Platelet reactivity (PR) and clinical risk factors are known to have impact on outcomes in patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We aimed to assess the interaction of PR and clinical risk assessment using the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Risk Score for Secondary Prevention (TRS2P) on adverse clinical outcomes following PCI.

The importance of psychological distress in patients with cardiovascular disease is increasingly recognized as both a contributing factor to the development and progression of cardiovascular disease and a consequence of the development of cardiovascular disease. Patients with acute myocardial infarction have increased risks for depression, anxiety, psychosocial stress, or posttraumatic stress disorder. Together, these negative psychological factors when occurring after myocardial infarction have been referred to as postmyocardial psychological distress. Up to half of patients after myocardial infarction may experience some form of psychological distress, and this postmyocardial psychological distress has been associated with an increased risk of future cardiac events. Biologically plausible mechanisms by which postmyocardial psychological distress may lead to increased future cardiac risk include lesser physical activity, smoking (and failure to stop smoking), excess alcohol consumption, poor diet, obesity, inadequate sleep, inadequate social support, decreased medication adherence, and poor attendance at cardiac rehabilitation. The data on whether treatment of postmyocardial psychological distress improves cardiac prognosis are mixed and of variable quality, and further studies, particularly in patients with anxiety, stress, and posttraumatic stress disorder, would be helpful. Regardless, multiple interventions can reduce psychological distress and thus lead to improved psychological health, a greater sense of emotional well-being, and a better quality of life. A goal of health care professionals should be to treat not only the disease but also the person as a whole in front of us.

In patients surviving myocardial infarction, adipose tissue infiltration within the scar is a common pathological finding and has been suggested to contribute to dysfunction and arrhythmogenesis. However, the cellular mechanisms for lipomatous metaplasia after infarction remain enigmatic. Our study reveals a novel molecular mechanism that mediates fibroblast-to-adipocyte conversion and causes fatty infiltration in the infarcted heart.

Pathological cardiomyocyte (CM) hypertrophy is a hallmark of dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure, driven by mechanical or neurohumoral stress. Although we previously demonstrated PDE10A (phosphodiesterase 10A) as a critical contributor and potential therapeutic target in pathological cardiac remodeling and dysfunction, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the specific signaling pathways and sources of cyclic nucleotides modulated by PDE10A in CM hypertrophy.

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a near-fully penetrant autosomal dominant disorder characterized by nosebleeds, anemia, and arteriovenous malformations. The great majority of HHT cases are caused by heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in ACVRL1 or ENG, which encode proteins that function in bone morphogenetic protein signaling. HHT prevalence is estimated at 1 in 5000 and is accordingly classified as rare. However, HHT is suspected to be underdiagnosed.

Mechanical thrombectomy offers a promising alternative to thrombolytic-based approaches for reducing thrombus burden and right heart strain in acute pulmonary embolism. This pivotal Food and Drug Administration-approval trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of the Symphony Thrombectomy System (Imperative Care, Inc, Campbell, CA) in acute intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism.

Self-expanding transcatheter pulmonary valves (TPV) offer a promising alternative to surgical pulmonary valve replacement in patients with a large patched or native right ventricular outflow tract. Little is known about remodeling of the implanted valve or valve-anatomy interactions.

In the randomized EBC MAIN trial (European Bifurcation Club Left Main Coronary Stent), target lesion revascularization at 3 years poststenting of left main (LM) bifurcations was more frequent with upfront dual-stenting compared with the stepwise provisional approach. Restenosis location and its relation to stent technique are poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to investigate restenosis location after LM bifurcation stenting, and the impact of stent implantation technique.

Right ventricular functional adaptation to afterload is a major determinant of outcome in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We aimed to investigate if right ventricular-pulmonary artery (PA) coupling evaluated by the ratio of tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) to systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) improves risk assessment scores for survival prediction.

Neointimal hyperplasia is the major cause of significant vascular complications after arterial interventions. Despite the advancements in strategies such as drug-eluting stents to minimize neointimal hyperplasia, achieving consistently effective long-term outcomes remains a challenge. Protein-protein interactions mediated by PDZ (PSD-95, Discs-large, and ZO-1) domains are essential for numerous biological processes. However, little is known about the role of PDZ proteins in neointima formation. This study aims to explore the role of TAX1BP3 (Tax1 binding protein 3), a singular PDZ protein, in phenotypic switching of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and its implication in neointimal hyperplasia.