BACKGROUND Primary aldosteronism, characterized by overt renin-independent aldosterone production, is a common but underrecognized form of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Growing evidence suggests that milder and subclinical forms of primary aldosteronism are highly prevalent, yet their contribution to cardiovascular disease is not well characterized. METHODS This prospective study included

BACKGROUND Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a potentially life-threatening vascular condition, but approved medical therapies to prevent AAA progression and rupture are currently lacking. Sphingolipid metabolism disorders are associated with the occurrence and development of AAA. It has been discovered that ganglioside GM3, a sialic acid-containing type of glycosphingolipid, plays a protective role

BACKGROUND A better understanding of the molecular mechanism of aortic valve development and bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) formation would significantly improve and optimize the therapeutic strategy for BAV treatment. Over the past decade, the genes involved in aortic valve development and BAV formation have been increasingly recognized. On the other hand, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin

BACKGROUND Although low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) remains the primary cholesterol target in clinical practice in children and adults, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) has been suggested as a more accurate measure of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. We examined the associations of childhood non-HDL-C and LDL-C levels with adult ASCVD events and determined

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) with clinical and subclinical episodes occurring in nearly one-half of patients. AF in HCM historically has been characterized as a decisive disease complication associated with substantial risk for thromboembolic stroke and increased morbidity and mortality. However, there have been many advances

BACKGROUND The majority of people with diabetes are susceptible to cardiac dysfunction and heart failure, and conventional drug therapy cannot correct diabetic cardiomyopathy progression. Herein, we assessed the potential role and therapeutic value of USP28 (ubiquitin-specific protease 28) on the metabolic vulnerability of diabetic cardiomyopathy. METHODS The type 2 diabetes mouse model was established

BACKGROUND Bleeding rates on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) within 1 month after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remain high in clinical practice, particularly in patients with acute coronary syndrome or high bleeding risk. Aspirin-free strategy might result in lower bleeding early after PCI without increasing cardiovascular events, but its efficacy and safety have not yet been proven in

BACKGROUND Preeclampsia shares numerous risk factors with cardiovascular diseases. Here, we aimed to assess the potential utility of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) values during pregnancy in predicting preeclampsia occurrence. METHODS This study measured hs-cTnI levels in 3721 blood samples of 2245 pregnant women from 4 international, prospective cohorts. Three analytical approaches

BACKGROUND Tools for mortality prediction in patients with the severe hypercholesterolemia phenotype (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥190 mg/dL) are limited and restricted to specific racial and ethnic cohorts. We sought to evaluate the predictors of long-term mortality in a large racially and ethnically diverse US patient cohort with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥190 mg/dL. METHODS We

BACKGROUND Strategies to increase cellular NAD+ (oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) level have prevented cardiac dysfunction in multiple models of heart failure, but molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Little is known about the benefits of NAD+-based therapies in failing hearts after the symptoms of heart failure have appeared. Most pretreatment regimens suggested mechanisms involving activation

BACKGROUND Pathogenic variants in SCN5A can result in long QT syndrome type 3, a life-threatening genetic disease. Adenine base editors can convert targeted A T base pairs to G C base pairs, offering a promising tool to correct pathogenic variants. METHODS We generated a long QT syndrome type 3 mouse model by introducing the T1307M pathogenic variant into the Scn5a gene. The adenine base editor was

BACKGROUND Cardiac metabolic dysfunction is a hallmark of heart failure (HF). Estrogen-related receptors ERRα and ERRγ are essential regulators of cardiac metabolism. Therefore, activation of ERR could be a potential therapeutic intervention for HF. However, in vivo studies demonstrating the potential usefulness of ERR agonist for HF treatment are lacking, because compounds with pharmacokinetics appropriate

BACKGROUND Compared with men, women with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have a higher incidence of heart failure and worse outcomes. We investigated baseline clinical and echocardiographic characteristics and response to mavacamten among women compared with men in the EXPLORER-HCM study (Clinical Study to Evaluate Mavacamten [MYK-461] in Adults With Symptomatic Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy)

Background: Physical activity is pivotal in managing heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and walking integrated into daily life is an especially suitable form of such physical activity. This study aimed to determine if a 6-month lifestyle walking intervention combining self-monitoring and regular phone counseling improves functional capacity assessed by the six-minute walk test (6MWT)

Background: Understanding the incidence, causes, and trends of sudden cardiac death (SCD) among young competitive athletes is critical to inform preventive policies. Methods: This study included National Collegiate Athletic Association athlete deaths during a 20-year time frame (July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2022). Athlete deaths were identified through 4 separate independent databases and search

Background: Sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA), and the non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) finerenone all individually reduce cardiovascular, kidney and mortality outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuria. However, the lifetime benefits of combination therapy with these medicines are not known

Background: Few studies have measured ventilation during early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before advanced airway placement. Resuscitation guidelines recommend pauses after every 30 chest compressions to deliver ventilations. The effectiveness of bag-valve-mask ventilation delivered during the pause in chest compressions is unknown. We sought to determine: (1) the incidence of lung inflation

Background: Patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and obesity experience high burden of symptoms and functional impairment, and a poor quality of life. In the STEP-HFpEF trial, once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg improved symptoms, physical limitations and exercise function, and reduced inflammation and body weight. This prespecified analysis investigated the effects

Background: Device-detected atrial fibrillation (AF) (also known as subclinical AF or atrial high-rate episodes) is a common finding in patients with an implanted cardiac rhythm device and is associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke. Whether oral anticoagulation is effective and safe in this patient population is unclear. Methods: We performed a systematic review of MEDLINE and Embase for

Background: Hypertensive pregnancy disorders are associated with adverse cardiac remodeling, which can fail to reverse postpartum in some women. The Physician Optimized Postpartum Hypertension Treatment trial demonstrated improved blood pressure control, while the cardiovascular system recovers postpartum, associates with persistently reduced blood pressure. We now report the impact on cardiac remodeling

Background: The optimal approach to identify individuals with diabetes who are at high-risk for developing heart failure (HF) to inform implementation of preventive therapies is unknown, especially in those without atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Methods: Adults with diabetes and no HF at baseline from 7 community-based cohorts were included. Participants without ASCVD who were at high-risk

Background: Left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) may be associated with greater improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction and reduction in death or heart failure hospitalization when compared with biventricular pacing (BVP) in patients requiring cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). We sought to compare the occurrence of sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF)

Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome is a novel construct recently defined by the American Heart Association in response to the high prevalence of metabolic and kidney disease. Epidemiological data demonstrate higher absolute risk of both atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) and heart failure as an individual progresses from CKM stage 0 to stage 3, but optimal strategies for risk

Background: Multivariable equations are recommended by primary prevention guidelines to assess absolute risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, current equations have several limitations. Therefore, we developed and validated the AHA Predicting Risk of CVD EVENTs (PREVENT) equations among US adults aged 30-79 years without known CVD. Methods: The derivation sample included individual-level participant

BACKGROUND High circulating levels of Lp(a) (lipoprotein[a]) increase the risk of atherosclerosis and calcific aortic valve disease, affecting millions of patients worldwide. Although atherosclerosis is commonly treated with low-density lipoprotein-targeting therapies, these do not reduce Lp(a) or risk of calcific aortic valve disease, which has no available drug therapies. Targeting Lp(a) production

BACKGROUND Reducing cardiovascular disease burden among women remains challenging. Epidemiologic studies have indicated that polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disease in women of reproductive age, is associated with an increased prevalence and extent of coronary artery disease. However, the mechanism through which PCOS affects cardiac health in women remains unclear. METHODS

Background: Supported by laboratory and clinical investigations of adult cardiopulmonary arrest, resuscitation guidelines recommend monitoring end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) as an indicator of CPR quality but note that "specific values to guide therapy have not been established in children." Methods: This prospective observational cohort study was an NHLBI-funded ancillary study of children in the

Background: Among patients treated with statin therapy to guideline-recommended cholesterol levels, residual inflammatory risk assessed by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is at least as strong a predictor of future cardiovascular events as is residual risk assessed by low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC). Whether these relationships are present among statin-intolerant patients with

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterized by unexplained left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and is classically caused by pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants (P/LP) in genes encoding sarcomere proteins. Not all subclinical variant carriers will manifest clinically overt disease, as penetrance (proportion of G+ who develop disease) is variable, age-dependent, and not reliably

Background: Randomized trials in obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) have largely shown no prognostic benefit from coronary revascularization. While there are several potential reasons for the lack of benefit, an underexplored possible reason is the presence of coincidental non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM). We investigated the prevalence and prognostic significance of NICM in patients with

BACKGROUND The importance of mitochondria in normal heart function are well recognized and recent studies have implicated changes in mitochondrial metabolism with some forms of heart disease. Previous studies demonstrated that knockdown of the mitochondrial ribosomal protein S5 (MRPS5) by small interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibits mitochondrial translation and thereby causes a mitonuclear protein imbalance

BACKGROUND Kawasaki disease (KD) and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) share similar clinical manifestations, including cardiovascular complications, suggesting similar underlying immunopathogenic processes. Aberrant neutrophil activation may play a crucial role in the shared pathologies of KD and MIS-C; however, the associated pathogenic mechanisms and molecular drivers remain

BACKGROUND Angina with nonobstructive coronary arteries is a common condition for which no effective treatment has been established. We hypothesized that the measurement of coronary flow reserve (CFR) allows identification of patients with angina with nonobstructive coronary arteries who would benefit from anti-ischemic therapy. METHODS Patients with angina with nonobstructive coronary arteries underwent