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Objective To investigate whether catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) reduces stroke rate or mortality. Methods An international multicentre registry was compiled from seven centres in the UK and Australia for consecutive patients undergoing catheter ablation of AF. Long-term outcomes were compared with (1) a cohort with AF treated medically in the Euro Heart Survey, and (2) a hypothetical cohort without AF, age and gender matched to the general population. Analysis of stroke and death was carried out after the first procedure (including peri-procedural events) regardless of success, on an intention-to-treat basis. Results 1273 patients, aged 58±11 years, 56% paroxysmal AF, CHADS(2) score 0.7±0.9, underwent 1.8±0.9 procedures. Major complications occurred in 5.4% of procedures, including stroke/TIA in 0.7%. Freedom from AF following the last procedure was 85% (76% off antiarrhythmic drugs) for paroxysmal AF, and 72% (60% off antiarrhythmic drugs) for persistent AF. During 3.1 (1.0-9.6) years from the first procedure, freedom from AF predicted stroke-free survival on multivariate analysis (HR=0.30, CI 0.16 to 0.55, p<0.001). Rates of stroke and death were significantly lower in this cohort (both 0.5% per patient-year) compared with those treated medically in the Euro Heart Survey (2.8% and 5.3%, respectively; p<0.0001). Rates of stroke and death were no different from those of the general population (0.4% and 1.0%, respectively). Conclusion Restoration of sinus rhythm by catheter ablation of AF is associated with lower rates of stroke and death compared with patients treated medically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing numbers of patients taking oral anticoagulation are presenting for device implantation. Cessation of anticoagulation in the perioperative period may expose patients to increased risk of thromboembolic events, while continuing anticoagulation may increase the risk of bleeding. There are few guidelines or randomized controlled trials to guide perioperative management. Methods: We carried out a questionnaire-based study of all cardiologists implanting devices in the United Kingdom to establish if there was consensus on management of anticoagulation in patients undergoing pacemaker implantation. Results: There is significant variation in management of these patients. Eighty-nine percent of doctors stop oral anticoagulation a mean 3.7 days prior to pacemaker implantation in patients with a mechanical mitral valve, with 94% using heparin to provide preoperative anticoagulation: 58% unfractionated heparin, 40% low molecular weight heparin. The maximum accepted international normalized ratio for implantation ranged from 1.4 to 3 (median 1.8). Postoperatively, 86% restart heparin after a mean 8.5 hours. Only 11% continue oral anticoagulation throughout the implantation period. There is a hierarchy of perceived embolic risk with doctors using progressively less anticoagulation in patients with prosthetic aortic valve, high-risk, and low-risk atrial fibrillation. In contrast, only 7% of implanters stop theinopyridines prior to device implantation in patients with a 2-month-old drug eluting stent. Conclusion: Perioperative anticoagulation management of patients undergoing device procedures is currently performed with little consensus. This emphasizes the need for careful national and international audit of periprocedural anticoagulation management and its associated complications with a view to developing international consensus guidelines. (PACE 2010; 389-393) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When lower leaves of rice plants were inoculated with powder formulation of a saprophytic strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pfl, upper leaves, in addition to the inoculated lower leaves, showed resistance to the rice bacterial blight pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. When the leaves were challenge-inoculated with X. oryzae pv. oryzae 4 days after P. fluorescens application on lower leaves, the disease intensity in upper leaves decreased from 6.7 to 1.1. When rice seeds were treated with the formulation of P. fluorescens Pfl and sown, 30-day-old seedlings showed resistance to X. oryzae pv. oryzae and the disease intensity decreased from 6.8 to 1.2. The induced resistance was transient; leaves sprayed with P. fluorescens Pfl at 30 days after treatment and leaves of 60-day-old seedlings from P. fluorescens-treated seeds did not show resistance to the pathogen. In field trials, seed treatment followed by foliar application of the powder formulation of P. fluorescens Pfl effectively controlled rice bacterial blight and increased the yield. In the induced resistant leaves a sharp increase in lignification and activities of peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and 4-coumarate: CoA ligase was observed when the leaves were challenge-inoculated with X. oryzae pv. oryzae. An approximately threefold increase in lignin content, peroxidase activity and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity and a fivefold increase in 4-coumarate: CoA ligase activity were observed 5 days after challenge inoculation with X. oryzae pv. oryzae in rice leaves pretreated with P. fluorescens for 5 days. A similar increase in defense-related activities was not observed in susceptible interactions or in P. fluorescens-treated plants at later stages of interactions when no resistance to the pathogen was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), is an accepted gold standard for non-invasive, accurate, and reproducible assessment of cardiac mass and function. The interest in its use for viability, myocardial perfusion and coronary artery imaging is also widespread and growing rapidly as the hardware and expertise becomes available in more centres, and the scans themselves become more cost effective. In patients with heart failure, accurate and reproducible serial assessment of remodelling is of prognostic importance and the lack of exposure to ionizing radiation is helpful. The concept of an integrated approach to heart failure and its complications using CMR is fast becoming a reality, and this will be tested widely in the coming few years, with the new generation of dedicated CMR scanners. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Leaf extracts of Vitex negundo L, Synadenium grantii Hook. f. and Prosopis juliflora (SW) DC, and cake of Azadirachta indica A. Juss. were evaluated for their efficacy in reducing the population of the green leafhopper, Nephotettix virescens (Distant), and its transmission of rice tungro virus under field conditions. All four plant species tested reduced the population of the vector significantly in both the nursery and main field. The lowest population of the vector was recorded with application of neem cake at 5 kg/0.032 ha of nursery, followed by foliar spray of neem seed kernel extract at 5% in the main field. Rice tungro disease incidence was also less in this treatment, with maximum grain yield of 3580 kg/ha in ‘Kharif’ (July-Oct.) and 3257 kg/ha in ‘Rabi’ (Nov.-March) seasons, and a cost:benefit ratio of 1:3.9 in both seasons. However, the maximum cost:benefit ratio of 1:5.6 and 1:5.8 in Kharif and Rabi seasons, respectively, was recorded with V. negundo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudomonas fluorescens strain Pfl, inhibitory to the growth of the rice blast pathogen Pyricularia oryzae in vitro, was developed as a talc-based powder formulation. When rice seeds were treated with this formulation, the bacteria spread to roots, stems and leaves of the plants and protected against leaf infection by P. oryzae. When applied as a foliar spray, the bacteria survived on the leaves. The powder formulation controlled leaf blast under greenhouse conditions. In tests as a seed treatment and foliar spray in four field trials it effectively controlled the disease and increased grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]