Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a prevalent and often underdiagnosed genetic cardiac disorder characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy and, in many cases, dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). The development of cardiac myosin inhibitors (CMIs) represents an emerging therapeutic approach in the pharmacological management of obstructive HCM (oHCM). This review offers an integrated and up-to-date synthesis of the cardiac myosin inhibitor class, with a focus on mavacamten, aficamten, and the broader landscape of emerging agents. It also highlights recent clinical trial outcomes, pharmacokinetic and pharmacogenetic considerations, and potential future directions in therapy. Furthermore, we incorporate the most recent data up to May 2025, including late-breaking trial results and real-world safety findings, aiming to provide clinicians with a practical and comprehensive perspective on this evolving drug class. A narrative review was conducted by systematically searching PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials.gov for English-language articles and trials published between January 2016 and May 2025. Keywords included “cardiac myosin inhibitor”, mavacamten”, “aficamten”, “MYK-224”, and “hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.” Inclusion criteria encompassed clinical trials and comprehensive reviews specifically addressing CMIs in cardiac applications. CMIs such as mavacamten and aficamten have demonstrated significant clinical benefits in reducing LVOT gradients, improving exercise capacity, and alleviating symptoms in patients with oHCM. Mavacamten is currently approved for clinical use, while aficamten is in advanced regulatory review. Comparative data suggest potential advantages of aficamten in the onset of action, pharmacokinetic profile, and tolerability. Emerging evidence supports the exploration of CMIs in pediatric populations, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and non-obstructive HCM (nHCM), although results are still preliminary. Cardiac myosin inhibitors offer a novel, pathophysiology-targeted approach to managing oHCM. While mavacamten has established efficacy, next-generation agents like aficamten may offer improved safety and versatility. Further long-term studies are needed to clarify their role across broader patient populations.

Increasing knowledge of the gut microbiota and its interference in human homeostasis in recent years has contributed to a better understanding of number of different interactions occurring in the gastrointestinal tract. Disruption of the microbiota is detrimental to health and contributes to the development of numerous diseases and may also be an accelerator of pathophysiological processes such as atherosclerosis. Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death worldwide, so the development of new methods to support the treatment and prevention of these diseases becoms one of the priorities of modern medicine. Probiotics may constitute an important element of support in the treatment and prevention of CVD (cardiovascular diseases). A number of papers support such a statement, however, larger clinical trials are needed. Through a number of mechanisms including mitigating inflammation, sealing the intestinal epithelium, and affecting metabolism, probiotics may have a beneficial effect on general health and slow down the pathogenesis of many diseases, including those affecting the cardiovascular system. This article contains a review of current discoveries on the role of probiotics in the prevention and support of CVD treatment.

Increasing alcohol consumption by women of childbearing age contributes to more frequent cases of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The cause of the syndrome is fetal alcohol exposure, particularly what is referred to as high prenatal alcohol exposure. Low metabolic activity of fetal enzymes shifts the burden of ethanol removal to maternal metabolism. One of the factors influencing the pathogenesis of FASD is the genetic background. It can determine the rate of elimination of ethanol, thus increasing or decreasing the time of fetal exposure to ethanol and also decreasing its concentration. Genetic polymorphisms could potentially play a significant role in these processes. In the present study, we considered three polymorphisms of genes implicated in the synthesis of enzymes involved in ethanol metabolism, i.e., ADH1b (rs1229984), ADH1b/c (rs1789891), and CYP2E1 (rs3813867). The studied group consisted of 303 children and 251 mothers. Both mothers’ and children’s genotypes were considered in our analysis. There were no statistically significant differences between the respective groups of genotypes of the studied polymorphisms. However, the genetic background of FASD is still elusive.

Summary: The human microbiota has a tremendous effect on our health. In the last decades, our knowledge about interactions between bacteria and humans have grown greatly. Not only is it necessary for humans to synthesize vitamins, to have tight intestinal barriers or protect from pathogens, it also has an impact on our immune system and thus plays an important role in autoimmune diseases and prevention of excessive inflammatory response. The idea of probiotics is to restore the balance in humans digestive microbiota. There is a growing number of scientific papers that proves a positive impact of using probiotics in various diseases. However, there are still questions that need to be answered before probiotics play a bigger role in the treatment. This paper presents the information about the use of probiotics in most common diseases of gastrointestinal tract.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms including cognitive impairment and dementia. The etiopathogenesis of PD, as well as its protective and susceptibility factors, are still elusive. 3-Hydroxy-3-methyglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) is an enzyme regulating cholesterol synthesis. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene coding HMGCR have recently been correlated with the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Alternative splicing of exon 13 of the HMGCR transcript and its strongly associated HMGCR haplotype 7 (H7: rs17244841, rs3846662, rs17238540) may downregulate protein activity and cholesterol synthesis, with lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) levels associated with PD that may affect cognitive abilities. We genotyped three SNPs in the H7 HMGCR gene in 306 PD patients divided into three groups—without cognitive decline, with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and with PD dementia—and in 242 healthy participants. A correlation between the rs17238540 genotype and PD susceptibility as well as a minor association between rs3846662 and cognitive status in PD patients was observed; however, the two-sided analysis of these groups did not reveal any significance. We observed a statistically significant elevated high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) plasma level in the minor allele carriers of rs17238540 and rs17244841 among PD patients. This study should be replicated in a larger population.