Biological techniques articles within Nature Reviews Cardiology

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  • Comment |

    Bullying is common in cardiology and can have substantial adverse effects. However, bullying can be addressed by substantive leadership, organizational and individual efforts to build an inclusive and respectful culture.

    • Pamela S. Douglas

  • Review Article |

    In this Review, the authors discuss the latest insight into the 3D nanostructure of the heart and how deformation during contraction and relaxation affects cellular function. They also describe technological breakthroughs in biological sample preparation, 3D imaging and data analysis with electron microscopy.

    • Peter Kohl
    • , Joachim Greiner
    •  & Eva A. Rog-Zielinska

  • Review Article |

    Numerous new CRISPR-based genome-editing tools have expanded the application of genome editing to include gene-expression control, epigenome editing, RNA editing and live-cell imaging. In this Review, Wu and colleagues describe how these novel CRISPR tools are used to investigate biological processes and disease pathophysiology for cardiovascular research and medicine.

    • Masataka Nishiga
    • , Chun Liu
    •  & Joseph C. Wu

  • Review Article |

    In this Review, Entcheva and Kay discuss a decade of important developments and applications of optogenetics to the heart, focusing on near-term and longer-term clinical translation of this technology in cardiology.

    • Emilia Entcheva
    •  & Matthew W. Kay

  • Review Article |

    In this Review, Mayr and colleagues describe the growing number of omic techniques, discuss their strengths and weaknesses, outline network theory, and highlight exemplars of novel approaches that combine gene regulatory and co-expression networks, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics and phenomics with informatics techniques to provide new insights into cardiovascular disease.

    • Abhishek Joshi
    • , Marieke Rienks
    •  & Manuel Mayr

  • Research Highlight |

    A somatic gene editing therapy for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) improves skeletal and cardiac muscle function and reduces cardiac arrhythmogenic vulnerability in a pig model of DMD and an in vitro model of human DMD.

    • Irene Fernández-Ruiz

  • Research Highlight |

    Two studies reporting novel insights into fibroblast identity and activation dynamics provide an important step forward in our understanding of cardiac fibrosis and the quest to develop new anti-fibrotic strategies

    • Irene Fernández-Ruiz

  • Review Article |

    In this Review, Mallat and colleagues critically evaluate the studies on the origin, fate and functions of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in atherosclerosis, highlighting the importance of developmental origin, clonal expansion and plasticity of VSMCs cells in atherosclerosis and summarizing the roles of VSMCs and VSMC-derived cells in plaque development and progression.

    • Gemma L. Basatemur
    • , Helle F. Jørgensen
    •  & Ziad Mallat

  • Review Article |

    Various models of cardiac arrhythmia have been developed in several different animal species to study the mechanisms of disease. In this Review, Clauss and colleagues summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the models and species used in arrhythmia research and provide guidance to investigators planning experiments in this field.

    • Sebastian Clauss
    • , Christina Bleyer
    •  & Stefan Kääb

  • Research Highlight |

    A novel bioelectronic system that combines automated arrhythmia detection with optogenetic engineering for arrhythmia termination is able to stop atrial fibrillation without the need of electrical shock in a closed-chest experimental model.

    • Irene Fernández-Ruiz

  • Comment |

    LDL cholesterol is an important contributor to the risk of coronary heart disease, and its measurement is central to evaluating the effects of lipid-modifying therapies. Several ‘LDL-cholesterol’ assays exist but their methodologies differ, leading to between-assay heterogeneity in values of ‘LDL cholesterol’. We advocate the need for awareness of the potential implications.

    • Michael V. Holmes
    •  & Mika Ala-Korpela

  • News & Views |

    Early studies showing that KIT+ cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) could differentiate into cardiomyocytes generated excitement regarding their potential therapeutic application. Subsequent studies called their functional relevance into question, and while claims for a contribution of KIT+ CPCs to myocardial regeneration continue, two new studies confirm the doubts about their relevance to cardiomyogenesis and provide unexpected new insights.

    • Giovanni Maroli
    •  & Thomas Braun

  • News & Views |

    Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with concomitant AF and heart failure (HF) is associated with significantly lower HF hospitalizations and all-cause mortality compared with medical therapy, according to the CASTLE-AF trial. This trial, along with previous trials such as AATAC, highlights the important role of AF ablation in the management of patients with HF and AF.

    • Luigi Di Biase
    •  & Mohammadali Habibi

  • News & Views |

    Initial randomized trials of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors were terminated early owing to adverse effects or futility. The REVEAL trial now shows the benefit of CETP inhibition in coronary heart disease. Despite raising HDL-cholesterol levels, the cardiovascular effect of CETP inhibitors is probably due to lowering of non-HDL-cholesterol levels.

    • Michael V. Holmes
    •  & George Davey Smith

  • News & Views |

    The diagnosis of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) can be challenging and relies on noninvasive imaging methods and coronary angiography. Advances in genetic technologies have enabled large-scale gene-expression studies. A gene-expression score has been shown to predict the presence of obstructive CAD.

    • Jose D. Vargas
    •  & Joao A. C. Lima

  • Review Article |

    Myocardial infarction is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In this consensus document, experts from the ESC, ACCF, AHA, and WHF update the universal definition and classification of myocardial infarction to integrate the latest evidence on the detection of myocardial injury and necrosis using biomarker assays and imaging techniques.

    • Kristian Thygesen
    • , Joseph S. Alpert
    •  & Harvey D. White

  • Review Article |

    In the past decade, improvements in procedural techniques and the understanding of electrophysiological mechanisms have led to the establishment of effective ablation strategies for almost all types of ventricular tachycardia. The underlying cardiac disease, the site of origin, and the electrophysiological mechanism of the arrhythmia should all be considered when choosing the optimal ablation strategy for an individual patient.

    • Takumi Yamada
    •  & G. Neal Kay

  • Review Article |

    In the absence of symptoms, the presence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction is pivotal in making treatment decisions for patients with aortic stenosis. Dr. Alper and colleagues explain the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying left ventricular dysfunction in patients with aortic stenosis and discuss the role of echocardiographic deformation parameters in monitoring disease progression and determining when aortic valve replacement should be performed.

    • Alper Ozkan
    • , Samir Kapadia
    •  & Thomas H. Marwick

  • Review Article |

    Three-dimensional electromechanical mapping with the NOGA® system is a promising strategy to evaluate myocardial viability and identify motion disturbances in the ventricular wall. The authors of this Review discuss the NOGA® procedure, the validation of this novel technique, and the current and future applications of NOGA®in patients with ischemia.

    • Mariann Gyöngyösi
    •  & Nabil Dib

  • Review Article |

    Clarifying the underlying cause of prosthetic heart valve dysfunction is important for initiating appropriate treatment. Dr. Habets et al. describe the complementary roles of noninvasive imaging techniques in the diagnosis of left-sided mechanical and biological prosthetic heart valve dysfunction.

    • Jesse Habets
    • , Ricardo P. Budde
    •  & Steven A. Chamuleau

  • News & Views |

    Determining the appropriate dose of warfarin that should be used in each patient is challenging, and the rate of adverse events at the beginning of therapy remains high. Testing for genetic variability related to warfarin sensitivity at the start of treatment is a promising strategy to guide dosing in clinical practice.

    • Sarina A. van der Zee
    •  & Jonathan L. Halperin

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