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(Circulation. 2007;115:427.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.

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An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

	LOSS-OF-FUNCTION MUTATIONS IN THE CARDIAC CALCIUM CHANNEL UNDERLIE A NEW CLINICAL ENTITY CHARACTERIZED BY ST-SEGMENT ELEVATION, SHORT QT INTERVALS, AND SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH, by Antzelevitch et al.

 
There are multiple causes of inherited arrhythmia syndromes, many due to ion channelopathies. Mutations in ion channel encoding genes lead to clinical phenotypes of arrhythmias, conduction abnormalities, and vulnerability to sudden death. Recently, rather than typical long- or short-QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, or conduction defects, reports of several overlapping clinical features bridge the spectrum of inherited arrhythmias. In this issue of Circulation, Antzelevitch and colleagues report finding mutations in L-type calcium channel encoding genes in 7/82 Brugada syndrome patients without SCN5A sodium channel or known long-QT syndrome mutations. Of these, 3 had an interesting clinical constellation of right precordial ST-segment elevation (resembling Brugada syndrome), short QT intervals (resembling short-QT syndrome), and sudden cardiac death. They characterize the clinical, genetic, and family histories and perform detailed in vitro biophysical functional analysis of the resultant calcium channel mutations, demonstrating loss of function deficits in this hybrid inherited arrhythmia disorder. See p 442.

	TRIGLYCERIDES AND THE RISK OF CORONARY HEART DISEASE: 10 158 INCIDENT CASES AMONG 262 525 PARTICIPANTS IN 29 WESTERN PROSPECTIVE STUDIES, by Sarwar et al.

 
Although there have been many previous reports on the importance of serum triglyceride concentrations and the risk of coronary heart disease, the strength of the association and the existence of sex differences have remained controversial. Sarwar and colleagues report on case-control studies from Reykjavik and EPIC-Norfolk studies and present an updated meta-analysis in almost 300 000 participants in 29 Western prospective studies. They observed that the long-term stability of triglyceride measurements over time was similar to blood pressure and cholesterol values, and they account for regression dilution bias in their analysis. The authors observed that the top third . . . [Full Text of this Article]