Textbook of Vascular Medicine


Book Description

This textbook focuses on the vascular biology and physiology that underlie vascular disorders in clinical medicine. Vascular biomedicine is a rapidly growing field as new molecular mechanisms of vascular health and disease are unraveled. Many of the major cardiovascular diseases including coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke and vascular dementia are diseases of the vasculature. In addition vascular injury underpins conditions like kidney failure and cardiovascular complications of diabetes. This field is truly multidisciplinary involving scientists in many domains such as molecular and vascular biology, cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology and immunology and inflammation. Clinically, specialists across multiple disciplines are involved in the management of patients with vascular disorders, including cardiologists, nephrologists, endocrinologists, neurologists and vascular surgeons. This book covers a wide range of topics and provides an overview of the discipline of vascular biomedicine without aiming at in-depth reviews, but rather offering up-to-date knowledge organized in concise and structured chapters, with key points and pertinent references. The structure of the content provides an integrative and translational approach from basic science (e.g. stem cells) to clinical medicine (e.g. cardiovascular disease). The content of this book is targeted to those who are new in the field of vascular biology and vascular medicine and is ideal for medical students, graduate and postgraduate students, clinical fellows and academic clinicians with an interest in the vascular biology and physiology of cardiovascular disease and related pathologies.




Mechanisms of Vascular Disease


Book Description

New updated edition first published with Cambridge University Press. This new edition includes 29 chapters on topics as diverse as pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, vascular haemodynamics, haemostasis, thrombophilia and post-amputation pain syndromes.







Cholesterol in Atherosclerosis and Coronary Heart Disease


Book Description

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found among the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and in all the body's cells. It's an important part of a healthy body because it's used to form cell membranes, some hormones and is needed for other functions. But a high level of cholesterol in the blood -- hypercholesterolemia -- is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack. Cholesterol and other fats can't dissolve in the blood. They have to be transported to and from the cells by special carriers called lipoproteins. There are several kinds, but the key ones are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) Low-density lipoprotein is the major cholesterol carrier in the blood. If too much LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the walls of the arteries feeding the heart and brain. Together with other substances it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can clog those arteries. This field is alive with exciting new research in all areas including frontal advances in the areas of managing cholesterol as well as cholesterol lowering drugs. This new book focuses on cholesterol in atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.




Stroke Genetics


Book Description

Stroke is a major cause of death and the major cause of adult neurological disability in most of the world. Despite its importance on a population basis, research into the genetics of stroke has lagged behind that of many other disorders. However, the situation is now changing. Anincreasing number of single gene disorders causing stroke are being described, and there is growing evidence that polygenic factors are important in the risk of apparently "sporadic" stroke.Stroke Genetics provides an up-to-date review of the area, suitable for clinicians treating stroke patients, and both clinical and non-clinical researchers in the field of cerebrovascular disease. The full range of monogenic stroke disorders causing cerebrovascular disease, including ischaemicstroke, intracerebral haemorrhage, aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations, are covered. For each, clinical features, diagnosis, and genetics are described. Increasing evidence suggest that genetic factors are also important for the much more common multifactorial stroke; this evidence isreviewed along with the results of genetic studies in this area. Optimal and novel strategies for investigating multifactorial stroke, including the use of intermediate phenotypes such as intima-media thickness and MRI detected small vessel disease are reviewed. The book concludes by describing apractical approach to investigating patients with stroke for underlying genetic disorders. Also included is a list of useful websites.




The Cholesterol Myths


Book Description




Atherosclerosis: Diet and Drugs


Book Description

Cardiovascular diseases continue to be the leading cause of death in the - jority of industrialized countries. The most frequent underlying pathology, namely atherosclerosis, and its clinical sequelae, namely coronary heart d- ease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral artery disease, remain common although for a long time we have been made aware of avoidable or mo- ?able etiological factors such as smoking, fat-rich diet or lack of exercise, and although these adverse lifestyle factors have been extensively addressed by population-wide primary prevention programs. Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality also remain high despite successful anti-hypertensive and lipid lowering drug therapies which help to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality by about 30% in both secondary and tertiary prevention settings. This can partly be explained by the increasing life expectancy and growing p- portionofelderly people,especiallyinEuropeandNorthAmerica. Inaddition, the World Health Organization makes the alarming prediction that probably in response to the spreading of western dietary behavior and lack of exercise resulting in an increasing prevalence of diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypert- sion, cardiovascular diseases rather than infectious diseases will become the most frequent cause of death worldwide. This volume of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology entitled “Atherosclerosis” is divided into four parts and intends to give an overview on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, established treatment and prevention regimen, and of perspectives for the development of new treatment modalities.




The Cholesterol Wars


Book Description

Today, in the era of the statins (cholesterol lowering drugs), there is no longer any doubt about the value of lowering blood cholesterol levels. The Cholesterol Wars chronicles the controversy that swirled around the 'lipid hypothesis' of atherosclerosis for so many years. In fact, 'the lower the better' is the position of many clinicians. However, getting to this point has been a long uphill battle marked by heated debate and sometimes violent disagreement. The history of this controversy is told here for its own sake and because remembering it may help us avoid similar mistakes in the future. - Dr. Steinberg and his colleagues have published over 400 papers relating to lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and atherosclerosis reflecting the prominence these authors have in the community - Chronicles the miraculous power of the statins to prevent heart attacks and save lives, of great interest to the many manufacturers of these drugs - Discusses new targets for intervention based on a better understanding of the molecular basis of atherosclerosis




Intestinal Lipid Metabolism


Book Description

This book was stimulated by the enthusiasm shown by attendees at the meetings in Saxon River, VT, sponsored by the Federation ofAmerican Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), on the subject of the intestinal processing of lipids. When these meetings were first started in 1990, the original organizers, two of whom are editors ofthis volume (CMM and PT), had two major goals. The first was to bring together a diverse group ofinvestiga tors who had the common goal of gaining a better understanding of how the intestine ab sorbs lipids. The second was to stimulate the interest of younger individuals whom we wished to recruit into what we believed was an exciting and fruitful area ofresearch. Since that time, the field has opened up considerably with new questions being asked and new an swers obtained, suggesting that our original goals for the meetings were being met. In the same spirit, it occurred to us that there has not been a recentbook that draws to gethermuch ofthe informationavailableconcerninghow the intestineprocesses lipids. This book is intended to reach investigators with an interest in this area and their pre- and post doctoral students. The chapters are written by individuals who have a long-term interest in the areas about which they write, and many have been speakers at the subsequent FASEB conferences that have followed on the first.




The Cholesterol Controversy


Book Description

The Cholesterol Controversy recounts the long-running debate surrounding the relationship between cholesterol and coronary heart disease. Focusing primarily on events in the UK and the personalities involved, the story is unraveled here, from the origins of the controversy in the 1950s, to the discovery, development and trials of statins in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, culminating with recent concerns over the efficacy of ezetimibe and safety of torcetrapib.