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Remme CA. Getting to the heart of rhythm: A century of progress. Physiol Rev 2022; 102:1553-1567. [PMID: 35343827 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00043.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The human heart beats over eighty thousand times a day, and the average person's heart may have beaten up to 3 billion times by the age of 80. During the early stages of pregnancy, the heart beat provides the first visual and auditory sign of life of the foetus. Conversely, the first audible sound that the foetus is likely to hear is the heart beat of the mother. How fitting then, that at the "birth" Physiological Reviews the very first article published in 1921 written by Eyster and Meek addressed "The origin and conduction of the heart beat".1 In their insightful review, the authors discussed the landmark discoveries made from the mid-19th century on the electrical function of the heart. Now, a hundred years later, at the start of the next century of Physiological Reviews, an update on the huge progress made in the "exciting" field of cardiac electrophysiology is warranted. Guided by a number of excellent reviews published in Physiological Reviews since 1921 as well as a large body of literature, an overview of the important advancements made on the topic is provided here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol Ann Remme
- Amsterdam UMC, location University of Amsterdam, Department of Clinical and Experimental Cardiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Papathanasiou KA, Giotaki SG, Vrachatis DA, Siasos G, Lambadiari V, Iliodromitis KE, Kossyvakis C, Kaoukis A, Raisakis K, Deftereos G, Papaioannou TG, Giannopoulos G, Avramides D, Deftereos SG. Molecular Insights in Atrial Fibrillation Pathogenesis and Therapeutics: A Narrative Review. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:diagnostics11091584. [PMID: 34573926 PMCID: PMC8470040 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11091584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is bound to increase globally in the following years, affecting the quality of life of millions of people, increasing mortality and morbidity, and beleaguering health care systems. Increasingly effective therapeutic options against AF are the constantly evolving electroanatomic substrate mapping systems of the left atrium (LA) and ablation catheter technologies. Yet, a prerequisite for better long-term success rates is the understanding of AF pathogenesis and maintenance. LA electrical and anatomical remodeling remains in the epicenter of current research for novel diagnostic and treatment modalities. On a molecular level, electrical remodeling lies on impaired calcium handling, enhanced inwardly rectifying potassium currents, and gap junction perturbations. In addition, a wide array of profibrotic stimuli activates fibroblast to an increased extracellular matrix turnover via various intermediaries. Concomitant dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system and the humoral function of increased epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) are established mediators in the pathophysiology of AF. Local atrial lymphomononuclear cells infiltrate and increased inflammasome activity accelerate and perpetuate arrhythmia substrate. Finally, impaired intracellular protein metabolism, excessive oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction deplete atrial cardiomyocyte ATP and promote arrhythmogenesis. These overlapping cellular and molecular alterations hinder us from distinguishing the cause from the effect in AF pathogenesis. Yet, a plethora of therapeutic modalities target these molecular perturbations and hold promise in combating the AF burden. Namely, atrial selective ion channel inhibitors, AF gene therapy, anti-fibrotic agents, AF drug repurposing, immunomodulators, and indirect cardiac neuromodulation are discussed here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos A. Papathanasiou
- Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (K.A.P.); (S.G.G.); (D.A.V.); (G.S.); (V.L.); (T.G.P.)
| | - Sotiria G. Giotaki
- Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (K.A.P.); (S.G.G.); (D.A.V.); (G.S.); (V.L.); (T.G.P.)
| | - Dimitrios A. Vrachatis
- Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (K.A.P.); (S.G.G.); (D.A.V.); (G.S.); (V.L.); (T.G.P.)
| | - Gerasimos Siasos
- Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (K.A.P.); (S.G.G.); (D.A.V.); (G.S.); (V.L.); (T.G.P.)
| | - Vaia Lambadiari
- Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (K.A.P.); (S.G.G.); (D.A.V.); (G.S.); (V.L.); (T.G.P.)
| | | | - Charalampos Kossyvakis
- Department of Cardiology, “G. Gennimatas” General Hospital of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (C.K.); (A.K.); (K.R.); (G.D.); (D.A.)
| | - Andreas Kaoukis
- Department of Cardiology, “G. Gennimatas” General Hospital of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (C.K.); (A.K.); (K.R.); (G.D.); (D.A.)
| | - Konstantinos Raisakis
- Department of Cardiology, “G. Gennimatas” General Hospital of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (C.K.); (A.K.); (K.R.); (G.D.); (D.A.)
| | - Gerasimos Deftereos
- Department of Cardiology, “G. Gennimatas” General Hospital of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (C.K.); (A.K.); (K.R.); (G.D.); (D.A.)
| | - Theodore G. Papaioannou
- Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (K.A.P.); (S.G.G.); (D.A.V.); (G.S.); (V.L.); (T.G.P.)
| | | | - Dimitrios Avramides
- Department of Cardiology, “G. Gennimatas” General Hospital of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (C.K.); (A.K.); (K.R.); (G.D.); (D.A.)
| | - Spyridon G. Deftereos
- Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (K.A.P.); (S.G.G.); (D.A.V.); (G.S.); (V.L.); (T.G.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +30-21-0583-2355
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Bhatt HV, Fischer GW. Atrial Fibrillation: Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Options. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2015; 29:1333-40. [PMID: 26384632 DOI: 10.1053/j.jvca.2015.05.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Zateyshchikov DA, Brovkin AN, Chistiakov DA, Nosikov VV. Advanced age, low left atrial appendage velocity, and Factor V promoter sequence variation as predictors of left atrial thrombosis in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. J Thromb Thrombolysis 2010; 30:192-9. [DOI: 10.1007/s11239-010-0440-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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