How can we better understand the developmental nature of cardiovascular disease across the life course and improve the health of people who experience chronic early life stress? In this episode Dr. Nathaniel Jenkins (University of Iowa) interviews lead author Dr. Annemarie Wentzel (North-West University, South African Medical Research Council Unit for Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease) and expert Dr. Romain Harmancey (The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) about the stud...
Jul 09, 2025•38 min•Ep. 346
The literature shows that the incidence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) increases significantly in postmenopausal women, but how can researchers study the underlying mechanisms? In our latest episode, Dr. Jonathan Kirk (Loyola University Chicago) interviews lead author Dr. Mei Methawasin (University of Missouri, Columbia) and expert Dr. Glen Pyle (University of Guelph) about the recent study by Methawasin and co-authors investigating sex differences, menopause and HFpEF...
Jun 04, 2025•31 min•Ep. 345
What is the role of ferroptosis, programmed cell death characterized by intracellular iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation, in the context of ischemic injury related to heart transplantation? In this episode, Associate Editor Dr. Amanda LeBlanc (University of Louisville) interviews authors Dr. Kenneth Liao and Dr. Nandan Mondal (both at Baylor College of Medicine), along with expert Dr. Zachary Kiernan (Virginia Commonwealth University) about the latest study by Li et al. The authors found t...
May 21, 2025•49 min•Ep. 344
Can hormonal fluctuations across a single menstrual cycle alter arterial wave reflections and wasted pressure effort? In this episode, Associate Editor Dr. Jonathan Kirk (Loyola University Chicago) interviews author Dr. Ninette Shenouda (University of Delaware) and expert Dr. Sarah Baker (Mayo Clinic) about the latest study by Shenouda et al. investigating sex differences and ventricular arterial interactions. The authors wanted to understand how strategic phases of the menstrual cycle might aff...
Apr 15, 2025•22 min•Ep. 343
In this episode, Deputy Editor Dr. Zamaneh Kassiri (University of Alberta) interviews authors Dr. Oliver H. Wearing (University of British Columbia), Dr. Naomi C. Chesler (University of California Irvine), Dr. Mitchel J. Colebank (University of South Carolina), Dr. Timothy A. Hacker (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Dr. John N. Lorenz (University of Cincinnati), and Dr. Christopher R. West (University of British Columbia) about their new Guidelines in Cardiovascular Research article. This must-...
Feb 24, 2025•24 min•Ep. 342
In our latest episode, Dr. Jeff Saucerman (University of Virginia) interviews authors Dr. Naomi Chesler (University of California, Irvine) and Dr. Mitchel Colebank (University of South Carolina) about their new Guidelines in Cardiovascular Research article on incorporating mechanistic modeling into the analysis of experimental and clinical data to identify possible mechanisms of (ab)normal cardiovascular physiology. The authors’ goal is to provide a consensus document that identifies best practi...
Oct 29, 2024•30 min•Ep. 341
In this episode of Behind the Bench, we are talking with Hannah Cizauskas about her first, first-author article published in AJP-Heart and Circ. Born and raised in Detroit, Hannah moved to Chicago for what she thought would be just one rotation outside of the cancer genetics field. This led Hannah to work on a project related to atrial fibrillation and contractile dysfunction in Dave Barefield’s lab at Loyola University Chicago’s Cellular and Molecular Physiology Department. Now in the fourth ye...
Oct 10, 2024•24 min•Ep. 340
In our latest episode, Executive Editor Kara Hansell Keehan interviews lead author Dr. Michaela Patterson and first author Kaelin Akins (both at the Medical College of Wisconsin) along with expert Dr. Ana Vujic (University of Cambridge) about the new study by Akins et al. Given that the heart has limited regenerative potential, repairing damage to cardiomyocytes after a heart attack is particularly challenging. Cardioregeneration researchers worldwide are searching for potential targets that can...
Sep 12, 2024•9 min•Ep. 339
What is the impact of central insulin on muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and vascular conductance in the absence of peripheral insulin delivery? Listen as Associate Editor Dr. Jason Carter (Baylor University) interviews authors Neil McMillan and Dr. Jackie Limberg (both at University of Missouri), along with expert Dr. Manda Keller-Ross (University of Minnesota), about the new Short Report by McMillan et al. To gain a better understanding of the central sympathoexcitatory effects of ins...
Aug 06, 2024•14 min•Ep. 338
Sometimes experimental results are serendipitous. Listen as Associate Editor Dr. Crystal Ripplinger (University of California, Davis) talks with authors Dr. Nikki Posnack and Devon Guerrelli (both at Children’s National Hospital and The George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science), along with expert Dr. Silvia Marchiano (University of Washington), about the new research by Guerrelli et al. published in our Call for Papers on Excitation-Contraction Coupling, Electrophys...
Jul 29, 2024•14 min•Ep. 337
Hormone modulation therapy is a growing area of research in cardiovascular science related to a number of factors, such as menopause and andropause, cancers in hormone-producing organs, as well as gender-affirming hormone therapy. So how do scientists and clinicians measure, monitor, and balance applications of hormone therapy? In our latest podcast, Associate Dr. Keith Brunt interviews authors Dr. Chantal Rytz (University of Calgary) and Dr. Sofia Ahmed (University of Alberta), along with exper...
Jul 18, 2024•37 min•Ep. 336
While decreased IL-33 signaling has been associated with preeclampsia, the mechanisms linking this signaling pathway to disease pathophysiology are not well understood. In this episode, Associate Editor Dr. Amanda LeBlanc (University of Louisville) interviews author Dr. Denise Cornelius (University of Mississippi Medical Center) and expert Dr. Stella Goulopoulou (Loma Linda University) about the new research study by Wang et al. Using the Reduced Uterine Perfusion Pressure (RUPP) rat model, the ...
Jun 04, 2024•25 min•Ep. 335
In this episode, Associate Editor Dr. Jonathan Kirk (Loyola University Chicago) interviews author Dr. Ed Lesnefsky (Richmond Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Virginia Commonwealth University) and expert Dr. Chi Fung Lee (Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation) about the new Methods and Resources article by Chen et al. published in our Call for Papers on Impact of Aging on the Cardiovascular System. Lesnefsky and coauthors advanced a technique of isolating mitochondria with an emph...
May 03, 2024•30 min•Ep. 334
In our latest episode, Consulting Editor Dr. Kristine DeLeon-Pennell (Medical University of South Carolina) interviews fellow co-authors Dr. Charlotte Usselman (McGill University), Dr. Judy Regensteiner (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus), Dr. Kerrie Moreau (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus), Dr. Austin Robinson (Indiana University Bloomington), Dr. Jesse Moreira-Bouchard (Boston University), and Dr. Quin Denfeld (Oregon Health and Science University) about their recen...
Apr 26, 2024•17 min•Ep. 333
After a yearlong hiatus, Behind the Bench is back, listeners! In this episode, we welcome back our B2B co-hosts Dr. Charlotte Usselman and Dr. Tommy Martin, who get the story behind the story from the one and only Dr. DeWayne Townsend, corresponding author of the recently published study by Stevens et al. Trust me, you are going to love listening to DeWayne talk about science! As DeWayne rightly points out, if we want to understand a disease before it's a disease, we have to model it in order to...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 332
In our latest episode, Associate Editor Dr. Amanda LeBlanc (University of Louisville) interviews author Prof. Pietro Modesti (University of Florence) and expert Dr. Alexandre da Silva (University of Mississippi Medical Center) about the new study by Pellegrino et al. that investigated the pattern of intraventricular hemodynamic forces associated with left ventricular function in women with uncomplicated twin pregnancy. The authors found that, in twin pregnancy, hemodynamic forces misalignment in...
Mar 11, 2024•18 min•Ep. 331
Ready Player One? In our latest episode, Dr. Keith Brunt (Dalhousie University) interviews lead author Dr. Joanne DiFrancisco-Donoghue (New York Institute of Technology) and expert Dr. Saurabh Thosar (Oregon Health and Science University Hospital) about a new article published in the AJP-Heart and Circ Call for Papers on Exercise, Physical Activity, and Cardiovascular Health. DiFrancisco-Donoghue et al. raise an important question about the risk for college level e-sport athletes, professionals,...
Feb 27, 2024•43 min•Ep. 330
What is the relationship between cardiovascular developmental programming and the risk of stroke later in life? Listen as Guest Editor Dr. Helen E. Collins (University of Louisville) interviews author Dr. Nafisa Jadavji (Midwestern University) and expert Dr. Deanne Hryciw (Griffith University) about the latest research by Pull et al. looking at underlying mechanisms associated with a poor-quality diet during pregnancy. One-carbon metabolism is essential for biosynthesis of DNA and proteins, as w...
Jan 12, 2024•24 min•Ep. 329
Given that there appears to be variation in significant risk to the cardiovascular system following SARS-CoV2 infection with regard to age and sex, the latest study by Rouhana et al. provides a foundation for studying sex differences with a preclinical model of infection to the direct exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and the impact on the myocardium of ferrets. Listen as Associate Editor Dr. Keith Brunt (Dalhousie University) interviews authors Dr. Alyson Kelvin (University of Saskatchewan) and Dr. Glen P...
Dec 07, 2023•46 min•Ep. 328
What does a mouse heart have to do with an M&M candy (the regular kind, not the peanut variety)? In our latest episode, Associate Editor Dr. Crystal Ripplinger (University of California, Davis) interviews author Dr. Tim Domeier (University of Missouri) and expert Dr. DeWayne Townsend (University of Minnesota) about the recent study by Haffner et al et al. The authors examined cardiac calcium mishandling and damage in the setting of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Using a genetic mouse mod...
Nov 28, 2023•28 min•Ep. 327
