Recovery of myofilament function through reactivation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β): mechanism for cardiac resynchronization therapy

The burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is emerging as a major public health challenge for the world. NCDs are projected to account for around 75 % of global mortality by the year 2020. The most common and problematic of all noncommunicable conditions is heart disease. As such, the weight of evidence supporting the routine use of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) as a fruitful treatment for patients with ventricular dyssynchrony and moderate to severe chronic systolic heart failure is now quite substantial. The recent study done by Kirk et al. adds to our understanding of the effects of CRT in treating heart failure patients. Whether the current observations and findings extend to the more common clinical situations remains to be determined.