Safety of pulsed field ablation in more than 17,000 patients with atrial fibrillation in the MANIFEST-17K study

Pulsed field ablation (PFA) is an emerging technology for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), for which pre-clinical and early-stage clinical data are suggestive of some degree of preferentiality to myocardial tissue ablation without damage to adjacent structures. Here in the MANIFEST-17K study we assessed the safety of PFA by studying the post-approval use of this treatment modality. Of the 116 centers performing post-approval PFA with a pentaspline catheter, data were received from 106 centers (91.4% participation) regarding 17,642 patients undergoing PFA (mean age 64, 34.7% female, 57.8% paroxysmal AF and 35.2% persistent AF). No esophageal complications, pulmonary vein stenosis or persistent phrenic palsy was reported (transient palsy was reported in 0.06% of patients; 11 of 17,642). Major complications, reported for ~1% of patients (173 of 17,642), were pericardial tamponade (0.36%; 63 of 17,642) and vascular events (0.30%; 53 of 17,642). Stroke was rare (0.12%; 22 of 17,642) and death was even rarer (0.03%; 5 of 17,642). Unexpected complications of PFA were coronary arterial spasm in 0.14% of patients (25 of 17,642) and hemolysis-related acute renal failure necessitating hemodialysis in 0.03% of patients (5 of 17,642). Taken together, these data indicate that PFA demonstrates a favorable safety profile by avoiding much of the collateral damage seen with conventional thermal ablation. PFA has the potential to be transformative for the management of patients with AF.Peer reviewe

Biodiversity survey of the UNESCO Sheka forest biosphere reserve from February 2016 to May 2016

Data of amphibians, reptiles and birds surveyed from February 2016 to May 2016 in the UNESCO Sheka forest biosphere reserve are provided as an online open access data file

First assessment of bird diversity in the UNESCO Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve, southwestern Ethiopia : species richness, distribution and potential for avian conservation

The Sheka Zone in southwestern Ethiopia is covered by some of the largest remaining forests in the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot.  Owing to the rich biodiversity and a high degree of endemism, it was declared as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2012 and is considered a Key Biodiversity Area.  Detailed knowledge on species diversity and distribution in the reserve is, however, severely limited.  From February to April 2016, an assessment of the bird diversity and distribution in the reserve was made for the first time through point count transects, camera-trap recordings and opportunistic observations.  In total, 244 bird species were identified, of which 19% was only found within the reserve’s designated protected zones.  Our study indicates a remarkable bird species richness across the different habitats in Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve and can be used as a baseline for future monitoring studies and conservation planning

ArcNEMO, a new spatially distributed nutrient emission model to quantify N and P losses from agriculture to surface waters

status: publishe