Blood Pressure and Arterial Wall Mechanics in Cardiovascular Diseases

SECTION I - Basic concepts and pathophysiological mechanisms of PAH.- Principles and definitions of arterial stiffness, wave reflections and pulse pressure amplification.- Large arteries, microcirculation and the mechanism of hypertension.- Direct measurement of local arterial stiffness and pulse pressure.- Determination of systemic and regional arterial stiffness.- Calcifications.- Mechanical stress and the arterial wall.- Pulsatile stress, arterial stiffness and endothelial function.- Endothelial-dependent vascular modulation by pulse perfusion.- Central arterial aging: humans to molecules.- Elastin, calcium and the arterial wall.- Animals models for studies of arterial stiffness.- Renin-angiotensin system, large arteries and microcirculation.- Arterial distensibility and the sympathetic nervous system.- SECTION II - Clinical aspects and end-organ damage in PAH.- Brachial and central pulse pressure, and cardiovascular risk.- Large artery stiffness and cardiovascular risk: Introduction to risk assessment and new strategies.- Therapeutic trials and cardiovascular risk.- Genetic aspects of arterial stiffness and pulse pressure in clinical hypertension.- Heart rate, pulse pressure and arterial stiffness.- The relation of large arterial structure and function to cardiac hypertrophy in hypertension.- Arterial stiffness in hypertension and chronic heart failure.- Arterial stiffness and various cardiovascular diseases.- Arterial function in end-stage renal disease.- Arterial changes in renal transplantation.- Carotid cerebral circulation and arterial stiffness.- Aging process.- Hypertension in women: is it different?.- Arterial stiffness and wave reflections at the different stages of the hypertensive vascular disease.- Diabetes, (lipids) and other cardiovascular risk factors.- Pulsatile hemodynamics and thrombino formation.- Lipids and atherosclerotic disease.- SECTION III - Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics of PAH.- Antihypertensive drug treatment and cardiovascular prevention: an update including the 2003-2004 secondary prevention trials.- Changing concepts on the role of blood pressure reduction in cardiovascular prevention.- Principles of measurement, preventing and treating arterial stiffness.- Nitrates and endothelial function.- De-stiffening strategy, sodium balance and blockade of the renin-angiotensin system.- Aldosterone antagonists, arterial stiffness and wave reflections.- Drugs acting on collagen cross-linking.- Long-term effects of converting enzyme inhibitors, calcium antagonists and -blocking agents on peripheral and central arteries.- Statins and arterial stiffness.- Nonpharmacological treatment of increased arterial stiffness and altered wave reflections.- BP variability.