Background: Natriuretic peptide (NP) is high in atrial fibrillation (AF) and may decrease after cardioversion to sinus rhythm and the levels of atrial NP (ANP) and brain NP (BNP) in different types of AF and whether ANP and BNP have predictive values for relapsed AF have not been determined. Purpose: We aimed to examine the levels of ANP and BNP in AF to determine their roles in different types...

BACKGROUND There is a complex interplay between the atria and ventricles in atrial fibrillation (AF). Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging provides detailed tissue characterization, identifying focal ventricular fibrosis with late gadolinium enhancement (ventricular late gadolinium enhancement) and diffuse fibrosis with postcontrast-enhanced T1 mapping. The aim of the present study was to i...

large impervious surfaces and man-made waterways are the characteristic of urban area. increasing urbanization and rapid growth of cities in recent decades towards the upstream watershed, has been severely affected on rainfall-runoff processes in urban area. therefore, to computer models in order to illustrate these processes the proper design or assessment of urban drainage systems has special...

Boreal forests are crucial to climate change predictions because of their large land area and ability to sequester and store carbon, which is controlled by water availability. Heterogeneity of these forests is predicted to increase with climate change through more frequent wildfires, warmer, longer growing seasons and potential drainage of forested wetlands. This study aims at quantifying contr...

OBJECTIVE To identify risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF) following lobectomy for a pulmonary malignant tumour. METHODS The outcomes of patients who underwent lobectomy from February 2005 to September 2010 were analysed with respect to the development of postoperative AF. RESULTS Among 186 patients, 20 developed AF and these had significantly higher preoperative B-type natriuretic pep...

RATIONALE Electrogram-based catheter ablation, targeting complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAEs), is empirically known to be effective in halting persistent/permanent atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the mechanisms underlying CFAEs and electrogram-based ablation remain unclear. OBJECTIVE Because atrial fibrosis is associated with persistent/permanent AF, we hypothesized that electr...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an important health problem due to its association with serious complications. Stroke is one of the most serious complications and is the leading cause of death and disabilities in this population. AF increases the risk of embolic stroke five times compared to general population. The prevalence of AF varies from 0.5%15% depending on studied populations such as age, ...

Left atrial appendage (LAA) flow velocities prior to electrical cardioversion were recorded using transesophageal pulsed Doppler echocardiography to predict initially successful cardioversion of isolated atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients with AF were placed into either a success group (19 patients) in which sinus rhythm was maintained for at least 2 days or a failure group (12 patients). The d...

Postmodernism is a very ambiguous term. It attracted many researchers from different fields of knowledge in the late 1960s. This article explains intertextuality as a critical means to derive its concepts and components in order to understand the hidden layers of meaning in postmodern pluralist ideology. Variable thoughts of postmodern architecture have been divided into two categories—Hi...