At ESC Congress 2026, Dr Rami Abu Fanne (Hillel Yaffe Medical Center and Hadassah Medical Center, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) presented an analysis exploring whether baseline vitamin D levels were associated with metabolic response to semaglutide in people with type 2 diabetes. The study included 5,300 adults and found that higher baseline vitamin D levels were associated with greater improvements in glycemic control and BMI after 12 months of treatment, although no association was observed with lipid outcomes. Dr Abu Fanne spoke to touchCARDIO about the findings and the questions they raise for future research.

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Pasadena, CA) has reported topline results from two phase III trials evaluating plozasiran in adults with severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG), according to a recent press release.1 Plozasiran, an siRNA therapy directed against apolipoprotein C-III (APOC3) messenger RNA, is already approved as Redemplo for adults with familial chylomicronemia syndrome but remains investigational for the broader sHTG population.

Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is characterized by rapid (>300 beats a per minute), irregular electrical activation with variable electrocardiographic waveforms that prevents coordinated myocardial contraction, resulting in immediate loss of cardiac output.1 It most commonly occurs in the context of coronary ...

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in young adults (typically defined as individuals younger than 40 years) has emerged as an important yet under-recognized public health concern. Recent estimates suggest an incidence of approximately 1–4 cases per 100,000 person-years, underscoring the clinical and epidemiological relevance ...

Day 2 hotline data at EuroPCR 2026 highlighted improved outcomes with FFR-guided PCI in TAVI, comparable 10-year survival with PCI and CABG in left main disease and consistent LAAC benefits across age groups.

At EHRA 2026, Pierre Jais presented results from the BEAT-PERS AF trial suggesting pulsed field ablation may offer a safer, effective alternative to radiofrequency ablation in persistent AF, prompting renewed focus on optimizing ablation strategies for this high-risk group.

At EHRA 2026, Ben Petrazzini discussed new research that shows AI can improve identification of sudden cardiac death in electronic health records, enabling more accurate large-scale studies and advancing prevention strategies.

New data to be presented at ACC 2026 suggest that shingles vaccination is associated with a reduced risk of major cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and stroke. In a large observational analysis, vaccinated individuals showed lower event rates within 12 months of follow-up. While the findings are subject to study limitations, they add to growing evidence linking infection prevention with cardiovascular risk reduction.

Hypertension affects over 1.4 billion adults worldwide and remains the leading modifiable risk factor for global cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. It is responsible for an estimated 10.8 million deaths annually and contributes significantly to the global burden of ischaemic heart disease, ...