Bücher von Naranjan S. Dhalla

This book of the series on ¿Advances in Biochemistry in Health and Disease¿ includes state-of-the-art information on the status of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in the form of 24 chapters. This book has been organized into three sections: (i) General Implications of RAS in human health and Infectious Diseases, (ii) Lung, Liver and Kidney Diseases, and (iii) Development of Cancer. Each chapter has discussed comprehensive knowledge regarding the molecular and cellular aspects of the role of RAS in the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of different disease processes. Biochemical mechanisms associated with angiotensin II type 1 and type II receptors, and angiotensin (1-7) MAS receptors for the occurrence of both harmful and beneficial effects of prolonged activation of RAS in different diseases have been outlined. It is noteworthy to point out that different chapter in this book were prepared by recognized global expertise in the area of inflammation, oxidative stress and signal transduction pathways to highlight the role of RAS in different diseases. It is our sincere hope that this book will be of great interest to both biomedical investigators and health professionals as well as graduate students and postdoctoral fellows all over the world.

Heart Hypertrophy and Failure brings together leading basic scientists and clinicians, presenting improved knowledge of the pathophysiology and treatment of the condition. The result is a synthesis of state-of-the-art information on molecular biology, cellular physiology and structure-function relationships in the cardiovascular system in health and disease. The papers presented describe fundamental mechanisms underlying changes in the cellular machinery during the development of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. Audience: Students, scientists, clinical and experimental cardiologists who seek to understand and manage the perplexing problems of hypertrophy and heart failure.

As the majority of cardiovascular deaths are related to myocardial ischemia, it is necessary to understand the various aspects of ischemic heart disease. In this regard, it is noteworthy that ischemic heart disease is commonly associated with atherosclerosis, coronary spasm, as well as thrombosis leading to the development of arrhythmias, cardiovascular cell damage, myocardial infarction, cardiac hypertrophy and congestive heart failure. Furthermore, it is also important to appreciate various physiological, electrophysiological and biochemical processes in the normal heart if we are to understand their significance under pathological situations. Heart Function in Health and Disease has been organized in five sections to provide an outline of a complex problem in a convenient manner. One section of this book is devoted to shedding light on the restructuring and ontogenic changes in the developing heart whereas in the next section some hypertrophic alterations due to chronic hypoxia are described. The third and fourth sections of this book are concerned with the regulation of cardiac channels as well as signal transduction mechanisms and cardiac electric field. The fifth section contains some pathophysiological events during the development of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. All of these areas encompass a significant body of new information that will be invaluable to those who work in the field of cardiovascular sciences, as well as those who treat people with heart disease.

It has been known or suspected for centuries that there is an association between mind and emotions and the occurrence of heart disease apd sudden death. During the past fifty years this relationship has become identified with the concept of Stress, a notion developed and popularized by Hans Selye. In recent years there has been an upward surge of interest in stress by scientists in several disciplines and by the general public. Although, books, journal articles, seminars and media programs devoted to stress now abound, the definition, manifestations, mechanisms, and management of stress remain uncertain and controversial. In an attempt to clarify the situation an International Symposium on Stress and Heart Disease was held in Winnipeg, Canada, June 26-29, 1984, and the proceedings form the basis of this book and its companion volume "e;Patho- genesis of Stress-Induced Heart Disease"e;. Although most species which have ever existed are now extinct through countless millenia, the human species has successfully adapted to changing conditions ("e;stressors"e;) such as ice ages, predators and parasites, wars, famine and plague, and now it is coping with rapidly changing social, economic and political circumstances. Such adaptation occurs at all levels of life- at the molecular level within the cell, at the level of the whole cell, in the groups of cells as organs, in the entire organism or individual, and in some cases, in the society in which the individual lives.