVT.

Patients And Methods: The PSVT patients were enrolled and divided into three groups and received RFCA treatment between January 2010 and December 2014. Read More

Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2017 Apr 3;40(4):379-390. Epub 2017 Mar 3.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tokai University, Isehara, Japan.

Background: Targeted external heavy ion irradiation (THIR) of rabbit hearts 2 weeks after myocardial infarction (MI) reduced the vulnerability of fatal ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VT/VF) in association with the increased connexin43 (Cx43). Increased Cx43 was maintained for at least 1 year in normal rabbits, but the long-term antiarrhythmic effects in the MI model are unknown. We investigated the propensity for late potentials and VT/VF inducibility. Read More

J Med Case Rep 2017 Jan 22;11(1):21. Epub 2017 Jan 22.

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0HS, UK.

Background: Adenosine is the first-line pharmacotherapy for termination of supraventricular tachycardia through its action on the atrioventricular node. However, pro-arrhythmic effects of adenosine are also recognised, most notably in the presence of pre-excited atrial fibrillation. In this case report, we describe the induction of ventricular fibrillation in a patient with no demonstrable accessory pathway, nor any other structural heart disease. Read More

Circ J 2017 Feb 7;81(3):290-297. Epub 2017 Jan 7.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University Magna Graecia, Campus di Germaneto.

It is almost a quarter of century that a pioneering work of 2 researchers named Brugada brought the entire scientific community to understanding the molecular, clinical, and electrophysiological aspects of a distinctive syndrome. It affects mainly young adults with syncope and/or sudden cardiac death caused by polymorphic ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation in the absence of any sign of cardiac degeneration or alteration. Although the involvement of the epicardial layer of the right ventricular outflow tract, and the requirement of pharmacologic challenge for unveiling concealed forms, have been fully characterized, many areas of uncertainties remain to be elucidated, such as the unpredictable usefulness of programmed ventricular stimulation, the role of radiofrequency catheter ablation for reducing ST-segment elevation, and the value of risk stratification in patients diagnosed with upper displacement of right precordial leads. Read More

Europace 2016 Dec;18(suppl 4):iv60-iv66

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Hackerman 216, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA

Aim: To predict arrhythmia susceptibility in myocardial infarction (MI) patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)  >35% using a personalized virtual heart simulation approach.

Methods And Results: A total of four contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) datasets of patient hearts with MI and average LVEF of 44.0 ± 2. Read More

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2016 12;57(15):6496-6506

Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 2Department of Life Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Purpose: It is well known that the gradual loss of axon growth ability of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) during development is largely determined by extrinsic signals rather than being programmed intrinsically. Spontaneous retinal waves are the major neural activity during retinal development. Thus restoring the developmental environment by providing the proper neural activity may be able to help axon regeneration of RGCs. Read More

Exp Physiol 2017 01 15;102(1):25-33. Epub 2016 Dec 15.

Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? High titres of autoantibodies against the second extracellular loop of the β -adrenergic receptor (β -AAs) can be detected in the sera of patients with ventricular arrhythmias, but a causal relationship between β -AAs and ventricular arrhythmias has not been established. What is the main finding and its importance? Monoclonal β -AAs (β -AR mAbs) were used in the experiments. We showed that β -AR mAbs increased susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias and induced repolarization abnormalities. Read More

IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2017 06 2;64(6):1393-1399. Epub 2016 Sep 2.

Objective: The objective of this study was to define the clinical relevance of in vivo electrophysiologic (EP) studies in a rat model of chronic ischemic heart failure (CHF).

Methods: Electrical activation sequences, voltage amplitudes, and monophasic action potentials (MAPs) were recorded from adult male Sprague-Dawley rats six weeks after left coronary artery ligation. Programmed electrical stimulation (PES) sequences were developed to induce sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT). Read More

J Am Coll Cardiol 2016 08;68(6):614-623

Heart Rhythm Management Center, Cardiovascular Division, UZ Brussel-Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.

Background: A proband of Brugada syndrome (BrS) is the first patient diagnosed in a family. There are no data regarding this specific, high-risk population.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate the Brugada probands diagnosed from 1986 through the next 28 years. Read More

Circ J 2016 Jul 20;80(8):1734-43. Epub 2016 Jun 20.

Department of Cardiovascular Therapeutics, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Background: Clinical and experimental studies have shown the existence of an arrhythmogenic substrate in the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) in patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS). To evaluate the importance of the RVOT, we evaluated the activation pattern of induced ventricular tachyarrhythmias using body surface mapping (BSM) in patients with BrS.

Methods and results: We examined 14 patients with BrS in whom ventricular tachyarrhythmias were induced by programmed electrical stimulation. Read More

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2016 May;20(10):2106-12

Department of Cardiology, Polo Pontino, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

Objective: The role of electrophysiology study in Brugada syndrome (BS) sudden cardiac death risk stratification remains controversial and seems to depend on the phenotypic expression of the channelopathy. Ajmaline has a key role in the diagnosis of BS. We observed that programmed electrical stimulation (PES) of the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT), only when type 1 BS ECG is unmasked by ajmaline administration, induces ventricular arrhythmias. Read More

Exp Neurol 2016 09 12;283(Pt A):255-63. Epub 2016 May 12.

Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel; Leslie and Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel. Electronic address:

Despite progress in elucidating mechanisms of depression, the efficacy of different treatments remains inadequate. Recent small-scale clinical studies suggested anti-depressant treatment using deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventral capsule/ventral striatum or subgenual cingulate cortex (SCC), yet controlled, multi-center trials were unsuccessful. We recently suggested the ventral tegmental area (VTA) as an important intersection for treating depression. Read More

Physiol Rep 2016 May;4(9)

Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Cardiovascular disease degrades the regulatory function of the autonomic nervous system. Cyclic vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an already FDA-approved therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy and depression, and has been shown to normalize autonomic function and improve objective measures of heart function and subjective measures of heart failure symptoms. However, it remains unclear whether VNS may induce negative effects in patients with potentially healthy hearts where VNS can be used for epileptic patients. Read More

J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2016 07 24;27(7):813-9. Epub 2016 May 24.

Cardiovascular Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan.

Introduction: Some patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) exhibit elevated left atrial pressure (LAP) in sinus rhythm (SR). The aim of the study was to investigate whether LAP changes between SR and AF are associated with outcomes after catheter ablation (CA) for AF.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively studied 110 patients (70 men, 66 ± 8 years, 37 with non-paroxysmal AF) who underwent CA of AF. Read More

Cell Physiol Biochem 2016 1;38(2):487-501. Epub 2016 Feb 1.

University Childrenx00B4;s Hospital Duesseldorf, Pediatric Cardiology, Duesseldorf, Germany.

Background/aims: Pannexin-1 (Panx1) is an ATP release channel that is ubiquitously expressed and coupled to several ligand-gated receptors. In isolated cardiac myocytes, Panx1 forms large conductance channels that can be activated by Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Here we characterized the electrophysiological function of these channels in the heart in vivo, taking recourse to mice with Panx1 ablation. Read More

Top Cogn Sci 2016 Jan 8;8(1):291-304. Epub 2016 Jan 8.

Battlespace Acoustics Branch, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB.

An important application of cognitive architectures is to provide human performance models that capture psychological mechanisms in a form that can be "programmed" to predict task performance of human-machine system designs. Although many aspects of human performance have been successfully modeled in this approach, accounting for multitalker speech task performance is a novel problem. This article presents a model for performance in a two-talker task that incorporates concepts from psychoacoustics, in particular, masking effects and stream formation. Read More

Heart 2016 Mar 6;102(6):452-8. Epub 2016 Jan 6.

Heart Rhythm Management Centre, UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium.

Objectives: Brugada syndrome (BS) in women is considered an infrequent condition with a more favourable prognosis than in men. Nevertheless, arrhythmic events and sudden cardiac death (SCD) also occur in this population. Long-term follow-up data of this group are sparse. Read More

Otol Neurotol 2016 Jan;37(1):31-7

Hypothesis: Electrode-to-modiolus distance is correlated with clinically programmed stimulation levels.

Background: Conventional wisdom has long supposed a significant relationship between cochlear implant (CI) stimulation levels and electrode-to-modiolus distance; however, to date, no such formal investigation has been completed. Thus, the purpose of this project was to investigate the relationship between stimulation levels and electrode-to-modiolus distance. Read More

Neurourol Urodyn 2017 02 3;36(2):385-389. Epub 2015 Dec 3.

Department of Urology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Aims: SNM has been proven to be effective in the treatment of refractory UUI. Total costs and patient burden due to regular battery changes may prevent broad implementation of this treatment. The aim was to achieve a minimal improvement of 50% in incontinence episodes compared to pre-SNM by using iSNM. Read More

Chin Med J (Engl) 2015 Nov;128(22):3069-75

Department of Emergency, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100020, China.

Background: Majority of the research on cardiac arrest (CA) have focused on post-CA brain injury and myocardial dysfunction, the renal dysfunction and acute kidney injury (AKI) in other critical illnesses after CA have not been well described. This study was designed to assess AKI with renal Doppler and novel AKI biomarkers in a swine model of ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest (VFCA).

Methods: Thirty healthy piglets were divided into VFCA group (n = 22) and Sham group (n = 8) in a blinded manner. Read More

Europace 2016 Dec 4;18(12):1886-1896. Epub 2015 Nov 4.

Department of Cardiology, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200092, China

Aims: Myocardial infarction (MI) induces neural remodelling of the left stellate ganglion (LSG), which may contribute to ischaemia-induced arrhythmias. The neural chemorepellent Semaphorin 3a (Sema3a) has been identified as a negative regulator of sympathetic innervation in the LSG and heart. We previously reported that overexpression of Sema3a in the border zone could reduce the arrhythmogenic effects of cardiac sympathetic hyperinnervation post-MI. Read More

J Speech Lang Hear Res 2016 Feb;59(1):99-109

Purpose: The objective was to determine whether speech perception could be improved for bimodal listeners (those using a cochlear implant [CI] in one ear and hearing aid in the contralateral ear) by removing low-frequency information provided by the CI, thereby reducing acoustic-electric overlap.

Method: Subjects were adult CI subjects with at least 1 year of CI experience. Nine subjects were evaluated in the CI-only condition (control condition), and 26 subjects were evaluated in the bimodal condition. Read More

J Clin Neurophysiol 2015 Oct;32(5):406-12

*Department of Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A.; †NeuroPace, Inc, Mountain View, California, U.S.A.; and ‡Department of Neurology and Neurological Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, U.S.A.

Purpose: To characterize cyclic day-night patterns of electrocorticographic epileptiform activity (EA) in patients with focal onset seizures.

Methods: Epileptiform events as defined by the physician (also termed more generally as "epileptiform activity" or EA) were recorded in 65 patients with partial onset (also referred to as "focal onset") seizures using the RNS System, which includes a cranially implanted neurostimulator connected to 1 or two 4-contact leads placed at the seizure focus. The neurostimulator is programmed to detect specific patterns of electrocorticographic activity and to provide responsive stimulation. Read More

Neural Plast 2015 31;2015:462182. Epub 2015 Aug 31.

Department of Physical Therapy and Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, College of Medicine and Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan.

Disrupted triphasic electromyography (EMG) patterns of agonist and antagonist muscle pairs during fast goal-directed movements have been found in patients with hypermetria. Since peripheral electrical stimulation (ES) and motor training may modulate motor cortical excitability through plasticity mechanisms, we aimed to investigate whether temporal ES-assisted movement training could influence premovement cortical excitability and alleviate hypermetria in patients with spinal cerebellar ataxia (SCA). The EMG of the agonist extensor carpi radialis muscle and antagonist flexor carpi radialis muscle, premovement motor evoked potentials (MEPs) of the flexor carpi radialis muscle, and the constant and variable errors of movements were assessed before and after 4 weeks of ES-assisted fast goal-directed wrist extension training in the training group and of general health education in the control group. Read More

Encephale 2016 Feb 6;42(1):59-66. Epub 2015 Sep 6.

Service de psychiatrie et de psychologie clinique, hôpital d'instruction des Armées Legouest, 27, avenue de Plantières, BP 90001, 57077 Metz cedex 3, France. Electronic address:

Introduction: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is most frequently indicated for episodes of melancholic depression, but is also useful in the treatment of maniac syndrome and some schizophrenia subtypes. ECT is part of the treatment of movement disorders, neuroleptic malignant syndrome and even in the treatment of severe conversions. Although the therapeutic results are excellent when used appropriately, the mortality rate is estimated between 2 and 4 for 100,000 shocks. Read More

Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol 2015 Aug;8(4):757-9

From the Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory, Department of Cardiology, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.

Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2015 Nov 2;38(11):1333-42. Epub 2015 Sep 2.

Electrophysiology Section, Division of Cardiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California.

Background: Many nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICMP) patients referred for catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) undergo an initial epicardial approach under general anesthesia (GA). However, GA may suppress inducibility and decrease tolerance of induced VT, leaving substrate modification as the sole ablation method.

Objectives: Determine the utility of a strategy of initial programmed electrical stimulation (PES) under light sedation in patients referred for epicardial ablation of VT. Read More

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2015 Jul 30;15:156. Epub 2015 Jul 30.

School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, M310, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, 6009, Western Australia.

Background: Milk ejection is a transient episode critical to milk removal and women typically have multiple milk ejections during breastfeeding and pumping. Recently it was found that milk ejection characteristics such as number of milk ejections and periodicity were consistent throughout 12 months of lactation in women who expressed their milk with an electric breast pump. It is not known whether the stimulation of an infant at the breast influences milk ejection patterns or whether this is a programmed event. Read More

J Interv Card Electrophysiol 2015 Oct 3;44(1):17-22. Epub 2015 Jul 3.

Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology, CARE Hospital, Hyderabad, Andhrapradesh, India.

Purpose: Noninducibility of the clinical tachycardia is a major limitation while mapping and ablating idiopathic fascicular ventricular tachycardia (FVT). There is very little data on systematic induction protocols in this entity. Our aim was to study the role of systematic induction protocols in patients with clinically documented ventricular tachycardia (VT). Read More

Chin Med J (Engl) 2015 Jun;128(12):1643-8

Department of Emergency, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100020, China.

Background: Morbidity and mortality after resuscitation largely depend on the recovery of brain function. Ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest (VFCA) and asphyxial cardiac arrest (ACA) are the two most prevalent causes of sudden cardiac death. Up to now, most studies have focused on VFCA. Read More

Intern Med 2015 15;54(10):1223-6. Epub 2015 May 15.

Cardiology, Tachikawa General Hospital, Japan.

A 41-year-old man developed sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) with a left bundle branch block and inferior axis pattern during treadmill exercise concomitantly with unmasking of the typical Brugada electrocardiography (ECG) pattern. The typical ECG phenotype was provoked by a class IC drug. VT was not inducible with programmed electrical stimulation, but premature ventricular beat and non-sustained VT with the same morphology increased in frequency with isoproterenol treatment. Read More