Mitral valve Cl-amidine chemical structure surgery alone or combined was performed in 31 cases (75.6%). The mean diameter of the left atrium was 7.19 +/- 1.44 cm. The mean duration of preoperative atrial fibrillation was 4.7 +/- 3.6 years. Patient follow-up was conducted by means of direct clinical examination, electrocardiography, and transthoracic echocardiography. The mean follow-up was 5.37 +/- 0.91 years. Results: Patient follow-up was achieved in 82% of cases

(n = 28). Seven patients (17%) died during follow-up. Stroke was the cause of death in 1 patient with persistence of atrial fibrillation. Major complications occurred in 4 (14.3%) of the patients that were related to the persistence of atrial fibrillation. At 5 years follow-up, 39.3% of patients (11/28) were in sinus rhythm. Seventeen patients (60.7%) were in New York Heart Association classes I and II, and 11 patients (39.3%) were in New York Heart Association class III at the time of follow-up. Conclusion: In our experience, left atrial endocardial

microwave ablation for long-standing atrial fibrillation after a Cox-Maze-like ablation lesion set during surgery for organic heart disease is not a reliable method of achieving long-term conversion to sinus rhythm.”
“Background: Motor symptoms are frequent in schizophrenia and relevant to the diagnosis of subtypes. However, the assessment has been limited to observations recorded in scales and experimental designs. The aim of this study was to use wrist actigraphy to obtain motor activity

data in 3 schizophrenia subtypes. Methods: In total, 60 patients with schizophrenia (35 paranoid, 12 catatonic, 13 disorganized) were investigated using continuous Dasatinib order wrist actigraphy over 24 h in an inpatient setting on average 38 days after admission. Data of the Carbohydrate wakeful hours of the day were analyzed. Results: The activity level was predicted by schizophrenia subtype and by the type of antipsychotic medication. The movement index and mean duration of uninterrupted immobility were found to be predicted only by the schizophrenia subtype. Age, gender, duration of illness and chlorpromazine equivalents did not contribute to the variance of the activity data. A MANOVA demonstrated the significant differences in the 3 parameters between schizophrenia subtypes (p = 0.001). Patients with catatonic schizophrenia had lower activity levels, a lower movement index and a longer duration of immobility than those with paranoid schizophrenia. Conclusions: Schizophrenia subtypes can be differentiated using objective measures of quantitative motor activity. The increased duration of immobility appears to be the special feature of catatonic schizophrenia. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel”
“Objective: The fate of the dissected distal aorta after surgery for acute type A aortic dissection has not been fully understood. We assessed the influence of a residual patent false lumen on long-term outcomes.