This Annals volume stems from the two-day conference "Evolving Challenges in Promoting Cardiovascular Health" sponsored by The New York Academy of Sciences, "la Caixa" Foundation, and the International Center for Scientific Debate (ICSD), which took place November 4-5, 2011 in Barcelona, Spain. Leading and emerging investigators working on the fields of cardiology, vascular disease, inflammation, metabolic disorders, hematology, imaging, regenerative medicine, stem cell research, epidemiology, and nutrition, among others, address novel issues, current challenges, and future directions in the prevention, treatment, and management of the evolving global epidemic of cardiovascular disease. The papers in this volume explore the promotion of cardiovascular health through molecular biology, clinical pathophysiology, and population research. NOTE: Annals volumes are available for sale as individual books or as a journal. For information on institutional journal subscriptions, please visit http://ordering.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/subs.asp?ref=1749-6632&doi=10.1111/(ISSN)1749-6632. ACADEMY MEMBERS: Please contact the New York Academy of Sciences directly to place your order (www.nyas.org). Members of the New York Academy of Science receive full-text access to Annals online and discounts on print volumes. Please visit http://www.nyas.org/MemberCenter/Join.aspx for more information about becoming a member.

This report considers the biological and behavioral mechanisms that may underlie the pathogenicity of tobacco smoke. Many Surgeon General's reports have considered research findings on mechanisms in assessing the biological plausibility of associations observed in epidemiologic studies. Mechanisms of disease are important because they may provide plausibility, which is one of the guideline criteria for assessing evidence on causation. This report specifically reviews the evidence on the potential mechanisms by which smoking causes diseases and considers whether a mechanism is likely to be operative in the production of human disease by tobacco smoke. This evidence is relevant to understanding how smoking causes disease, to identifying those who may be particularly susceptible, and to assessing the potential risks of tobacco products.

This Surgeon General's report returns to the topic of the health effects of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke. The last comprehensive review of this evidence by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) was in the 1986 Surgeon General's report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Smoking, published 20 years ago this year. This new report updates the evidence of the harmful effects of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke. This large body of research findings is captured in an accompanying dynamic database that profiles key epidemiologic findings, and allows the evidence on health effects of exposure to tobacco smoke to be synthesized and updated (following the format of the 2004 report, The Health Consequences of Smoking). The database enables users to explore the data and studies supporting the conclusions in the report. The database is available on the Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco.

The first edition of this book gained recognition as the definitive textbook of diabetes epidemiology. The second edition builds on this success, gathering recent information on international trends and data for diabetes mellitus. In particular, the book highlights the dramatic rise of Type 2 diabetes in children, adolescents and the elderly throughout the world. One new section features prevention and screening of both Type1 and Type 2 diabetes. Other new chapters cover the epidemiology of obesity and the impact of nutrition, and review available guidelines for better worldwide glycemic control. Future challenges, including the effects of antipsychotic treatment and HIV infection and therapy on diabetes, are also addressed. All chapters have been completely revised and updated, covering: definitions, classification and risk factors for diabetes new evidence for screening and prevention of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes epidemiology of complications and associated risk factors economic aspects: the direct and indirect costs of diabetes. The Epidemiology of Diabetes Mellitus fills the need for a current compendium of diabetes epidemiology in the tradition of the first monumental text of the late Kelly West. It is essential reading for general practitioners, diabetologists, clinical endocrinologists, cardiologists, epidemiologists, nurses, dieticians, and other diabetes care providers, as well as health care decision makers.

"This report sets out the statistics, evidence and experiences needed to launch a more forceful response to the growing threat posed by noncommunicable diseases. While advice and recommendations are universally relevant, the report gives particular attention to conditions in low- and middle-income countries, which now bear nearly 80% of the burden from diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. The health consequences of the worldwide epidemic of obesity are also addressed. The report takes an analytical approach, using global, regional and country-specific data to document the magnitude of the problem, project future trends, and assess the factors contributing to these trends. As noted, the epidemic of these diseases is being driven by forces now touching every region of the world: demographic aging, rapid unplanned urbanization, and the globalization of unhealthy lifestyles"--Publisher's description.

Diet and Health examines the many complex issues concerning diet and its role in increasing or decreasing the risk of chronic disease. It proposes dietary recommendations for reducing the risk of the major diseases and causes of death today: atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (including heart attack and stroke), cancer, high blood pressure, obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, liver disease, and dental caries.