Volume 17 Issue 10, October 2020

Gene therapy with H19, a highly conserved long non-coding RNA H19, prevents and reverses pathological cardiac hypertrophy in animal models, according to a study by Thomas Thum and colleagues.

In a prespecified secondary analysis of the ACCELERATE trial, Puri and colleagues report a stepwise relationship between lipoprotein(a) levels and risk of major adverse cardiac events in patients with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels ≥2 mg/l.

In atherosclerosis-prone mice, administration of small interfering RNA (siRNA)–nanoparticle system targeted to lesional macrophages to silence Camk2g improves plaque stability compared with control nanoparticles.

A new clinical trial in a dish study sheds light on a new mechanism that restores endothelial dysfunction with lovastatin in induced pluripotent stem cells that are derived from patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Visceral adipose tissue-resident macrophages can sense remote organ injury, such as myocardial infarction. In response, they undergo apoptosis, which can initiate de novo insulin resistance.

Novel strategies to improve blood pressure control and treat drug-resistant hypertension are needed despite the efficacy and widespread availability of current antihypertensive drugs. In this Review, Mahfoud and colleagues summarize the pathophysiological rationale and available clinical evidence for device-based therapies for hypertension, including renal sympathetic denervation.

Non-hyperaemic pressure measurements have emerged as a useful tool to guide coronary interventions and are recommended as a substitute for fractional flow reserve (FFR). In this Review, van de Hoef and colleagues explain the rationale for the use of non-hyperaemic pressure ratios instead of FFR for stenosis evaluation.

Congestion is the main reason for hospitalization in patients with acute decompensated heart failure and is an important target for therapy. In this Review, Boorsma and colleagues distinguish between intravascular congestion and tissue congestion, and hypothesize that specifically treating these two different forms of congestion could improve patient outcomes.

A strong relationship exists between exposure to air pollution and cardiovascular events. In this Review, Rajagopalan and colleagues summarize the evidence supporting the detrimental effects of air pollution on cardiovascular health and describe the potential mechanisms involved in air pollution-mediated cardiovascular mortality.