This open access book is supported by the European Atherosclerosis Society Association (EAS). This follow-up edition of the well-received Handbook volume 'Atherosclerosis: Diet and Drugs' reflects the state-of-the-art and most recent developments in atherosclerosis research. Outstanding international experts give a comprehensive overview of the field covering topics, such as improving the treatment focusing on established targets, novel drug developments addressing pre-defined targets, hypothesis-based and hypothesis-free approaches to unravel novel targets.

In recent years, the understanding of the pathophysiological processes of atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the vessel wall being the leading cause for mortality in industrial countries, has tremendously increased. The feasibility of translating such knowledge to novel therapeutic approaches is currently being explored at various levels. This book highlights advances in atherosclerosis and links these to relevant therapeutic strategies. It compiles and details cutting-edge research in cardiovascular medicine from internationally renowned authors.

It has been known for over 150 years that hallmarks of inflammation can be observed in the wall of atherosclerotic vessels. It was, however, not clear if this inflammation is the cause or the consequence of atherogenesis. More recently, it has become evident that inflammation mediated both by innate and adaptive immunity is instrumental even in the earliest stages of the development of atherosclerotic lesions, i.e., that it plays an important pathogenetic role. In this volume, international experts in the field discuss the pathogenetic, diagnostic, preventive and possible therapeutic relevance of inflammation in atherogenesis. This book is intended for researchers and physicians in the fields of vascular biology, immunology and atherosclerosis.

Despite recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of symptomatic atherosclerosis, available traditional screening methods for early detection and treatment of asymptomatic coronary artery disease are grossly insufficient and fail to identify the majority of victims prior to the onset of a life-threatening event. In Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis: Pathophysiology, Detection and Treatment, Dr. Morteza Naghavi and leading authorities from the Society for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication (SHAPE) present a new paradigm for the screening and primary prevention of asymptomatic atherosclerosis. The text focuses on accurate, yet underutilized, measures of subclinical atherosclerosis, notably coronary artery calcium scanning and carotid intima-media thickness measurement. The authors introduce a comprehensive approach to identifying the vulnerable patients (asymptomatic individuals at risk of a near future adverse event). Additional chapters discuss future directions towards containing the epidemic of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease using innovative solutions such as preemptive interventional therapies (bioabsorbable stents) for stabilization of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques, mass unconditional Polypill therapy for population-based risk reduction, and ultimately vaccination strategies to prevent the development of atherosclerosis. Up-to-date and authoritative, Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis: Pathophysiology, Detection, and Treatment is a must-have for any cardiologist or primary care physician who wishes to practice modern preventive cardiology and manage the increasing number of asymptomatic atherosclerotic patients. Outlines more accurate measures of risk (coronary artery calcium and carotid intima-media thickness) than traditional risk factors (total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol) Presents new multipronged strategies to aid in the early detection and treatment of high risk asymptomatic patients

This textbook focuses on the vascular biology and physiology that underlie vascular disorders in clinical medicine. Vascular biomedicine is a rapidly growing field as new molecular mechanisms of vascular health and disease are unraveled. Many of the major cardiovascular diseases including coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke and vascular dementia are diseases of the vasculature. In addition vascular injury underpins conditions like kidney failure and cardiovascular complications of diabetes. This field is truly multidisciplinary involving scientists in many domains such as molecular and vascular biology, cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology and immunology and inflammation. Clinically, specialists across multiple disciplines are involved in the management of patients with vascular disorders, including cardiologists, nephrologists, endocrinologists, neurologists and vascular surgeons. This book covers a wide range of topics and provides an overview of the discipline of vascular biomedicine without aiming at in-depth reviews, but rather offering up-to-date knowledge organized in concise and structured chapters, with key points and pertinent references. The structure of the content provides an integrative and translational approach from basic science (e.g. stem cells) to clinical medicine (e.g. cardiovascular disease). The content of this book is targeted to those who are new in the field of vascular biology and vascular medicine and is ideal for medical students, graduate and postgraduate students, clinical fellows and academic clinicians with an interest in the vascular biology and physiology of cardiovascular disease and related pathologies.

This book aims to provide non-specialist healthcare practitioners with current, focused and objective information on the most common vascular diseases encountered in daily clinical practice. In day-to-day clinical practice many healthcare practitioners do not have a working knowledge of the most common vascular diseases that frequently arise in patient care. Some of these topics include: aneurysms, peripheral arterial disease, diabetic foot, venous thromboembolism, cerebrovascular disease, aortic dissection, and acute limb ischemia. These commonly encountered vascular diseases are becoming public health issues due to their high morbidity and mortality as well as increasing healthcare costs. Since patients with vascular diseases are often referred to non-specialists, the general practitioner must know how to proper handle the most common vascular diseases encountered in daily clinical practice. For each disease the concept, epidemiology, natural history, diagnosis and treatment are described, followed by essential advice on what the non-specialist can do for the patient and when to refer the patient to a specialist.

This book reviews current science and applications in fields including thrombosis and hemostasis, signal transduction, and non-thrombotic conditions such as inflammation, allergy and tumor metastasis. It is a detailed, up-to-date, highly referenced text for clinical scientists and physicians, including recent developments in this rapidly expanding field. More than a scientific resource, this is also an authoritative reference and guide to the diagnosis.

Stroke is a major cause of death and the major cause of adult neurological disability in most of the world. Despite its importance on a population basis, research into the genetics of stroke has lagged behind that of many other disorders. However, the situation is now changing. An increasing number of single gene disorders causing stroke are being described, and there is growing evidence that polygenic factors are important in the risk of apparently "sporadic" stroke. Stroke Genetics provides an up-to-date review of the area, suitable for clinicians treating stroke patients, and both clinical and non-clinical researchers in the field of cerebrovascular disease. The full range of monogenic stroke disorders causing cerebrovascular disease, including ischaemic stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage, aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations, are covered. For each, clinical features, diagnosis, and genetics are described. Increasing evidence suggest that genetic factors are also important for the much more common multifactorial stroke; this evidence is reviewed along with the results of genetic studies in this area. Optimal and novel strategies for investigating multifactorial stroke, including the use of intermediate phenotypes such as intima-media thickness and MRI detected small vessel disease are reviewed. The book concludes by describing a practical approach to investigating patients with stroke for underlying genetic disorders. Also included is a list of useful websites.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a screening tool called the Listing of Impairments to identify claimants who are so severely impaired that they cannot work at all and thus immediately qualify for benefits. In this report, the IOM makes several recommendations for improving SSA's capacity to determine disability benefits more quickly and efficiently using the Listings.

Preventive cardiology is a fast moving field that places emphasis on the prevention and treatment of coronary disease. Preventive Cardiology: Insights Into the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease, Second Edition is intended for clinical cardio- gists, internists, primary care providers, and allied health care professionals who wish to extend their knowledge and expertise in the rapidly expanding field of preventive car- ology. It is the mission of this book to provide clinicians with the understanding and tools necessary to implement prevention in their daily practices. Recent changes in the delivery of health care in the United States and abroad, in conjunction with new scientific evidence supporting the role of preventive strategies in the maintenance of cardiovascular health, have focused new attention and efforts on the field of cardiovascular disease prevention. The field of cardiology is thus making a gradual transition from the technology-driven, intervention-oriented perspective of the last several decades to a new, preventive, molecular-based perspective. As fresh evidence amasses that preventive measures produce a considerable decrease in the incidence of both primary and secondary cardiac events and mortality, there is growing, widespread acknowledgment that health care providers from all arenas must initiate preventive str- egies in the management and care of their patients.