-
1 week ago | 
nature.com | Karina Huynh
Circadian rhythms are known to influence the severity of cardiac injury after myocardial infarction, but the pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie this association were unclear.
-
1 month ago | 
nature.com | Karina Huynh
Two clinical trials presented at the ACC.25 describe the expanding indications for the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) receptor agonist semaglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In the SOUL trial, an oral formulation of semaglutide taken once daily significantly reduced the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) compared with placebo in patients with T2DM and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and/or chronic kidney disease (CKD).
-
1 month ago | 
nature.com | Karina Huynh
The morphogenesis of the heart is reliant on signalling interactions between the myocardium and endocardium, but whether direct contact between these two compartments initiates this interaction was unknown. Now, a study published in Science reports the presence of tunnelling nanotube-like structures (TNTLs) in mouse embryonic hearts that have an essential role in facilitating long-distance cell–cell communication and in modulating heart patterning.
-
Feb 7, 2025 | 
nature.com | Karina Huynh
Chemical and mechanical signals from the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems are conveyed by vagal afferent neurons. In a study published in Nature Metabolism, activation of vagal sensory neurons expressing the oxytocin receptor (referred to as NGOxtr) in the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal tissues of mice mediates cardiometabolic changes that resemble those of a hibernation-like, hypometabolic state.
-
Dec 11, 2024 | 
nature.com | Karina Huynh
Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure has emerged as an effective alternative to oral anticoagulation for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Two studies presented at AHA 2024 Scientific Sessions describe the efficacy and safety of left atrial appendage closure after catheter ablation for AF and the 5-year outcomes of the largest randomized left atrial appendage closure trial to date comparing the safety and efficacy of two devices.
-
Sep 17, 2024 | 
nature.com | Karina Huynh
A single combined measurement of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), LDL-cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) levels in plasma predicts incident cardiovascular events among women over a 30-year follow-up period. This finding, presented at the ESC Congress 2024, supports the need to screen for inflammatory markers and lipoprotein(a) levels, in addition to LDL-cholesterol levels.
-
Sep 17, 2024 | 
nature.com | Karina Huynh
Cardiomyocytes can activate the type I interferon (IFN) response in the infarct border zone after myocardial infarction (MI), whereas inhibition of this IFN activation prevents the loss of activated fibroblasts in the border zone and reduces the risk of ventricular rupture, according to a new study in Nature. These findings suggest that the type I IFN pathway, in addition to its well-established role in antiviral responses, is also involved in cardiac injury.
-
Jun 12, 2024 | 
nature.com | Karina Huynh
In a mouse model of heart failure (HF), cardiac stress mediates epigenetic changes in haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that promote the generation of pro-inflammatory macrophages and contribute to kidney and skeletal muscle injury. This finding, published in Science Immunology, suggests that an innate immune memory in HSCs might be involved in HF recurrence and associated multimorbidity.
-
May 29, 2024 | 
nature.com | Karina Huynh
Dysregulation in platelet production and function during ageing is a known contributor to platelet disorders affecting older individuals. A new study in Cell demonstrates a distinct haematopoietic platelet differentiation pathway that is enriched in ageing mice, which results in platelets that are hyper-reactive compared with canonical platelet populations and can induce excessive clot formation in aged mice.
-
May 21, 2024 | 
nature.com | Karina Huynh
A current challenge of endothelial cell (EC) therapy for ischaemia is the need to co-transplant ECs with mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to support engraftment. A study in Nature now describes a single-cell-type strategy for vascular cell therapies that involves the artificial transplantation of mitochondria to ECs, which promotes mitophagy and facilitates the formation of functional vessels in ischaemic tissue without the need for MSC support.
