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.
Nature has evolved creative ways to maintain oxygen homeostasis, but what happens when these adaptations are insufficient? Here we discuss biochemical failure points across the oxygen spectrum from ‘too little’ to ‘too much’ oxygen and their potential contributions to cardiovascular disease.
Sleep modulates cardiovascular health, and recent studies have begun to uncover underlying mechanistic links. An integrated translational approach that combines animal models and human trials will enrich scientific discovery, improve therapy, and help to alleviate the global burden of insufficient sleep and cardiovascular disease.
Although cardiac arrhythmias have been observed and described during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection, rigorous studies designed to untangle the complex relationship between this proinflammatory illness and arrhythmogenesis are limited. Despite a pervasive opinion to the contrary, there is presently no definitive data to establish a causal, viral-specific association between COVID-19 and incident arrhythmia.
In the COVID-19 aftermath, academia experiences an unprecedented drought of postdoctoral researchers. The new generation of scientists refuses to face the low odds of starting their own labs in a competitive arena that does not align with their work–life balance needs. We discuss the possible reasons and potential measures needed to sustain talented and passionate early career researchers in academia.
Studies of the genetic architecture of cardiovascular disease once focused on heritable germline factors. Newer work has shed light on the role of somatic mutations in blood cells. These mechanistic and multi-omics studies, along with phenotypic analyses, offer the prospect of new precision cardiovascular medicine paradigms.
The REVIVED trial provides critical evidence on the management of patients with ischemic left ventricular dysfunction, highlighting the importance of optimal medical therapy. At the same time, it is another reminder of the fact that we are far from reaching adequate representation of women in cardiovascular disease trials.
The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed a tidal wave of psychological distress. Here we discuss the biobehavioral mechanisms through which psychological distress amplifies the adverse effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on cardiovascular outcomes. We also examine how the stress of caring for patients with COVID-19 increases cardiovascular risk in healthcare workers.
Genomic sequencing in hemophilia is a high-yield test and clinically useful for diagnosis, assessing the risk of developing neutralizing antibodies (‘inhibitors’) against the affected coagulation factor, pregnancy and neonatal management, and family counseling. New genomic technologies can detect several types of DNA change with high sensitivity. Systematic collection of genotype–phenotype data is important to better understand the genetics of hemophilia.
Disease susceptibility and responsiveness to treatment vary among individuals. To understand this diversity, it is crucial to investigate clinical materials and information from large sets of individuals, such as data that can be obtained from biobanks. BioBank Japan is one of the largest biobanks in East Asia and has a complementary role to biobanks from other populations, such as the UK Biobank, given the presence of diverse ethnic variations.
The US FDA recently approved mavacamten, a first-in-class myosin modulator, for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. By targeting actin mechanobiology, myosin modulators are emerging as important medicines in cardiology.