Vascular Endothelium: Pharmacologic and Genetic
Manipulations
Volume 294 in NATO ASI Series A, Life Sciences
John D. Catravas, Allan D. Callow, and Una S. Ryan, Editors. 308 pp.
New York, NY: Plenum Press; 1998. $110.00.
ISBN 0-306-45819-5
Since the publication of the now classic paper of Furchgott and
Zawadzki in 1980, reporting the obligatory role of the
endothelium in the modulation of the vascular responses
to acetylcholine, the amount of attention to the
endothelial regulation of vascular homeostasis has
grown exponentially. Although the emphasis was initially placed on the
regulation of vascular tone by endothelium-derived
factors, it is now clear that endothelial cells
participate in a wide variety of physiological
processes that, in conjunction, control the behavior of the vascular
system and therefore the blood flow supply to different organs.
Consequently, abnormal function of the endothelium or
endothelial dysfunction is at the core (either as a
result or as a consequence) of several pathological conditions.
Although a definitive book on the endothelium has yet
to be published, there have been numerous attempts at gathering in one
volume the enormous amount of information constantly poured into the
medical literature and related to basic and clinical investigations of
endothelial function and dysfunction. The present
volume constitutes the proceedings of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop
held in Crete, Greece, between June 22 and July 1, 1996, and is divided
into six sections that cover a wide range of subjects.
The first and perhaps most interesting section of the book starts with
a review
© 1998 American Heart Association, Inc.
Book Review
Book Review
1 Section on Echocardiography,
Cardiology Branch,
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute,
National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, Md