A roadmap to improve the quality of atrial fibrillation management:proceedings from the fifth Atrial Fibrillation Network/European Heart Rhythm Association consensus conference

At least 30 million people worldwide carry a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF), and many more suffer from undiagnosed, subclinical, or 'silent' AF. Atrial fibrillation-related cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, including cardiovascular deaths, heart failure, stroke, and hospitalizations, remain unacceptably high, even when evidence-based therapies such as anticoagulation and rate control are used. Furthermore, it is still necessary to define how best to prevent AF, largely due to a lack of clinical measures that would allow identification of treatable causes of AF in any given patient. Hence, there are important unmet clinical and research needs in the evaluation and management of AF patients. The ensuing needs and opportunities for improving the quality of AF care were discussed during the fifth Atrial Fibrillation Network/European Heart Rhythm Association consensus conference in Nice, France, on 22 and 23 January 2015. Here, we report the outcome of this conference, with a focus on (i) learning from our 'neighbours' to improve AF care, (ii) patient-centred approaches to AF management, (iii) structured care of AF patients, (iv) improving the quality of AF treatment, and (v) personalization of AF management. This report ends with a list of priorities for research in AF patients

High Mass Resolution Plasma Desorption and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry of Neutral Nickel Thiolate Complexes Crystal Structure of [Ni6(SC3H7)12Ni_6(SC_3H_7)_{12}]

The use of mass spectrometry for the analysis of transition metal complexes is demonstrated by combined high resolution Plasma Desorption Mass Spectrometry (PDMS) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) investigations of the neutral nickel thiolate complexes [Ni4(SC3H7)8] (1), [Ni4(SC6H11)8] (2), [Ni8(SCH2COOEt)16] (3) and [Ni6(SC3H7)12] (4). The positive spectra are dominated by three kinds of SI-species: (a) molecular ions, (b) fragment ions and (c) molecular ions with one or more substrate atoms attached. The negative spectra show mainly nickel sulfur cluster ions of the composition (NixSy)-. In contrast to many Fast Atom Bombardment (FAB) spectra of neutral metal complexes, SIMS and PDMS spectra provide molecular weight as well as fragment ion information. Both techniques are most powerful tools for the investigation of coordination compounds because the samples are easy to prepare and the spectra are independent of matrix conditions. Additionally crystallographic studies have been carried out for 4. The hexanuclear complex 4 with square planar Ni-S coordination sites crystallizes in the trigonal space group R 3̅ with Z = 3 and α = 18.537(5), c = 13.966(3) Å