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Quantification of Structural Heterogeneities within the Human Left Atrium Throughout the Lifespan
Author(s) -
Sakowski Jonna A,
Hurley Mary I,
Olivieri Marion P,
Gervasi Megan E,
Swartz Michael F
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.585.2
Subject(s) - atrial fibrillation , fibrosis , left atrium , medicine , cardiology , infiltration (hvac) , cardiac arrhythmia , pathology , physics , thermodynamics
Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia requiring chronic anticoagulation to reduce the risk of stroke and thrombo‐embolism. Previous studies have suggested that structural heterogeneities (fibrosis, fatty infiltration) as well as changes to the atrial myocardium (myocyte hypertrophy), may be associated with the maintenance of AF. However, an understanding of what these left atrial changes are in adults without cardiac disease is not well defined. Biopsies from the left atrial appendage were obtained from during organ donation from patients without a history of cardiac disease. The absence of cardiac disease was confirmed following review of the electrocardiogram as well as echocardiogram. Specimens were divided in half, and placed in either RNA later, or immersed in paraffin. Fixed specimens were sectioned at 6 um, and stained with Hemotoxylin and Eosin to identify the percentage of fatty infiltration and the myocyte dimensions, and with picrosirius red to quantify the percentage of fibrosis within each sample. In addition, from specimens placed in RNA later, the RNA was extracted using an RNA easy kit, and primers for collagen I and collagen III were designed to flank the intron for the respective transcript. RT‐PCR was conducted in duplicate for all samples, and all transcripts were normalized to GAPDH. Potential implications of this work include understanding the expected structural heterogeneities within the left atrium of patients without cardiac disease. Support or Funding Information Work supported by the Department of Biology and Mathematics, D'Youville College.