Highlights of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Studies Presented at the 2023 European Society of Cardiology Congress.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize selected late-breaking science on cardiovascular (CV) disease prevention presented at the 2023 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress. RECENT FINDINGS: The NATURE-PARADOX was a naturally randomized trial that used genetic data from the UK Biobank registry to create "cumulative exposure to low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C)" biomarker and evaluate its association with major CV events regardless of plasma LDL-C levels or age. Safety and efficacy data of inclisiran, a PCSK9-interfering mRNA (PCSK9i) administered subcutaneously twice annually, were presented. Data on two new PCSK9is were presented, recaticimab, an oral drug, and lerodalcibep, a subcutaneous drug with a slightly different architecture than currently available PSCK9is. A phase 1 trial on muvalaplin, an oral lipoprotein (a) inhibitor, was presented. An atherosclerotic CV disease (ASCVD) risk prediction algorithm for the Asian population using SCORE2 data was presented. Long-term follow-up of patients enrolled in the CLEAR outcomes trial showed sustained and more significant ASCVD risk reduction with bempedoic acid in high-risk patients. The late-breaking clinical science at the 2023 congress of the ESC extends the known safety and efficacy data of a PCSK9i with the introduction of new drugs in this class. Using cumulative exposure to LDL-C rather than a single value will help clinicians tailor the LDL-C reduction strategy to individual risk and is an important step towards personalized medicine.

Reproductive Coercion in Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Emerging Adults: Prevalence and Behavioral Health Impact.

Reproductive coercion (RC) is a type of intimate partner violence (IPV) characterized by partner interference with contraception or reproductive decision-making. Despite sexual minority people's vulnerability to other forms of IPV, limited research has examined reproductive coercion in this population. Research on behavioral health impacts of reproductive coercion is also lacking, especially for sexual minorities. This study addressed these gaps by examining the occurrence and behavioral health impact of reproductive coercion among emerging adults, including both heterosexual and sexual minority people. In 2020, survey data were collected with emerging adults (aged 18-24 years) at a university in the southeastern United States (N = 387). We conducted bivariate analyses to explore associates of reproductive coercion and logistic regression to identify risk factors. We then conducted linear regression to investigate relationships between reproductive coercion and behavioral health outcomes, in the full sample and in separate models based on sexual attraction. One in 15 sampled students (6.3%) had experienced reproductive coercion. Sexual attraction was a significant risk factor for reproductive coercion, with increased rates among plurisexual (i.e., attracted to people of multiple genders) compared to monosexual students, in both bivariate (χ2(2) = 7.57, p = .023) and regression analyses (B = 1.25, p = .012). Reproductive coercion was associated with worse behavioral health outcomes in bivariate and regression analyses (anxiety: B = 3.77, p = .001; depression: B = 3.26, p = .010; alcohol use: B = 2.32, p < .001). In separate linear regression models based on sexual attraction, RC was significantly associated with behavioral health indicators for participants who were attracted only to men and those attracted to people of multiple genders but not for participants who were attracted only to women. Findings indicated increased RC risk for plurisexual students compared to monosexuals and showed significant associations between RC and behavioral health outcomes, with differential effects based on sexual attraction. These novel findings support the need for continued research on RC, inclusive of nuanced conceptualizations of sexuality.