Welcome to Cardiology Today – Recorded January 16, 2026. This episode summarizes 5 key cardiology studies on topics like stroke survivors and dementia. Key takeaway: E-Cigarette Risks for Stroke Survivors.

Article Links:

Article 1: High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and risk of dementia: the 25-year longitudinal Whitehall II study. (European heart journal)

Article 2: C-reactive protein and cardiovascular risk among women with no standard modifiable risk factors: evaluating the ‘SMuRF-less but inflamed’. (European heart journal)

Article 3: Regulating the Impact of Hypertension on Stroke: Therapeutic Potential of a Peptide Mimetic of Tyrosine Phosphatase STEP. (Journal of the American Heart Association)

Article 4: Cardiovascular Risk Among Stroke Survivors With Combustible and Electronic Cigarettes: A Nationwide Study in Korean Men. (Journal of the American Heart Association)

Article 5: Cerebral Microbleeds and Long-Term Affective Symptoms in Survivors of Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage. (Journal of the American Heart Association)

Full episode page: https://podcast.explainheart.com/podcast/e-cigarette-risks-for-stroke-survivors-01-16-26/

Journal: European heart journal

PubMed Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41206213

Summary: The Whitehall two study reported a long-term association between subclinical myocardial injury, measured by high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I in midlife, and the risk of dementia. The data demonstrated that elevated cardiac troponin I levels were linked to accelerated cognitive decline, smaller structural brain volume, and a higher risk of incident dementia over 25 years. This study involved 5985 participants aged 45 to 69, with follow-up extending until March 2023. This finding suggests a critical connection between midlife cardiovascular health and neurocognitive outcomes.

Journal: European heart journal

PubMed Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40878356

Summary: This study highlighted the substantial proportion of incident cardiovascular events occurring in women who lack standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (S. M. U. R. F. s). It found that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein serves as a crucial inflammatory biomarker for identifying cardiovascular risk in these “S. M. U. R. F. less but inflamed” women. The research underscored the importance of integrating non-traditional risk markers for improved cardiovascular disease detection and treatment strategies in this population.

Journal: Journal of the American Heart Association

PubMed Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41532536

Summary: This research identified that hypertension is the most common comorbid condition in stroke patients, affecting approximately 94 percent, and significantly worsens stroke outcomes. It demonstrated the therapeutic potential of targeting Tyrosine Phosphatase S. T. E. P. with a peptide mimetic as a novel strategy to regulate the impact of hypertension on stroke. This approach focuses on improving treatment for stroke patients with coexisting hypertension, addressing a key challenge in stroke pathophysiology.

Journal: Journal of the American Heart Association

PubMed Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41532534

Summary: This nationwide retrospective cohort study of Korean men characterized the differing cardiovascular risks among stroke survivors who use combustible versus electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). The research systematically compared the incidence of major cardiovascular events across four distinct groups of cigarette and e-cigarette users. It underscored the critical need to understand the cardiovascular impact of electronic cigarettes, especially in this vulnerable patient population, utilizing national health checkup data from 2018 to 2022.

Journal: Journal of the American Heart Association

PubMed Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41532531

Summary: This study elucidated the strong association between spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (I. C. H.) and the development of long-term cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms (N. P. S.), particularly affective disturbances like depression and anxiety. It investigated the role of cerebral microbleeds and clarified the contribution of small vessel disease (S. V. D.), which underlies most I. C. H. cases, to persistent affective symptoms. The research involved 95 I. C. H. survivors assessed at a median of 5.7 years post-event.

Today’s date is January 16, 2026. Welcome to Cardiology Today. Here are the latest research findings.

Article number one. High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and risk of dementia: the 25-year longitudinal Whitehall II study. The Whitehall two study reported a long-term association between subclinical myocardial injury, measured by high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I in midlife, and the risk of dementia. The data demonstrated that elevated cardiac troponin I levels were linked to accelerated cognitive decline, smaller structural brain volume, and a higher risk of incident dementia over 25 years. This study involved 5985 participants aged 45 to 69, with follow-up extending until March 2023. This finding suggests a critical connection between midlife cardiovascular health and neurocognitive outcomes.

Article number two. C-reactive protein and cardiovascular risk among women with no standard modifiable risk factors: evaluating the ‘SMuRF-less but inflamed’. This study highlighted the substantial proportion of incident cardiovascular events occurring in women who lack standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (S. M. U. R. F. s). It found that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein serves as a crucial inflammatory biomarker for identifying cardiovascular risk in these “S. M. U. R. F. less but inflamed” women. The research underscored the importance of integrating non-traditional risk markers for improved cardiovascular disease detection and treatment strategies in this population.

Article number three. Regulating the Impact of Hypertension on Stroke: Therapeutic Potential of a Peptide Mimetic of Tyrosine Phosphatase STEP. This research identified that hypertension is the most common comorbid condition in stroke patients, affecting approximately 94 percent, and significantly worsens stroke outcomes. It demonstrated the therapeutic potential of targeting Tyrosine Phosphatase S. T. E. P. with a peptide mimetic as a novel strategy to regulate the impact of hypertension on stroke. This approach focuses on improving treatment for stroke patients with coexisting hypertension, addressing a key challenge in stroke pathophysiology.

Article number four. Cardiovascular Risk Among Stroke Survivors With Combustible and Electronic Cigarettes: A Nationwide Study in Korean Men. This nationwide retrospective cohort study of Korean men characterized the differing cardiovascular risks among stroke survivors who use combustible versus electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). The research systematically compared the incidence of major cardiovascular events across four distinct groups of cigarette and e-cigarette users. It underscored the critical need to understand the cardiovascular impact of electronic cigarettes, especially in this vulnerable patient population, utilizing national health checkup data from 2018 to 2022.

Article number five. Cerebral Microbleeds and Long-Term Affective Symptoms in Survivors of Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage. This study elucidated the strong association between spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (I. C. H.) and the development of long-term cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms (N. P. S.), particularly affective disturbances like depression and anxiety. It investigated the role of cerebral microbleeds and clarified the contribution of small vessel disease (S. V. D.), which underlies most I. C. H. cases, to persistent affective symptoms. The research involved 95 I. C. H. survivors assessed at a median of 5.7 years post-event.

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stroke survivors, dementia, cerebral microbleeds, Korean men, Tyrosine Phosphatase S. T. E. P., affective symptoms, electronic cigarettes, Whitehall two study, cognitive decline, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, peptide mimetic, standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, combustible cigarettes, spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, comorbidity, inflammation, major cardiovascular events, neuropsychiatric symptoms, hypertension, stroke, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I, myocardial injury, small vessel disease, cardiovascular risk, women.

Concise summaries of cardiovascular research for professionals.

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