Current Vascular Pharmacology - Volume 2, Issue 3, 2004

Hypercoagulability is widely associated with sepsis, inflammation, diabetes, cancers, aging, and many pathological conditions, resulting in life-threatening disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), venous thrombosis, thromboembolism, cardiovascular complications, or even deadly multiple organ failure. Relieving coagulation dysfunction is not only a task for research scientists but also a challenge for physicians. The Read More

Oxidant stress [ OS ] is a condition in which cells are exposed to excessive levels of either molecular oxygen or chemical derivatives of oxygen called reactive oxygen species [ROS], principal amongst which is superoxide [O2 -]. It is becoming increasingly apparent that O2 - is a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease [CVD], including atherogenesis, reperfusion injury, angina, restenosis following balloon angioplasty and Read More

Diabetic patients show a higher incidence of cardiac arrhythmias, including ventricular fibrillation and sudden death. However, although diabetic cardiomyopathy is a frequent and important complication of diabetes mellitus, its physiological basis is not completely known. The electrocardiogram of diabetic patients shows several alterations from normal patterns, most of them related to the QT interval and T w Read More

The role of chronic inflammation in the pathogenesis of the acute coronary syndromes has received increasing attention since active plaques rich in macrophages (MfΦs) are more prone to rupture whereas plaques rich in myofibroblasts are considered to be stable. Functionally, active plaques show a locally enhanced vasoreactivity. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) a potent vasoconstrictor acts in a paracrine fashion to regulate vascular ton Read More

Tumor targeting therapy, that is “Missile therapy”, using a complex composed of a tumor suppressive drug and a whole antibody against tumor cells, is expected to become an attractive chemotherapy strategy. However, clinically convincing results have not yet been obtained mainly due to poor transport from the circulation to tumor tissue and marked toxicity. Recently, recombinant immunotoxins, composed of an Fv fragm Read More

Gene polymorphisms of components of the renin-angiotensin system, angiotensinogen, angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT-1), have been considered to contribute to inherited predisposition towards coronary artery disease (CAD). The best analyzed is the insertion / deletion (I / D) gene polymorphism of the ACE gene. Several studies suggest that the ACE D allele is associated with the oc Read More

Vascular endothelium plays strategic roles in many drug delivery paradigms, both as an important therapeutic target itself and as a barrier for reaching tissues beyond the vascular wall. Diverse means are being developed to improve vascular drug delivery including stealth liposomes and polymer carriers. Affinity carriers including antibodies or peptides that specifically bind to endothelial surface determinants, either consti Read More

Diastolic heart failure (DHF) is characterized by the clinical presentation of heart failure in the setting of preserved left ventricular systolic function and evidence of diastolic dysfunction. It is estimated to be present in at least one-third of patients, who represent the signs and symptoms of heart failure, and is especially prevalent among the elderly population. Despite an increasing understanding of the pathophysiology of this dise Read More