In women with elevated levels of blood pressure during pregnancy, the use of a physician-guided remote telemonitoring programme during the postpartum period improves BP control, according to findings from the POP-HT trial.

Data from the ARIES-HM3 trial show that excluding aspirin from the antithrombotic regimen in patients with advanced heart failure and a left ventricular assist device reduces the number of bleeding events and does not increase the risk of thromboembolism.

Activation of a specific set of vagal sensory neurons connecting the ventricular wall of the heart to the area postrema in the brainstem causes mice to faint. This finding defines a cardiac reflex that recapitulates characteristics of human syncope.

Two new studies using cryo-electron microscopy describe the structure and conformation of myosin in the cardiac thick filaments and how it interacts with other thick-filament proteins, such as titin and cardiac myosin-binding protein C, in mammalian hearts.

An approach that increases the expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 in vascular cells by targeting a microRNA-based repressive pathway attenuates atherosclerosis in mice and promotes atheroprotective functions in human and mouse vascular cells in vitro.

Treatment with the small interfering RNA patisiran preserves functional capacity and improves health status and quality of life in patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis, according to data from the 12-month double-blind period of the ongoing APOLLO-B trial.

In the LIFE-BTK trial, treatment with an everolimus-eluting resorbable scaffold was superior to angioplasty in improving clinical outcomes in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischaemia due to infrapopliteal artery disease.

NAD-dependent protein deacetylase sirtuin 2 is a key protective mediator against cardiac ageing, according to a study in non-human primates.

SARS-CoV-2 infects macrophages, especially lipid-laden foam cells, in coronary atherosclerotic plaques in patients with COVID-19; this infection initiates a strong proatherogenic inflammatory response, which might contribute to the ischaemic cardiovascular complications in these patients.

In a study published in Science, Wang and colleagues show that excited cardiomyocytes couple to fibroblasts via gap-junctional and non-gap-junctional (ephaptic) coupling.

In a study published in Nature, Jia and colleagues use advanced optical electrophysiology tools coupled with 3D-printed moulds to capture the very first heartbeat of zebrafish.

The metabolic maturation of mammalian cardiomyocytes that occurs during the early postnatal period shapes the epigenetic landscape of cardiomyocytes and creates a barrier for cell division, but reversing this remodelling process can restore the reparative capacity of the heart in mice, according to a study published in Nature.

The population of patients who undergo cardiac surgery is becoming older and more medically complex, and frailty is increasingly prevalent. Prehabilitation is a multicomponent programme intended to better prepare these vulnerable patients for the stresses of surgery. Nonetheless, the effectiveness, implementation and effects on long-term outcomes of prehabilitation have not been clearly established

Two studies now report that TET2-driven clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is associated with poor prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF) and preserved ejection fraction and that DNMT3A CHIP driver mutations promote dysregulated gene expression profiles that are associated with inflammation in monocytes in the setting of HF.

The link between migraine and cardiovascular disease is complex and involves overlapping mechanisms, such as endovascular disturbances. Challenges in measuring migraine, in distinguishing between causation and prediction, and in the understanding of clinical implications highlight the need for further research to guide treatment and cardiovascular risk assessment for the millions of individuals living

In patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction and obesity, treatment with the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist semaglutide (2.4 mg) leads to large reductions in HF-related symptoms and physical limitations, improves exercise function and decreases body weight compared with placebo, according to the STEP-HFpEF trial.

The FIRE trial showed that complete revascularization improves outcomes in older patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and multivessel disease compared with culprit-lesion-only revascularization, whereas the MULTISTARS AMI trial reported that immediate multivessel revascularization is non-inferior to staged revascularization in patients with ST-segment elevation MI.

An interaction between blood vessels and nerve fibres in the heart contributes to the decline in nerve density in the ageing left ventricle, potentially increasing susceptibility to arrhythmias.

In the CASTLE HTx trial, patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation and end-stage heart failure who underwent catheter ablation and received medical therapy had improved outcomes compared with patients who received medical therapy only.

New data from the ECLS-SHOCK trial and a meta-analysis indicate that the routine use of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation does not increase survival in patients with myocardial infarction-related cardiogenic shock.

Two clinical trials presented at the ESC Congress 2023 provide conflicting evidence on the use of optical coherence tomography to guide percutaneous coronary intervention.

According to data from the COP-AF trial, anti-inflammatory therapy with colchicine does not reduce the risk of perioperative atrial fibrillation or myocardial injury in patients undergoing major non-cardiac thoracic surgery.

Unloading left atrial hypertension by catheter-based, transvenous creation of atrial shunts is being explored to treat heart failure. So far, trials including sham control have demonstrated safety and efficacy in lowering left-sided cardiac filling pressures. Ongoing trials will determine the effect on clinical outcomes.

In the REPRIEVE trial, pitavastatin treatment in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection without pre-existing cardiovascular disease prevented cardiovascular events compared with placebo.

A new study reveals that the disrupted sleep patterns that are frequently observed in patients with cardiac disease are driven by immune-mediated sympathetic denervation and dysfunction of the pineal gland, which leads to a decrease in the circulating levels of melatonin and subsequent sleep disruption.

A study shows that macrophages undergo substantial expansion in the diseased atria of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), and identifies two potential immunotherapy targets for the treatment of AF.

In failing cardiomyocytes, depletion of carnitine acetyltransferase promotes cholesterol catabolism via the bile acid synthesis pathway. The intracellular accumulation of bile acid intermediates induces the release of mitochondrial DNA into the cytosol, triggering type I interferon responses and AIM2 inflammasome activation, thereby contributing to chronic myocardial inflammation and heart failure

Patients with hypertension who receive a single subcutaneous dose of zilebesiran, a novel small-interfering RNA that inhibits hepatic angiotensinogen synthesis, have reductions in serum angiotensinogen levels and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure that last for up to 24 weeks, according to a phase I study.

According to two papers from the OPTICO-ACS study, patients with acute coronary syndrome and an intact fibrous cap (plaque erosion), tend to have lower levels of inflammation and better prognosis than patients with rupture of the fibrous cap. In addition, Toll-like receptor 2-mediated neutrophil activation has a key role in plaque erosion.

The FDA-approved drug ruxolitinib has been identified as an inhibitor of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) that has the potential to be repurposed to treat arrhythmias induced by CaMKII hyperactivity.

In the multicentre, randomized, placebo-controlled RAPID trial, use of symptom-prompted, self-administered, intranasally delivered etripamil was safe and superior to placebo for the conversion of paroxysmal superventricular tachycardia to sinus rhythm.

Testosterone-replacement therapy in men with hypogonadism and a high risk of cardiovascular disease does not increase the risk of adverse cardiac events, according to data from the TRAVERSE trial.

New research shows that the reduced risk of major adverse cardiovascular events associated with light or moderate alcohol consumption is partly mediated by attenuation of the activity of a stress-related neural network.

Liu and colleagues demonstrate the crucial role of IL-6 signalling in the development of atherosclerosis driven by Tet2-related clonal haematopoiesis.