The extent of metabolic defect involving apical akinetic area was more severe than perfusion abnormality. Our data suggest that sudden emotional or physical stress may cause a catecholamine-induced metabolic disorder in the myocardium, which is probably central to this syndrome.

Abstract. Atrial fibrillation (AF) may result from an electric conduction disturbance, increased hemodynamic stress, ischemia, inflammation, or remodeling in atria. Although genetic epidemiological studies have identified several genetic variants as risk factors for AF, the genetic determinants of this condition remain largely unknown. The purpose of the present study was to identify gene polymorphisms that confer susceptibility to lone AF. The study population comprised 1069 unrelated Japanese individuals, including 196 subjects with chronic lone AF and 873 controls. The genotypes for 40 polymorphisms of 32 candidate genes were determined by a method that combines the polymerase chain reaction and sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes with suspension array technology. Multivariable logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, and the prevalence of smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia as well as a stepwise forward selection procedure revealed that the -1306C➝T polymorphism of the matrix metalloproteinase 2 gene (MMP2) and the -592A➝C polymorphism of the interleukin 10 gene (IL10) were significantly (false discovery rate of <0.05) associated with the prevalence of AF. The T allele of the MMP2 polymorphism and the C allele of the IL10 polymorphism were a risk factor for and protective factor against AF, respectively. Determination of the genotypes for these polymorphisms may thus prove informative for assessment of the genetic component of AF.

h-FABP is an insensitive and less specific marker of myocardial damage in RFCA much along the lines of CK-MB and when compared with the proven accuracy of cTnT.

Altered nonlinear heart rate dynamics are independent predictors of cardiac death in chronic hemodialysis patients with CAD and their combinations with decreased heart rate variability provide clinically useful markers for risk stratification.

Our study suggests that elevated MMP-2 and longer AF duration increased the risk for difficulty in restoring SR in AF patients. Stratification of subjects according to the MMP-2 level may therefore be important for the effective management of AF.