Researchers have introduced a tool, based on the PREVENT risk calculator, that uses sex- and age-specific percentiles to estimate 30-year cardiovascular risk, aiming to improve communication and motivate early prevention. "When a patient sees they are in the 90th percentile, we hope that this will serve as a wake-up call that risk starts early," said researcher Sadiya Khan of Northwestern University. "We don't want to wait until it is too late, and someone has had an event." Research findings were published in JACC.

A study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that 99% of cardiac events occurred in patients with at least one of four modifiable risk factors: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, tobacco use and high blood sugar. "The results were almost identical between the Korean and US cohorts in that traditional risk factors were universally present before cardiac events. That consistency across very different populations and health systems makes our findings especially strong," said researcher Dr. Hokyou Lee.

A review in the journal Diabetes Metabolism Research and Reviews found tirzepatide had a neutral effect on heart failure outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes or obesity. The meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials involving 13,378 participants found no significant difference in heart failure risk when compared with a placebo or other glucose-lowering drugs.

Data from the VESALIUS-CV trial involving 12,257 patients over 4.6 years found that adding the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab to stable lipid-lowering therapy was associated with a reduction in adverse cardiac events for patients with atherosclerosis or high-risk diabetes but no history of myocardial infarction or stroke. The findings were presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The NIH grant terminations under the Trump administration led to the loss of funding for 383 out of 11,008 clinical trials, affecting over 74,000 patients and halting significant research efforts. The terminations largely affected trials focused on infectious diseases, prevention and behavioral interventions.

Republicans are standing firmly against extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, instead advocating for a plan that would redirect funds directly to consumers. This stance is supported by President Donald Trump, who insists on sending money back to people rather than continuing subsidy extensions. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chair of the Senate Health Committee, introduced a plan to redirect the subsidy funds to health savings accounts for people with high-deductible ACA plans.