FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Donna Krupa
Office: (301) 634-7209
dkrupa@the-aps.org
Twitter: @Phyziochick
Latest Program Sponsored by the American Physiological Society Focuses on Autonomic Regulation of Cardiovascular Function in Health and Disease
Meeting Overview of conference being held July 7-10, 2012 in Omaha
BETHESDA, Md. (June 18, 2012) — The latest conference to be sponsored by the American Physiological Society (APS) focuses on the relationship between certain molecular mechanisms that are involved in the development of hypertension, heart failure, and diabetes. Entitled Autonomic Regulation of Cardiovascular Function in Health and Disease, the meeting will be held July 7-10, 2012 in Omaha, Nebraska. The full program is available online. An overview of the program is below.
Sunday, July 8
Plenary Lecture: Advances in the Central Renin-angiotensin system Curt Sigmund of the University of Iowa will cover the role of the renin-angiotensin system as a controller of cardiovascular function, as well as its newly recognized role in controlling energy expenditure and fat storage.
Symposia I: Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 and ANG (1-7): Roles in Central Hypertension
Speakers will cover how brain angiotensin peptides control blood pressure and the role ACE2 plays in hypertension.
Symposia II: Oxidative Stress and Sympathetic Regulation
Experts will discuss how oxidative stress-associated signals regulate sympathetic activity and blood pressure, as well as nanoforumulated antioxidants.
Symposia III: Mechanisms of Baro and Chemoreceptor Sensory Transduction: A Link to Sympatho-excitation in Disease
Researchers will discuss how sensory neuronal signals are powerful regulators of the hypertensive state and the role of gaseous messengers in oxygen Sensing by the carotid body.
Monday, July 9
Plenary Lecture: Neuromodulatory Pathways and Central Control of Sympathetic Activity in Hypertension and Heart Failure
Frans Leenen of the University of Ottowa will cover the role of various neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in regulating the sympathetic nervous system and how dysregulation can lead to cardiovascular dysfunction and disease.
Symposia IV: Sympatho-excitatory Mechanisms in Cardiovascular Disease
Researchers will discuss the neural mechanisms behind psychogenic cardiovascular disease and the role of inflammatory cells in the progression of cardiovascular disease.
Symposia V: Sympathetic Mechanisms in Human Hypertension
Experts will cover impaired autonomic regulation of blood pressure that can lead to hypertension and acute and chronic orthostatic intolerance.
Tuesday, July 10
Plenary Lecture: Muscle Sympathetic Reflexes in Humans
Lawrence I. Sinoway, Director of the Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute, leads the discussion on the exercise pressor reflex and how it is altered in cardiovascular disease, such as heart failure.. The cellular and molecular mechanisms that elicit this reflex will also be described.
Symposia VI: Nitric Oxide and Sympatho-vagal Regulation
Researchers will discuss targeting cyclic nucleotides to rescue cardiac sympatho-vagal phenotypes in cardiovascular disease and the blood brain barrier and control of arterial pressure.
Symposia VII: Device Therapy for Hypertension and Heart Failure
Experts will provide insight into long-term neural control of arterial pressure by chronic baroreflex activation, as well as discuss sympathetic control of splanchnic vessels leading to acute heart failure and clinical implications of renal denervation.
About the American Physiological Society (APS)
The American Physiological Society (APS) is a nonprofit organization devoted to fostering education, scientific research, and dissemination of information in the physiological sciences. APS publishes 13 scholarly, peer-reviewed journals covering specialized aspects of physiology. The Society was founded in 1887 and today has more than 10,500 members.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: The Autonomic Regulation of Cardiovascular Function in Health and Disease conference will be held July 7-10 at the downtown Hilton Omaha hotel in Omaha, Nebraska. The press is invited to attend. Please contact Donna Krupa at 301.634.7209, dkrupa@the-aps.org, @Phyziochick for additional information.
Research Highlights - Conference on Cardiovascular Function in Health, Disease
Released June 25, 2012 - Why do some people faint when they stand? How might the blood-brain barrier be responsible for high blood pressure? Could body mass index (BMI) change heart rate variability? These are among the symposia and poster topics being discussed at our conference on autonomic regulation of cardiovascular function in health and disease being held July 7-12, 2012.
SSRIs and Cardiovascular Health
Released April 26, 2010 -- A class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may provide a boost to cardiovascular health by affecting the way platelets, small cells in the blood involved in clotting, clump together. A research team found that depressed patients who have an associated risk of cardiovascular problems, the blocking activity of SSRIs may have a side-effect of preventing the serotonin uptake by platelets, making them less responsive to aggregation and may thereby improving the patients’ cardiovascular health.
Chemical Used in Production of IV Bags, Other Medical Equipment, Reproduce Complications in Patients After EC Support
Released May 1, 2009 - Medical science took a giant leap forward with the development of techniques that, at least temporarily, perform the function of vital organs, including the use of extracorporeal circulation (EC). But EC is not without its own risks. A new study sheds new light on the potential causes of EC-related disorders.
The Mystery of Serotonin & Hypertension
This episode features an interview with Michigan State University Professor Stephanie W. Watts, who has been investigating whether serotonin plays a role in high blood pressure. She received the 2008 Henry Pickering Bowditch Memorial Award for early-career achievement. The award goes to a scientist younger than 42 years whose accomplishments are original and outstanding. It is the American Physiological Society's second-highest award.
Environmental Cardiology
This episode covers several areas under one topic. Accumulating evidence indicates that an increase in particulate air pollution is associated with an increase in heart attacks and deaths. In this episode, we’ll talk to Aruni Bhatnagar of the University of Louisville and Robert Brook of the University of Michigan about research in the relatively new field of environmental cardiology. This field examines the relationship between air pollution and heart disease. (Begins at 02:58) Why was the man known in scientific literature only as “H.M.” so important to neuroscience? David Linden of Johns Hopkins University explains why in the wake of H.M.’s recent death. (Begins at 14:54) And a new study with rats could help uncover how we get hooked on sugary food. The heart’s beat is not a simple in-and-out movement, but has a bit of a twist to it. Researchers have created images showing the connection between the configuration of the heart’s muscular layer and how the heart contracts.