Myocardial Preservation Preconditioning And Adaptation

In this volume, basic scientists, cardiologists and cardiac surgeons discuss all that is known about preconditioning/adaptation and how this state-of-the-art technique compares with conventional techniques of myocardial preservation, unveiling its mechanism of protection and potential clinical application.

Living organisms exhibit specific responses when confronted with sudden changes in their environmental conditions. The ability of the cells to acclimate to their new environment is the integral driving force for adaptive modification of the cells. Such adaptation involves a number of cellular and biochemical alteration including metabolic homeostasis and reprogramming of gene expression. Changes in metabolic pathways are generally short-lived and reversible, while the consequences of gene expression are a long-term process and may lead to permanent alternation in the pattern of adaptive responses. The heart possesses remarkable ability to adapt itself against any stressful situation by increasing resistance to the adverse consequences. Stress composes the foundation of many degenerative heart diseases including atherosclerosis, spasm, thrombosis, cardiomyopathy, and congestive heart failure. Based on the concept that excessive stress may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of ischemic heart disease, attempts were made to design methods for preventing of myocardial injury. Creation of stress reactions by repeated ischemia and reperfusion or subjecting the hearts to heat or oxidative stress enables them to meet the future stress challenge. Repeated stress exposures adapt the heart to withstand more severe stress reactions probably by upregulating the cellular defense and direct accumulation of intracellular mediators, which presumably constitute the material basis of increased adaptation to stress. Thus, the powerful cardioprotective effect of adaptation is likely to originate at the cellular and molecular levels that compose fundamental processes in the prophylaxis of such diseases. Volume six of the Advances in Organ Biology series contains state-of-the-art reviews on myocardial preservation and cellular adaptation from the leading authorities in this subject.

In this volume, basic scientists, cardiologists and cardiac surgeons discuss all that is known about preconditioning/adaptation and how this state-of-the-art technique compares with conventional techniques of myocardial preservation, unveiling its mechanism of protection and potential clinical application.

Interest in the ability of myocardium to adapt to ischaemic stress has continued to grow since the discovery of ischaemic preconditioning in 1986. In 1993, two reports heralded the recognition of a delayed preconditioning response in the heart, now commonly known as the `second window' of protection. Since then, a number of studies have described the ability of delayed preconditioning and related adaptive phenomena to protect against a variety of pathologies in the ischaemic and reperfused myocardium. Our understanding of the cellular mechanisms of sub-acute adaptive cardioprotection has advanced considerably during this period. This compilation of state-of-the-art reviews by those who have made significant contributions to this field provides detailed and critical analysis of this research, from molecular basis to potential clinical relevance. The book aims to provide an authoritative, comprehensive and thoroughly up-to-date overview for scientists and clinicians engaged in, or observing, this rapidly-developing area of heart research. It will also be of interest to those engaged in research on other tissues where ischaemia-reperfusion pathology is of major concern.

This book summarizes present knowledge of different mechanisms involved in the development of positive and negative consequences of cardiac adaptation. Particular attention is paid to the still underestimated adaptive cardiac responses during development, to adaptation to the frequently occurring pressure and volume overload as well as to cardiac changes, induced by enduring exercise and chronic hypoxia. Cardiac Adaptations will be of great value to cardiovascular investigators, who will find this book highly useful in their cardiovascular studies for finding solutions in diverse pathological conditions; it will also appeal to students, fellows, scientists, and clinicians interested in cardiovascular abnormalities.

Practicing evidenced-based medicine some 25 centuries ago, Hippocrates proclaimed "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." This advice parallels the common American saying, "You are what you eat," and is supported by a National Institute of Health recommendation to consume as many as eight servings of fruits and vegetables daily to prev

Cell and Molecular Responses to Stress is a new multi-volume book series from Elsevier Science that focuses on how organisms respond at a molecular level to environmental stresses imposed upon them. All organisms deal with variations in multiple environmental factors including temperature, oxygen, salinity, and water availability. Many show amazing tolerances to extreme stress with remarkable biochemical adaptations that allow life to persist under very difficult circumstances. This series explores the molecular mechanisms by which cells and organisms respond to stress, focusing on the variations in metabolic response that allow some cells and organisms to deal with extreme stress, others to endure stress within strict limits, and others to have a very low tolerance for changes in environmental parameters.Articles from within the series highlight the elastic limits of molecular responses in Nature, with examples drawn from animal, plant and bacteria systems.Volume 1, begins by considering some of the roles of environmental stress in determining the geographic distribution of animals and in promoting species divergence and then explores gene expression and metabolic responses to environmental stress with examples of adaptation to high and low temperature, osmotic, anoxia/ischemia, desiccation, high pressure and heavy metal stresses.

Myocardial protection is regarded as one of the most important, yet also most controversial aspects of cardiac surgery. There has been considerable improvement in myocardial protection strategies over recent years, utilising a variety of new approaches to treat cardiac diseases, and this text is intended to embrace the state of the art in this field. The book summarises the state of knowledge on all aspects of myocardial protection, including the latest in the treatment of cardiac diseases, robotics, pediatric surgery and the treatment of cardiac failure. Robotic surgery, valvular surgery, pediatric surgery and coronary surgery are all covered by renowned experts, producing a comprehensive, forward-looking view of the field of myocardial protection. This book should function to update physicians and surgeons interested in the field of cardiac surgery on the current state of knowledge on myocardial protection.