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.




Skeletal Muscle Circulation


Book Description

The aim of this treatise is to summarize the current understanding of the mechanisms for blood flow control to skeletal muscle under resting conditions, how perfusion is elevated (exercise hyperemia) to meet the increased demand for oxygen and other substrates during exercise, mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of regular physical activity on cardiovascular health, the regulation of transcapillary fluid filtration and protein flux across the microvascular exchange vessels, and the role of changes in the skeletal muscle circulation in pathologic states. Skeletal muscle is unique among organs in that its blood flow can change over a remarkably large range. Compared to blood flow at rest, muscle blood flow can increase by more than 20-fold on average during intense exercise, while perfusion of certain individual white muscles or portions of those muscles can increase by as much as 80-fold. This is compared to maximal increases of 4- to 6-fold in the coronary circulation during exercise. These increases in muscle perfusion are required to meet the enormous demands for oxygen and nutrients by the active muscles. Because of its large mass and the fact that skeletal muscles receive 25% of the cardiac output at rest, sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction in vessels supplying this tissue allows central hemodynamic variables (e.g., blood pressure) to be spared during stresses such as hypovolemic shock. Sympathetic vasoconstriction in skeletal muscle in such pathologic conditions also effectively shunts blood flow away from muscles to tissues that are more sensitive to reductions in their blood supply that might otherwise occur. Again, because of its large mass and percentage of cardiac output directed to skeletal muscle, alterations in blood vessel structure and function with chronic disease (e.g., hypertension) contribute significantly to the pathology of such disorders. Alterations in skeletal muscle vascular resistance and/or in the exchange properties of this vascular bed also modify transcapillary fluid filtration and solute movement across the microvascular barrier to influence muscle function and contribute to disease pathology. Finally, it is clear that exercise training induces an adaptive transformation to a protected phenotype in the vasculature supplying skeletal muscle and other tissues to promote overall cardiovascular health. Table of Contents: Introduction / Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle and Its Vascular Supply / Regulation of Vascular Tone in Skeletal Muscle / Exercise Hyperemia and Regulation of Tissue Oxygenation During Muscular Activity / Microvascular Fluid and Solute Exchange in Skeletal Muscle / Skeletal Muscle Circulation in Aging and Disease States: Protective Effects of Exercise / References




Anatomy and Physiology


Book Description




Botulinum Neurotoxins


Book Description

The extremely potent substance botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) has attracted much interest in diverse fields. Originally identified as cause for the rare but deadly disease botulism, military and terrorist intended to misuse this sophisticated molecule as biological weapon. This caused its classification as select agent category A by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention and the listing in the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. Later, the civilian use of BoNT as long acting peripheral muscle relaxant has turned this molecule into an indispensable pharmaceutical world wide with annual revenues >$1.5 billion. Also basic scientists value the botulinum neurotoxin as molecular tool for dissecting mechanisms of exocytosis. This book will cover the most recent molecular details of botulinum neurotoxin, its mechanism of action as well as its detection and application.




Caffeine for the Sustainment of Mental Task Performance


Book Description

This report from the Committee on Military Nutrition Research reviews the history of caffeine usage, the metabolism of caffeine, and its physiological effects. The effects of caffeine on physical performance, cognitive function and alertness, and alleviation of sleep deprivation impairments are discussed in light of recent scientific literature. The impact of caffeine consumption on various aspects of health, including cardiovascular disease, reproduction, bone mineral density, and fluid homeostasis are reviewed. The behavioral effects of caffeine are also discussed, including the effect of caffeine on reaction to stress, withdrawal effects, and detrimental effects of high intakes. The amounts of caffeine found to enhance vigilance and reaction time consistently are reviewed and recommendations are made with respect to amounts of caffeine appropriate for maintaining alertness of military personnel during field operations. Recommendations are also provided on the need for appropriate labeling of caffeine-containing supplements, and education of military personnel on the use of these supplements. A brief review of some alternatives to caffeine is also provided.




Anesthetic Pharmacology


Book Description

In recent years our understanding of molecular mechanisms of drug action and interindividual variability in drug response has grown enormously. Meanwhile, the practice of anesthesiology has expanded to the preoperative environment and numerous locations outside the OR. Anesthetic Pharmacology: Basic Principles and Clinical Practice, 2nd edition, is an outstanding therapeutic resource in anesthesia and critical care: Section 1 introduces the principles of drug action, Section 2 presents the molecular, cellular and integrated physiology of the target organ/functional system and Section 3 reviews the pharmacology and toxicology of anesthetic drugs. The new Section 4, Therapeutics of Clinical Practice, provides integrated and comparative pharmacology and the practical application of drugs in daily clinical practice. Edited by three highly acclaimed academic anesthetic pharmacologists, with contributions from an international team of experts, and illustrated in full colour, this is a sophisticated, user-friendly resource for all practitioners providing care in the perioperative period.




Disorders of Voluntary Muscle


Book Description

Rewritten and redesigned, this remains the one essential text on the diseases of skeletal muscle.




Muscle 2-Volume Set


Book Description

Muscle: Fundamental Biology and Mechanisms of Disease will be the first reference covering cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle in fundamental, basic science, translational biology, disease mechanism, and therapeutics. Currently there are no publications covering the science behind the medicine, as the majority of books are 90% clinical and 10% science. Muscle: Fundamental Biology and Mechanisms of Disease will discuss myocyte biology, also known as muscle cell biology, providing information about the science behind clinical work and therapeutics with a 90% science and 10% clinical focus. A needed resource for researchers, clinical professionals, postdocs, and graduate students, this publication will further discuss basic biology development and physiology, how processes go awry in disease states, and how the defective pathways are targeted for therapy. This book will assist both the new and experienced clinician's and researcher's need for science translation of background research into clinical applications, bridging the gap between research and clinical knowledge.




Muscle Biology


Book Description

Muscle Biology: The Life History of a Muscle looks at the story of a muscle from its embryonic beginnings, through its growth and ability to adapt to changing functional circumstances during adult life, to its eventual decline in both structure and function as old age progresses. Injury occurs to muscle during normal activity, after trauma, and during the source of certain diseases. Chapters on both muscle regeneration and muscle diseases emphasize the possibilities and limitsations of the healing capacity of muscle fibers. Muscle Biology begins with a brief review about the structure and function of a normal mature muscle and then proceeds to follow the developmental history of a muscle from the embryo to old age in a manner that gives the reader a perspective about not only developmental controls but also how at any stage of development a muscle is able to adapt to its functional environment. The book discusses both normal and abnormal changes in the muscle, the mechanisms behind those changes and how to mitigate deleterious changes from disease, 'normal' aging, and disuse/lack of physical activity. This is a must-have reference for students, researchers and practitioners in need of a comprehensive overview of muscle biology. - Provides an overview of muscle biology over the course of one's entire lifespan - Explains the important elements of each aspect of muscle biology without drowning the reader in excessive detail - Contains over 300 illustrations and includes chapter summaries




Voltage Gated Sodium Channels


Book Description

A number of techniques to study ion channels have been developed since the electrical basis of excitability was first discovered. Ion channel biophysicists have at their disposal a rich and ever-growing array of instruments and reagents to explore the biophysical and structural basis of sodium channel behavior. Armed with these tools, researchers have made increasingly dramatic discoveries about sodium channels, culminating most recently in crystal structures of voltage-gated sodium channels from bacteria. These structures, along with those from other channels, give unprecedented insight into the structural basis of sodium channel function. This volume of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology will explore sodium channels from the perspectives of their biophysical behavior, their structure, the drugs and toxins with which they are known to interact, acquired and inherited diseases that affect sodium channels and the techniques with which their biophysical and structural properties are studied.




Recent Books