Aortic diseases articles from across Nature Portfolio

Statins exert cardiovascular protective effects that are independent of cholesterol lowering. Using endothelial cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, Liu et al. show that statins can improve endothelial dysfunction by inhibiting endothelial–mesenchymal transition via epigenetic regulation of the GGTase–RhoA–YAP1–SOX9 signaling pathway.

Rupture or dissection of the aorta is often fatal. Tcheandjieu and colleagues now identify key pathways underlying aortic dilatation, a common prelude to acute aortic events, and assess the utility of a polygenic risk score to identify those at highest risk of aortic death in whom prophylactic surgical repair may be beneficial.

Biological sex is increasingly being recognized as an important variable in cardiovascular health and disease and, consequently, in cardiovascular research. Three new studies highlight the influence of sex hormones in pulmonary arterial hypertension, arterial senescence and abdominal aortic aneurysms.