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.

This volume is the logical continuation of the two previous proceedings summarised in "The Return of Blood to the Heart" and "New Advances in Norepinephrine and Veno Lymphatic Return", and is based on a symposium held in Cairo, Egypt, in March 1990. The book sums up the impact of the various factors on the return circulation to the heart that have received particular attention in the past three years. Firstly, studies are presented on the impact of oestrogen on the veins. From a pharmacological point of view the facilitatory role of oestrogen on adrenergic responses is fairly well established. Clinical studies included in this volume will attempt to achieve a clear overview in the clinical context of the interactions between the different hormonal systems and venous functions. Further accents in this meeting were on the lymphatic system, on efforts to correlate histological and biochemical alterations of the pathological venous wall, and on the microcirculation and the effects of its derangement on certain symptoms associated with venous disease.