Abstract : The AHA has released its annual selection of the 10 top major advances in heart disease and stroke research for 2007. This list is very interesting. It contains papers on genetics which present the newly introduced genome-wide association studies of different common diseases , including coronary artery disease.The results of investigations carried out on cardiomyocytes derived from adult mouse spermatogonial stem-cells are mentioned. The value of angioplasty in chronic stable coronary artery disease is reassessed as is the need for mouth to mouth ventilation in resuscitation manoeuvres for cardiac arrest. The effectiveness and safety of drug-eluting stents in routine clinical practice is demonstrated and the merit of bivaluridin for the treatment of patients with a STEMI infarct is described. The improvement in quality of care provided by a statewide system for coronary revascularisation is outlined. Finally, two papers are devoted to epidemiological issues: one demonstrates that a reduced sodium intake lowers not only blood pressure, but also the risk of clinical cardiovascular disease outcomes; the second stresses that hypertension and prehypertension are often undiagnosed in the pediatric population.