Volume 17 Issue 1, January 2020

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Patients with known cardiovascular disease but no recent acute event are often referred to as having ‘stable’ coronary artery disease. In this Review, Fox and colleagues describe why this concept of stable disease is misleading and should instead be characterized as chronic disease with an increased risk of atherothrombotic events.

By stimulating the His–Purkinje network directly, His bundle pacing results in synchronized, physiological ventricular activation, which might improve clinical outcomes compared with the use of right ventricular apical pacing. Sharma and colleagues summarize early clinical observations, implantation techniques and outcome data with permanent His bundle pacing.

This Review outlines the drawbacks and lessons learned from first-generation drug-eluting stents, and then discusses design features and preclinical, pathology and clinical data from newer-generation devices. The authors focus on how evolution in stent design has improved biomaterial–blood interactions and vascular healing.

The shear stress generated by flowing blood has major effects on vascular function, with low shear stress promoting vascular dysfunction and atherosclerosis. This Review describes the latest findings on how endothelial cells decode complex shear stress environments to regulate physiological and pathophysiological responses, highlighting the role of pathways involved in embryonic development.