Research Highlights in 2019

Levels of non-HDL cholesterol in the blood are strongly linked with long-term risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new risk evaluation study that followed-up almost 400,000 individuals without cardiovascular disease at baseline for a median of 13.5 years.

Deficiency in the orphan G protein-coupled receptor 146 (GPR146) decreases blood lipid levels and protects against atherosclerosis in mice independently of LDL receptor activity, according to a new study.

Stem cell therapy does not promote the regeneration or production of new cardiomyocytes in the injured heart but induces a wound healing response that contributes to improved cardiac function.

Udenafil, a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, improves measures of exercise performance at the ventilatory anaerobic threshold in individuals with Fontan physiology.

In patients with a recent myocardial infarction, anti-inflammatory therapy with low-dose colchicine reduces the risk of ischaemic cardiovascular events compared with placebo.

In two post-hoc analyses of the DAPA-HF trial, the benefits of dapagliflozin were found to be consistent across all age groups and independent of baseline symptom status.

In the RECOVERY trial, asymptomatic patients with very severe aortic stenosis who underwent early surgery had lower risk of cardiovascular death than those treated using a conservative-care strategy.

New analyses of the PARAGON-HF and PARADIGM-HF trials indicate that sacubitril–valsartan treatment might be beneficial in patients with heart failure with mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and that the benefit might be greater in women than in men.

Results of the GALILEO trial presented at the AHA Scientific Sessions 2019 indicate that a strategy with rivaroxaban 10 mg daily is associated with a higher risk of death or thromboembolic events and a higher risk of bleeding than an antiplatelet-based strategy.

A new study shows that regular physical activity exerts cardiovascular beneficial effects by reducing the proliferation of haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells via modulation of their niche, leading to a reduction in the systemic supply of inflammatory leukocytes.

Platelets have atherogenic effects by inducing monocyte migration and recruitment into atherosclerotic plaques and skewing macrophages to a pro-inflammatory phenotype.

According to data from a national representative US-based database, early mortality was observed in almost 1 in 200 patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing catheter ablation.

A new study identifies the genetic locus encoding the histone deacetylase HDAC9 as a risk locus associated with calcification of the abdominal aorta and reveals that HDAC9 promotes the development of vascular calcification by modulating the phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells.

Statin therapy initiated during childhood in patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) slows the rate of carotid intima–media thickening and reduces the risk of cardiovascular events and death.

New findings from the Hygia Chronotherapy trial suggest that taking antihypertensive medications at bedtime is associated with better blood-pressure control and a 45% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease compared with taking the medication in the morning upon waking up.

Atherosclerotic plaques contain an abundance of T cells and macrophage subsets with distinct transcriptional signatures, according to a new study published in Nature Medicine.

Near-infrared spectroscopy–intravascular ultrasonography of mildly or non-obstructive coronary arteries in patients with suspected coronary artery disease undergoing catheterization and possible percutaneous coronary intervention is safe and can detect both patients and non-culprit vulnerable plaques at high risk of secondary coronary events

The TWILIGHT trial indicates that switching to ticagrelor monotherapy after 3 months of dual antiplatelet therapy lowers the incidence of bleeding without increasing ischaemic events compared with continuation of ticagrelor plus aspirin therapy in patients who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention and are at high risk of bleeding or ischaemic events

In a socioeconomically vulnerable community in Alabama, USA, the use of a polypill containing four low-dose drugs produced greater reductions in blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol level than usual care.

Results from the DAPA-HF trial demonstrate that dapagliflozin therapy is associated with lower risk of worsening heart failure or cardiovascular death than placebo, regardless of the presence or absence of diabetes.