"Another damned, thick, square book! Always scribble, scribble, scribble! Eh! Mr. Gibbon?" From the Literary Memoirs of Willi am, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER, 1743-1805 The foreword of any book is probably the most difficult to write -not only because it stands at the beginning of an exercise in writing and logic but because it is in this chapter that areader can expect to find a clear and unambiguous explanation of the author's reason for writing the book and why some subject matter has been included and other subject matter excluded. Potential readers ofthis book may not have an inclination to question why some subject matter has been excluded but instead may wonder why another book on calcium antagonists has been published. However, it is arguable with some force that there have been at least three recent developments in the field of calcium antagonism which provide more than adequate support for the view that another book on this topic is warranted. These developments include: (i) an improved understanding of the chemical structure, mode of action and architecture of the voltage-activated, calcium antagonist-sensitive calcium channels and their associated calcium-antagonist specific binding sites; (ii) a more accurate appreciation ofhow and when the calcium antagonists should be used in the management of a variety of clinical dis orders including cerebral ischaemia atherosclerosis, "mild" ischaemic heart disease, ventricular hyper trophy, impaired ventricular relaxation and hypertension (to name but a few), and (iii) the emergence of a second generation of calcium antagonists.

“Brain circulation is a true road map that consists of large extended navigation territories and a number of unimagined and undiscovered routes.” Dr. Patricia Bozzetto Ambrosi This book combines an update on the review of cerebrovascular diseases in the form of textbook chapters, which has been carefully reviewed by Dr. Patricia Bozzetto Ambrosi, Drs. Rufai Ahmad and Auwal Abdullahi and Dr. Amit Agrawal, high-performance academic editors with extensive experience in neurodisciplines, including neurology, neurosurgery, neuroscience, and neuroradiology, covering the best standards of neurological practice involving basic and clinical aspects of cerebrovascular diseases. Each topic was carefully revised and prepared using smooth, structured vocabulary, plus superb graphics and scientific illustrations. In emphasizing the most common aspects of cerebrovascular diseases: stroke burden, pathophysiology, hemodynamics, diagnosis, management, repair, and healing, the book is comprehensive but concise and should become the standard reference guide for this neurological approach.

An essential companion for busy professionals seeking to navigate stroke-related clinical situations successfully and make quick informed treatment decisions.

This updated second edition of Acute Ischemic Stroke: Imaging and Intervention provides a comprehensive account of the state of the art in the diagnosis and treatment of acute ischemic stroke. The basic format of the first edition has been retained, with sections on fundamentals such as pathophysiology and causes, imaging techniques and interventions. However, each chapter has been revised to reflect the important recent progress in advanced neuroimaging and the use of interventional tools. In addition, a new chapter is included on the classification instruments for ischemic stroke and their use in predicting outcomes and therapeutic triage. All of the authors are internationally recognized experts and members of the interdisciplinary stroke team at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. The text is supported by numerous informative illustrations, and ease of reference is ensured through the inclusion of suitable tables. This book will serve as a unique source of up-to-date information for neurologists, emergency physicians, radiologists and other health care providers who care for the patient with acute ischemic stroke.

The brain is the most complex organ in our body. Indeed, it is perhaps the most complex structure we have ever encountered in nature. Both structurally and functionally, there are many peculiarities that differentiate the brain from all other organs. The brain is our connection to the world around us and by governing nervous system and higher function, any disturbance induces severe neurological and psychiatric disorders that can have a devastating effect on quality of life. Our understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of the brain has improved dramatically in the last two decades. In particular, the critical role of cations, including magnesium, has become evident, even if incompletely understood at a mechanistic level. The exact role and regulation of magnesium, in particular, remains elusive, largely because intracellular levels are so difficult to routinely quantify. Nonetheless, the importance of magnesium to normal central nervous system activity is self-evident given the complicated homeostatic mechanisms that maintain the concentration of this cation within strict limits essential for normal physiology and metabolism. There is also considerable accumulating evidence to suggest alterations to some brain functions in both normal and pathological conditions may be linked to alterations in local magnesium concentration. This book, containing chapters written by some of the foremost experts in the field of magnesium research, brings together the latest in experimental and clinical magnesium research as it relates to the central nervous system. It offers a complete and updated view of magnesiums involvement in central nervous system function and in so doing, brings together two main pillars of contemporary neuroscience research, namely providing an explanation for the molecular mechanisms involved in brain function, and emphasizing the connections between the molecular changes and behavior. It is the untiring efforts of those magnesium researchers who have dedicated their lives to unraveling the mysteries of magnesiums role in biological systems that has inspired the collation of this volume of work.

Fully revised throughout, the new edition of this concise textbook is aimed at doctors preparing to specialize in stroke care.