Volume 16 Issue 10, October 2019

Treatment with resolvin D4, a specialized pro-resolving mediator, significantly attenuated thrombus burden in a mouse model of deep vein thrombosis.

Both systolic and diastolic hypertension independently contribute to the risk of adverse cardiovascular events, even though systolic hypertension has a greater effect on cardiovascular outcomes, and this relationship is not altered by the threshold used for the definition of hypertension.

The transcription factor FOXP1 downregulates activation of the endothelial NLRP3 inflammasome and suppresses vascular inflammation, protecting against atherosclerosis. Upregulation of FOXP1 expression is a novel anti-atherogenic effect of simvastatin.

Activation of the PDGF pathway is involved in the pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy caused by mutations in LMNA; this new finding suggests that inhibition of PDGFRβ is a novel therapeutic target for patients with this condition.

A new study shows that the loss of an enzyme in humans during evolution might be a contributing factor to the increased predisposition to atherosclerosis in humans compared with other animals

Three independent regulatory pathways contribute to neovascular growth during developmental coronary vessel growth and ischaemic injury.

Dietary fats comprise heterogeneous molecules with diverse structures and complex health effects. This Review discusses the effects of different dietary fats on cell processes and cardiometabolic disease risk factors and clinical events, highlighting areas of controversy and future research directions to improve the prevention and management of cardiometabolic diseases through optimization of dietary fat intake.

The use of polypills containing multiple pharmaceutical agents targeting the cardiovascular system in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease is controversial. In this Review, Chow and Meng discuss the barriers to the use of polypills and focus in detail on the use of fixed-dose combination pills containing low doses of multiple blood pressure-lowering drugs.

G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) kinases (GRKs) can desensitize and downregulate GPCRs. In this Review, Pfleger and colleagues describe the changes in GPCR and GRK signalling in the heart under disease conditions and how GRKs can be targeted to treat heart failure.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is not a common disease, but it has a poor prognosis. In this Review, contemporary findings concerning the epidemiology, diagnosis, therapeutic management and prevention of IE are highlighted, with a particular emphasis on innovations and changes in guidelines.