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(Circulation. 2005;112:619.)
© 2005 American Heart Association, Inc.

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	RESPONSE OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION TO PULMONARY VEIN ANTRUM ISOLATION IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO RESUMPTION AND DELAY OF PULMONARY VEIN CONDUCTION, by Verma et al.

 
The atrial myocardium in and around the pulmonary veins often supports atrial fibrillation, but whether complete electrical isolation is required for successful ablation of atrial fibrillation is debated. After ablation targeting complete isolation, repeat electrophysiological evaluation was performed in a cohort of patients with recurrent atrial arrhythmias and also in a cohort without recurrent arrhythmia. Recurrent arrhythmias were associated with reconnection of one or more venous regions. When the arrhythmia was controlled despite recovery of conduction into the pulmonary veins, conduction was often slowed and incapable of supporting high rates. These findings further support the importance of the pulmonary vein regions in the genesis of atrial fibrillation. Recovery from acute conduction block is not uncommon but does not preclude success if conduction remains impaired. See p 643.

	PLASMA OXIDIZED LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN, A STRONG PREDICTOR FOR ACUTE CORONARY HEART DISEASE EVENTS IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY, MIDDLE-AGED MEN FROM THE GENERAL POPULATION, by Meisinger et al.

 
It is increasingly appreciated that atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory process and that local oxidative mechanisms contribute to the development and progression of atherosclerosis. In experimental and clinical studies, investigators have demonstrated that oxidized LDL (oxLDL) may contribute to the initiation and progression of atherosclerotic lesions. However, there have been few prospective studies examining the relation of circulating oxLDL to outcome. Meisinger and colleagues examined the relation of oxLDL to future coronary heart disease events in a nested case-control study of middle-aged men from the MONICA/KORA Augsburg surveys. They report that adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors including total/HDL cholesterol and C-reactive protein, the highest tertile (compared with the lowest) was associated with an almost tripling in the risk of coronary heart disease . . . [Full Text of this Article]