Primer on Cerebrovascular Diseases is a handy reference source for scientists, students, and physicians needing reliable, up-to-date information on basic mechanisms, physiology, pathophysiology, and medical issues related to brain vasculature. The book consists of short, specific chapters written by international experts on cerebral vasculature, and presents the information in a comprehensive and easily accessible manner. The book also contains valuable information on practical applications of basic research.
Key Features
* Presents topics in a comprehensive and accessible format
* Written by international authorities on cerebral vasculature
* Provides practical applications for researchers

This new edition of Animal Models in Cardiovascular Research describes historical and recent advances in our understanding of the cardiovascular system from studies conducted in a variety of animal models. Since the last edition we have witnessed an explosion in the use of both congenic and transgenic animals. The use of specific knock-in and knock-out transgenic models has resulted in an avalanche of genetic, molecular and protein-based information that, potentially, could result in an amazing new array of treatment and management options. However, the results of these studies also introduce a sometime bewildering array of redundant, overlapping and competing molecular pathways involved in both physiological and pathological responses.

This third edition is designed to provide a better basis for understanding and using animal models in the current climate of background knowledge and information. It is significantly different than the previous two editions. Chapter 1 is updated from the previous editions addressing general principles of animal selection. It also provides expanded tables of normal physiological values for easy reference. Chapter 2 covers preoperative care, pre-anesthesia, chemical restraint, and includes a significantly expanded section on pain recognition and analgesia particularly in rodents. Chapter 3 provides a summary of normal cardiovascular parameters obtained from intact, awake animals. The data have been rearranged in outline rather than the previous tabular form hopefully resulting in easier reference.

Chapter 4 addresses the techniques, problems and pitfalls of measuring cardiac function in animals. There is an emphasis on the proper use of these measurements to develop new treatment and management strategies as well as using them to study mechanisms of disease. Chapter 5 emphasizes the techniques, problems and pitfalls involved in the measurement of arterial function and ventricular/arterial coupling dynamics. Again the emphasis is on the use of these parameters to develop new treatment and management strategies and for studying the mechanisms of disease. Chapter 6 is a all new chapter dealing specifically with the problems and pitfalls inherent in using isolated heart preparations. The need for this chapter became apparent because so much information was published using obviously non-physiologic preparations. The use of both pumping and non-pumping preparations are described along with techniques necessary for using hearts from larger species where oxygen carrying capacity of the perfusate is critical. The importance of hypoxia and anoxia in the interpretation of results is discussed.

Chapter 7 focuses on the cardiovascular effects of the post-operative analgesic drugs commonly used today and how to avoid potential problems resulting from these effects when reporting experimental data. These data are also presented in outline form rather than the tabular format used in the two previous editions. Chapter 8 addresses the use of naturally occurring animal models of valvular and infectious cardiovascular disease. The information presented has been updated and expanded from the second edition. Chapter 9 examines iatrogenic models of ischemic heart disease.

Chapter 10 is new. It provides a review of iatrogenic, transgenic and naturally occurring animal models of cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Chapter 11 includes new, updated and revised information reviewing iatrogenic and transgenic models of hypertension. Chapter 12 contains new, and updated information on iatrogenic and transgenic models of atherosclerotic disease.

Chapter 13 is completely new material dealing with animal models for the study of neurohumeral and central nervous system control of the cardiovascular system. Chapter 14 is also new. It provides examples of cardiovascular studies involving the use of specific transgenic models not normally associated with the cardiovascular system, such as estrogen receptor knockouts, to study cardiovascular function.

In 1979 Dr Sperelakis published the `Origin of the Cardiac Resting Potential' in the Handbook of Physiology of the Heart. Since that time, many investigators and teachers of membrane biophysics have used this article as a source of reference on the fundamental principles and equations describing the factors that establish the resting potential in excitable and non-excitable cells. Professor Sperelakis has expanded the scope of this article to provide the present book, creating a comprehensive work and an invaluable reference on the electrophysiological concepts underlying cellular excitability. There has long been a need for a text which precisely defines the assumptions underlying the derivations and equations that describe the principles of electrical excitability and maintenance of ion gradients in excitable cells. Here, Professor Sperelakis not only defines the equations and underlying concepts of membrane potentials, but gives working examples of solutions, thus allowing investigators to utilize the fundamental principles in their research, and students of membrane physiology to establish a sound basis of electrophysiological theory. `I have used the `Origin of the Cardiac Resting Potential' in graduate courses on cell physiology and biophysics, and look forward to using this new book. The time and effort required to put this work together reflects the dedication of Dr Sperelakis to the field of membrane biophysics and electrophysiology in his long, productive career.' From the Foreword by Dr David R. Harder.

Aging Issues in Cardiology provides an overview of the practical clinical areas involved in managing cardiovascular disease in the elderly. This volume will be useful to any physician managing the cardiovascular health of elderly individuals.
Topics covered include:

-Delirium in Elderly Cardiac Patients,
-Depression,
- Pharmacologic Issues,
- Primary Prevention,
- Syncope,
- Heart Failure,
- Coronary Revascularization.

Although there are many books on angina, few are devoted to the important problem of how to evaluate drug efficacy in angina pectoris. Drug Evaluation in Angina Pectoris has two fundamental aims: the first is to review the methodological aspects of drug evaluation in stable and unstable angina pectoris; the second is to provide a logical and methodological background for future studies aimed at assessing the ability of medical treatment to improve prognosis. Part I updates the pathophysiology, clinical presentation and prognosis of angina pectoris. Part II aims to put in numbers' the symptoms and signs of myocardial ischemia, starting from a revision of the currently used parameters. It is extremely important to quantify the variability of the disease for the correct design of clinical trial, a subject dealt with in Part III, which also discusses some clinico-pharmacological aspects of therapy. Part IV is a critical review of the drugs currently used for the treatment of stable and unstable angina, and particularly considers some important unresolved issues concerning their use. The current FDA and EC guidelines for the evaluation of antianginal drugs are briefly discussed in Part V, giving clinical investigators insight into how antianginal drugs are evaluated by regulatory agencies and what is considered as proof of a valid efficacy/tolerability ratio. Drug Evaluation in Angina Pectoris will assist discerning cardiologists, pharmacologists, and advanced students of cardiology as well as innovative pharmaceutical companies, all of whom need to understand what angina is, how to evaluate treatment, and how to judge the agents used in its treatment.

This provides background information on procedures, epidemiological aspects, problem areas, mortality and morbidity risk. These topics are of particular interest for investigators in ECG research and clinical trials. This monograph is specialized beyond the scope of ordinary clinical textbooks of electrocardiography that have traditionally flooded the market. The authors have closely collaborated for over a quarter of a century in operating an academic ECG Center.

This wide ranging work provides a complete representation of the present state of knowledge of the vascular endothelium. The volume comprises 20 chapters by experts who have made significant contributions to research in the vascular endothelium. The text discusses the structure, development and function of the normal vascular endothelium, considers conditions that lead to the disruption of vascular physiology and provides a comprehensive description of pathologies and their treatment.

In this issue of Cardiology Clinics, guest editors Drs. Timothy D. Henry and Santiago Garcia bring their considerable expertise to the topic of COVID-19. Top experts in the field cover key topics such as prothrombotic effects of COVID-19; impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute myocardial infarction care; impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiac arrest and emergency care; vaccine-related cardiovascular effects; and more. Contains 11 relevant, practice-oriented topics including cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19; use and prognostic implications of cardiac biomarkers (Troponin); COVID-19: Insights from cardiac pathology; ACS in COVID-19; STEMI in COVID-19; and more. Provides in-depth clinical reviews on COVID-19, 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.

Cardiovascular diseases continue to be the leading cause of death in the - jority of industrialized countries. The most frequent underlying pathology, namely atherosclerosis, and its clinical sequelae, namely coronary heart d- ease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral artery disease, remain common although for a long time we have been made aware of avoidable or mo- ?able etiological factors such as smoking, fat-rich diet or lack of exercise, and although these adverse lifestyle factors have been extensively addressed by population-wide primary prevention programs. Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality also remain high despite successful anti-hypertensive and lipid lowering drug therapies which help to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality by about 30% in both secondary and tertiary prevention settings. This can partly be explained by the increasing life expectancy and growing p- portionofelderly people,especiallyinEuropeandNorthAmerica. Inaddition, the World Health Organization makes the alarming prediction that probably in response to the spreading of western dietary behavior and lack of exercise resulting in an increasing prevalence of diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypert- sion, cardiovascular diseases rather than infectious diseases will become the most frequent cause of death worldwide. This volume of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology entitled "Atherosclerosis" is divided into four parts and intends to give an overview on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, established treatment and prevention regimen, and of perspectives for the development of new treatment modalities.

The prevalence of hypertension is almost three times as high as that of diabetes mellitus type 2, with both conditions being major risk factors for stroke, ischemic heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias, and heart failure. The exact prevalence of hypertension related to hormonal derangements (endocrine hypertension) is not known but estimated to affect less than 15% of hypertensive patients. Recent scientific discoveries have increased the understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms of hypertension. In Endocrine Hypertension, a renowned panel of experts provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview of this disorder, discussing when to assign an endocrine cause in one of many conditions that may present with hypertension. The first part of Endocrine Hypertension is dedicated to adrenal causes. The second part of the volume concerns potential nonadrenal causes of hypertension, such as growth hormone excess or deficiency, primary hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D deficiency, testosterone deficiency, insulin resistance, obesity-associated hypertension, and the role of central mineralocorticoid receptors and cardiovascular disease. An important contribution to the literature, Endocrine Hypertension is an indispensable reference not only for endocrinologists, diabetologists, and adrenal investigators, but also for translational scientists and clinicians from cardiology, internal medicine, pediatrics, family medicine, geriatrics, urology, and reproductive medicine / gynecology.

It is often suggested that the incidence of cancer and coronary heart disease could be much reduced or even eliminated if only people would stop smoking cigarettes and eat fewer high-cholesterol foods. The evidence, however, shows that such views are simplistic and unrealistic and that, instead, cancer and CHD are the product of many risk factors acting synergistically. Psychosocial factors (stress, personality) are six times as predictive as smoking, cholesterol level or blood pressure and much more responsive to prophylactic treatment. This book admits that, while smoking is a risk factor for cancer and CHD, its effects have been exaggerated. A more realistic appraisal of a very complex chain of events incorporating many diverse factors is given, and appropriate action to prevent cancer and coronary heart disease is discussed.

This book is based on papers presented at a Symposium held in Seoul, Korea in 1992. The idea for the symposium developed naturally from work in which Professor Yung E Earm, at Seoul National University, had been involved both in my laboratory in Oxford and in his own laboratory in Seoul concerning the possible role of certain amino acids, like taurine that are strongly concentrated by the cells of the heart, and the relationship between such acids and membrane ionic currents. The first obvious question was whether it is possible to identify the transport mechanisms involved for taurine and whether they are electrogenic. The second question is what function could be served by such processes: does taurine play an essential role in cardiac tissue and is this important in protecting the heart from disease? With his colleagues in the Korean Physiological Society, Professor Earm set about the task of fmancing and organizing a meeting at which some of the world's leading cardiac electrophysiologists and taurine specialists could discuss these questions. The fmance was generously provided by the Dong-A Pharmaceutical Company, one of the leading scientific companies in Korea.

Medical Applications of Electrochemistry, a volume of the series Modern Aspects of Electrochemistry, illustrates the interdisciplinary nature of modern science by indicating the many current issues in medicine that are susceptible to solution by electrochemical methods. This book also suggests how personalized medicine can develop.

Since it was introduced less than 100 years ago, analysis of the circulatory response to exercise as a measure of cardiac function has undergone remarkable development. Most recently this approach has incorporated the burgeoning technology of the last half of the 20th century to meet the physiological and diagnostic needs of scientist and clinicians. The ease of administration, economy and abundant data that characterize exercise testing for its relative staying power as the most frequently utilized noninvasive method of cardiovascular evaluation. The basic modalities of exercise electrocardiography of treadmill and bicycle have been extended by noninvasive cardiac imaging techniques, including scintigraphy and echocardiography, that have provided new insights in myocardial function during exertion and pharmacologic stress. At the same time, traditional exercise electrocardiography has also been refined by innovations that have broadened its applications. Exercise Testing: Current Concepts and Recent Advances affords the reader a state-of-the-art presentation of the diverse and expanding methods of exercise testing and their roles in patient management. The contributors to this volume include individuals who have made seminal contributions to the field during the last several decades. Indeed, it is legitimate to designate this group as a Who's Who of Exercise Testing'. It is our hope that this book will enhance the reader's understanding of contemporary methods of exercise testing, as well as provide a glimpse into future directions of this science, that this knowledge is applied to optimal diagnosis and management of our patients.

Cardiac performance is regulated not only by cardiac muscle properties but also by several other factors, including those associated with the neurohumoral system and the mechanical characteristics of the peripheral circulation. New information con cerning these regulatory factors has furthered our understanding of the pathophysi ology of cardiac dysfunction. However, controversy remains, along with a need to integrate these multidisciplinary findings. It was with this in mind, together with my continuing interest in the response of the normal and diseased heart to variations in loading conditions, that the satellite symposium entitled "Interactions Between Car diac Function and Vascular Dynamics" was organized and dedicated to my mentor, Dr. T. Takishima. The symposium was held in Fukushima, Japan, in 1992 following the Tenth Inter national Conference of the Cardiovascular Systems Dynamics Society in Kobe, Japan, which was organized by the then president of the society, Dr. Masatsugu Hori. The Fukushima symposium and the Kobe conference were stimulating and informative. To commemorate these events, Dr. Hori, Dr. Janicki, and I decided to publish this book. It covers topics that were presented then as well as pertinent new material. As a result, the book includes not only updated reviews but also up-to-date findings that were not considered at the two scientific sessions. The high level attained in this book is due to the outstanding contributions from internationally renowned scientists. This final product of their efforts should prove to be a valuable source of information to the reader.

Rotary blood pumps increasingly are being used in open heart surgery and in assisted circulation for patients with heart disease. These rotary devices include vortex (centrifugal) and axial pumps, which can be utilized in conditions where the use of conventional pulsatile pumps would entail problems of cost and size. Rapid progress is now being made in developing new devices for controlling blood flow within the heart and great vessels as well as extracorporeally for use in coronary and intensive care units and, in the future, for long-term use. This book provides information on the physiology of nonpulsatile circulation, the development of rotary pump engineering, and the clinical application of rotary blood pumps. It also presents an overview of future developments in this important field.

The ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP) was discovered in 1983. Since then, an enormous amount of research has been undertaken to characterize it in detail. This volume consolidates both the current knowledge and most recent advances on the subject, and its relationship to myocardial protection. To this end, the editors have assembled investigators at the forefront of ongoing basic and clinical research to provide scholarly and candid comments concerning each of the pertinent issues, including: a comprehensive review of the biology of the channel with respect to the structure-activity relationship as well as overall chemistry of the channel; the role of opening this channel and its effect on smooth muscle (covering both the effects on myocardial stunning and its ability to protect against myocardial infarction); the relationship of KATP channel opening and the protection to the myocardium afforded by the phenomenon of ischemic preconditioning; the relationship between the KATP channel and electrophysiological consequences with specific reference to arrhythmogenicity; and the clinical implications of the use of agents that mimic the opening of this channel, with reference to its protective nature and its use in the treatment of angina. Audience: Clinicians and basic scientists who have a direct interest in the KATP channel as well as those groups who are interested in the entire concept of myocardial protection and its relationship to academic and clinical medicine.

In the past decade, major progress has been made in understanding mec- nisms of arrhythmias. This progress stems from much-improved experim- tal, genetic, and computational techniques that have helped to clarify the roles of speci?c proteins in the cardiac cycle, including ion channels, pumps, - changer, adaptor proteins, cell-surface receptors, and contractile proteins. The interactions of these components, and their individual potential as therap- tic targets, have also been studied in detail, via an array of new imaging and sophisticated experimental modalities. The past 10 years have also led to the realization that genetics plays a predominant role in the development of lethal arrhythmias. Many of the topics discussed in this text re?ect very recently undertaken research directions including the genetics of arrhythmias, cell signaling mo- cules as potential therapeutic targets, and traf?cking to the membrane. These new approaches and implementations of anti-arrhythmic therapy derive from many decades of research as outlined in the ?rst chapter by the distinguished professors Michael Rosen (Columbia University) and Michiel Janse (University of Amsterdam). The text covers changes in approaches to arrhythmia therapy over time, in multiple cardiac regions, and over many scales, from gene to protein to cell to tissue to organ.

Role of Potassium in Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine: Information related to this question has accumulated for nearly a hundred years, from work in cellular physiology, experimental studies in animals, clinical trials, and from population and epidemiological investigations. Because of the importance of integration of this diverse body of information, the most significant findings are brought together in this book. This body of information provides emphatic support for the importance of high dietary potassium intake as a means of reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, as it provides abundant evidence that potassium depletion has significant, deleterious influences that increase the risk of hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart failure, and stroke. At this time we have the results and data required to strongly recommend dietary modification to increase potassium intake. But making the recommendation will only be the first step; convincing the population to undertake the change in eating patterns will be challenging, and will require concerted actions by government, the medical community, and the food and beverage industries. The outcome promises to be well worth the investment. This book is an excellent source of current information on the many roles of potassium in cardiovascular disease. It succinctly mixes basic physiology and clinical aspects in a manner that will make it of great value to both researchers and clinicians.' Norman M. Kaplan, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

Mechanisms of Heart Failure is based on papers selected from poster presentations made at the International Conference on Heart Failure, Winnipeg, May 20-23, 1994. Although the entire book is one continuous discussion of subcellular mechanisms of heart failure and its treatment, the presentation has been divided into three sections: the opening section on the subcellular basis of heart failure includes discussions of cytokines, signal transduction, metabolism, extracellular matrix, organ level changes and newer approaches to understanding the pathogenesis of heart failure. The second section focuses on the pathophysiological aspects of cardiomyopathies and their treatment. In the final section, medical, surgical and pharmacological approaches to the treatment of heart failure are discussed in clinical and animal laboratory settings.

Complex physiopathological relationships have been proven to exist between two of the body's most vital organs; the brain and the heart. In Cell Cycle Regulation and Differentiation in Cardiovascular and Neural Systems Antonio Giordano, Umberto Galderisi and a panel of the most respected authorities in their field offer an in-depth analysis of the differentiation process in two systems that have profound relationships with one another. The text looks at several aspects of the cardiovascular and nervous systems from a new point of view, describing the differences and similarities in their differentiation pathways with an emphasis on the role of cell cycle regulation and cell differentiation. Topics discussed include neurogenesis in the central nervous system, neural stem cells, and the basic-helix-loop-helix transcription factors in neural differentiation. Ground-breaking and authoritative, Cell Cycle Regulation and Differentiation in Cardiovascular and Neural Systems is a must have for all researchers in cardiovascular medicine and neuroscience and will prompt the scientific community to perceive cell cycle regulation and differentiation under a novel and more comprehensive light.

In 1962, Thomas Kuhne coined the term "paradigm shift" while arguing that human knowledge advances by quantum leaps with interspersed smaller steps. Preparation for the major advance is generally not a concerted effort by thought leaders. Rather, a few (or one) visionaries gain insights into a process and are able to definitely demonstrate the accuracy of their worldview. Often, the epiphany does not occur during the intellectual lifetime of the discoverers. Medicine has had numerous such "paradigm shifts" including the compelling reworking of Galen's concepts of the body. Of note, the scientific world of the time explained the new views by arguing that the human body must have changed between the time of ancient Greece and modern Europe. The inauguration of cardiac surgery itself required profound shifts in medicine's view of physiology. Yet, over the ensuing 40 years, the field was fine tuned so we could provide greater than 95% success rates in elective surgery with low cost and short h- pital stays. In some parts of the world, the procedures were viewed as commodities and prices dropped as providers were unable to differentiate the quality of their work. As patients and their physicians became more demanding, the desire to make the procedures "minimally invasive" grew. In effect, what we were really searching for was a life saving procedure that also preserved quality of life. In short, "minimally invasive" has really been a code phrase for procedures that disrupt our quality of life the least.