Globally, only 13.8% of patients with hypertension have their blood pressure (BP) controlled. Trials testing interventions to overcome barriers to BP control have produced mixed results. Type of health care professional delivering the intervention may play an important role in intervention success. The goal of this meta-analysis is to determine which health care professionals are most effective at delivering BP reduction interventions.

Transgender and nonbinary individuals face substantial cardiovascular health uncertainties. The use of gender-affirming hormone therapy can be used to achieve one's gender-affirming goals. As self-rated health is an important predictor of health outcomes, an understanding of how this association is perceived by transgender and nonbinary individuals using gender-affirming hormone therapy is required. The objective of this research was to explore transgender and nonbinary individuals' perceptions of cardiovascular health in the context of using gender-affirming hormone therapy.

There is substantial hospital-level variation in the use of Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs) versus Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) among patients with stroke, which is poorly understood. Our objective was to quantify the net effect of the admitting hospital on the probability of receiving IRF or SNF care for individual patients with stroke.

Mounting evidence indicates that even device-detected subclinical atrial fibrillation is associated with a higher risk of heart failure (HF). However, the potential impact of atrial fibrillation screening on HF remains unknown.

Quantitative myocardial blood flow (MBF) on positron-emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging is a measure of the overall health of the coronary circulation. The ability to adequately augment blood flow, measured by myocardial blood flow reserve (MBFR), is associated with lower major adverse cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. The age-specific ranges of MBFR in patients without demonstrable coronary artery disease have not been well established. We aimed to determine the effect of age and sex on MBF in a cohort of patients without demonstrable coronary artery disease.

We assessed whether combinations of cardiometabolic risk factors independently predict coronary plaque progression (PP) and major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Elevated levels of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) are independently associated with an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events. However, the mechanisms driving this association are poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the association between Lp(a) and coronary plaque characteristics in a contemporary US cohort without clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, undergoing coronary computed tomography angiography, the noninvasive gold standard for the assessment of coronary atherosclerosis.

The working diagnosis Myocardial Infarction with Nonobstructive Coronary Arteries (MINOCA) is being increasingly recognized with the common use of high-sensitivity troponins and coronary angiography, accounting for 5% to 10% of all acute myocardial infarction presentations. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is pivotal in patients presenting with suspected MINOCA, mainly to delineate those with a nonischemic cause, for example, myocarditis and Takotsubo syndrome, from those with true ischemic myocardial infarction, that is, MINOCA. The optimal timing for CMR imaging in patients with suspected MINOCA has been uncertain and, until recently, not been examined prospectively. Previous retrospective studies have indicated that the diagnostic yield decreases with time from the acute event. The SMINC studies (Stockholm Myocardial Infarction with Normal Coronaries) show that CMR should be performed early in all patients with the working diagnosis of MINOCA, with the possible exception of patients who are clearly identified as having Takotsubo syndrome as determined by echocardiography. In addition to CMR imaging, other investigations of importance in selected patients may be pulmonary artery computed tomography to exclude pulmonary embolism, optical coherence tomography to identify plaque disruption, and acetylcholine provocation to identify coronary artery spasm. Imaging of patients with the working diagnosis MINOCA, which is centered on CMR together with supplemental investigations, results in a clear diagnosis in approximately three-quarters of the patients. This is a good example of personalized medicine, because a correct diagnosis will not only increase the satisfaction of the individual patient but also result in optimizing treatment without harming the patient.

It remains unknown to what extent intrinsic atrial cardiomyopathy or left ventricular diastolic dysfunction drive atrial remodeling and functional failure in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Computational 3-dimensional (3D) models fitted to cardiovascular magnetic resonance allow state-of-the-art anatomic and functional assessment, and we hypothesized to identify a phenotype linked to HFpEF.

Patients with refractory, symptomatic left ventricular (LV) mid-cavity obstructive (LVMCO) hypertrophic cardiomyopathy have few therapeutic options. Right ventricular pacing is associated with modest hemodynamic and symptomatic improvement, and LV pacing pilot data suggest therapeutic potential. We hypothesized that site-specific pacing would reduce LVMCO gradients and improve symptoms.

Aging is one of the most potent risk determinants for the onset of atrial fibrillation (AF). Sirts (sirtuins) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, and their expression declines with aging. However, whether Sirts involved in age-related AF and its underlying mechanisms remain unknown. The present study aims to explore the role of Sirts in age-related AF and delineate the underlying molecular mechanisms.