Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
A major obstacle in cardiac stem cell investigations is the ability to monitor cell engraftment and survival following implantation within the myocardium. In this Review, Dr. Lau and colleagues examine cardiac cellular imaging modalities, including the combinatorial use of several probes in multimodality imaging. Their discussion focuses on data from the past 5 years.
Stable angina pectoris is a major contributor to disability in patients with coronary artery disease. Accurate identification of the extent and distribution of stable angina pectoris could vastly improve management and secondary prevention of underlying coronary artery disease. This Review assesses the strengths and limitations of contemporary methods for detection.
Cardiac rehabilitation can reduce cardiovascular risk factors and prevent cardiac morbidity and mortality as part of a comprehensive secondary-prevention strategy. However, evidence indicates that cardiac rehabilitation programs are currently underutilized, primarily because many patients are not referred to these programs by their health-care providers. The authors of this Review examine how novel referral strategies can help to improve cardiac rehabilitation referral and enrollment rates.
New methods of cardiac troponin measurement accurately characterize patients as they present to the emergency department. Decisions on admission or discharge within 1–2 h of initial assessment (rather than 6–12 h thereafter), therefore, have become feasible. This development has potential for a major influence on how patients with chest pain are managed.
Endoscopic harvesting of saphenous veins for use in CABG surgery has become standard practice worldwide. This strategy reduces postoperative infection and hospital stay, and increases patients' satisfaction when compared with open harvest. However, long-term follow-up data provided by Lopes et al. indicate that widespread use of this technique must be urgently reviewed.
The novel antiplatelet agent ticagrelor was evaluated against clopidogrel in the PLATO trial of patients with acute coronary syndromes. This article discusses the main findings and importance of this study, including the reduction in mortality associated with ticagrelor therapy.
In this Review, Dr. van den Borne and colleagues examine the role of myofibroblasts in beneficial and adverse myocardial remodeling after myocardial infarction. The authors also briefly discuss strategies for imaging myofibroblasts, which might be useful for the early detection of adverse remodeling events and for predicting the risk of heart failure.
Leptin is thought to be intricately involved in pathophysiological mechanisms linking obesity and cardiovascular disease. In this Review, Dr. Sweeney highlights what is currently known about the cardiovascular effects of leptin and discusses how these effects may explain the so-called obesity paradox.