Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) could evaluate myocardial fibrosis as well by estimating extracellular volume fraction (ECV). While coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) has been increasingly recognized as an important pathophysiological mechanism underlying chest pain, the association between CMD in angina with nonobstructive coronary artery disease (ANOCA) and CCTA-derived ECV remains to be elucidated. We sought to evaluate the association between CCTA-derived ECV and CMD in patients with ANOCA.

Despite advances in endocardial catheter ablation (ECA) for persistent atrial fibrillation (PersAF), undertreatment persists, especially in ECA nonresponders and in longstanding PersAF (LSPersAF), with disappointing ablation results. These patients need effective clinical treatment options.

Despite advances in pharmacologic and procedural therapies, heart failure (HF) and cardiac arrhythmias remain significant global health burdens, highlighting the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. Defective Ca2+ handling in cardiac myocytes is recognized as a central pathogenic mechanism underlying both heart failure and atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. In this review, we critically assess the current state of research on Ca2+-handling proteins and their role in causing heart failure and arrhythmias, highlighting therapeutic implications. Recent paradigm-shifting discoveries, clinical trial outcomes, and challenges of targeting Ca2+-handling proteins are examined. As outlined in this review, an improved understanding of the relevant proteins and their differential expression and function in human health and disease is crucial for developing Ca2+ handling-targeted therapeutics that can fundamentally alter the natural history of heart failure and arrhythmias.

Infections following durable left ventricular assist device (dLVAD) implantation are common and associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Despite documented interhospital variability, few studies have identified strategies to mitigate their occurrence. This national study uses a multistage mixed methods design to develop a customizable and deployable toolkit of expert-guided recommendations to reduce infections post-dLVAD.

Alternative splicing plays crucial roles in normal heart development and cardiac disease by influencing protein-coding sequences, functional domains, and molecular networks. However, a detailed characterization of the human heart isoform landscape remains incomplete.

Intramyocardial injection of hydrogel into myocardial infarction (MI) areas can reduce left ventricular remodeling and potentially increase angiogenesis post-MI. The radiotracer 99mTc-Maraciclatide binds to activated alpha-v-beta-3 (αvβ3)-integrin, a key factor in angiogenesis, and can be used to evaluate myocardial angiogenesis. This study used multimodality imaging to assess the effects of imageable intramyocardial hydrogel delivery on left ventricular remodeling and angiogenesis after MI.