S100A9 and heart failure: IL-1ß is generated by the Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, a multiprotein complex, part of the innate immunity, which gets activated following dangerous associated molecular patterns, like the alarmins S100A8 and S100A9 (18, 19), tobacco (20) and cholesterol crystals (21), as well as by pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), like coxsackievirus B3 (22, 23) and human papillomavirus (24), covering a broad spectrum of triggers present in or provoking both CVD/heart failure and cancer (25).