This issue of Heart Failure Clinics--edited by Dr. Eduardo Bossone--will cover The Right Heart Pulmonary Circulation Unit. Topics include Pathophysiology, Increased Systemic versus Increased Pulmonary Pressures, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Right Heart Pulmonary Circulation Unit in Connective Tissue Disease, Right Heart Pulmonary Circulation Unit in Congenital Heart Diseases, Pulmonary Hypertension and Heart Failure, Right Heart Pulmonary Circulation Unit in Cardiomyopathies and Storage Diseases, Pulmonary Hypertension, Right Heart Pulmonary Circulation Unit at High Altitude, Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension, Combining Invasive and Non-Invasive Evaluation for the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Hypertension, Imaging the Right Heart Pulmonary Circulation Unit: The Role of Ultrasound, Imaging the Right Heart Pulmonary Circulation Unit: The Role of CT and MRI, Biomarkers in Pulmonary Hypertension, Pulmonary Hypertension Related to Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Disease, Chronic Right Heart Failure, Exercise Training and Rehabilitation in Pulmonary Hypertension, and Right Heart Circulation Unit and Left Heart Valvular Diseases.

Magnesium is an essential mineral which is required for growth and survival of humans. Since magnesium is a mineral and not synthesizable it must be obtained through dietary foods and/or supplements. Magnesium in Human Health and Disease reviews the benefits of magnesium supplementation to reach recommended intakes as well as provides new research that suggests how reaching levels above the recommended intakes can promote health and treat various diseases. Magnesium deficiency can cause low serum potassium and calcium levels, retention of sodium, and low circulating levels of regulatory hormones. These changes in nutrients cause neurological and muscular symptoms such as tremor and muscle spasms. Further magnesium deficiency causes loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, personality changes and death from heart failure. Causes of magnesium deficiency include alcohol abuse, poorly controlled diabetes, excessive or chronic vomiting and/or diarrhea. Thus the effects of inadequate and deficient intakes or levels of magnesium is critical to health and are reviewed by the expert clinicians in this book. Magnesium in Human Health and Disease provides the most current research to support the potential benefits or lack thereof for normal and high supplementation with magnesium. Animal model research and early human trials are reviewed to document other disease states such as hypertension, cholesterol level, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease that would benefit from increased magnesium.

Scientists working or planning to work in the field of cardiovascular research will welcome Practical Methods in Cardiovascular Research as the reference book they have long been waiting for. Not only general aspects of cardiovascular research are well presented, but also detailed descriptions of methods and protocols and practical examples. Written by leading scientists in their field, chapters cover classical methods such as the Langendorff heart or working heart models as well as numerous new techniques and methods. Newcomers and experienced researchers alike will benefit from the troubleshooting guide in each chapter, the extensive reference lists for advanced reading and the great practical experience of the authors. Practical Methods in Cardiovascular Research is therefore a long awaited "must have" for anybody with an interest in cardiovascular research.

This issue of Cardiac Electrophysiology Clinics--edited by Drs. Luigi Padeletti and Giuseppe Bagliani--will focus on Clinical Arrhythmias: Bradicardias, Complex Tachycardias and Particular Situations. Topics include Introduction to Bradicardias; Sick sinus syndrome; AV nodal conduction disease; Intraventricular delay and Blocks; How to interpret pacemaker, AICD and CRT electrocardiograms; Ectopic beats; Advanced ep mechanisms in the electrogenesis of re-entry svt; Atrial fibrillation and ablation: ecg in the pre and post procedure; Ventricular tachycardias: detailed electrocardiographic aspects; Ventricular Tachicardia Ablation: the role of the Electrocardiogram; J Syndromes; Congenital and acquired long QT syndromes; Clinical approach to the patient with Syncope; Clinical approach to the patient with palpitations; Neonatal and Pediatric Arrhythmias; and Imaging in patients with cardiac arrhythmias.

Autophagy and Cardiometabolic Diseases: From Moleculer Mechanisms to Translational Medicine covers the science of autophagy in relation to cardiometabolic diseases and the future therapeutic potentials of autophagy regulation in these processes. Processes are not described in isolation, but in concert with other cellular and/or metabolic processes, such as lipogenesis, glucose, energy metabolism and apoptosis. This approach recognizes the multifactorial nature of cardiometabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia. The book provides explanations, while also distinguishing the delicate role for autophagy in pathogenesis and exploring complications for cardiometabolic diseases. By targeting autophagy, it offers new avenues for drug discovery and treatment for cardiometabolic anomalies. It is a perfect resource for cardiology researchers, scientists and medical practitioners.

Intracoronary ultrasound is a rapidly evolving imaging modality and the increasing number of published studies indicates that the technique is safe and provides incremental and more detailed diagnostic information than coronary angiography. The technique has the potential to study the pathobiology of atherosclerosis, to clarify the significance of angiographically equivocal lesions and has helped us to understand the mechanisms, effects and complications of catheter-based revascularization procedures. Combinations of imaging and therapeutic devices are being developed for both guidance and assessment of the revascularization procedure. Three-dimensional reconstruction of coronary segments is now possible in real time and provides the opertor with more detailed information on coronary pathology. In this monograph, leading experts in the field present the state of the art of all these new developments.

This text covers the basic principles of mitochondrial dynamics in cardiovascular medicine, with particular emphasis on their functional roles in physiology and disease. The book will include articles pertaining to mitochondrial fitness on a global basis, providing therefore an update on the progress made in several aspects in the field. Thus, it will assist scientists and clinicians alike in furthering basic and translational research. Organized in sections focusing on: basic science, mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiac disorders, in vascular disorders, in metabolic disorders, in kidney disease, therapeutic challenges and options, this essential volume fills imperative gaps in understanding and potentially treating several cardiovascular disorders.

Endothelium and Cardiovascular Diseases: Vascular Biology and Clinical Syndromes provides an in-depth examination of the role of endothelium and endothelial dysfunction in normal vascular function, and in a broad spectrum of clinical syndromes, from atherosclerosis, to cognitive disturbances and eclampsia. The endothelium is a major participant in the pathophysiology of diseases, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes and hypertension, and these entities are responsible for the largest part of cardiovascular mortality and morbidly. Over the last decade major new discoveries and concepts involving the endothelium have come to light. This important reference collects this data in an easy to reference resource. Written by known experts, and covering all aspects of endothelial function in health and disease, this reference represents an assembly of recent knowledge that is essential to both basic investigators and clinicians.

Focusing on the latest safe and effective techniques, Endovascular Treatment of Aortic Aneurysms: Standard and Advanced Techniques provides step-by-step, comprehensive coverage of endovascular repairs of complex aneurysms of the aorta, from basic to advanced. Explains how to perform the techniques in a step-by-step manner, using high-quality images and practical tips and tricks to optimize results. Contains chapters devoted to the repair of leaks that may occur after a repair and the best ways to minimize radiation exposure. Presents information in a consistent, standardized format: introduction, indications for the technique, how to perform the technique, complications and techniques for rescue, and concluding thoughts.

This issue of Heart Failure Clinics, edited by Dr. Toru Suzuki, will cover Biomarkers for Heart Failure, including but not limited to Proenkephalin, B-type and mid-regional pro atrial natriuretic peptides , N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide, Soluble T2, Adrenomedullin, Copeptin, Non-Coding RNAs, Troponin, Growth differentiation factor (GDF-15) , Galectin-3, Proteomic biomarkers, and Metabolic biomarkers .

Adverse cutaneous drug reactions (ACDR) are among the most frequent events in patients receiving drug therapy. Cardiovascular (CV) drugs are an important group of drugs with potential risk of developing ACDR especially in elderly as marketing of more new drugs and their prescription continue to increase. However, like with most other drugs the exact incidence of cutaneous side effects from CV drugs is difficult to estimate due to sporadic reporting. Moreover, a reliable designation of a certain drug as the cause of a certain type of reaction can rarely be made. Apart from the well-known angioedema/urticaria from ACE inhibitors, lichen planus / lichenoid reaction from beta adrenergic blockers and photosensitivity from thiazid diuretics, ACDR from CV drugs might be seen in a wide spectrum extending to rare but life-threatening conditions such as erythroderma, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis or drug hypersensitivity syndrome. In this comprehensive review, the reported types of ACDR to CV drugs will be discussed according to drug class and the type of dermatologic reaction with special emphasize on cross-reactions and the role of patch testing in diagnosis.

Sickle cell disease is a complex disease with a genetic mutation producing a wide variety of manifestations. It is of great public health importance nationally and internationally. While the conclusions of this study support the generally accepted views on the disease, the book provides the most recent information and state-of-the-art knowledge on the subject. The book is unique in that it presents the genetic, molecular, cellular, metabolic, rheologic, clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic, and psychosocial dimensions of sickle cell disease. Its synthesis of micro to macro, molecular to cellular, individual to social relationships provides a comprehensive study of sickle cell disease.

The book offers a synthesis of basic science describing genetic, molecular, metabolic, and rheologic aspects of sickle cell disease. Clinical aspects, including diagnosis and treatment, and psychosocial aspects, covering the interaction of the patient with sickle cell disease with society, are also treated. Physicians, scientists, allied health workers, sociologists, and social workers, epidemiologists and anthropologists as well as administrators of sickle cell centers will find this volume useful. The ultimate goal of the book is to improve the understanding of sickle cell disease and to contribute to a better quality of life for those who have the disease or who are at risk of getting it.

Comprising contributions from leading lipidologists from around the world, this book presents the latest and most comprehensive knowledge on the different options for combination therapy of dyslipidemia and includes discussion of future therapies that are currently in late stages of clinical evaluation. Dyslipidemia is a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and most patients with this condition fail to achieve adequate control of their serum lipid levels with monotherapy. However, recent US and European guideline recommendations, based on randomized, controlled trials, fail to discuss combination therapy options for patients with dyslipidemia. Statins remain the mainstay of drug therapy for hyperlipidemia and chapters in this book specifically examine the role of add-on therapy with different agents modulating the different lipid fractions in the blood, e.g. bile acid sequestrants, fibric acid derivatives (fibrates), omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils), inhibitors of Niemann-Pick C1 like 1 (NPC1L1) protein, cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), apolipoprotein B-100 and microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) and the emerging proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors. There is additional discussion of the role of non-drug therapy options such as nutraceuticals, functional foods and lipoprotein apheresis. The book also discusses the combination of antihypertensive drugs with lipid-lowering drugs in the management of cardiovascular risk in patents with dyslipidemia.

New Approaches to Aortic Disease from Valve to Abdominal Bifurcation provides a complete look at aortic valve diseases from all points of view, including etiology, physiopathology, prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The book offers new insights into the aortic valve and pathology based on evidence of current diagnostic methods, treatments and post-surgery evolution. Content is split into three distinct parts for ease of reference, including an overview of aortic pathology, diagnostic evaluations methods, and treatments. Also included are guidelines and future research directions, making this a must-have volume for all cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons who address significant issues in this topic area.

Reviews of previous editions: "...a well conceived practical guide to the interpretation and treatment of the main cardiac rhythm disturbances." Lancet "This book presents a concise and simplified approach to the diagnosis and management of abnormalities in cardiac rhythm...One of the book's strengths is the number and quality of electrocardiographic tracings" New England Journal of Medicine "...this book provides an excellent foundation for all those involved in the care of arrhythmia patients" British Journal of Hospital Medicine " would recommend it unreservedly to anaesthetists who wish to improve their knowledge of cardiac arrhythmias" British Journal of Anaesthesia "This book about cardiac arrhythmias is of much educational value" European Heart Journal A trusted source for junior doctors, students, nurses and cardiac technicians for over 30 years, the new edition of this classic reference continues the winning formula of previous editions while at the same time incorporating essential new content on today's most important clinical topics, including: * Atrial fibrillation: ablation, drugs, rate control versus rhythm control, risk of systemic embolism, prognosis * Indications for and management of implantable defibrillators including complications such as arrhythmia storms * Indications for pacemaker implantation * Anticoagulant therapy (for atrial fibrillation) * Long QT syndromes and other channelopathies * Recently-approved anti-arrhythmia drugs The 8th edition also features the latest guidelines on ECG screening of athletes and clear guidance for anaesthetists and surgeons dealing with patients with arrhythmias an/or implantable devices. Rich with example ECGs and designed for ease of access to information, Bennett's Cardiac Arrhythmias is the reference you can trust to help you master arrhythmia diagnosis and provide optimal treatment of any patient under your care.

Learn about: arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, veins, atria, ventricles, superior and inferior vena cava, pulmonary artery and vein, aorta, tricuspid and mitral valve, sinoatrial node, atrioventricular node, and purkinje fibers. Understand each of these terms and where they are located in this color-packed guide to the heart For all ages to enjoy.

Over the past few decades, cardiovascular disease and diabetes have emerged as major public health problems, both as distinct clinical entities and as comorbid conditions. As a result, the fields of vascular biology and endocrinology are working more closely now than ever before. With chapters by renowned experts, Cardiovascular Endocrinology: Shared Pathways and Clinical Crossroads emphasizes the considerable physiological interrelationships and clinical correlations between the specialties of cardiovascular medicine and endocrinology. Offering a wealth of information, Cardiovascular Endocrinology: Shared Pathways and Clinical Crossroads provides a range of insights, including a novel view of the hormonal regulation of the vascular system and the disruption of the nitric oxide signaling system. It also addresses the role of fatty acids and cytokines in the development of this problem. Importantly, this unique title also provides a state-of-the-art update on the importance of other hormones such as thyroid hormone and steroids, as well as the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease and controversies surrounding the use of hormone replacement therapy. In all, Cardiovascular Endocrinology: Shared Pathways and Clinical Crossroads is a first-of-its-kind title that discusses and summarizes important clinical topics in cardiology and endocrinology. It offers clinicians and researchers an important resource for navigating the increasingly interrelated pathways of cardiovascular and endocrinologic disorders. The authors discuss a range of important issues from epidemiology to bench research to translation of this research to clinical practice.

Examining the layers of meaning encoded in software and the rhetoric surrounding it, this book offers a much-needed perspective on the intersections between software, morality, and politics. In software development culture, evangelism typically denotes a rhetorical practice that aims to convert software developers, as well as non-technical lay users, from one platform to another (e.g., from the operating system Microsoft Windows to Linux). This book argues that software evangelism, like its religious counterpart, must also be understood as constructing moral and political values that extend well beyond the boundaries of the development culture. Unlike previous studies that locate such values in the effects of code in-use or in certain types of code like free and open source (FOSS) software, Maher argues that all code is meaningful beyond its technical, executable functions. To facilitate this analysis, this study builds a theory of evangelism and illustrates this theory at work in the proprietary software industry and FOSS communities. As an example of political liberalism at work at the level of code, these evangelical rhetorics of software construct competing conceptions of what is good that fall within a shared belief in what is just. Maher illustrates how these beliefs in goodness and justice do not always execute in replicable ways, as the different ways of decoding software evangelisms in the contexts of Brazil and China reveal. Demonstrating how software evangelisms exert a transformative force on the world, one comparable in significance to code itself, this book highlights the importance of rhetoric in even the most seemingly a-rhetorical of technical endeavors and foregrounds the crucial need for rhetorical literacy in the digital age.

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of mortality in the western world and about half of these deaths are caused by coronary artery disease. One of the most commonly used interventions to treat arterial blockages is to deploy an arterial stent to keep the vessel open. Traditionally, some cardiovascular stents have been associated with serious side-effects, such as thrombosis. This book describes the fundamentals of cardiovascular stents, technologies to functionalize their surfaces and the market status of these important implants. The chapters provide specific focus on the production and evolution of cardiovascular stents, providing essential knowledge for researchers on advances in the field and knowledge of how cardiovascular stents are currently being "functionalized" in order to improve their biocompatibility and minimize negative outcomes in vivo.

Nature is totally amoral! There are at least 3-4 million people in France alone who suffer from arterial hypertension, and whose cardiovascular system is submitted day and night to both a haemodynamic and hormonal stress. In all cases, the vasculature hypertrophies as does the myocardium. This growth process is obviously mainly detrimental at the outset since it lowers compliance of the arteries and makes them stiffer. In contrast, myocardial hypertrophy is initially beneficial since the growth process multiplies the number of contractile units and by so doing improves external work. In addition, according to Starling's law, wall stress is lowered. Growth factors playa major role in this amoral process as a trigger for hypertrophy at the vascular level, and very likely at the level of the myocardium. Another major point of interest is the role of growth factors as determinants of restenosis after angioplasty and also of atherogenesis. Several chapters in this book are directly or indirectly concerned with this problem which is far from being purely academic since several groups are currently trying to control these processes by gene transfer. Certainly, one of the major clinical questions arising from such studies is why restenosis is not more frequent in clinical practice. After de-endotheliazation, the biologist would predict on the basis of recent studies on growth factors, and in contrast with current clinical opinion, that hypertrophy would occur in all cases with more or less complete restenosis.

Key Features * Features concise yet thorough description of the landmark studies and scientific breakthroughs coupled with easy-to-follow organizational structure of chapters that are accessible to readers at different levels of training. * Brings together world-leading experts to provide a fresh perspective to trainees such as residents and fellows-in-training, as well as more senior clinicians and researchers across the field of rheumatology and in specialties such as cardiology, dermatology, pulmonology, nephrology, and neurology, all of whom care for patients with rheumatologic conditions. * Allows the author to imagine and speculate about the evolution of this field in the coming decades. Examples of such speculative possibilities include use of synovial biopsy to predict response to treatment in rheumatoid arthritis, replacement of renal biopsy with urinary proteomics in diagnosing and classifying lupus nephritis, use of new therapeutics to obviate the need for steroids in the treatment of ANCA-associated vasculitis, use of machine learning to evaluate subtle changes in imaging in management of inflammatory arthritis, etc.

As a leading cause of death in developed countries, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and its various treatment options are of great concern to those in the cardiology field. This text presents evidence-based chapters that supply clinicians with real-life situations and strategies to treat STEMI patients more effectively and at a quicker pace. A highly illustrated and fully referenced source, this comprehensive text provides both a scientific background and a practical overview of the invasive management of STEMI patients.

Coronary Artery Disease: From Biology to Clinical Practice links the most important basic concepts of atherosclerosis pathophysiology to treatment management of coronary artery disease. Comprehensive coverage starts with the basic pathophysiologic mechanisms of the disease, including molecular and genetic mechanisms, cells interaction and inflammation. In addition, sections on novel anti-atherosclerotic therapies and a thorough understanding of the recent trends in clinical management round out this comprehensive tome that is ideal for practitioners and researchers. By summarizing this novel knowledge and changes in diagnostic algorithm and treatment options, this is the perfect reference for cardiology researchers who want a volume with the most up-to-date experimental trends in the field of atherosclerosis, for cardiologists and physicians who manage patients with atherosclerotic risk factors and established coronary artery disease, and medical students who want to learn the basic concepts of atherosclerosis.

This issue of Cardiac Electrophysiology Clinics, edited by Drs. Luigi Padeletti and Giuseppe Bagliani, will cover the latest in Normal Electrophysiology, Substrates, and the Electrocardiographic Diagnosis of Cardiac Arrhythmias. Topics covered in this issue include History of Arrhythmias; P wave and arrhythmias originating in the atria; PQ interval and Junctional zone; QRS complex; Ventricular repolarization during arrhythmias; Classification and specific electrocardiographic pattern of Cardiac Arrhythmias; and Electrocardiographic practice of cardiac arrhythmias.

Matrix Metalloproteinases and Tissue Remodeling in Health and Disease: Target Tissues and Therapy, Volume, Volume 148, the latest volume in the Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science series covers a variety of timely topics, with chapters focusing on The Role of Matrix Metalloproteinases in Development, Repair, and Destruction of the Lungs, Matrix Metalloproteinases in Kidney Disease: Role in Pathogenesis and Potential as a Therapeutic Target, Regulation of Matrix Metalloproteinase in the Pathogenesis of Diabetic Retinopathy, Matrix Metalloproteinases in Normal Pregnancy and Preeclampsia, and Matrix Metalloproteinases, Neural Extracellular Matrix, and Central Nervous System Pathology. This volume is the second part of a thematic on matrix metalloproteinases and tissue remodeling in health and disease. It focuses on the role of MMPs in other systems, target tissues, and pathological disorders and the potential benefits of MMP inhibitors in various disorders.