Heart Cell Coupling and Impulse Propagation in Health and Disease includes an up-to-date review on how heart cells communicate and impulse propagation under normal as well as under pathological conditions. The complexity of intercellular coupling and impulse propagation is discussed, providing the reader with a broad view of the importance of these processes and how they contribute to the generation of cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure. The different aspects and intricacies of heart cell communication is discussed by different authors, each one an expert in their own field. The present publication will be of interest to cardiologists, electrophysiologists, heart physiologists, cardiac pharmacologists, biophysicists, and cell or molecular biologists.

Experimental and clinical evidence supports the view that the activation of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system is involved in cardiovascular pathology including hypertension, heart failure, myocardial ischemia, and atherosclerosis. The present volume describes the intricacies involved in these processes, including the in?uence of prorenin/renin, angiotensin II, angiotensin (1-7), and aldosterone on cardiac and vascular functions as well as their involvement in the generation of cardiovascular diseases. Fundamental aspects like intracellular signaling, regulation of cell volume in the failing heart, and the presence of an intracrine renin angiotensin system are discussed. Moreover, the role of the mineralocorticoid receptor as an important c- ponent of the intracrine renin angiotensin system and as a regulator of extracellular action of angiotensin II is described, reinforcing the view that aldosterone inhibitors are helpful in the treatment of heart failure and hypertension. Let us hope the imp- tant topics included here motivate basic and clinical investigators and contribute to the development of new therapeutic approaches for cardiovascular diseases. We want to thank the distinguished authors and Humana Press for the opportunity to publish this important book. Walmor C. DeMello Edward Frohlich v Contents 1 Systemic Versus Local Renin Angiotensin Systems. An Overview ...1 Walmor C. DeMello and Richard N. Re 2 Clinical Import of the Local Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone Systems ...7 Edward D. Frohlich 3 Renin, Prorenin, and the (Pro)Renin Receptor ...15 Genevieve Nguyen and Aurelie Contrepas 4 Local Renin Angiotensin Systems in the Cardiovascular System ...25 Richard N.

Grau. teurer Freund. ist aUe Theorie Und griln des Lebens goldner Baum All theory. dear friend. is gray But the golden tree of actual life springs ever green -Goethe Progress achieved in the last 25 years indicates that the establishment of inter- cellular junctions at the area of cell contact represents an important mechanism of intercellular communication. Evidence is available that intercellular channels are essential for electrical synchronization in excitable tissues and for the diffusion of molecules from cell to cell. This process of cell-to-cell communication is so reliable that it was pre- served throughout the evolutionary scale. As evolution generates diversity it is not surprising that gap junctions are not the same in all systems. It is known, for 2 instance, that junctional permeability is reduced by high free [Ca +]j in some cells or by a fall in pHi in others, or enhanced by cAMP. Our knowledge of the physiological modulators of junctional permeability is still scanty. Moreover, the compartmentalization of the intracellular milieu represents an additional complication in the interpretation of many studies of cell-to-cell communication. The present volume represents an effort to provide the reader with an actualized view of the mechanisms of cell communication and of the physiologi- cal and pathological implications of junctional and nonjunctional communica- tion. Let us hope that the content of this book helps future studies in establishing a better picture of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the process of intercellular communication.

Experimental and clinical evidence supports the view that the activation of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system is involved in cardiovascular pathology including hypertension, heart failure, myocardial ischemia, and atherosclerosis. The present volume describes the intricacies involved in these processes, including the in?uence of prorenin/renin, angiotensin II, angiotensin (1-7), and aldosterone on cardiac and vascular functions as well as their involvement in the generation of cardiovascular diseases. Fundamental aspects like intracellular signaling, regulation of cell volume in the failing heart, and the presence of an intracrine renin angiotensin system are discussed. Moreover, the role of the mineralocorticoid receptor as an important c- ponent of the intracrine renin angiotensin system and as a regulator of extracellular action of angiotensin II is described, reinforcing the view that aldosterone inhibitors are helpful in the treatment of heart failure and hypertension. Let us hope the imp- tant topics included here motivate basic and clinical investigators and contribute to the development of new therapeutic approaches for cardiovascular diseases. We want to thank the distinguished authors and Humana Press for the opportunity to publish this important book. Walmor C. DeMello Edward Frohlich v Contents 1 Systemic Versus Local Renin Angiotensin Systems. An Overview ...1 Walmor C. DeMello and Richard N. Re 2 Clinical Import of the Local Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone Systems ...7 Edward D. Frohlich 3 Renin, Prorenin, and the (Pro)Renin Receptor ...15 Genevieve Nguyen and Aurelie Contrepas 4 Local Renin Angiotensin Systems in the Cardiovascular System ...25 Richard N.

In Heart Cell Communication in Health and Disease an extensive review of different aspects of heart cell communication is presented. The book starts with the fundamental concept that cardiac cells are communicated, and then proceeds to the role of gap junctions in heart development, the molecular biology of gap junctions, the biophysics of the intercellular channels, the control of junctional conductance and the influence of gap junctions on impulse propagation. This is the first time that a single volume has described cell communication in the normal heart and under different pathological conditions such as heart failure, coronary disease, myocardial ischemia and cardiac arrhythmias. In this way the process of cell communication is analyzed at different levels of complexity, providing the reader with a wide view of this field and its relevance to cardiology.

In Heart Cell Communication in Health and Disease an extensive review of different aspects of heart cell communication is presented. The book starts with the fundamental concept that cardiac cells are communicated, and then proceeds to the role of gap junctions in heart development, the molecular biology of gap junctions, the biophysics of the intercellular channels, the control of junctional conductance and the influence of gap junctions on impulse propagation. This is the first time that a single volume has described cell communication in the normal heart and under different pathological conditions such as heart failure, coronary disease, myocardial ischemia and cardiac arrhythmias. In this way the process of cell communication is analyzed at different levels of complexity, providing the reader with a wide view of this field and its relevance to cardiology.

Heart Cell Coupling and Impulse Propagation in Health and Disease includes an up-to-date review on how heart cells communicate and impulse propagation under normal as well as under pathological conditions. The complexity of intercellular coupling and impulse propagation is discussed, providing the reader with a broad view of the importance of these processes and how they contribute to the generation of cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure. The different aspects and intricacies of heart cell communication is discussed by different authors, each one an expert in their own field.
The present publication will be of interest to cardiologists, electrophysiologists, heart physiologists, cardiac pharmacologists, biophysicists, and cell or molecular biologists.