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Volume 16 Issue 3, March 2019

This issue includes Reviews on the gut microbiome in heart failure, clinical implementation of PCSK9 inhibitors, platelet biology and clinical targets, and B cells in atherosclerosis.

The cover shows a confocal image of cells from a healthy adult human heart. Image: Danny El-Nachef, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. Cover design: Vicky Summersby.

Research Highlights

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News & Views

  • High-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) assays facilitate the ruling-out of myocardial infarction (MI) but identify a high number of patients with elevated troponin levels but without MI. Consequently, the term myocardial injury was included in the latest universal definition of MI. In the High-STEACS trial, use of a hs-cTnI assay was safe but had no prognostic benefit.

    • Till Keller
    • Christian W. Hamm
    News & Views
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Reviews

  • Metabolites produced by gut microorganisms from dietary metabolism have been linked to the pathogenesis of heart failure, suggesting that the gut microbiome functions like an endocrine organ. In this Review, Tang and colleagues discuss the gut microbial metabolic pathways involved in heart failure and propose the gut microbiome as a therapeutic target.

    • W. H. Wilson Tang
    • Daniel Y. Li
    • Stanley L. Hazen

    Collection:

    Review Article
  • Three cardiovascular outcome trials have now demonstrated the clinical benefit of achieving lower plasma LDL-cholesterol levels with the addition of PCSK9 inhibitors to statin therapy. In this Review, Marc Sabatine discusses the safety and efficacy data from these trials and their possible implications, such as the definition of new plasma LDL-cholesterol targets.

    • Marc S. Sabatine
    Review Article
  • This Review provides an update of the latest developments in our understanding of platelet functions and populations in normal physiology and in haemorrhagic, thrombotic, and inflammatory conditions. These advancements can aid in tailoring new strategies to target platelets in disease states while avoiding the increased risk of bleeding associated with current antiplatelet therapies.

    • Paola E. J. van der Meijden
    • Johan W. M. Heemskerk
    Review Article
  • Antibody-producing B cells perform a unique role in responses to stress, injury, and infection. In this Review, Sage and colleagues discuss the spectrum of B cell involvement in dyslipidaemia and atherosclerotic plaque development.

    • Andrew P. Sage
    • Dimitrios Tsiantoulas
    • Ziad Mallat
    Review Article
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