Despite the considerable success in treating diseases of the heart and blood vessels, they still remain the major cause of mortality throughout the world. One of the reasons underlying this problem is our lack of understanding of the molecular and cellular aspects of the processes involved. These problems are fully discussed in Cellular Interactions in Cardiac Pathophysiology, which draws together 25 contributions from leading investigators from all parts of the world. The contributions are grouped under three headings: Extracellular matrix and cardiocyte interaction; Myocytic adaptations and myocardial injury; and Signal transduction.

This open access book presents a comprehensive overview of dilated cardiomyopathy, providing readers with practical guidelines for its clinical management. The first part of the book analyzes in detail the disease’s pathophysiology, its diagnostic work up as well as the prognostic stratification, and illustrates the role of genetics and gene-environment interaction. The second part presents current and future treatment options, highlighting the importance of long-term and individualized treatments and follow-up. Furthermore, it discusses open issues, such as the apparent healing phenomenon, the early prognosis of arrhythmic events or the use of genetic testing in clinical practice. Offering a multidisciplinary approach for optimizing the clinical management of DCM, this book is an invaluable aid not only for the clinical cardiologists, but for all physicians involved in the care of this challenging disease.

Research centering on blood flow in the heart continues to hold an important position, especially since a better understanding of the subject may help reduce the incidence of coronary arterial disease and heart attacks. This book summarizes recent advances in the field; it is the product of fruitful cooperation among international scientists who met in Japan in May, 1990 to discuss the regulation of coronary blood flow.

Cardiovascular Pathology, Fourth Edition, provides users with a comprehensive overview that encompasses its examination, cardiac structure, both normal and physiologically altered, and a multitude of abnormalities. This updated edition offers current views on interventions, both medical and surgical, and the pathology related to them. Congenital heart disease and its pathobiology are covered in some depth, as are vasculitis and neoplasias. Each section has been revised to reflect new discoveries in clinical and molecular pathology, with new chapters updated and written with a practical approach, especially with regards to the discussion of pathophysiology. New chapters reflect recent technological advances with cardiac devices, transplants, genetics, and immunology. Each chapter is highly illustrated and covers contemporary aspects of the disease processes, including a section on the role of molecular diagnostics and cytogenetics as specifically related to cardiovascular pathology. Customers buy the Print + Electronic product together! Serves as a contemporary, all-inclusive guide to cardiovascular pathology for clinicians and researchers, as well as clinical residents and fellows of pathology, cardiology, cardiac surgery, and internal medicine Offers new organization of each chapter to enable uniformity for learning and reference: Definition, Epidemiology, Clinical Presentation, Pathogenesis/Genetics, Light and Electron Microscopy/Immunohistochemistry, Differential Diagnosis, Treatment and Potential Complications Features six new chapters and expanded coverage of the normal heart and blood vessels, cardiovascular devices, congenital heart disease, tropical and infectious cardiac disease, and forensic pathology of the cardiovascular system Contains 400+ full color illustrations and an online image collection facilitate research, study, and lecture slide creation

This presentation describes various aspects of the regulation of tissue oxygenation, including the roles of the circulatory system, respiratory system, and blood, the carrier of oxygen within these components of the cardiorespiratory system. The respiratory system takes oxygen from the atmosphere and transports it by diffusion from the air in the alveoli to the blood flowing through the pulmonary capillaries. The cardiovascular system then moves the oxygenated blood from the heart to the microcirculation of the various organs by convection, where oxygen is released from hemoglobin in the red blood cells and moves to the parenchymal cells of each tissue by diffusion. Oxygen that has diffused into cells is then utilized in the mitochondria to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of all cells. The mitochondria are able to produce ATP until the oxygen tension or PO2 on the cell surface falls to a critical level of about 4–5 mm Hg. Thus, in order to meet the energetic needs of cells, it is important to maintain a continuous supply of oxygen to the mitochondria at or above the critical PO2 . In order to accomplish this desired outcome, the cardiorespiratory system, including the blood, must be capable of regulation to ensure survival of all tissues under a wide range of circumstances. The purpose of this presentation is to provide basic information about the operation and regulation of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, as well as the properties of the blood and parenchymal cells, so that a fundamental understanding of the regulation of tissue oxygenation is achieved.