Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a highly prevalent arrhythmia, with substantial associated morbidity
and mortality. There have been significant management advances over the past 2 decades …

Cardiac contractility is regulated by changes in intracellular Ca concentration ([Ca2+] i).
Normal function requires that [Ca2+] i be sufficiently high in systole and low in diastole …

The atria provide an important contribution to cardiac function. 1, 2 Besides their impact on
ventricular filling, they serve as a volume reservoir, host pacemaker cells and important parts …

There has been a significant progress in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms by
which calcium (Ca2+) ions mediate various types of cardiac arrhythmias. A growing list of …

The atria provide an important contribution to cardiac function. 1, 2 Besides their impact on
ventricular filling, they serve as a volume reservoir, host pacemaker cells and important parts …

Calcium signaling underlies much of physiology. Almost all the Ca2+ in the cytoplasm is
bound to buffers, with typically only∼ 1% being freely ionized at resting levels in most cells …

Unique to striated muscle cells, transverse tubules (t-tubules) are membrane organelles that
consist of sarcolemma penetrating into the myocyte interior, forming a highly branched and …

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is commonly associated with heart failure. A bidirectional relationship
exists between the two—AF exacerbates heart failure causing a significant increase in heart …

In cardiomyocytes, invaginations of the sarcolemmal membrane called t-tubules are critically
important for triggering contraction by excitation-contraction (EC) coupling. These structures …

Abstract Calcium (Ca 2+) plays a central role in cardiomyocyte excitation-contraction
coupling. To ensure an optimal electrical impulse propagation and cardiac contraction, Ca …