Although the importance of calcium (Ca2+) in the maintenance of cardiac contractility was recognized as early as 1880, the critical role of the ion in the contractile process in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle has only been established within the last three decades. As the complexity of the pharmacological actions of the Ca2+ channel inhibitors grows, there is a continued need to further clarify the inhibitors, both chemically and functionally. This volume provides an update of the field based on the work presented at the 5th International Symposium on Calcium Antagonists: Pharmacology and Clinical Research. It reviews the current state of the growing area of molecular biology of Ca2+ channels in the cardiovascular area, in addition to the well-established clinical uses of Ca2+ channel inhibitors, recent work pointing to an application in atherosclerosis is described. The text also includes important uses of Ca2+ antagonists in novel areas of interest such as the gastrointestinal tract, renal protection and multi-drug resistance.

The volumes in this authoritative series present a multidisciplinary approach to modeling and simulation of flows in the cardiovascular and ventilatory systems, especially multiscale modeling and coupled simulations. Volume 5 is devoted to cells, tissues, and organs of the cardiovascular and ventilatory systems with an emphasis on mechanotransduction-based regulation of flow. The blood vessel wall is a living tissue that quickly reacts to loads applied on it by the flowing blood. In any segment of a blood vessel, the endothelial and smooth muscle cells can sense unusual time variations in small-magnitude wall shear stress and large-amplitude wall stretch generated by abnormal hemodynamic stresses. These cells respond with a short-time scale (from seconds to hours) to adapt the vessel caliber. Since such adaptive cell activities can be described using mathematical models, a key objective of this volume is to identify the mesoscopic agents and nanoscopic mediators required to derive adequate mathematical models. The resulting biomathematical models and corresponding simulation software can be incorporated into platforms developed in virtual physiology for improved understanding and training.

This is the first textbook entirely dedicated to the endovascular treatment of complications related to arteriovenous accesses for hemodialysis (native fistulas and prosthetic grafts). The book addresses the anatomy of upper limb arteries and veins as well as the clinical presentation of patients and the way to perform and read a fistulogram. Many details and illustrations are provided, clarifying the subtleties in catheterization and the dilation of stenoses. From a strategic point of view, it is explained for the first time that many stenoses must either be ignored or deliberately underdilated. A wealth of images helps to understand the different stages of access recovery from thrombosis. As the number of incident dialysis patients is increasing by 5% every year, this is a field of growing interest. In testament to this there are several annual or bi-annual meetings held by numerous national and international societies (vascularaccesssociety.com, sfav.org, vasamd.org, dialysiscontroversies.org, asdin.org).

This book aims to clarify the potential association between frailty and cardiovascular disease in older people. Covering the biological as well as the clinical point of view, it allows researchers and clinicians to discover the significance of this topic. The contributions cover the most important aspects in the potential relationship between frailty and cardiovascular disease. In particular, authoritative authors in this field have clarified the definition and the epidemiology of frailty and cardiovascular disease in older people. A large part of the volume is dedicated to the biological mechanisms of frailty and cardiovascular disease, trying to find those in common between these two conditions. Since this book is dedicated to both researchers and clinicians, we have proposed some chapters to the importance of comprehensive geriatric assessment in the evaluation and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and frailty. In this regard, the importance of geriatric evaluation in cardiac surgery for older people is well covered. Finally, the importance of cardiac rehabilitation and physical exercise is summarized, being, actually, the most important treatments for both frailty and cardiovascular disease. Written by many well-known and widely published experts in their respective fields, this book will appeal to a wide readership such as researchers in the field and clinicians, especially suited in geriatric medicine and cardiology who, every day, face frail older patients.

Cardiology to Impress is the ultimate guidebook for medical students preparing for the clinical experience. It is written in collaboration with top teaching consultants and newly qualified doctors who are familiar with the pitfalls of clinical attachments, and understand the fears and apprehensions when students are thrown into difficult exams and the hospital setting. This pocket-size handbook specifically outlines what medical students are to expect, and what is expected of them in clinics, theatres and in exam settings. It teaches how to be competent in front of senior doctors and provides useful tips on how to answer questions on ward rounds. This book does not mindlessly regurgitate facts, rather it tailors the facts to the clinical setting, thus bridging the gap between textbook knowledge and clinical practice in a way that enables the student to understand, and appreciate the clinical relevance of medical knowledge.

There is hardly an area of research developing so quickly and raising so many promises as stem cell research. Adult, embryonic and recently available induced pluripotent stem cells not only foster our understanding of differentiation of endo-, ecto- and mesodermal lineages to all organs of the body, but foremost nourish the hope that cells grown in culture can be used for regeneration of diseased organs such as the heart damaged by myocardial infarction. This book focuses on perspectives of stem cells for regenerative therapy of cardiovascular diseases. Based on the EC consortium INELPY, it reviews the field and disseminates major outcomes of this project. Thus it introduces the reader to this fascinating area of research and incorporates very recent findings interesting to the expert, spanning the field from bench to bedside. The compilation of contributions is unique as there is yet no similar comprehensive overview combining stem cell research with preclinical and clinical evaluation as well as engineering of tissue patches for transplantation. As such it will be an invaluable source of information for all researchers in the stem cell and tissue regeneration field including bioengineers as well as for all clinicians interested in regenerative therapies, especially for ischemic cardiomyopathies.

This book shows how the various paradigms of computational intelligence, employed either singly or in combination, can produce an effective structure for obtaining often vital information from ECG signals. The text is self-contained, addressing concepts, methodology, algorithms, and case studies and applications, providing the reader with the necessary background augmented with step-by-step explanation of the more advanced concepts. It is structured in three parts: Part I covers the fundamental ideas of computational intelligence together with the relevant principles of data acquisition, morphology and use in diagnosis; Part II deals with techniques and models of computational intelligence that are suitable for signal processing; and, Part III details ECG system-diagnostic interpretation and knowledge acquisition architectures. Illustrative material includes: brief numerical experiments; and, detailed schemes, exercises and more advanced problems.

In this issue of Rheumatic Disease Clinics, guest editors Drs. M. Elaine Husni and George A. Karpouzas bring their considerable expertise to the topic of Cardiovascular Complications of Chronic Rheumatic Diseases. Top experts in the field cover key topics such as primary and secondary atherosclerotic cardiovascular (ASCVD) risk prevention in the rheumatic disease, pro-thrombotic and pro-atherogenic anti-phospholipid antibodies, recommendations for the use of NSAIDs and CVD risk, and more. Contains 9 relevant, practice-oriented topics including atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk stratification in the rheumatic diseases; subclinical atherosclerosis evaluation across various vascular territories; lessons from heart and large vessel biopsies in patients with and without autoimmune rheumatic disease; the role of lipoprotein levels and function in atherosclerosis associated with autoimmune rheumatic diseases; and more. Provides in-depth clinical reviews on cardiovascular complications of chronic rheumatic diseases, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.

In excess of 7 million people worldwide die of coronary heart disease each year. Only one-third of these heart attack victims recover completely. The remainder suffer the consequences of myocardial infarction and its ill fated remodeling process, resulting in chronic congestive heart failure. This malady alone is the leading cause of hospital admissions in the United States.

New breakthroughs in stem cell therapy and tissue engineering have promised to reverse this dismal outcome by cardiovascular repair. World authorities, including scientists and regulatory authorities, have joined in a collaborative effort to present for the reader the first collective review of stem cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. These contributions in basic science, pre-clinical and clinical experience guided by the regulatory pathways, assure a rapid course of translational research and clinical trials.

The contents of this publication will become a prerequisite for those preparing to meet the challenges of this exciting and potentially rewarding field of stem cell research.

For many years, there has been a great deal of work done on chronic congestive heart failure while acute heart failure has been considered a difficult to handle and hopeless syndrome. However, in recent years acute heart failure has become a growing area of study and this is the first book to cover extensively the diagnosis and management of this complex condition. The book reflects the considerable amounts of new data reported and many new concepts which have been proposed in the last 3-4 years looking at the epidemiology, diagnostic and treatment of acute heart failure.

An international meeting of experts on "Cardiovascular Imaging by Ultrasound" was held in Aachen from 26-27 April, 1991. It provided new and interesting insights into what has already been achieved in ultrasound - based cardiovascular diagnosis and therapy and what will be introduced in clinical practice in the near future. Since the introduction of ultrasound in clinical practice in 1984 there has been no other physical principle that has added and will continue to add so much to clinical diagnosis and therapy. Echocardiography, once established as a non-invasive diagnostic tool, is increasingly becoming an invasive technique for cardio-vascular imaging. This book contains the edited contributions from 38 scientists and engineers from all over the world who presented the most up-to-date findings on 2-dimensional echocardiography, different Doppler modalities, contrast and stress echocardiography and the different modalities of transesophageal echocardiography, including mono-,bi- and multiplane TEE, as well as pulsed and CW-Doppler application via TEE. Exciting and promising developments are discussed in the field of intravascular ultrasound, tissue characterization, ultrasound ablation, ultrasound-based 3-dimensional reconstruction of the heart, and high frequency Doppler analysis.

Current evidence suggests that the ischemic preconditioning response is a multi-factorial process consisting of an initial early trigger, an intermediate mediator, and an end effector. Each of these steps in is now its own intense area of investigation. The need to render the heart ischemic for a brief period to invoke the preconditioning response is currently the major factor limiting clinical application of this powerful cardioprotective strategy. Recent research efforts have utilized brief exposures to pharmacological agents, in lieu of a brief preconditioning ischemia, to trigger/mimic the ischemic preconditioning-induced response. The World Heart Congress held in Winnipeg in July 2001 provided a forum for the presentation of new insights into the basic mechanisms of ischemia and reperfusion injury, as well as novel strategies to protect the heart from cell death, ventricular arrhythmias, and contractile dysfunction. Many pioneers in the fields of ischemia-reperfusion injury and preconditioning-induced protection presented there and the chapters in this book represent selected papers from these symposia.

In the past five years, interventional cardiology has entered a new era of evaluating percutaneous transcatheter technologies to treat coronary artery disease and prevent restenosis. Cardiologists attempting to follow this field may be confused by the growth and expansion of new devices, the technical details relevant to each device and enthusiastic claims of success. This monograph is a comprehensive assessment of restenosis from the perspective of these new technologies including stenting, atherectomy, rotational abrasion and lasers. The international breadth of experience is reflected in the summary from both sides of the Atlantic, at times with conflicting observations and results which can be in itself valuable, given the diverse experience to date. In addition to the summaries of the early and late results of these new devices, issues in the methodology of restenosis research are addressed, including limitations of quantitative coronary arteriography in evaluating the new devices and advances in alternatives to arteriography such as intrevascular imaging. This text aims to weave many of these concepts together, establishing the ground work for further development of mechanical approaches to limit restenosis. It is intended for use by interventional cardiologists interested in practical and research aspects of restenosis.

This brilliant and highly practical book provides a case-based introduction and primer to the practice of ICD therapy. It contains a huge number of images and includes real-world patient histories. The reader is able to gain extensive practical knowledge of the practice of ICD therapy with the use of these case reports. These concentrate on the skills necessary to increase specialist knowledge of defibrillator therapy practice.

A cutting-edge review of the latest findings on key scientific topics and the best strategies for evaluation and management of portal hypertension in the clinic. Writing in an easy-to-read style, the authors review its pathobiology, the progress being made in its experimental understanding, the methodologies to assess it in humans, the treatment of its complications (esophageal varices, ascites, and hepatorenal syndrome), and its treatment in special circumstances (during pregnancy, in children, or when the portal vein is blocked). They also provide in-depth coverage of the pros and cons of the various therapeutic choices available to the clinician managing patients with complicated portal hypertension.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in developed countries. Recent experimental advances featuring cellular, molecular, and genetic tools and technologies offer the potential for new therapeutic strategies directed toward remediation of inherited and acquired heart diseases. Whether these recent basic science advances will ultimately translate to clinical efficacy for patients with heart disease is unknown and is important to ascertain. Cardiac Cell and Gene Transfer: Principles, Protocols, and Applications is designed to provide the reader with up-to-date coverage of a myriad of specific methodo- gies and protocols for gene and cell transfer to the myocardium. Each chapter features a "Notes" section that provides useful "how to" problem-solving insights that are often left unstated in standard published protocols. Cardiac Cell and Gene Transfer: Principles, Protocols, and Appli- tions addresses principles and applications of cell and gene transfer to the heart, including protocols for vector production and purification. Detailed step-by-step methods and applications for first/second-generation adenoviral vectors, adeno-associated vectors, gutted adenoviral vectors, and lentiviral vectors are included. Additionally, detailed methods for cardiac cell grafting and transplantation are provided, and these chapters highlight the prospects of cell-based therapies for cardiac repair. The book also covers specific in vivo techniques for cardiac gene transfer, and specifies subsequent cellular and organ-level physiological assessment techniques and protocols. Accordingly, this book is designed for basic science and clinical researchers in the academic, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology sectors of the cardiovascular community.

All physicians practicing medicine encounter patients suffering from cardiovascular disease. This book has been outlined in such a way that vascular surgeons, general internists, neurologists and cardiologists should be able to use it. The book covers the complete scope of cardiac diseases in addition to chapters on hypertension and atherosclerosis. In many patients there is a family history of cerebrovascular accidents, myocardial infarction or peripheral arterial disease. Also in patients reporting collaps, palpitations and arrhythmias the family is crucial and can provide clues to a genetic cause of the disease. This book is published to guide physicians in the process of determining whether a genetic component is likely to be present. Furthermore, information is provided what the possibilities and limitations of DNA diagnostic techniques are. Finally, the importance of newly identified categories of potential patients, i. e. gene carriers without symptoms or any inducible sign of disease, is highlighted. For some patients a genetic diagnosis is essential to determine appropriate therapy and for counseling? In some other diseases DNA diagnostic tools are available but the relevant for the patients may be less clear. In other families the search for a disease causing gene is ongoing and the possibilities to find genes and to unravel the pathophysiology of the disease is limited by the lack of patients. To give insight into the current state of genetic diagnostics, the authors have classified the cardiovascular diseases.

One: Coronary angioplasty.- 1. Medical interventions for regression of coronary atherosclerosis.- 2. Digital coronary angiography.- 3. Balloon angioplasty for stable and unstable angina.- 4. Radiofrequency coronary angioplasty.- 5. Laser angioplasty - technical aspects.- 6. Excimer laser coronary angioplasty: preliminary clinical experience.- 7. Result of a pilot study on percutaneous coronary excimer laser ablation in patients with coronary artery disease.- 8. Excimer-laser coronary angioplasty: clinical experience with high-grade stenosis and recanalization of chronic occlusions.- 9. High speed arteriosclerotic lesion ablation for treatment of coronary artery disease.- 10. A new balloon-expandable coronary tantalum stent in atherosclerotic minipigs: angiographic and histologic findings 4 weeks after implantation.- 11. Autoperfusion catheter for preservation of myocardium during coronary artery obstruction after failed PTCA.- Two: Peripheral vessel angioplasty.- 12. Balloon angioplasty.- 13. Symptomatic occlusion of the subclavian artery: treatment by balloon angioplasty.- 14. Rotational atherectomy: current use in vascular disease with specific focus on the Simpson device.- 15. Increased growth rates of percutaneously and surgically extracted plaque cells from human restenosing tissue in vitro.- 16. Effect of propranolol on growth of cultured human smooth muscle cells derived from non-atherosclerotic and atherosclerotic vascular tissue.- 17. Excimer laser angioplasty: efficiency and damage.- 18. Current problems of excimer laser angioplasty.- 19. Laser angioplasty.- 20. Preliminary experience with the implantation of Strecker-stents in peripheral arteries.- 21. Angioplasty of peripheral vessels: surgical aspects.- Three: Balloon valvuloplasty.- 22. Balloon pulmonary valvoplasty.- 23. Mitral valvuloplasty.- 24. Balloon aortic valvuloplasty.- 25. Surgical aspects of balloon valvuloplasty (BVP).- Four: Catheter ablation of tachycardias.- 26. DC-ablation of the atrioventricular conduction system in patients with supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.- 27. Localization and catheter ablation of accessory atrioventricular pathways.- 28. Radiofrequency ablation of supraventricular and atrioventricular tachyarrhythmias.- 29. The role of the surgeon in the management of supraventricular arrhythmias.- 30. Catheter mapping of ventricular tachycardia.- 31. Catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia by direct current.- 32. Catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia using radiofrequency current.- 33. Catheter ablation for arrhythmias using lasers.- 34. Chemical ablation in the pig heart by subendocardial injection of ethanol via catheter.- 35. Long-term results of antitachycardia electrotherapy in ventricular tachyarrhythmia.- 36. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators: patient selection, devices and results.- 37. Surgical ablation of ventricular tachycardias.

Over the past decades, the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases have been benefited significantly from intensive research activities. In order to provide a comprehensive "manual" in a field that has become as broad and deep as cardiovascular medicine, this volume of "Methods in Molecular Medicine" covers a wide spectrum of in vivo and in vitro techniques encompassing biochemical, pharmacological and molecular biology disciplines which are currently used to assess vascular disease progression. Each chapter included in this volume focuses on a specific vascular biology technique and describes various applications as well as caveats of these techniques. The protocols included here are described in detail, allowing beginners with little experience in the field of vascular biology to embark on new research projects.