Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 29 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01258-yA heart–brain loop, which involves vagal sensory neurons in the heart, the paraventricular nucleus in the brain and sympathetic signalling via the superior cervical ganglia, mediates adverse cardiac remodelling after myocardial infarction in mice.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 26 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01247-1The environmental exposome, which includes pollution, contamination, climate and social determinants of health, is intricately involved in the pathophysiology of heart failure. In this Review, Hahad and colleagues explore the complex relationship between environmental stressors and heart failure, advocating for their inclusion alongside traditional risk factors and highlighting the need for new strategies to address the effects of the exposome on public health.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 23 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01249-zIn this Review, Galli and colleagues discuss the mechanisms and associated biomarkers of traditional and emerging factors responsible for the residual risk of recurrent adverse cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease, with a focus on new pathophysiological insights and the therapeutic implications.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 22 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01256-0Treatment with low-dose IL-2 increases regulatory T cell numbers and reduces arterial inflammation in patients with an acute coronary syndrome and residual systemic inflammation compared with placebo, according to findings from the IVORY trial.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 22 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01253-3In this Review, Ferrucci and colleagues propose that inflammation is a resilience mechanism that resolves molecular and cellular damage driven by environmental stressors. With ageing, however, this protective response can become dysregulated and maladaptive, promoting collateral changes central to the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 19 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01252-4The use of β-blockers after myocardial infarction: no doubts remain

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 19 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01251-5Reply to: ‘The use of β-blockers after myocardial infarction: no doubts remain’

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 14 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01250-6In this Review, Kaiser and Nicolai summarize our understanding of procoagulant platelets, describing the signalling pathways that control platelet procoagulant activation and discussing the role of procoagulant platelets in venous and arterial thrombosis, as well as potential therapeutic approaches to target these platelets in thrombotic and thromboinflammatory disorders, including cardiovascular disease, septic inflammation and immune complex-mediated diseases.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 12 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-026-01248-0Oral anticoagulants are the cornerstone of stroke risk prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation, regardless of whether sinus rhythm is restored. Evidence from two new randomized trials questions the need for long-term treatment with oral anticoagulants after successful ablation of atrial fibrillation and promises to change clinical practice.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 02 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-025-01246-8The use of robotics in cardiac surgery initially replicated components of operations, then evolved to assist with entire operations, and is now becoming the standard of care for an increasing number of cardiac procedures. Its expanded use and rapid innovation promise to combine high-precision, partially automated cardiac surgery with robotically deployed devices, thereby transforming the surgical experience for both patients and surgeons.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 02 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-025-01244-wFrailty is common in older individuals, but can occur independently of advanced age, multimorbidity or disability. In this Review, Nguyen and colleagues draw on evidence from clinical guidelines and randomized controlled trials to provide an in-depth discussion of the unique challenges associated with cardiovascular pharmacotherapy in older patients with frailty.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 02 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-025-01223-1In this Review, Laurette and Gilsbach summarize the current knowledge on the cardiac epigenome, including the dynamic changes in DNA methylation, histone modifications and chromatin accessibility in cardiomyocytes during development and disease. They also describe the interplay between cell type-specific mechanisms and discuss the translational potential of targeting epigenetic mechanisms for the prevention and treatment of cardiac diseases.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 02 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-025-01242-yIn this Review, Bengel and colleagues propose a roadmap for the clinical implementation of radiotracer-based molecular imaging of immune and fibrotic pathways to guide targeted therapies for heart repair after myocardial infarction.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 02 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-025-01233-zIn this Review, Grapsa and colleagues provide an overview of the imaging modalities used in the diagnosis and management of tricuspid regurgitation, describe the valve repair and replacement strategies undergoing clinical testing, and highlight the technological innovations that aim to optimize diagnosis, patient selection and the device development process.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 02 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-025-01229-9In this Review, Moore and co-workers provide an overview of the mechanisms and functions of microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs in vascular biology and the regulation of lipid metabolism, as well as the effects of non-coding RNAs on atherosclerotic plaque formation and progression.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 02 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-025-01227-xIn this Review, Park and Fishman summarize the biology, function and disease of the cardiac conduction system and discuss how this knowledge could help to improve clinical risk assessment and the development of therapies, including biological pacemakers and interventions to promote cardiac conduction system regeneration.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 02 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41569-025-01234-yChronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated cardiomyopathy, also known as uraemic cardiomyopathy, describes the myocardial abnormalities that occur in patients with CKD or kidney failure. In this Review, Edwards and colleagues discuss the pathophysiological mechanisms of this condition, as well as the imaging, prevention and treatment options.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 09 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41569-025-01243-xIn this Tools of the Trade article, Foster and Tabish describe their development of a perfusion platform that recapitulates fundamental haemodynamic features of the human coronary circulation within a controlled flow and pressure environment.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 08 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41569-025-01245-9Sura Markos discusses the findings from the INVICTUS trial and the implications for anticoagulation strategies in patients with rheumatic atrial fibrillation, particularly in low-resource settings.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 26 November 2025; doi:10.1038/s41569-025-01238-8Tatyana Storozhenko describes the initial studies that demonstrated that the utility of coronary computed tomography angiography extends beyond diagnosis and prevention into the guidance of coronary interventions.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 25 November 2025; doi:10.1038/s41569-025-01240-0In the VESALIUS-CV trial, the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab reduced the risk of a first cardiovascular event in patients with atherosclerosis or diabetes mellitus but without a previous myocardial infarction or stroke.

Nature Reviews Cardiology, Published online: 25 November 2025; doi:10.1038/s41569-025-01237-9In this Comment, I propose an outcome-oriented classification of heart failure based on skeletal muscle mass. By distinguishing between heart failure with either preserved or reduced muscle mass, this conceptual framework represents a major step towards abandoning the misleading concept of the ‘obesity–mortality paradox’ in cardiology.