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The importance of the developmental approach for experimental and clinical cardiology is indisputable. Clinical-epidemiological studies have clearly shown that the risk factors of serious cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease, are already present during the early phases of ontogenetic development. Furthermore, congenital cardiovascular malformations remain the single largest cause of infant mortality from congenital defects in industrial countries. It is therefore not surprising that the interest of theoretical and clinical cardiologists in the developmental approach keeps increasing. Advances in molecular biology accelerated this trend substantially. Th...
The unique biology of cardiac fibroblasts and related cells, such as cardiac myofibroblasts and valvular interstitial cells, distinguish them from other fibroblastic cells, a concept that is only beginning to be widely appreciated. Further, the natural signals that stimulate and inhibit cardiac fibrosis within these cells are not well understood. This volume compiles articles that address the molecular mechanisms that control the synthesis and secretion of the cardiac ECM. The book showcases chapters that highlight discussion of role of Transforming Growth Factor β (TGFβ), an important fibrogenic cytokine and its downstream effectors SMAD in many cardiac diseases. Further, the contribution...
Molecular Defects in Cardiovascular Disease provides an in-depth discussion of the molecular mechanisms underlying the genesis of cardiovascular defects and the implications this has on current and emerging targeted therapeutics. Divided into three sections, this book covers the scientific foundations of our present understanding as well as the array of clinical manifestations and their treatment. The first section covers Molecular Mechanisms of Heart Disease, with discussion of the development of cardiovascular dysfunction. The remaining two sections provide a more clinical focus. The second, Cardiac Hypertrophy and Heart Failure deals with metabolic derangements, Ca2+ handling, and subcell...
Whenever the heart is challenged with an increased work load for a prolonged period, it responds by increasing its muscle mass--a phenomenon known as cardiac hypertrophy. Although cardiac hypertrophy is commonly seen under physiological conditions such as development and exercise, a wide variety of pathological situa tions such as hypertension (pressure overload), valvular defects (volume overload), myocardial infarction (muscle loss), and cardiomyopathy (muscle disease) are also known to result in cardiac hypertrophy. Various hormones such as catecholamines, thyroid hormones, angiotensin II, endothelin, and growth factors have also been shown to induce cardiac hypertrophy. Although the exac...
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women and men worldwide and represents a major financial burden to world health care systems. Importantly, CVD has eclipsed cancer as the leading cause of death for women globally. Through advancements in research and clinical testing, the symptoms and risk factors for CVD have been well established for men, but not for women. Consequently, there is an immediate need for new innovative research that will bridge this gap and allow for improved early diagnosis and treatment of CVD in women. This book will serve as a guide for health care providers to better understand the physiological, biochemical, and genetic differences in heart disease in women with the goal of providing improved education, awareness and treatment of cardiovascular disease in women. The book will cover topics such as: sex dependent clinical outcomes of cardiovascular disease, cardiac protection by estrogen, cardiac health during menopause, cardiac rehabilitation programs, fitness and exercise, cardio-oncology, shift work and the CVD risk, and pregnancy related CVD.
There is unequivocal experimental, epidemiological, and clinical evidence demonstrating a correlation between diet and increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). While nutritionally-poor diets can have a significant negative impact on cardiovascular health, dietary interventions with specific nutrients and/or functional foods are considered cost-effective and efficient components of prevention strategies. It has been estimated that nutritional factors may be responsible for approximately 40% of all CVD. Indeed, in one of the seminal studies conducted on modifiable risk factors and heart health (the INTERHEART study), >90% of all myocardial infarctions were attributed to preventable environmental factors with nutrition identified as one of the important determinants of CVD. There is an increasing public interest in and scientific investigation into establishing dietary approaches that can be undertaken for the prevention and treatment of CVD. This Special Issue provides an insight into the influential role of nutrition and dietary habits on cardiovascular health and disease, as well as their mechanisms of therapeutic and preventive action.
Pathophysiology of Cardiovascular Disease has been divided into four sections that focus on heart dysfunction and its associated characteristics (hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy and failure); vascular dysfunction and disease; ischemic heart disease; and novel therapeutic interventions. This volume is a compendium of different approaches to understanding cardiovascular disease and identifying the proteins, pathways and processes that impact it.
This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of current understanding of periostin and its importance for human health and disease. Periostin is a secretory matricellular protein that has been revealed to play key roles in fibrillogenesis and cell migration, including metastasis of cancer cells. The production of periostin is upregulated during fibrotic responses and the mechanisms by which it promotes fibrosis have become a focus of interest owing to the potential clinical benefit to be derived from periostin blockade. In this book, readers will find coverage of all aspects, from the basic properties of periostin and its function as a scaffold for assembly of extracellular proteins through to its roles in bone and tissue regeneration, tumorigenesis, myocardial infarction, inflammatory and immune system disorders, and other diseases. Readers will also find the latest information on functions of periostin related to stemness and the application of periostin as a biomarker. It is hoped that the detailed knowledge of periostin and its pathobiological significance provided in this book will aid in the search for effective treatments for currently incurable diseases.
This book on “Renin-Angiotensin System in Cardiovascular Disease” includes 25 chapters, which are organized in three sections, namely (i) modulatory aspects, (ii) pathophysiological aspects, and (iii) pharmacotherapeutic aspects. It includes an updated as well as comprehensive knowledge about molecular and cellular aspects for the role of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in the pathophysiology and therapy of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, and heart failure. This book emphasizes the molecular and cellular mechanisms, signaling transduction pathways involved in the development of different cardiovascular diseases due to the prolonge...
Interstitial Fibrosis in Heart Failure, edited by Francisco J. Villarreal, M.D., Ph.D., provides a timely and integrative review of the basics of cardiac extracellular matrix structure. Topics covered include how cardiac remodeling influences its disposition, abundance and function; possible non-invasive techniques for diagnosis; and potential drug-based or molecular therapeutic strategies that may interrupt or even reverse the course of the development of cardiac fibrosis. This resource for both clinicians and scientists aims to cover state-of-the-art findings relevant to cellular and molecular processes underlying cardiac fibrosis including basic elements of structure, function, diagnosis and treatment.