Volume 15 Issue 4, April 2018

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.

Advances in breast cancer therapy mean that more women are surviving cancer but are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In a statement released by the AHA, Mehta and colleagues summarize the intersection between breast cancer and CVD, and highlight the importance of vigilance in preventive measures.

Ischaemic injury during an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) event is followed by an intense inflammatory response that occurs after reperfusion. The inflammasome is a protein complex involved in the regulation of this inflammatory response. In this Review, Toldo and Abbate summarize evidence supporting the therapeutic value of inflammasome-targeted strategies in the context of AMI.

In this Review, Kivimäki and Steptoe assess the current evidence on the association between stress and cardiovascular disease, covering the multiple roles of stress in the development and triggering of disease and as a determinant of prognosis and outcome. In addition, they discuss the clinical and public health importance of major stressors and the implications for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

In the past 2 decades, an increasing prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as obesity, physical inactivity, and diabetes mellitus, has been observed among young adults (aged 18–45 years) living in developed countries. In their Review, Andersson and Vasan discuss the evolving risk factor burden and available epidemiological data on cardiovascular disease in young adults.

The most common genetic predisposition to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is truncating variation in the giant sarcomeric protein, titin. Ware and Cook review the molecular mechanisms ofTTNgene variation in the pathogenesis of DCM, strategies for clinical interpretation of genetic variants for diagnosis, and the role of genetic stratification as a predictor of outcome and treatment response.