Cardiology Updates

Uncovering the role of chromatin organization and dynamics in heart disease https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01338-z Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 11 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01338-z (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01338-z)Two studies published in Science explore how 3D chromatin organization and structure can influence cardiac development and promote heart failure.

The biomechanical environment of coronary atherosclerotic plaque rupture https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01337-0 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 11 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01337-0 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01337-0)Tsiartas and Bennett discuss the discovery that atheroclerotic plaque vulnerability to rupture arises from the interaction between plaque composition and vessel biomechanics.

Haemolytic injury and cardiovascular disease https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01329-0 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 06 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01329-0 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01329-0)Haemolysis, and the subsequent liberation of haemoglobin into the plasma, can induce haemodynamic dysregulation and cardiovascular injury. In this Review, Hieromnimon and colleagues discuss the mechanisms by which plasma free haemoglobin and its degradation products exert their deleterious effects, the pathophysiological responses to these derangements and the potential preventative and therapeutic approaches to haemolytic injury.

Social determinants of cardiovascular health: lessons from Whitehall https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01333-4 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 03 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01333-4 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01333-4)Benjamin Dowsing describes the Whitehall studies, which established the inverse relationship between socioeconomic status and the risk of death from coronary heart disease, leading to the concept of social determinants of health.

Post-mitotic cardiomyocyte senescence redefines cardiac ageing https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01332-5 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 03 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01332-5 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01332-5)Ilias Simon and Yohan Santin discuss the study that demonstrated that post-mitotic cardiomyocytes can acquire a senescent phenotype with age.

Mitochondrial uncoupling therapy reduces established atherosclerosis in mice https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01330-7 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 28 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01330-7 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01330-7)Targeting systemic metabolism through mild mitochondrial uncoupling with a controlled-release mitochondrial protonophore can reduce atherosclerosis in a mouse model of cardiometabolic syndrome, even when administered at late stages of disease progression.

Cardioprotective properties of empagliflozin and other SGLT2 inhibitors https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01325-4 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 27 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01325-4 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01325-4)In this Review, Zelniker and Braunwald summarize the cardioprotective effects of empagliflozin and other sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and discuss the underlying mechanisms of these effects, including haemodynamic modulation, improved mitochondrial bioenergetics and activation of cytoprotective pathways that inhibit oxidative stress, inflammation and fibrosis.

The cardiac 4D nucleome: nuclear and chromatin dynamics across development, disease and ageing https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01322-7 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 23 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01322-7 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01322-7)In this Review, Wang and Dobreva discuss nuclear and chromatin organization and remodelling during cardiac development, disease and ageing, highlight emerging methods to investigate nuclear architecture, describe how mechanical and metabolic signals shape the cardiac 4D nucleome, and examine the therapeutic and translational implications for cardiovascular health and disease.

The renaissance of cardiac glycosides in heart failure: why, for whom and when https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01323-6 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 17 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01323-6 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01323-6)Cardiac glycosides were the cornerstone of heart failure treatment for decades, but their use progressively declined after the introduction of modern prognostic medications. Two clinical trials now report that cardiac glycosides can reduce the risk of worsening heart failure events in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. These results do not mandate a paradigm shift but support a specific role for cardiac glycosides in selected patients.

YAP at the heart of cardiac regeneration https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01328-1 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 16 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01328-1 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01328-1)In this Journal Club article, Dar describes the first study to report the transcriptional coactivator YAP as a central regulator of cardiac regeneration in mice.

In the era of AI, omics and organoids, animal models are still needed in cardiovascular research https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01327-2 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 14 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01327-2 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01327-2)As artificial intelligence (AI), multiomics and human organoids reshape cardiovascular research, calls to replace animal models are accelerating. We argue that understanding complex, multiorgan cardiovascular disease requires an integrated framework in which in vivo, in vitro and computational models each provide complementary biological insights.

World Heart Federation Roadmap on cardiac rehabilitation: a pathway to lifelong cardiovascular health https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01312-9 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 13 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01312-9 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01312-9)In this Roadmap from the World Heart Federation, cardiac rehabilitation is reframed as programmes to promote lifelong cardiovascular health. Redfern et al. identify roadblocks and propose multifaceted solutions, together with international case studies of successful implementation.

Sarcomere dysfunction as the molecular basis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01324-5 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 08 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01324-5 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01324-5)Dababneh and Roston describe the studies that first demonstrated that variants in genes encoding sarcomere proteins are the main cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Transfer of a gain-of-function PCSK9 gene to induce atherosclerosis in mice https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01326-3 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 08 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01326-3 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01326-3)In this Tools of the Trade article, Albarrán-Juárez describes the utility of the adeno-associated virus-PCSK9 model of atherosclerosis.

Epidemiology and determinants of cardiovascular disease in Indigenous populations https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01314-7 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 07 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01314-7 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01314-7)In this Review, Brown and colleagues collate contemporary epidemiological data on cardiovascular disease in the Indigenous populations of Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the USA. The authors explore the potential drivers of inequalities in cardiovascular outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, as well as pathways for change in the pursuit of equity in cardiovascular health.

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The origin of clinical left ventricular ejection fraction measurement https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01321-8 Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 03 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01321-8 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-026-01321-8)The authors highlight the first report of the measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction in humans, published in 1962 by Roland Folse and Eugene Braunwald.

New Universal Classification of Heart Failure Full Guidelines

AHA/ACC/ESC/WHF Expert Consensus Document: Second Universal Definition of Heart Failure (2026) https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001455?af=R