Abstract
Cardiac myocyte apoptosis has been extensively studied in the last few years. Increased interest in the field stems from the hope that pharmacological manipulation of apoptosis may become a valuable tool for preventing excessive cell death observed in different pathological conditions. This paper is not intended as a comprehensive overview of current research about life and death in the cardiovascular system, but rather as a concise update on new developments in areas that were highlighted in a recent series of excellent reviews. A short inventory of unsolved issues concerning the significance of cardiac myocyte loss through apoptosis in both physiological and pathological circumstances is addressed.