Bücher der Reihe Basic Science for the Cardiologist

This book is an attempt to indicate to researchers and clinicians a simple way to approach the complexity of cardiovascular neural regulation.

Cardiac Ischemia: From Injury to Protection has been divided into six parts. The first part describes the differences between hypoxia and ischemia, animal models, the effects of ischemia on myocardial function and metabolism, and the electrophysiological consequences of ischemia. The second part deals with the mechanisms of cardiomyocyte death in ischemia, structural aspects of irreversible ischemic injury, necrosis and apoptosis of cardiac cells, the role of calcium, and the concept of calcium antagonism. The third chapter is a brief description of reperfusion injury, its clinical relevance, and possible prevention. The fourth part summarizes changes in myocardial vasculature during ischemia and reperfusion. The fifth part is the survey of two main possibilities for increasing cardiac resistance to ischemia and hypoxia, i.e. long-lasting adaptation to chronic hypoxia and short-lasting preconditioning. The last part of the book deals with comparative and ontogenetic aspects of cardiac sensitivity to oxygen deprivation; this chapter also summarizes the ontogenetic differences and limitations in endogenous and exogenous protection of the ischemic/hypoxic heart.

Cardiac Cellular Electrophysiology is intended for the clinical cardiologist who wishes to refresh or deepen his understanding of the cellular basis of cardiac electrophysiology, for researchers interested in the basis of the electrical activity of the heart, such as clinical investigators, physiologists or pharmacologists, for teachers in physiology, pharmacology and other biomedical studies, and for medical students from graduate to postgraduate level. Cardiac Cellular Electrophysiology starts with a primer of basic electrophysiology, the cardiac action potential and the physiological basis of the electrocardiogram. Our second aim after having introduced the basic concepts was to continue with giving an overview of the properties of the most important ionic currents in the heart, and to treat their modulation, in order to deal with the mechanisms underlying cardiac ischaemia, arrhythmias and remodelling. Edward Carmeliet and Johan Vereecke, Katholieke University Leuven, Belgium, have collaborated for over 30 years in cardiac electrophysiology research. Their studies include the genesis of the normal action potential, its changes in ischaemia, the effect of drugs, and the mechanism of arrhythmias, using techniques from the classic potential registration with intracellular microelectrodes to whole cell clamp and single channel measurements.

ATP plays a central role in the two leading causes of cardiac morbidity and mortality in the western world: ischemia and heart failure. We are in our infancy applying what is known about biology and chemistry of ATP toward developing effective therapies for these diseases. In this volume, the current understanding of the chemistry and biology of ATP specifically in the cardiomyocyte is presented. New insights into ATP have been gleaned using biophysical techniques allowing dynamic measurement of chemical events in the intact beating heart and using new animal models in which cardiac proteins are either over expressed, deleted or harbor specific mutations. This book provides a summary of the basic understanding and includes illustrations of why ATP and the Heart is important to both the clinician and scientist.

This book is written in a quick reference style to help clinical and basic researchers, as well as graduate students, in the understanding of hemodynamics. Recent dev- opments in genetics and molecular biology on the one hand, and new noninvasive measurement techniques on the other hand, make it possible to measure and und- stand the hemodynamics of heart and vessels better than ever before. Hemodynamics makes it possible to characterize, in a quantitative way, and even with noninvasive techniques the function of the heart and the arterial system, separately and in c- bination, thereby producing information about what genetic and molecular processes are of importance for cardiovascular function. We have made the layout of the book such that it gives a succinct overview of individual topics in short chapters Therefore every chapter starts with a "e;box"e; c- taining a figure and caption, describing the main aspects of the subject. It is often sufficient to study the contents of this box alone to obtain this basic information, and therefore it is not necessary to read the book from cover to cover.

Effective new treatments of heart disease are based on a refined understanding of cellular function and the heart's response to environmental stresses.

Effective new treatments of heart disease are based on a refined understanding of cellular function and the heart's response to environmental stresses.

Cell biology and molecular genetic studies have now identified an array of molecules elaborated by endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells and by the blood-borne elements which interact with artery cells, defending the artery against injury and modulating evolving abnormal processes.

The physiological genomics of the cardiovascular system studies the relationship between gene and physiological (dys)function. In the past, the mouse had mainly been used in the area of immunology and molecular biology, and physiological interest in the mouse was scarce.

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.

Profound mortality rates, due to cardiovascular disease, are a worldwide problem. Cardiovascular disease results from complications of a silent and chronic arterial disease: atherosclerosis.

Adrenomedullin in Cardiovascular Disease is an up-to-date review of the most relevant aspects of adrenomedullin. It encompasses a broad range of fields including biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease and clinical applications of adrenomedullin to cardiovascular disease.

The physiological genomics of the cardiovascular system studies the relationship between gene and physiological (dys)function. In the past, the mouse had mainly been used in the area of immunology and molecular biology, and physiological interest in the mouse was scarce.

Genetics and Genomics for the Cardiologist is a concise, but comprehensive volume for the clinical cardiologist or medical student interested in learning how molecular genetics is now being applied to prevention and treatment of heart diseases, from DNA tests to pharmacogenomics and gene-based therapeutics.

Apoptosis or programmed cell death is increasingly considered to be a major factor in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease.

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.

New insights into ATP have been gleaned using biophysical techniques allowing dynamic measurement of chemical events in the intact beating heart and using new animal models in which cardiac proteins are either over expressed, deleted or harbor specific mutations.

Coronary flow reserve is an important functional parameter to understand the pathophysiology of coronary circulation.

Clinical Physiology of the Venous System is a comprehensive overview of vein physiology. - Presents data in the fields of venous physiology, pharmacology and venous diseases as well as the field of phlebology, which has seen rapid and important progress in the last decade.

Apoptosis or programmed cell death is increasingly considered to be a major factor in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease.

Profound mortality rates, due to cardiovascular disease, are a worldwide problem. Cardiovascular disease results from complications of a silent and chronic arterial disease: atherosclerosis.