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Metabolomics data can be used to identify biomarkers of all-cause mortality. In this Comment article, Després suggests that these biomarkers can also predict risk of death associated with risk factors that can be reduced through changes in lifestyle habits.
Artificial intelligence (AI) holds promise for cardiovascular medicine but is limited by a lack of large, heterogeneous and granular data sets. Blockchain provides secure interoperability between siloed stakeholders and centralized data sources. We discuss integration of blockchain with AI for data-centric analysis and information flow, its current limitations and potential cardiovascular applications.
Africa is witnessing an epidemic of cardiovascular disease (CVD), with staggering morbidity and mortality. The spectrum of CVD includes hypertension, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, atherosclerotic disease, congenital heart disease and tuberculous pericarditis. Opportunities exist to alter the trajectory of CVD epidemiology but require committed policy makers, functional health systems and an engaged citizenry.
Africa faces many health challenges, many of which are unique to the continent. Although rarely considered an important contributor to premature death in high-income countries, cardiopulmonary disease (CPD) is, for a number of reasons, a common condition affecting Africans at a young age. In addition to recognizing CPD as an important condition, we outline a pragmatic screening protocol for identifying CPD in the African context.
Scientific research drives discoveries and innovations that improve the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular research in China is thriving, as evidenced by the increasing number of publications and funding support for projects. However, data collection and the quality of publications require much improvement to propel the research field forward.
The advent of ‘big data’ and modern analytics mandates a change of scale in every aspect of the biomedical enterprise. These forces are realigning academic medicine and traditional industrial partners, and also creating the context for an emerging new ecosystem for discovery, translation, care and implementation that promises to transform and integrate all these areas of endeavour.
Retinal microvascular changes are strongly linked to prevalent and incident cardiovascular disease. These changes can now be mapped with unparalleled accuracy using retinal optical coherence tomography. Novel retinal imaging, combined with the power of deep learning, might soon equip clinicians with unique and precise risk-assessment tools that enable truly individualized patient management.
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.
