AJP-Heart and Circulatory Physiology has been championing women’s health research for many years, and in 2021 launched a special call for papers, which later became a standing collection in the journal, that has amassed over 100 peer reviewed publications focused on women’s cardiovascular health. In 2024 the American Physiological Society launched the Women’s Health Research Initiative aimed at addressing critical scientific gaps underlying health conditions that uniquely impact women. In this episode, Dr. Jason Carter (Baylor College) interviews authors Jenna Stone (McMaster University), Dr. Maureen McDonald (McMaster University), and Dr. Kerrie Moreau (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus) about their recent Review article published as part of the Women’s Health Research Initiative. Stone et al. discuss how traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors have been historically misidentified in females, the importance of certain metrics such as arterial stiffness and vascular endothelial function, and how early risk indicators are impacted during premenopausal period, pregnancy, and menopause. Ready to learn more? Listen now.

Jenna C. Stone, Margie H. Davenport, Kerrie L. Moreau, Kyra E. Pyke, Megan M. Wenner, Jennifer S. Williams, and Maureen J. MacDonald Endocrine enigmas: vascular health in females throughout the lifespan Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published November 11, 2025. DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00412.2025

In our latest episode, Deputy Editor Dr. Zam Kassiri (University of Alberta) interviews authors Dr. German González (Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina), Dr. Rebecca Ritchie (Monash University), Dr. Pooneh Bagher (University of Nebraska Medical Center), and Dr. Hiroe Toba (Kyoto Pharmaceutical University) about the latest Guidelines in Cardiovascular Research article by Sveeggen et al. that helps researchers tackle the sources of variability in experimental models of diet-induced cardiometabolic syndrome. This podcast is a must-listen for any researcher using a diet-induced food model of disease. The authors discuss different food composition with details about type and source of fat and macronutrients, as well as environmental factors that can influence metabolic outcomes. These guidelines serve as a framework for researchers to optimize dietary interventions in cardiometabolic syndrome models and improve the predictive value of preclinical findings for translational applications. Listen now to hear more, including bonus multi-language summaries in both Spanish and Japanese.

Timothy M. Sveeggen, Pooneh Bagher, Hiroe Toba, Merry L. Lindsey, Rebecca H. Ritchie, Verónica J. Miksztowicz, and Germán E. González Guidelines for diet-induced models of cardiometabolic syndrome Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published October 7, 2025. DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00359.2025

Why is a broad approach that works with iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes so important to understanding molecular mechanisms underlying calcium homeostasis and arrhythmias? In this episode, Associate Editor Dr. Petra Kleinbongard (University of Duisburg-Essen) interviews author Dr. Katrin Streckfuss-Bömeke (University Medical Center Göttingen) and expert Dr. Melanie Paillard (Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1) about the new study by Ajmail et al. While arrhythmias in calcium transients are easy to detect by human perception, quantifying arrhythmias in a computer-readable manner is often difficult. To tackle the challenge, the authors developed an open-source program called Arrhythpy that quantifies and classifies confocal microscopy-based Fluo-4 Ca2+ transients to generate a measure of arrhythmia. What is unique about Arrhythpy is that it directly measures the shape and frequency of transients. The program includes two parts: frequency profiling using a method called wavelet transformation, and measuring transient peak shape using a method called autocorrelation function. After combining these measurements, Arrhythpy classifies each transient into one of 6 different subgroups. No specialty training is needed, and no specialized platforms are required to use Arrhythpy. The program can be used with different microscopes, cell types, and calcium dyes. What is the utility of Arrhythpy beyond the arrhythmia field? Listen now to find out.

Karim Ajmail, Charlotte Brand, Thomas Borchert, Benjamin Meder, Sabine Rebs, Katrin Streckfuss-Bömeke Arrhythpy: An Automated Tool to Quantify and Classify Arrhythmias in Ca2+ Transients of iPSC-Cardiomyocytes Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published September 15, 2025. DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00414.2025