Synopses & Reviews
This new edition of Animal Models in Cardiovascular Research describes historical and recent advances in our understanding of the cardiovascular system from studies conducted in a variety of animal models. Since the last edition we have witnessed an explosion in the use of both congenic and transgenic animals. The use of specific knock-in and knock-out transgenic models has resulted in an avalanche of genetic, molecular and protein-based information that, potentially, could result in an amazing new array of treatment and management options. However, the results of these studies also introduce a sometime bewildering array of redundant, overlapping and competing molecular pathways involved in both physiological and pathological responses. This third edition is designed to provide a better basis for understanding and using animal models in the current climate of background knowledge and information. It is significantly different than the previous two editions. Chapter 1 is updated from the previous editions addressing general principles of animal selection. It also provides expanded tables of normal physiological values for easy reference. Chapter 2 covers preoperative care, pre-anesthesia, chemical restraint, and includes a significantly expanded section on pain recognition and analgesia particularly in rodents. Chapter 3 provides a summary of normal cardiovascular parameters obtained from intact, awake animals. The data have been rearranged in outline rather than the previous tabular form hopefully resulting in easier reference. Chapter 4 addresses the techniques, problems and pitfalls of measuring cardiac function in animals. There is an emphasis on the proper use of these measurements to develop new treatment and management strategies as well as using them to study mechanisms of disease. Chapter 5 emphasizes the techniques, problems and pitfalls involved in the measurement of arterial function and ventricular/arterial coupling dynamics. Again the emphasis is on the use of these parameters to develop new treatment and management strategies and for studying the mechanisms of disease. Chapter 6 is a all new chapter dealing specifically with the problems and pitfalls inherent in using isolated heart preparations. The need for this chapter became apparent because so much information was published using obviously non-physiologic preparations. The use of both pumping and non-pumping preparations are described along with techniques necessary for using hearts from larger species where oxygen carrying capacity of the perfusate is critical. The importance of hypoxia and anoxia in the interpretation of results is discussed. Chapter 7 focuses on the cardiovascular effects of the post-operative analgesic drugs commonly used today and how to avoid potential problems resulting from these effects when reporting experimental data. These data are also presented in outline form rather than the tabular format used in the two previous editions. Chapter 8 addresses the use of naturally occurring animal models of valvular and infectious cardiovascular disease. The information presented has been updated and expanded from the second edition. Chapter 9 examines iatrogenic models of ischemic heart disease. Chapter 10 is new. It provides a review of iatrogenic, transgenic and naturally occurring animal models of cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Chapter 11 includes new, updated and revised information reviewing iatrogenic and transgenic models of hypertension. Chapter 12 contains new, and updated information on iatrogenic and transgenic models of atherosclerotic disease. Chapter 13 is completely new material dealing with animal models for the study of neurohumeral and central nervous system control of the cardiovascular system. Chapter 14 is also new. It provides examples of cardiovascular studies involving the use of specific transgenic models not normally associated with the cardiovascular system, such as estrogen receptor knockouts, to study cardiovascular function.
Synopsis
This fully revised and updated third edition reflects intensified interest in the field and provides information essential to researchers interested in using animal models for cardiovascular research, or any research requiring normal cardiovascular function.
Synopsis
Interest in the humane and scientifically justifiable use of research animals has intensified since the publication of the 2nd edition of Animal Models in Cardiovascular Research. This completely revised and updated edition will provide information essential to any researcher interested in using animal models for cardiovascular research, or any research which requires normal cardiovascular function. The format and presentation will be changed to make the text more easy to read and use: (1) This edition is in outline format, for ease and utility. (2) The opening chapter includes more information on the cardiovascular effects of post-operative analgesia and will address the recognition of pain behavior in species commonly used in research settings, particularly rats and mice. (3) New edition includes reference material more useful to researchers using transgenic and naturally occurring animal models to dissect these mechanisms.
Synopsis
Animal Models in Cardiovascular Research covers both historical and recent advances in our understanding of the cardiovascular system from studies conducted in animal models. The last decade has seen an explosion in the use of very specialized congenic and transgenic animal models that were not described in the previous two editions. The results of many of these studies provide a sometime bewildering array of redundant, overlapping and competing molecular pathways demanding further study. This third edition is designed to provide a better basis for understanding and using animal models in the current climate of background knowledge and information. The first and second editions of Animal Models in Cardiovascular Research emphasized normal cardiovascular parameters and the cardiovascular effects of a wide variety of drugs commonly used for restraint, anesthesia and pain control in the various animal species. The third edition is focused on the avalanche of genetic, molecular and protein-based information generated from the use of both congenic and transgenic animal models. Updated and expanded chapters provide new information generated from classical, congenic and transgenic animal models used to study ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, hypertension and atherosclerotic disease. Completely new chapters in this third edition describe the techniques, problems and pitfalls associated with the measurement of cardiac and vascular function and ventricular/arterial coupling dynamics in various animal models. There is a new chapter detailing problems and pitfalls associated with isolated heart preparations and another describing animal models for the study of neurohumeral and CNS control of the cardiovascular system.
About the Author
Dr. David R. Gross entered private veterinary practice after earning the DVM degree from Colorado State University in 1960. In 1974 he was awarded the PhD degree in physiology from the Ohio State University beginning a 36-year career in academics that culminated as professor and head of the Department of Veterinary Biosciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Gross' research career encompassed 58 funded projects totaling over $5.5 million and 91 papers published in refereed journals using a wide variety of animal models. Ironically his three most-cited research papers received no external funding. He and his colleagues showed that feeding dietary cholesterol to rabbits induced Alzheimer's-like lesions in the brain. Their work also showed that surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass resulted in Alzheimer's-like brain lesions in pigs. With another group of colleagues he helped pioneer minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting techniques using the pig as a model.
Table of Contents
1. General principles of animal selection and normal physiological values 2. Anesthesia, chemical restraint (sedation), and analgesia 3. Normal cardiovascular parameters 4. Measuring cardiac function 5. Measuring vascular function and ventricular/arterial coupling dynamics 6. Isolated heart preparations, problems and pitfalls 7. Cardiovascular effects anesthetics, sedatives and post-operative analgesic agents 8. Iatrogenic and naturally occurring animal models of valvular, infectious and arrhythmic cardiovascular disease 9. Iatrogenic models of ischemic heart disease 10. Iatrogenic, transgenic and naturally occurring models of cardiomyopathy and heart failure 11. Iatrogenic and transgenic models of hypertension 12. Iatrogenic and transgenic models of atherosclerotic disease 13. Animal models for the study of neurohumeral and central neural control of the cardiovascular system 14. Cardiovascular studies involving other specific genetic knockouts