Comment

Studies over the past five years showing megakaryocytes in tissues beyond the bone marrow have led scientists to question the definition and purpose of these cells beyond platelet production. Here, we look to evolutionary biology to understand the roles of megakaryocytes in platelet function and diversity and mammalian fitness.

Recognition of mechanistic similarities and the interconnection between cardiovascular disease and cancer in recent years offers an opportunity to think more creatively about therapeutic development. Targeting shared pathways, either through drug repurposing or novel compounds, holds the promise of addressing both afflictions at the same time.

Fibrosis is a common sequela of cardiovascular disease that results in structural and functional changes. Targeting the subsets of pathogenic cardiac fibroblasts may be an attractive option for reducing morbidity that is associated with heart disease, but the timing, specificity and extent to which fibroblast-targeting therapies might be used is still debated.

After three decades of work, hypothesis-generating genomic approaches have led to the identification of several intracranial aneurysm risk loci and Mendelian mutations, involving several unexpected genes. These findings opened the door for exciting opportunities, unraveling the genomic architecture of brain aneurysms. The field is now ripe to face the next set of surprises in this long journey.

The amount of iron in the body and the concentration of iron in blood plasma are closely regulated by an endocrine system centered on the binding of the hormone hepcidin to its receptor and cellular iron exporter ferroportin. The discovery of hepcidin, the mechanisms of its action and its regulation have transformed our understanding of the pathogenesis of iron-related diseases from anemias to hemochromatosis and have led to the development of novel therapeutics for iron disorders.

Improving standards of care and new therapeutics means individuals with cystic fibrosis are living longer, but this brings an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD). To improve both longevity and quality of life, it is important to consider CVD risk and prevention in those living with cystic fibrosis.

The intended purpose of machine learning (ML) in cardiovascular medicine is to help guide clinical diagnoses as well as promote scientific discovery. Whether ML is implemented by most clinical cardiologists and cardiovascular researchers will likely depend on the successful resolution of concerns fueling hesitancy to embrace ML. This commentary discusses caveats related to ML in clinical practice, and offers suggestions for stakeholders on how to bridge knowledge gaps and clinicians’ misgivings to bring this powerful approach to the clinic to improve care of the patients we serve.

How do we measure the impact of scientific research? A new study discusses the current publication culture, diverse animal models that are commonly used in cardiovascular studies, the comparison between basic and clinical research paths, and the role of authors and reviewers in bringing these two paths together.