The Endothelium
The Endothelium

Author: Michel Félétou

Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 309

ISBN-13: 1615041230

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The endothelium, a monolayer of endothelial cells, constitutes the inner cellular lining of the blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries) and the lymphatic system, and therefore is in direct contact with the blood/lymph and the circulating cells. The endothelium is a major player in the control of blood fluidity, platelet aggregation and vascular tone, a major actor in the regulation of immunology, inflammation and angiogenesis, and an important metabolizing and an endocrine organ. Endothelial cells controls vascular tone, and thereby blood flow, by synthesizing and releasing relaxing and contracting factors such as nitric oxide, metabolites of arachidonic acid via the cyclooxygenases, lipoxygenases and cytochrome P450 pathways, various peptides (endothelin, urotensin, CNP, adrenomedullin, etc.), adenosine, purines, reactive oxygen species and so on. Additionally, endothelial ectoenzymes are required steps in the generation of vasoactive hormones such as angiotensin II. An endothelial dysfunction linked to an imbalance in the synthesis and/or the release of these various endothelial factors may explain the initiation of cardiovascular pathologies (from hypertension to atherosclerosis) or their development and perpetuation. Table of Contents: Introduction / Multiple Functions of the Endothelial Cells / Calcium Signaling in Vascular Cells and Cell-to-Cell Communications / Endothelium-Dependent Regulation of Vascular Tone / Conclusion / References

Excitation-Contraction Coupling and Cardiac Contractile Force
Excitation-Contraction Coupling and Cardiac Contractile Force

Author: Donald Bers

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 468

ISBN-13: 940100658X

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How is the heartbeat generated? What controls the strength of contraction of heart muscle? What are the links between cardiac structure and function? How does our understanding of skeletal and smooth muscle and non-muscle cells influence our thinking about force development in the heart? Are there important species differences in how contraction is regulated in the heart? How do the new molecular data fit together in understanding the heart beat? What goes wrong in ischemia, hypertrophy, and heart failure? This book paints a modern `portrait' of how the heart works and in this picture the author shows a close-up of the structural, biochemical, and physiological links between excitation and contraction. The author takes the reader through a series of important, interrelated topics with great clarity and continuity and also includes many useful illustrations and tables. The book starts by considering the cellular structures involved in excitation-contraction coupling and then described the characteristics of the myofilaments as the end effector of excitation-contraction coupling. A general scheme of calcium regulation is described and the possible sources and sinks of calcium are discussed in simple, but quantitative terms. The cardiac action potential and its many underlying currents are reviewed. Then the characteristics of some key calcium transport systems (calcium channels, sodium/calcium exchange and SR calcium uptake and release) are discussed in detail. This is then built into a more integrated picture of calcium regulation in succeeding chapters by detailed discussions of excitation-calcium coupling mechanisms (in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle), the interplay between calcium regulatory processes, and finally mechanisms of cardiac inotropy, calcium overload, and dysfunction (e.g., ischemia, hypertrophy, and heart failure). Excitation-Contraction Coupling and Cardiac Contractile Force – Second Edition is an invaluable source of information for anyone who is interested in how the heart beat is controlled and especially suited for students of the cardiovascular system at all levels from medical/graduate students through senior investigators in related fields.

Calcium Signalling and Disease
Calcium Signalling and Disease

Author: Ernesto Carafoli

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2007-09-29

Total Pages: 591

ISBN-13: 1402061919

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Authors highlight several promising discoveries in the field of calcium signaling that provide new information about both genetic and acquired pathologies. Their discussions will give you new insights into the underlying causes of congenital and acquired diseases and point the way to new, even more promising research and therapies.

Store-Operated Calcium Channels
Store-Operated Calcium Channels

Author:

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2013-07-24

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13: 0124079385

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Store-operated calcium channels are found in most animal cells and regulate many cellular functions including cell division, growth, differentiation, and cell death. This volume provides a concise and informative overview of the principles of store-operated calcium entry and the key developments in the field from researchers who have led these advances. The overall goal of the volume is to provide interested students and investigators with sufficient information to enable a broad understanding of the progress and current excitement in the field. The volume contains a wealth of information that even experienced investigators in the field will find useful. - The volume provides a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms and functions of store-operated calcium channels - Contributors are authoritative researchers who have produced important advances in the field - The volume is well-illustrated with cartoons and data to facilitate easy comprehension of the subject

Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Skeletal, Cardiac, and Smooth Muscle
Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Skeletal, Cardiac, and Smooth Muscle

Author: George B. Frank

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 450

ISBN-13: 1461533627

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The Third International Symposium on Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Skeletal, Cardiac, and Smooth Muscle, organized by George Frank, C. Paul Bianchi, and Henk E. DJ. ter Keurs, was held in Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada during June 26 to June 30, 1991. The theme of these symposia has been to recognize the similarities and dissimilarities of excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle. Cross fertilization of concepts of excitation-contraction coupling in these three types of muscle has occurred since the early studies in the late fifties and early sixties on skeletal muscle. Investigators in each field meet only at specialized symposia which exclude investigators in the other fields. The purpose of the symposia has been to bring together international investigators studying excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle so that we may learn from each other and hence provide a more global concept of excitation-contraction. The Third International Symposia has accomplished its objective as we recognize that calcium channels of the sarcolemma and the sarcoplasmic reticulum play key essential roles in excitation-contraction coupling in all three types of muscles. In skeletal muscle the recognition that E-C coupling consists of two parallel mechanisms, one dependent upon a dihydropyridine voltage-sensitive sensors coupled to calcium release from the terminal cisternae via the ryanodine sensitive channel in the foot structure of the triad.

Cardiovascular Physiology Concepts
Cardiovascular Physiology Concepts

Author: Richard E. Klabunde

Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Published: 2020-12-01

Total Pages: 689

ISBN-13: 1975150090

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Praised for its concise coverage, this highly accessible monograph lays a foundation for understanding the underlying concepts of normal cardiovascular function and offers a welcome alternative to a more mechanistically oriented approach or an encyclopedic physiology text. Clear explanations, ample illustrations and engaging clinical cases and problems provide the perfect guidance for self-directed learning and prepare you to excel in clinical practice.

Biochemistry of Smooth Muscle Contraction
Biochemistry of Smooth Muscle Contraction

Author: Michael Barany

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 1996-01-04

Total Pages: 455

ISBN-13: 0080527892

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This valuable resource provides a systematic account of the biochemistry of smooth muscle contraction. As a comprehensive guide to this rapidly growing area of research, it covers the structure and characteristic properties of contractile and regulatory proteins, with special emphasis on their predicted function in the live muscle. Also included in this book are intermediate filament proteins, and desmin and vimentin, whose function in smooth muscle is unknown; and several enzymes involved in the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation of contractile and other proteins.

Calcium and Contractility
Calcium and Contractility

Author: A. K. Grover

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 498

ISBN-13: 1461251729

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In organizing the present volume, we had two intentions. The first was to present the best current understanding of the mechanisms of calcium mobilization during excitation contraction coupling of smooth muscle at a level suited to the needs of professionals interested in smooth muscle pharmacology and pathophysiology, while remaining appreciable by graduate and medical students. The second intention was to provide in sight into present-day controversies, as well as the latest ad vances achieved by researchers in this field. Thus, we have thor oughly discussed both the techniques and the concepts derived from their application. An attempt has also been made here to answer a number of profoundly important questions: What are the mechanisms and agents responsible for the control of contractility? What are the accompanying changes in the state of intracellular calcium ions and the mechanisms responsible for them? How does the regula tion of contractility occur directly at the level of the actomyosin activity? What role do gap junctions play in cell-to-cell coupling? What are the roles of cholinergic, adrenergic, peptidergic, and nonadrenergic noncholinergic interactions in calcium mobiliza tion in smooth muscle? What changes occur in hypertension? The impact of these recent techniques on future research is also reflected upon.

Endocrinology of the Vasculature
Endocrinology of the Vasculature

Author: J. R. Sowers

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 391

ISBN-13: 1461202310

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Key workers in vascular medicine and biology apply state-of-the-art techniques in cell and molecular biology to study the endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. The distinguished scientists and clinicians open a new area of endocrinology, which sees the vasculature and kidney as endocrine organs and sheds new light on the hormonal regulation of the cardiovascular system. They also add significantly to our current understanding of the autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine regulation of vascular function in health and in those vascular disease states that accompany diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Endocrinology of the Vasculature is the first book to comprehensively and systematically explore the vasculature as an endocrine organ.