Cardiac myocytes can undergo programmed cell death in response to a variety of insults
and apoptotic elimination of myocytes from the adult myocardium can lead directly to
cardiomyopathy and death. Although it remains to be shown that therapy specifically
targeting apoptosis will improve the prognosis of ischemic heart disease or heart failure, a
number of studies in the past year have shed light on potential ways to intervene in the
process. Progress in the past year includes a better understanding of the importance of …