UC San Diego scientists have uncovered a transformative new understanding of heart attacks. The research, which connects the heart, brain and nervous and immune systems, shows that blocking key signals can lead to new treatments for heart attacks and minimize their resulting damage.

A new scientific review summarizes the growing body of research on wild blueberries and cardiometabolic health, which includes factors like blood vessel function, blood pressure, blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) and blood sugar (glucose). 

An Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center survey shows 61% of Americans don’t know there are other medicines besides statins to help lower cholesterol.

Other survey results show many haven’t heard about an inherited cholesterol called lipoprotein(a) or a test called coronary artery calcium score, which can show early signs of heart disease.

It’s important to get your cholesterol and heart numbers checked, even if you feel fine, because you could be at risk for heart problems without knowing it.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, with significant residual risk unexplained by traditional factors. The discovery of novel therapeutic targets or the repurposing of existing drug targets could improve the prevention and treatment for different CVDs. However, previous studies have encountered different analytic challenges, such as failing to cover the whole spectrum of CVDs, not including cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) traits or lack of large-scale replication analysis and multidimensional downstream analysis.

Objective: Carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), which is traditionally used in ovarian cancer diagnostics, is increasingly recognized as a marker of congestion and inflammation in heart failure (HF). This study compared the analytical performance of N-(4-aminobutyl)-N-ethylisoluminol (ABEI)-based CA125 and N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) assays on the Maglumi® X6 analyzer with that of the Roche Cobas e602 system and explored the relationship of CA125 with biomarkers of adverse remodeling in HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods: Imprecision testing and method comparison were performed on matched serum samples from 108 HFrEF patients. CA125 concentrations were evaluated in relation to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), galectin-3, and soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) levels. Prognostic value was assessed by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis using the 35 U/mL threshold. Results: The ABEI based CA125 assay showed low imprecision [coefficient of variation (CV)≤4.5%] and strong agreement with the Cobas e602 assay (R=0.97, slope=1.06, P<0.001). CA125 levels increased progressively with NYHA class (P=0.02), correlated negatively with LVEF (R= 0.38, P<0.001) and positively with galectin-3 (R=0.21, P=0.03) and sST2 (R=0.57, P<0.001). Elevated CA125 levels (≥35 U/mL) were associated with significantly increased cardiovascular mortality (P<0.001). Conclusions: ABEI-based CA125 measurement provides an analytical performance comparable to that of Cobas e602. In HFrEF, CA125 is correlated with clinical severity, fibrosis/inflammation biomarkers, and prognosis. Its integration into multimarker strategies, particularly alongside NT-proBNP and sST2, may enhance risk stratification and therapeutic monitoring, including the response to sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor therapy.

As an emerging branch of clinical medicine, microbiota medicine has attracted worldwide attention from clinicians, medical educators, patient communities, and industry. However, this developing field still lacks consensus on its fundamental principles as well as guidelines for clinical and educational practice. An expert panel was convened by the journal Microbiota Medicine Research at the 2025 CHINAGUT Conference to develop the principles and practice guidelines of microbiota medicine.

A recent study led by the Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), in collaboration with the University of Hong Kong–Shenzhen Hospital, has demonstrated that combining an innovative coronary imaging technology known as the caFFR system, with diabetes drug SGLT2 inhibitors can significantly reduce the risks of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), heart failure and death among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and coronary artery disease. This dual‑pronged strategy provides a precise measurement of coronary blood flow while lowering glucose levels, offering an effective approach to treating exceptionally high-risk patients. The findings were published in the Diabetes and Metabolism Journal.

From blinking fireflies to cells in a beating heart, synchronization occurs across nature. Researchers found similar behavior emerges in a simple system of microscopic particles. Suspended in liquid, the particles naturally oscillated together as though they sensed one another’s motion. Using computational modeling, the team found the particles influence each other’s motion by stirring their shared medium.