Atherosclerosis, Hypertension and Diabetes

Thistext, as the tide states, is acompilationofpapersdevoted to the studyofath erosclerosis,hypertensionanddiabetes.Thesethree distinctdisease entities,although not entirely unrelated, are three ofthe most important disease conditions in the world today.As such, this volumeofresearch papers isofobvious medical impor tance.Thejustificationofthe energy,time and financial resources directed towards the studyofeachofthese three diseases requiressome discussion. The majority of papers amongst the three diseases that are discussed in this volume are dedicated to the studyofatherosclerosis.This is not by accident.Car diovasculardisease isthenumberonekillertodayintheworld. IntheUnitedStates almost61 millionAmericanshaveoneormoreformsofcardiovasculardisease.These diseases claimed nearly 1million lives in 1998 alone.Although approximately 80% ofthosewho dieofcardiovasculardisease are 65 yearsofageorolder,asignificant numberofpeople are killed by cardiovascular disease below the ageof65.Ather osclerotic heart disease in the eoronary vaseulature eausedapproximately~ million deaths in the United States in 1998.At least 12,400,000people are alive todayin the United States with a historyofmyocardial infarctions or ehest pain or both. Clearly,atherosclerotie disease inthe heart isamajormedicalproblem.This disease affeetsbothmenandwomen.Althoughmen are more likelyto experienee aheart attaekand are atgreater risk for eardiovaseular disease,more then ~ofthe people alive today with a historyofheart attacks or angina are females. As weIl,women whodo havemyoeardialinfarctionsare twice aslikely to diefromtheeventwithin afew weeks.Atheroscleroticvasculardisease isnotlimitedtojustthe heart.Anath erosclerotic ischemic event is the primary causeofstroke today.Although it isnot weIl appreciated, stroke is the number 3 killer inAmerica today and the leading causeofdebilitatingneurological damage.Atherosclerotic vascular disease therefore, has acostintermsofhuman life,qualityoflifeandfinancialburden today thatno otherdisease canmatch.Theseriousnessofthis medicalproblemdemands research attention.

Springer Book Archives

I. Atherosclerosis And Cardiovascular Disease.- 1. PPAR-Alpha in Lipid and Lipoprotein Metabolism, Vascular Inflammation and Atherosclerosis.- 2. The Choice of an Appropriate Animal Species in the Study of Chlamydia pneumoniae as an Atherogenic Agent.- 3. Endothelial Cell Dysfunction-A Key Factor in Atherogenesis and its Reversal (Laboratory and Clinical Study).- 4. Biochemical Mechanisms of Hyperhomocysteinemia in Atherosclerosis: Role of Chemokine Expression.- 5. Oxyradicals and Hypercholesterolemic Atherosclerosis.- 6. Identification, Regulation and Function of LOX-1, A Novel Receptor for Ox-LDL.- 7. Atherosclerosis and Angiotensin II in Hypercholesterolemia and Diabetes. A Role for ATt Receptors Beyond Hypertension.- 8. Basic and Clinical Results of New Statin: Pitavastatin.- 9. Reducing Cardiovascular Risk With HMG CoA Reductase Inhibitors, Potential Contribution From Platelets.- 10. Rapamycin-Sensitive Signal Transduction Pathways and the Control of Adipogenesis.- II. Hypertension.- 11. Genetic Predisposition to Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease.- 12. Role of Sympathetic Nervous System in Hypertension.- 13. Role of Hypothalamic Peptides in the Development of Hypertension.- 14. Myosin Light Chain Kinase in Endothelial Cell Calcium Signaling and Endothelial Functions.- 15. Sarpogrelate Inhibits Genes Involved in Vascular Neointimal Hyperplasia and Remodeling.- 16. A Nutritional Approach to Prevent High Blood Pressure.- 17. Cardiovascular and Renal Actions of Leptin.- 18. Brain Na, K-ATPase Enzymatic Activity and Cardiovascular Regulation.- 19. Development of Transdermal and Transbuccal Drug Delivery Systems for Cardioactive Drugs with Special Reference to Anti-Hypertensive Agents.- 20. Insulin Resistance and Experimental Hypertension.- III. DiabetesMellitus.- 21. New Paradigm for Insulin Resistance: The HISS Story.- 22. Vanadium Effects in Diabetes.- 23. Dyslipoproteinemia and Fibrinolysis.- 24. Endothelins and Cardiovascular Disease in Diabetes.- 25. Usefulness of 5-HT2A Receptor Antagonists for the Treatment of Cardiovascular Complications in Diabetes.- 26. Selective Attenuation of Enhanced Angiotensin II Mediated Responses in the Streptozotocin Diabetic Rat Thoracic Aorta by Tempol.- 27. Role of Renin-Angiotensin System in Diabetic Heart Dysfunction and Changes in Phospholipase C Activity.- 28. Regulation of Cardiac Function in Diabetes.- 29. Diabetes and Cardiac Dysfunction.- 30. Mechanisms Underlying Contractile Dysfunction in Streptozotocin-Induced Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetic Cardiomyopathy.- 31. Protein Kinase C Signaling and Expression of the Diabetic Cardiac Phenotype.- 32. Oxidative Stress in Cardiovascular Complications of Diabetes.- 33. Augmented Energy Transfer in Rat Heart Mitochondria: Compensatory Response to Abnormal Household of Energy in Acute Diabetes.- 34. Ketosis, Tumor Necrosis Factor-a and Cardiovascular Disease in Type-1 Diabetic Patients.- 35. Epigenetic Alterations in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy.