The First International Symposium on Mechanism and Treatment in Essential Hypertension was held on October 23 and 24, 1985 in Nagoya. The Second International Symposium, which was held on May 30,31, and June 1, 1988 in Nagoya, was a success thanks to the endeavors of all the participants. These symposiums were made possible by the generous support of the city of Nagoya, Aichi Prefec ture, and various contributions. Understanding of the mechanisms of gene (major gene, essential) hypertension is impossible unless we comprehend the physiological properties of arterial smooth muscle. Since Langendorff's discovery of the role of calcium ions in muscle contraction in 1895, we have made immense progress in our knowledge of the role of the calcium ion in the excitation-contraction coupling of the arterial smooth mus cle. Investigation of the molecular mechanisms controlling the cellu lar basis of calcium ion action has been established with the discovery of the calcium binding protein (Ebashi 1963). The participation of the calcium induced calcium mechanism in the contraction of muscle has been directly demonstrated by using chemically skinned smooth muscle fibers (Endo et al. 1977). Methods for intracellular free cal cium contents and calcium channel activity have been developed and contribute to the study of the role of the calcium ion in arterial smooth muscle contractility. Such recent progress promotes study of the basic physiological, biochemical, and molecular properties of the calcium channel, and, in the field of hypertension research, the sodium and potassium channels."

This volume contains papers presented at the First International Symposium on Mechanism and Treatment in Essential Hyperten sion, which was held on October 23 and 24, 1985 in Nagoya, Japan. The meeting was an official satellite symposium to the meeting of the Fifth International Symposium on Rats with Spon taneous Hypertension and Related Studies in Kyoto, October 20-22, 1985. The Nagoya symposium was made possible by offi cial grants from the city of Nagoya and Aichi Prefecture and the generous financial support of many companies. The aim of the symposium was to provide a forum for presen tation and discussion of recent advances in the area of essential hypertension, particularly with regard to calcium mechanisms in vasoconstriction and vasodilation in arterial vessels and the func tion of arterial smooth muscle. The role of calcium ions in the function of arterial smooth muscle has attracted a great deal of attention in the last two decades. The mode of action of calcium ions was revealed at the molecular level. The hypertension model of the spontaneously hypertensive rat has been widely utilized for research into the fundamental mechanisms of genetic hyperten sion, stroke, and cardiovascular disease as well as into therapeutic measures. New tools of calcium agonists and antagonists have become available to research into the mechanism, prevention, and treatment of essential hypertension at the molecular, subcellular, and cellular levels of arterial smooth muscle, at the organ level of arterial vessels, as well as at the total systemic level."