Ion Channels
Ion channels play a vital role in basic physiological functions such as generation of electrical activity in nerves and muscle, control of cardiac excitability, intracellular signaling, hormone secretion, cell proliferation and many other biological processes. Because of their prevalence and the critical role they play in virtually all tissue types and organs, ion channels are also involved in a number of pathophysiological conditions. The aim of this volume is to review recent advances in the field of ion channel related diseases. Following an overview chapter summarizing the current state of ion channel screening technologies, five topics covering areas such as cancer, cardiac arrhythmias, cystic fibrosis, and pain have been selected, and the current state of knowledge is presented by leading experts in their field.
Interstitial fibrosis in heart failure
Interstitial Fibrosis in Heart Failure, edited by Francisco J. Villarreal, M.D., Ph.D., provides a timely and integrative review of the basics of cardiac extracellular matrix structure. Topics covered include how cardiac remodeling influences its disposition, abundance and function; possible non-invasive techniques for diagnosis; and potential drug-based or molecular therapeutic strategies that may interrupt or even reverse the course of the development of cardiac fibrosis. This resource for both clinicians and scientists aims to cover state-of-the-art findings relevant to cellular and molecular processes underlying cardiac fibrosis including basic elements of structure, function, diagnosis and treatment.
Institution-independent Model Theory
A model theory that is independent of any concrete logical system allows a general handling of a large variety of logics. This generality can be achieved by applying the theory of institutions that provides a precise mathematical formulation for the intuitive concept of a logical system. Especially in computer science, where the development of a huge number of specification logics is observable, institution-independent model theory simplifies and sometimes even enables a concise model-theoretic analysis of the system. Besides incorporating important methods and concepts from conventional model theory, the proposed top-down methodology allows for a structurally clean understanding of model-theoretic phenomena. As a consequence, results from conventional concrete model theory can be understood more easily, and sometimes even new results are obtained.
Information Processing in Medical Imaging ; 20th International Conference, IPMI 2007, Kerkrade, The Netherlands, July 2-6, 2007, Proceedings
The 20th International Conference on Information Processing in Medical Im- ing(IPMI)washeldduringJuly2–6,2007,atRolducAbbey,locatedinKerkrade in the south of the Netherlands. IPMI is one of the longest running conferences in medical imaging.
IAEA Atlas of Cardiac PET/CT : A Case-Study Approach
This book presents a wide portfolio of examples of positron emission tomography coupled with computer tomography (PET/CT) studies in various cardiac conditions in order to provide a rationale for the implementation of this technology in an array of clinical conditions. Cardiovascular diseases are a major contributor to premature morbidity and mortality worldwide. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are particularly affected by cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), with more than 75% of all CVDs deaths occurring in these countries. For this reason, target 3.4 of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda aims at a 30% reduction in premature mortality due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which include CVDs, by 2030.
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome draws together the experiences of the leading experts in the field. Through their work in all aspects of congenital cardiac care, they have become acknowledged as the world leaders in the diagnostic, medical and social needs of children born with hypoplasia of the left heart. More importantly, for the first time the book recognizes the crucial contributions made by the families of these children. Diagnostic possibilities, options for medical and surgical treatment and a history of their evolution are looked into and the book also gives an insight into the longer-term effects that treatment has on the child and its family. As well as including contributions from medical clinicians, nurses, and psychologists, for the first time a forum is provided for the parents, who have complemented the contributions from the medical and nursing experts to provide a holistic view of the lives and experiences of the children born with this condition. No other publication, currently available, offers such a comprehensive overview of the care required by a child with hypoplasia of the left heart. This book provides the ultimate reference for anyone treating children with this heart condition, particularly paediatric cardiac clinical and nursing teams, radiologists and radiographers, obstetric medical and nursing teams, psychologists, pathologists, geneticists and workers in social care.
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Stem Cell Transplantation for Hematologic and Other Disorders, Second Edition provides a glimpse into potential future applications of bone marrow derived stem cells in the field of cardiac repair.
Heart block
Cardiac muscle (also called heart muscle or myocardium) is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissue, with the other two being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is involuntary, striated muscle that constitutes the main tissue of the wall of the heart. The cardiac muscle (myocardium) forms a thick middle layer between the outer layer of the heart wall (the pericardium) and the inner layer (the endocardium), with blood supplied via the coronary circulation. It is composed of individual cardiac muscle cells joined together by intercalated discs, and encased by collagen fibers and other substances that form the extracellular matrix.
Haploids in Crop Improvement II
This volume provides an excellent overview of haploid induction and the application of doubled haploids. The authors emphasize advances made in the understanding of microspore embryogenesis, but treat also advances in gynogenesis and the manipulation of parthenogenetic haploid development. The text contains a thorough discussion of the application of haploidy to the improvement of a number of species from various families.
Handbook of Pediatric Cardiovascular Drugs
The Handbook of Pediatric Cardiovascular Drugs provides the health care practitioner with general clinical and practical guidelines regarding the use of pediatric cardiovascular drugs. It reviews basic pediatric cardiovascular principles and satisfies the need for a pocket reference handbook tailored to meet the daily challenges of practitioners caring for pediatric cardiac patients.
Handbook of international law
Provides exactly that: written by an expert who both teaches and practises in the field, it focuses on what the law is; how it is created; and how it is applied to solve day-to-day problems. It offers a practical approach to the subject, giving it relevance and immediacy. The new edition retains a concise, user-friendly format allowing central principles such as jurisdiction and the law of treaties to be understood. In addition, it explores more specialised topics such as human rights, terrorism and the environment. This handbook is the ideal introduction for students new to international law.
Handbook of Cardiovascular CT : Essentials for Clinical Practice
Handbook of Cardiovascular CT: Essentials for Clinical Practice has been created as a primer to assist cardiologists, radiologists and other readers involved in cardiac imaging, this book’s compact format provides a handy reference tool and provides the answers to important cardiovascular CT questions.
Handbook of cardiac anatomy, physiology, and devices
Because of rapid growth in the medical device industry-which today enjoys revenues as large as those of the automobile industry-as well as in our understanding of cardiac disease processes, biomedical engineers must cope with a rising tide of highly complex information. In Handbook of Cardiac Anatomy, Physiology, and Devices, leading experts from the University of Minnesota's renowned Lillehei Heart Institute and scientists from Medtronic, Inc. have compiled a concise-yet detailed and comprehensive-reference source on the anatomic features, underlying physiologic mechanisms, and treatments for diseases of the heart. Here, active bioengineers working on cardiac devices will find the complete critical background they need to understand cardiac pacing, defibrillation, cardiac repair using stem cell therapy, robotics, less invasive cardiac surgery, biventricular pacing, cardiac bioenergetics, and more. Insightful chapters address animal models for cardiac research, cardiac mapping systems, heart valve disease, ventricular assist devices, and genomics-based tools and technology.
Global Specification and Validation of Embedded Systems : Integrating Heterogeneous Components
Global modelling and validation is required to master the design of systems made of heterogeneous components. These systems are now omnipresent in our life, and they may be found in several domains such as communications (ex. mobile terminals, optical switches), health (e.g. cardiac stimulators, cochlear implants), transportation (ex. automotive and aeronautical), etc. The main difficulties for their design are modelling and validation of the interactions between different components (hardware, software, analogue, RF, optical and micro-mechanical).
Gap Junctions in Development and Disease
Starting with a comprehensive review of the various mouse and human genes encoding the channel-forming protein connexin, further chapters describe the most important connexin mutations that lead to diseases such as hereditary deafness and female infertility in humans. Erroneous signaling mediated via connexin-protein interactions, thought to be responsible for disfunction of organs such as heart, muscle, brain, skin, lens, placenta, and endocrine tissue in mice and men, is also addressed.
Functional Imaging and Modeling of the Heart ; 4th International Conference, Salt Lake City, UT, USA, June 7-9, 2007
This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Functional Imaging and Modeling of the Heart, FIMH 2007, held in Salt Lake City, UT, USA in June 2007.
Functional imaging and modeling of the heart ; 3rd International workshop, FIMH 2005, Barcelona, Spain, June 2-4, 2005, Proceedings
The FIMH conference was the ?rst attempt to agglutinate researchers from several complementary but often i- lated ?elds: cardiac imaging, signal and image processing, applied mathematics and physics, biomedical engineering and computer science, cardiology, radi- ogy, biology, and physiology. In the ?rst two editions, the conference received an enthusiastic acceptance by experts of all these communities. FIMH was ori- nally started as a European event and has increasingly attracted more and more people from the US and Asia. This edition of FIMH received the largest number of submissions so far with a result of 47 papers being accepted as either oral presentations or posters. There were a number of submissions from non-EU institutions which con?rms the growing interest in this series of meetings. All papers were reviewed by up to four reviewers. The accepted contributions were organized into 8 oral sessions and 3 poster sessions complemented by a number of invited talks. This year we tried to allocate as many papers as possible as oral presentations to facilitate more active participation and to stimulate multidisciplinary discussions.
Functional Hemodynamic Monitoring
Hemodynamic monitoring is one of the major diagnostic tools available in the acute care setting to diagnose cardiovascular insufficiency and monitor changes over time in response to interventions. However, the rationale and efficacy of hemodynamic monitoring to affect outcome has come into question. We now have increasing evidence that outcome from critical illness can be improved by focused resuscitation based on existing hemodynamic monitoring, whereas non-specific aggressive resuscitation impairs survival. Thus, this book frames hemodynamic monitoring into a functional perspective wherein hemodynamic variables and physiology interact to derive performance and physiological reserve estimates that themselves drive treatment. This philosophy, as well as the limitations and applications of common and evolving hemodynamic measures and their focused use in the care of critically ill patients are discussed, relevant to one underlying truth: No monitoring device, no matter how simple or sophisticated, will improve patient-centered outcomes useless coupled to a treatment which, itself, improves outcome.
Fairness in criminal appeal : A critical and interdisciplinary analysis of the ECtHR case-law
Addresses the European Court of Human Rights fairness standards in criminal appeal, filling a gap in this less researched area of studies. Based on a fair trial immediacy requirement, the Court has found several violations of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights at the appellate level by at least eighteen States of the Council of Europe in a vast array of cases, particularly in contexts of first instance acquittals overturning and of sentences increasing on appeal. On the one hand, the book critically engages this case-law with the law revisions it has recently inspired in European countries, as well as with the critiques and difficulties that it continues to raise.
Etiology and Morphogenesis of Congenital Heart Disease : From Gene Function and Cellular Interaction to Morphology
This volume focuses on the etiology and morphogenesis of congenital heart diseases. It reviews in detail the early development and differentiation of the heart, and later morphologic events of the cardiovascular system, covering a wide range of topics such as gene functions, growth factors, transcription factors and cellular interactions that are implicated in cardiac morphogenesis and congenital heart disease. This book also presents recent advances in stem cell and cell sheet tissue engineering technologies which have the potential to provide novel in vitro disease models and to generate regenerative paradigms for cardiac repair and regeneration



















