Traditionally, cardiac hypertrophy is regarded as an adaptation of the heart to permanent mechanical overload. Regardless of the fact that many different and often unknown primary causes can result in heart failure, mechanical overload and myocardial hypertrophy is found in almost all forms of manifest chronic heart failure (apart from failure due to extramyocardial hindrances to inflow or to relaxation). However, the reactive enlargement of myocardial mass in response to an enhanced hemod...

Cardiovascular fluid mechanics is now used as a tool in determining diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis by physicians and surgeons working in the fields of cardiology and angiology. The text is based on a considerable amount of clinical and experimental data on blood flow in the heart and large vessels obtained using various methods such as ultrasound pulsed Doppler velocimetry (including Doppler color flow imaging), catheter-tip electromagnetic velocimetry, hot-film anemometry, and laser ...

Coronary heart disease is one of the major health problems in indus trialized nations because of its high incidence and severity. Recent innovations in medical and surgical treatment of coronary heart dis ease have increased the importance of accurate diagnostic methods for determining the severity of coronary disease, identifying potential treatment alternatives, and evaluating the results of treatment. Great advances have also been made in basic research on coronary circula tion and its ...

Defining and understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms that are relevant to women’s health has become a critical area of scientific pursuit. Until recently, very little effort has been place on defining or understanding critical differences between women and men that may be critical to the overall health of the woman. In 1990, the National Institutes of Health recognized this gap in knowledge resulting in the creation of the Office of Research on Women’s Health. One of the purposes o...

This special issue of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology on Heart Failure covers the entire spectrum of the field, from the current understanding and definitions of heart failure, to epidemiology and the importance of co-morbidities, clinical trial design and biomarkers, as well as imaging technologies. The main focus of this book is to review current and emerging heart failure therapies and potential targets for treatment.

This book presents the latest findings in the field of research of mechanosensitivity andmechanotransduction in different cells and tissues. Mechanosensitivity and mechanotransductionof the heart and vascular cells, in the lung, in bone and joint tissues, in sensor systems and in blood cells are described in detail. This Volume focuses on molecular mechanisms of mechanosensitivity and mechanotransduction via cytoskeleton. Integrin-mediated mechanotransduction, the role of act...

One of the only books discussing new advances in venous ulcer therapy, Venous Ulcers provides a comprehensive look at the molecular biology and pathophysiology of venous ulcers. It discusses the many new treatments currently being used that offer non-invasive treatment options to patients with venous ulcerations. - Leg ulcers are defined as a discontinuity of the epithelial surface; a local defect or excavation of the surface of the skin - Venous ulceration tends to take a number of months...

Recently, several studies have shown the crucial role of viscoelastic properties of the aorta and large arteries in determining blood pressure values. A good knowledge of cardiovascular pathophysiology and vascular hemodynamics is necessary to understand these phenomena. However, available texts on this topic are very complex and difficult for medical practitioners to understand. The aim of this book is to enable the reader to comprehend the relation between cardiovascular pathophysiology ...

Age is a nonreversible risk factor for atherosclerosis. The atherosclerotic process begins early in life, progresses during the middle years, and usually culminates in clinical disease towards the later years of the life span. Since atherosclerosis is a multifactorial disease, and many of the "risk factors" are time- and age related, it has been difficult to sort out intrinsic aging from environmental factors that operate over many years. Furthermore, the role of genetic factors remains un...

Acute heart failure is a potentially life threatening situation where correct, rapid therapy can save lives. Information from the latest research and studies has been used to update this text to bring the latest understanding of the pathophysiology together with a practical guide to diagnosis and management using an evidenced based approach.Since the first edition of Acute Heart Failure, this research has brought to light three important issues to be integrated into a second editio...

This book surveys healthy and diseased vascular systems in a multitude of model organisms and systems. It explores a plethora of functions, characteristics, and pathologies of the vascular system such as angiogenesis, fibroblast growth factor signaling, lymphangiogenesis, junctional signaling, the extracellular matrix, vascular permeability, leukocyte extravasation, axon guidance factors, the angiopoietin system, and chronic obstructive lung disease. Following a preface from leading resear...