volume 20, number 1, 2012 heart news views

1

http://ees.elsevier.com/jmcc/default.aspfor online submission

of manuscripts

Heart News

and views

Volume 20, Number 1, 2012

www.ishrworld.org

the news Bulletin of the International Society

for heart research

ISHR-NAS meeting in banff

8-9

XXI World Congress

june 30 - july 4, 2013

San Diego, CA

In this issue:

� Report on North American

Section Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 1

� President's Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

� In Memoriam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

� Truth from Error

by Arnold M. Katz . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

� Report on European Section

Meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

� XXI World Congress of the

ISHR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

� Early Career Investigators

Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

� Nominations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

� 2012 Distinguished Leader

Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

� Meetings Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . 15The meeting venue was the historic and impressive Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

situated in beautiful Banff National Park.

The 34th ISHR North American Section Meeting was held in Banff National Park,a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. Thehistoric Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel was the venue of the meeting and

provided a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains.

The 2012 ISHR-NAS meeting was hosted by the University of Alberta and theMazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, Edmonton, Canada, and was organized by DrGary Lopaschuk. The scientific committee put together an excellent program highlightingthe latest discoveries in the pathology and treatment of heart failure.

The meeting was attended by 242 delegates (including 83 trainees) representing 16countries. The scientific feast included plenary sessions, a number of interest group

Belgrade,

Serbia

may 2012

10-11

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the news bulletin of the international society for heart research

Meeting organizer, Gary Lopaschuk (MazankowskiAlberta Heart Inst, Univ of Alberta) welcomes delegates.

The passing of the torch: ISHR-NAS Past-President,Don Bers (UC Davis), President, Tish Murphy (NHLBI,

NIH), and President-Elect, Steve Houser (Temple Univ).

Cree Nation hoop dancer, Dallas Arcand,performs at the closing Banquet.

sessions, poster sessions and the younginvestigator competition. A total of 115posters were presented by faculty andtrainees representing 53 institutions. Themeeting provided a platform for the sharingand exchange of ideas on research relatedto heart failure.

The scientific program was comprised oftopics ranging from molecule to man. To

this end, a variety of topics includingsignaling, ion channels, contractile &regulatory proteins, stem cell & genetherapy, the roles of mitochondria,ubiquitin proteasome system and cardiacmetabolism in the context of heart failurewere discussed. The meeting openedwith a plenary talk by Dr Eric Olson on the“Role of microRNA’s in heart failure”.Later in the conference, Dr Mark Sussmangave a plenary presentation of his work

“Pim-1 kinase activation as a targetfor heart failure therapy”. On thefinal day, Dr Daria Mochly-Rosendelivered the prestigious 2012Janice Pfeffer DistinguishedLecture and discussed the drugdiscovery process in academia.

An exciting part of the meetingwas the Young InvestigatorCompetition. Four Junior (grad–uate students and early post–doctoral fellows) and three Senior(senior postdocs and early as–sistant professors) YIA Finalistswere selected, based on evaluationof an unpublished manuscript, CVand supervisor recommendation,

to present their innovative ideas in a 10 minoral presentation. The Junior Finalists wereAlice Ho (John Hopkins University), Chia-Wei Chang (University of California,Davis), Jonathan Kirk (John HopkinsUniversity) and Sarah Cilvik (WashingtonUniversity School of Medicine). SarahFranklin (University of California, LosAngeles), Gavin Oudit (University ofAlberta) and Giulio Agnetti (John HopkinsUniversity) were selected as SeniorFinalists.

After difficult deliberations, Alice Ho wonthe Young Investigator Award in the Juniorcategory for her abstract entitled “Themitochondrial ROMK channel is a mo–lecular component of mitoKATP”, andSarah Franklin received the Young In–vestigator Award in the Senior Category

for her presentation entitled “Systemsanalysis of cardiac chromatin identifiesnucleolin as a regulator of growth andcellular plasticity in cardiomyocytes”. AllFinalists are to be congratulated for theirexcellent work and professional presen–tations.

The first Early Career Investigator Seminar

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volume 20, number 1, 2012

Litsa Kranias (3rd from left), Chair of the Junior YIAcompetition, with (left to right) Jonathan Kirk (Finalist),

Alice Ho (Winner), Chia-Wei Cheng (Finalist),and Sarah Cilvik (Finalist).

Paul Simpson (3rd from left), Chair of the Senior YIAcompetition, with (left to right) Gavin Oudit (Finalist),

Sarah Franklin (Winner), and Giulio Agnetti (Finalist).

held at an ISHR-NAS meeting was aimed atproviding information to job aspirants inacademia. Last year’s Senior YIA winner,Jeffrey Erickson (UC, Davis), outgoingPresident, Donald Bers, and incomingPresident, Steve Houser, not only sharedtheir experiences but also guided youngresearchers on how to find a job in academiaand how to set up a new laboratory.

In addition to the scientific program, themeeting also provided ample opportunitiesto meet and greet. The welcome receptionon the Garden Terrace provided theopportunity to meet up with friends &colleagues from other institutions in aninformal and relaxed atmosphere. Thedelicious food and drinks served by theFairmont Hotel were a great compliment tothe exchange of ideas and collaborations.During the meeting Banquet a livelyperformance by Dallas Arcand, a renownedinternational performer and hoop dancerfrom the Cree Nation, Alberta, Canada, wasthe perfect way to end the meeting.

The comments and feedback regarding themeeting were very positive. Indeed, DrGary Lopaschuk had put on an excellentscientific program at a spectacular location.We are looking forward to next years’ ISHR

World Congress to be held in San Diegofrom June 30 – July 4.

The meeting Banquet was held in the beautiful Cascade Ballroom.

Sownd Sankaralingam, MBBS, MSc, PhD

Edmonton, AB �

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president 's letter

Masatsugu Hori, M.D., Ph.D.President ISHR

The Olympic Games, the Beauty of Muscles and Youth

The closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games brought down the curtainon 17 days of impressive sporting excellence that filled the people of the world withhappy and glorious emotions. Every four years, the Olympic Games provides spectatorswith a sports festival filled with emotion and excitement. This is because the OlympicGames are a challenge to the physical limits of human beings. Running, jumping,swimming and weight-lifting - each of these activities challenge the athletes to movefaster or to reach further; the top athletes of the world achieve excellence in the OlympicGames. Top athletes also demonstrate the beauty of these physical activities throughthe movement of their beautiful muscles. Thus, the Olympic Games is also a spectacular

showcase for the powerful and beautiful muscles of young athletes.

Unfortunately, skeletal muscles usually begin to decline in individuals over 30 years old, and muscle volume as well as musclestrength rapidly decreases by 1 -2% per year in those over 50 years of age and by 3% per year in those over 70 years of age.This decrease in muscle volume during healthy aging is called “sarcopenia”, originally described in 1988 by Rosenberg asa different condition than cachexia, which is the result of malnutrion. One of the most effective ways to attenuate theprogression of sarcopenia is endurance exercise of the muscle, and this is also the case for athletes. Sarcopenia is oftenobserved in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and this is a major cause of the decreased exercise capacity seen in thisabnormality. Thus, in order to counter the decline in exercise capacity seen in this condition, appropriately intense exercisetraining is necessary even in patients with CHF. A recent report (Circulation 2012; 125: 2716) on sarcopenia demonstratedthe effects of endurance exercise on muscle volume and biological alterations in aged subjects and patients with CHF. Musclebiopsies along with muscle volume assessment by MRI were performed after 4 week of training, consisting of four 20 minsessions of endurance exercise per weekday on an ergometer bicycle.

Sarcopenia is associated with the degradation of muscle proteins, which is mediated by the ATP-dependent ubiquitin –proteasome pathway activated in aged subjects, and also by proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF, IL-1 and IL-6 in patientswith CHF. Exercise training attenuates this enhanced degradation of muscle proteins through activation of muscle ring finger1 and local insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-1). The effects of exercise training to improve the imbalance between anabolic andcatabolic mechanisms are greater in younger subjects; however, in patients with CHF, they are comparable between youngand elderly patients. This is a favorable finding for elderly patients with CHF. This study suggests that sustained exercisetraining could reverse the catabolic pathway in CHF and maintain sufficient exercise capacity even in elderly patients.

The notion that “a certain level of physical stress is inevitable for patients with sarcopenia” may also indicate that a certainlevel of physical stress is necessary to maintain spiritual activity in the elderly, since aerobic fitness for 6 months increasedthe gray and white matter volume in the brains of aged subjects (J Gerontol 2006). It is intriguing that brain volume is sparedby aerobic exercise not only in the motor cortex of the cerebrum, but also in the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus (Neurology2010). This may strongly suggest that emotional excitement, as well as physical activity, contributes to keeping our mindsyoung - our hearts and our brain could be refreshed by the glorious excitement of the Olympic Games.

Youth is not a time of life-it is a state of mind; it is a temper of the will,a quality of imagination, a vigor of the emotions, apredominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over love of ease. Samuel Ullman

5


LÁSZLÓ SZEKERES

László Szekeres, founding Fellow ofthe ISHR and Professor Emeritus ofPharmacology at the Szeged

University Medical School in Hungary,died earlier this year at the age of 90. László,Laci to his friends, was born in Györ on July4th , 1921. Both his father and grandfatherwere clinicians, but his initial desire was tobecome a painter. Indeed, he studied for atime in the studio of the academician JózsefPandur. However, as his father advised,“Better to be an obscure physician than animpoverished artist”. Following this goodadvice, László studied medicine in thebeautiful southern Hungarian city of Pécs,joining the Department of Pharmacologythere after graduation, before being ‘called’in 1967 to chair the Department ofPharmacology in Szeged where he in–augurated an impressive and fruitfulinstitute of cardiovascular research.

His main interest was in the generation ofcardiac arrhythmias, prompted perhaps byhis time at the University of Oxford withMiles Vaughan Williams in the early 1960’s,which then led to his development of largeanimal models of myocardial ischaemia andsudden cardiac death. His book on cardiacarrhythmias, published in Hungary in 1971became, for many, the standard textbookon the subject. Perhaps his most importantcontribution to basic heart research washis work on the mechanisms behind theprotective effects against arrhythmias byischaemic preconditioning and, prior tothis in 1983, the then surprising finding thatadministration of prostacyclin, or its stableanalogue 7-oxo prostacyclin, in an ex–perimental dog model of angina pectorisled to a delayed ‘late appearing’ protectiveeffect days later. This occurred despite thefact that the half-life of these substanceswas just a few minutes. He had somedifficulty persuading others, including hisfriends, of the importance of this delayedprotection, but this was probably theforerunner of a similar delayed protectionafforded by ischaemic preconditioning bycardiac pacing and by exercise - ideas later

in memoriam

1921-2012

developed by his younger colleagues.These studies led to the still unansweredquestions concerning how much exerciseis needed to protect the heart and whatmechanisms are involved.

László contributed very actively to theISHR. He founded, during the communistera, the ‘East-European Subsection’, whichlater became part of the European Section,and was intensively involved in promotingscientific collaboration between groupswithin the communist ‘bloc’ and with thosein the West, especially in Oxford andGlasgow. He organised a key EuropeanSection meeting in Budapest in 1989 aroundthe time of the fall of communism and, widerafield, World Congesses of IUPHAR andISHR. He was a seasoned traveler;especially to Japan, which he visited sixtimes over a twenty- year period. He washonoured with degrees by the Universitiesof Krakow and Tubingen and with otherawards from the Karolynska Institute, theUSSR Medical Academy, the HungarianState Government and the StrathclydeInstitute of Biomedical Sciences in Glas–gow. Just last year, he received the Medalof Merit from the International Academy ofCardiovascular Sciences.

He was a true Hungarian polyglot, speakingfive languages fluently. He loved music(especially opera), literature (especiallyMaupassant, Mann and Tibor Dery) andwas a gifted and prolific painter, especiallyduring the days of his ‘retirement’. Thisaspect of his life is well described in the lastof his nearly 400 publications; ‘Art and theHeart’ (Dialogues in CardiovascularMedicine, 2010; 15: 51-56)

He had, to the end, an active enquiring andquestioning mind. It intrigued him, and us,that during the recovery phase from a strokea few years ago he said he could rememberthe English word for ‘yesterday’ but notthe Hungarian! “Why should that be?” heasked. Those of us who knew him (and hewill never be forgotten), will always recallhis initial, frequently asked, question to ushis co-workers whenever he appeared inthe laboratory: “Na mi újság?” (What’snew?).

Laci is survived by his wife, Ibolya (his firstwife Lenke predeceased him in 1990), by histwo daughters, both actively involved inthe medical profession, and by severalgrandchildren and great-grandchildren.And, of course, by those in the Departmentof Cardiovascular Research he inauguratedand fostered. His many friends salute him!

Jim Parratt, DSc, MDhc, FISHR, FRSEProfessor Emeritus, Strathclyde Instituteof Biomedical Sciences,

Glasgow, Scotland

Agnes Vegh, DSc, FESC

Professor, Department of Pharmacology,University of Szeged, Hungary �

self-portrait

6


Understanding of cardiovasculardisease has advanced dramaticallysince 1952, when I entered medical

school. Many of the new findings wereunexpected, such as the ability of beta-blockers, which weaken the heart, toprolong survival in chronic heart failure,and that most inotropic drugs increasemortality in these patients. Also surprisingwas that vasodilators, which lower bloodpressure in normal individuals, improveoutcome in cardiogenic shock whilevasoconstrictors, which normally raiseblood pressure, have serious adverseeffects.

These and other counterintuitivediscoveries led to paradigm shifts, whichaccording to Thomas Kuhn begin “withthe awareness of anomaly… that naturehas somehow violated the paradigm-induced expectations that govern normalscience” (152-53). Kuhn defines the latter as“research firmly based upon one or morepast scientific achievements [that] for atime [supply] the foundation for its futurepractice” (110). Efforts to explain theanomalies then stimulate the formulationof a new paradigm.

Progress in understanding heart diseasealso shows that the interplay between basicand clinical cardiology is not simply a oneway transfer of knowledge from bench tobedside. Instead, the flow of information isbidirectional because new insights basedon clinical observation often lead to thediscovery of novel pathophysiologicalmechanisms.

The remarkable advances in cardiologyduring the past 60 years ago can beappreciated by examining the discussionsof heart failure, ischemic heart disease andarrhythmias in three single-authoredtextbooks written between 1950 and 1952:

Paul Wood’s Diseases of the Heart andCirculation (2), Paul White’s Heart Disease(3) and Samuel Levine’s Clinical HeartDisease (4). Subsequent articles willdescribe discoveries that contributed tothe ~68% decrease in age-adjustedcardiovascular disease mortality between1968 and 2008, a period when mortality fromnon-cardiovascular diseases decreasedonly ~6% (523).

Heart FailureAll three texts describe the hemodynamicabnormalities seen in heart failure, butprovide different explanations for theunderlying mechanisms. Wood placed thefailing heart on the descending limb of theStarling curve when he wrote: “Cliniciansare… likely to favour the view thatcongestive heart failure is… a state in whichfurther elevation of the venous pressurecauses a reduction in cardiac output (2156).White and Levine, however, echoed the19th century emphasis on ventriculardilatation and hypertrophy (6). White, whowrote that hypertrophy “is probably areaction to abnormal stretching or dilatation

of the muscle fibers” (3807), suggested thatoverloaded hearts fail because of a chemicalabnormality such as lactic acid accu–mulation (3804) while Levine, after notingthat overload causes hearts to dilate, statedthat “prolonged dilatation precedes and isthe stimulus for hypertrophy” (4283).

Severe restriction of physical activityis advocated in all of these texts. Woodwrote that “rest in bed or in a comfortablearmchair is essential and should becontinued for a minimum period of threeweeks”; if the signs of failure did notdisappear within a few days “the period ofrest should be extended to six weeks” (3179).White considered rest to be one of the twomost important remedies (the other isdigitalis), but did note that “physicalexercise [can help] maintain a state ofgeneral good health,” (4819). Levine alsoviewed rest as a “first principle” oftreatment, recommending that in the “earlydays visitors should be restricted, thoughdiversions such as reading the newspapersand listening to the radio may be permitted.”(4297).

Therapy focused on cardiac glycosidesand the rather ineffective diuretics available60 years ago; phlebotomy, paracentesisand Southey tubes to drain edema werealso discussed. Depressed contractility, aconcept that was not clarified until the late1950s, is not mentioned although Whitenoted that epinephrine has a “powerful buttransient action” to “stimulate” the heart,and that ephedrine has “much more gradualand persistent” effect (3835); howeverneither was recommended.

Successful surgery for rheumatic mitralstenosis, a major cause of heart failure inthe 1950s, had just been described.Although noted by Wood as “promising”(2308), White wrote that it was “too early to

Truth from Error:Sixty Years of Cardiology - 1952 to 2012

I: The Early 1950s

Arnold M. Katz, M.D.

7

Volume 20, Number 1, 2012

gauge the results (3377) and Levine viewedthese operations as “Daring” and “indisrepute” (4320).

Ischemic Heart DiseaseAll three texts attribute myocardialinfarction to occlusion of a major coronaryartery; it should be noted, however, that in1972 an authoritative paper suggested that“coronary thrombi are consequences ratherthan causes of acute myocardial infarction.”(7425). The infarcts recognized in the 1950s,when measurements of proteins leakinginto the blood from the damaged myo–cardium were just becoming available,tended to be large because diagnosis inpatients with chest pain and equivocalECG changes relied on such criteria asfever, leukocytosis, and elevated sedi–mentation rate.

Treatment centered on pain relief withnarcotics and rest so strict that for the firstfew days nurses brushed the patients’teeth. Both Wood and White advocated amonth in bed (2406, 3561); the former alsorecommended a semi-starvation diet (2406).However this paradigm was beginning toshift: White stated that after a small infarct“there is no reason why the patient may notsit in a comfortable chair by the bedsideeven during the first week” (3562), and Levinewent further when he indicated that, whilethese patients should usually be kept inbed for 4-8 weeks, sitting in a chair cansafely begin after “shock and severe painhave passed” (4127).

Few effective drugs were available andthere was neither thrombolytic therapy norprimary angioplasty. All 3 authors dis–cussed anticoagulation with heparin andvitamin K inhibitors, but noted the paucityof data regarding their efficacy and safety.There was no mention of aspirin. Whiterecommended low doses of nitroglycerinbecause nitrates lower peripheral resistanceas well as dilate the coronary circulation(3558), but all had lukewarm views regardingother vasodilators.

To treat low blood pressure andcardiogenic shock, Wood stated thatadrenaline “should be avoided, no matter

how low the blood pressure” because of therisk of ventricular fibrillation, and that cardiacglycosides are dangerous and rarelyindicated (2407). However, Levine recom–mended adrenalin along with increasingblood volume with plasma or albumin forpatients with shock (4123). For “mild” shock,White recommended “strong coffee bymouth and aminophyllin”, while in “serious”shock, “where something radical may beneeded to save a life, [transfusion] underclose observation may be helpful” (3563-564).

Heart block was known to complicatemyocardial infarction, but electronicpacemakers were not available and, becauseparasympathetic activation by the vonBezold-Jarisch reflex was not understood,the role of atropine was not appreciated.Although the risk of ventricular fibrillationwas recognized, cardiac rate and rhythmcould not be monitored because there wereno coronary care units; in any case therewere no defibrillators. Wood recommendedquinidine “in the hope of preventingventricular fibrillation” (2406), White statedthat quinidine “should be used routinely asa measure to reduce mortality in coronaryheart disease (3559), and Levine recom–mended quinidine, procaine amide ormagnesium for ventricular tachycardia aftermyocardial infarction (4124).

ArrhythmiasThese texts contain excellent discussionsof the electrocardioraphic diagnosis ofarrhythmias, but there were few treatmentoptions. Maneuvers like carotid sinusmassage and induced vomiting were usedto terminate attacks of paroxysmal supra–ventricular tachycardia (PSVT), althoughLevine noted “the distressing feature ofarresting attacks of paroxysmal heart actionis that on rare occasions the attack stops butthe heart never starts beating” (4215). Toterminate PSVT Wood recommendedcholinergic drugs, quinidine, and “even”digitalis (2138-139). White, stated thatquinidine is the “best all around drug”; healso recommended methacholine (a para–sympathomimetic drug), bromides, andcardiac glycosides (3886-887), and mentioned

injection of procaine into one of the stellateganglia (3887). Levine’s list of drugs toterminate PSVT included quinidine,calcium, parathyroid hormone, pro–stigmine, and neosynephrine (4216), whilequinidine and digitalis were recommendedto prevent attacks (4217).

The ability of quinidine to restore sinusrhythm in patients with atrial fibrillationwas well known, but so were the potentiallylethal side effects of this drug. Becauseatrial fibrillation often recurred after sinusrhythm was restored, this arrhythmia wasviewed as “usually permanent” (3895).Ventricular tachycardias were noted notto respond to vagal maneuvers, and bothWood (2138-139) and Levine (4226) suggestedthat magnesium, quinidine, and intra–venous procaine could be used to treatthese arrhythmias.

ConclusionsMany of the management options de–scribed in this dreary narrative were

In this issue of Heart News and Views,

we are pleased to introduce a new

series of articles entitled, “Truth from

Error: Sixty Years of Cardiology”, by

Dr Arnold Katz, Professor of Medicine

Emeritus at the University of Connec–

ticut School of Medicine, Visiting Pro–

fessor of Medicine and Physiology at

Dartmouth Medical School, and Vis–

iting Professor of Medicine at Harvard

Medical School.

In this series of historical articles,

Dr Katz will examine advances in car–

diology that occurred over the past

sixty years, emphasizing the bidirec–

tional flow of knowledge between

bench and bedside, and exploring the

premise that recognition of erroneous

thinking ultimately leads to new scien–

tific paradigms and consequent ad–

vancement in treatment.

We are indebted to Dr Katz for

sharing this historical perspective, and

hope that you enjoy discovering how

error can lead to truth.

8


recognized at the time as being of dubiousvalue, and sometimes dangerous. End stageheart failure was managed by “pushing”digitalis, whose side effects often killedpatients, and although quinidine given toconvert atrial fibrillation sometimes restoredsinus rhythm, this drug was known to causefatal arrhythmias. It is therefore notsurprising that one senses a feeling ofhopelessness in these 60 year old texts.

In closing I suggest that today’s readersput themselves in the place of those tryingto advance cardiology in the 1950s, andthen ask what lines of investigation theymight have chosen to pursue. The readershould also reflect on today’s criteria forsuccessful grant applications, which oftenseek to advance normal science rather thanidentify new paradigms. Addressing these

issues in 1956, my father, Louis N. Katz,wrote: “Research is not meant to proveanything. It is meant to find the truth.”(81140). I will return to these issues afterdescribing some of key discoveries thathelped advance our understanding ofcardiovascular disease.

References1. Kuhn TS. The Structure of Scientific

Revolutions. Chicago: University ofChicago Press, 1970.

2. Wood P. Diseases of the Heart andCirculation. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1950.

3. White PD. Heart Disease, 4th Ed. NewYork: Macmillan, 1951.

4. Levine SA. Clinical Heart Disease, 4th Ed.Philadelphia: Saunders, 1952.

5. Morbidity & Mortality: 2012 Chart Bookon Cardiovascular, Lung, and BloodDiseases. National Institutes of Health;

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute(http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/docs/2012_ChartBook.pdf)

6. Katz AM. Evolving concepts of heartfailure: Cooling furnace, malfunctioningpump, enlarging muscle. Part II.Hypertrophy and dilatation of the failingheart. J Cardiac Failure 1998; 4: 67-81.

7. Roberts WC, Buja LM. The frequency andsignificance of coronary arterial thrombiand other observations in fatal acutemyocardial infarction. A study of 107necropsy patients. Am J Cardiol 1972; 52:425-443.

8. Katz LN. Harvey and medical research.JAMA 1956; 160: 1137–1151.

Arnold M. Katz, M.D.

[email protected] �

The XXXI ISHR European Section

Meeting in association with the

ESC Heart failure association in

belgrade (May 19-22, 2012)

it is not about the size of a city

but about the size of its heart

The XXXI European Section meeting ofthe ISHR was held jointly with the

Heart Failure Association (HFA) of theEuropean Society of Cardiology (ESC) andthe ESC working group on MyocardialFunction. We all met in the bustling city ofBelgrade, the capital of the Republic ofSerbia and home to 1.2 million residents.From 19 – 22 May more than 3,500 cliniciansand basic researchers attended 71 scientificsessions at the Sava Centar, located at theconfluence of the rivers Sava and Danube.The presentation of the new heart failureguidelines was clearly one highlight of themeeting. The scientific program, distilledfrom over 1,000 abstracts, was exciting and

the ISHR sessions provided an excellentbasic science addition to the clinicalresearch topics.

This year it was beautiful Belgrade thatopened its arms to host one of the world’smost prominent meetings on heart disease,the Annual Meeting of the ISHR-ES heldjointly with the HFA. This meeting was thelatest to join the list of successfulgatherings as it was preceded by theoutstanding Haifa ISHR-ES meeting in 2011and another fruitful collaboration betweenthe HFA and the ISHR-ES in Nice in 2009.In 2012, it was time to pass on theresponsibility to organize the joint meeting

to one of the former Yugoslavia’ssuccessors for the first time. What seemedimpossible some ten years ago, that thenstill war-stricken Belgrade could host aconference of this size and importance,today not only goes without saying butturned out to be a great success. But onecan still wonder if such a success wouldhave been possible without the par–ticipation of the HFA and Petar Seferovicof the Cardiology Society of Serbia, whosepersonal commitment convinced the HFAand the ISHR to choose Belgrade. His warmwords at the beginning of the openingceremony set the tone for three hospitabledays in Belgrade and at the Sava Centar.The opening ceremony was as unusual asit was colourful, embellished with beautifultraditional Serbian music and honoured bythe greetings of then acting Serbianpresident, Slavica Ðukic Dejanovic.

The ISHR and its members played animportant role during the meeting with manyprominent ISHR members presentingexcellent science or acting as chairpersonsin both ISHR- and HFA-organized sessions.The 8 basic science sessions organized bythe ISHR-ES and the additional 8 sessions

9


co-organized by the ESC Working Groupon Myocardial Function and the HFA werepresented as one homogenous blend,integrating basic science into translationalapproaches. To mention only a fewhighlights:

Our Past-President – and now Past-Past-President – Sian Harding (London, UK)highlighted the potential, but also thedrawbacks, of induced pluripotent stemcells, thus addressing the ever hot topic ofmyocardial regeneration. Lucie Carrier(Paris, France and Hamburg, Germany) andThomas Thum (Hannover, Germany)pointed out that promising RNA-basedtherapies for heart failure, either by trans-splicing of mRNA or by means of micro–RNA, are on the edge of clinical application.JMCC Editor, David Eisner (Manchester,UK), and ISHR- North American SectionPresident, Donald Bers (Davis, US), bothpresented their comprehensive work oncalcium ions and the multiple implicationsof Ca2+ handling in cardiomyocytes. ISHR-Intl President-Elect, Metin Avkiran (Lon–don, UK), gave the prestigious 2012 KeithReimer Distinguished Lecture on the classII histone deacetylase HDAC5 and itsregulation by protein kinase D. ISHRmembers Jolanda van der Velden (Am–sterdam, The Netherlands) and ChristophMaack (Homburg/Saar, Germany) dis–cussed a topic which is as important forbasic scientists as it is for clinicians: beta-adrenergic signaling in heart disease andits prognostically beneficial blockade bybeta-blockers.

Sunday, the first full day of the Congress,featured a distinctive and prestigious ISHR-ES event, the ISHR Awards session. FormerISHR Secretary General (1981-1992) andPresident of the ISHR (1995-1998), JuttaSchaper (Bad Nauheim, Germany), wasawarded the Distinguished Leader Awardin an emotional session in the presence oflong-standing ISHR friends and colleagues.The same session was also the stage for thepresentation of the ISHR OutstandingInvestigator Award to the now Past-President of the ISHR-ES, Thomas Esch–

enhagen (Hamburg, Germany). He receivedthe award for his pioneering work on tissueengineering in the cardiovascular field and,in return, delivered a distinguished lectureon his research. Both awards were cer–emonially handed over by Metin Avkiran.

The first two days of the Congress providedmany more fascinating sessions rangingfrom basic science sessions with a focuson paracrine signalling to the presentationof the new HFA heart failure guidelines,clearly one of the most important aspectsfor everyone involved with patient care.However, it was Monday that comprised awhole sequence of ISHR events. The ISHRYoung Investigator Award illustrated thediversity and vivacity of research that iscarried out by young ISHR members allover Europe. The judges had the difficulttask of ranking the quality of the oral abstractpresentations, which in the end led to ashared third prize for Stephany Gardier(Geneva, Switzerland) and Maria Kuzmenko(Kiev, Ukraine) for their work on the effectof low dose cocaine infusion on ratvasodilation and the role of ALOX5 aftermyocardial infarction, respectively. These

talks were very convincing. In fact soconvincing that chairperson Sian Hardinghad to remind the delegates that the ISHRdoes not recommend the use of cocaineafter Stephany Gardier presented ratherfavourable effects of cocaine on thecardiovascular system. The judges decidedto award the second prize to Justus Stenzig(Hamburg, Germany) who presented workon pharmacoepigenetics in engineeredheart tissue. Tania Zaglia (Padova, Italy)received a well-deserved first prize for herexcellent work on the regulation of MuRF1as an effector of the sympathetic nervoussystem in the control of cardiomyocytesize, a talk as data-rich as it was charminglypresented. The session ended withpresentations from ISHR-ES/SERVIERaward winners: Marie Schroeder (Oxford,UK), winner of the 2011 award, presentedher project, and 2012 awardee, CarmenMethner (Cambridge, UK), provided anoutlook on the putative protectiveproperties of a mitochondria-targeted S-nitrosothiol against heart failure.

Later on Monday the General Assembly of

(continued on page 15)

Delegates gathering in front of the imposing Belgrade Castle include (from left):Sian Harding (outgoing Past-President), Barbara McDermott (outgoing Secretary),

Thomas Eschenhagen (outgoing President), Wolfgang Schaper, Jutta Schaper,Lucie Carrier, Rodolphe Fischmeister, Florence Pinet, Renée Ventura-Clapier,

and David Eisner (Editor, JMCC).

10

In just under a year, on June 30-July 4,2013, the XXI ISHR World Congresswill come together in San Diego,

California, and once again give delegatesfrom across the world the opportunity toshare their latest findings and ideas. It ismy privilege to serve as the Chair for thislandmark event, and I am confident thatwith the support of all the ISHR sections,we can ensure a promising future forcardiovascular research.

The theme for next year’s Congress isUnifying, Invigorating, and TranslatingCardiovascular Research. A diverseselection of speakers with differingopinions will encourage the unifying ofcurrent research findings, and clarifyunderlying controversies across the field.The World Congress will focus oninvigorating heart research by featuringsymposia and speakers developingpioneering systems and technologies, andon budding research areas that merit a

global perspective to strengthen ourcardiovascular research endeavors. SeveralBench-to-Bedside symposia will be con–vened to address the goal of translatingresearch to improved cardiac health and thetreatment of cardiovascular diseases, withthe application of novel drugs, therapeutics,biomarkers and stem cell therapies. Thetwenty-first Congress is also proud torecognize excellence in science throughawards and honors distributed during theevent.

The Scientific Program will include:

� Approximately 40 symposia,addressing principal themes includingExcitability and Pacemakers, Cardio-protection, Heart Failure, SignalTransduction, Cardiac Remodeling,Stem Cells, Oxidative Stress and NO,Calcium and Contractile Function andTarget and drug Discovery, as well as

sub-themes such as genomics/proteomics, metabolism, micro RNAs,ion regulation and autophagy.

� A Nobel Laureate Lecture by Dr RogerTsien, University of California, SanDiego.

� Plenary lectures by Drs Roberto Bolli(U of Louisville), Eric Olson (UTSMC)and Ronald Evans (Salk Inst).

� ISHR Awards, including:1. The Research Achievement Award2. The Outstanding Investigator

Award3. The Peter Harris Distinguished

Scientist Award4. Three Distinguished Lecture

Awards - Keith Reimer Distinguished

Lecture - Janice Pfeffer Distinguished

Lecture - President’s Distinguished

Lecture5. The Distinguished Leader Award

xxi ishr world congress - san diego, ca

june 30 - july 4, 2013


The historic GaslampQuarter, named for thegas lamps that werecommon in San Diegoat the turn of the 20thcentury, offers shoppingand dining within ashort walk from theconvention center.

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6. The Richard J. Bing Young Investigator Award Competition

� The opportunity for participatingSections to hold business meetingsand other Section activities, includinga scientific session in their ownlanguage if desired.

� A pre-Congress Early-Career Investi-gators (ECI) event, organized by theEarly Career Investigator Network,which includes a scientific symposiaand a Career Development workshop.

� Poster sessions in which Early-CareerInvestigators can compete for ISHRInternational Poster Awards for out–standing scientific research

These programs will occur across the five-day Congress, with multiple events runningparallel to one another. The combination ofISHR International-sponsored symposia,Section-sponsored symposia, and Localsymposia will provide researchers with abroad range of scientific topics. In addition,the emphasis on the poster sessions, as

–

well as the pre-Congress ECI event andtravel awards, will be incentives for youngermembers to take advantage of the Con–gress’s unique opportunities.

Enjoy the Social Program

� An evening Welcome Reception(June 30)

� An exclusive Fellows of theInternational Society for HeartResearch dinner (July 2)

� A closing banquet at the SanDiego Marriott Marquis & Marina(July 3)

� A planned excursion to the SanDiego Zoo and Balboa Park

� Entertainment within walkingdistance of the hotel, including:

- a Padrés Baseball Game- Seaport Village- Horton Plaza- The USS Midway Museum

� Additional nearby attractionsincluding:

- Sea World- Legoland- Torrey Pines State Reserve- La Jolla- Hotel Del Coronado

Registration and Reservations

Meeting registration and hotelreservations will be availableonline in the fall at www.ishr2013.com. Meeting logisticswill be updated on a regular basis.

Abstract Submission

The call for abstracts will begin inJanuary 2013. Please visit theCongress home page

(www. ishr2013.com) regularly for updatedinformation, particularly the format anddeadline for abstract submission.

Travel Awards

Over one hundred travel awards will beprovided to young investigators from all

participating Sections in order to facilitateparticipation of early career investigators.Recipients will be determined with guidancefrom the respective Sections.

We are expecting approximately 1,000participants from across the world at the2013 World Congress. Please join us in SanDiego for this rare opportunity to be on thewaterfront and at the forefront of cardio–vascular research!

Joan Heller Brown, Ph.D.Professor and ChairDepartment of Pharmacology9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0636University of California, San DiegoLa Jolla, CA 92093-0636 �

A scenic view of the impressive Coronado Bridgeand San Diego bay.

Aerial view of the San Diego ConventionCenter and adjacent waterfront.

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Members of the North AmericanSection of the International Society

for Heart Research convened in Banff,Alberta, Canada for our 2012 meetingentitled “Pathology and Treatment of HeartFailure”. Nestled in a picturesque region ofthe Canadian Rockies, Banff was the idealsetting for four days of compelling, highimpact scientific discussion. In addition,the 2012 meeting marked an important“first” for the North American Section ofthe ISHR, as it featured our inaugural EarlyCareer Investigator (ECI) seminar tocompliment the now well-establishedYoung Investigator competition.

This is the second in a series of col-

umns written by and for the members

of the ISHR Early Career Investigator

(ECI) Network.

Dr Jeffrey Erickson (UC, Davis) was the

winner of the prestigious Senior Young

Investigator Award at the 2011 ISHR-

NAS meeting in Philadelphia. He is cur-

rently serving a two-year term as a mem-

ber of the ISHR-NAS Council.

ISHR-ECI:

A Network for ISHR early-career investigators

Session organizer, Jeffrey Erickson, encouragesearly career investigators to attend the ECI Network

events at the 2013 ISHR World Congress.

The new ECI seminar is part of an ISHRinitiative to provide additional events thatcater to young investigators whilesimultaneously encouraging their par–ticipation in Section and World Congressmeetings. After a stimulating series ofpresentations at the 2012 Young Inves–tigator competition and an evening postersession, the ECIs reconvened in the mainmeeting hall for the ECI seminar entitled“Building a Career in Science”, a topic of

interest to most promising young inves–tigators.

I started the seminar with brief openingremarks, reminding the assembled ECIs toattend the 2013 World Congress meetingin San Diego. I also announced the first ECIpre-Congress symposium planned for 2013and encouraged the ECIs to participate inthis event.

I then yielded the floor to our first speaker,ISHR Past-President Donald Bers (Uni–versity of California, Davis). He spoke onthe topic “Finding a Job in Academia”, and

gave an excellent overview ofthe numerous considerations toremember when applying for anacademic position. Includedwere a number of important tipsthat are often forgotten in theprocess, including the im–portance of using your mentors(both past and present) asresources in a job search. DrBers also answered questionsfrom the audience on this topicduring and after his presen–tation.

Next, President-Elect Steve Houser (Temple University) spoke about “Starting up a New Laboratory”, a broadly valua-

ble topic that was of great interest to moresenior ECIs. Dr Houser discussed nu–merous practical and professional con–siderations for young scientists startingtheir first faculty positions. These includedwhere to search for funding in today’srapidly changing financial climate, how tomake use of more senior faculty membersas mentors, and even how to effectivelystaff a new laboratory for future success.Again, interaction between the speaker

and ECIs in the audience was encouraged.

That concluded the 2012 ECI event for theNorth American chapter of ISHR. Hopefullythe attendees were able to glean some newideas and suggestions as they continue toadvance in their respective careers. Sincerethanks go to Dr Bers and Dr Houser for theirgenerous contributions, as well as our hostDr Gary Lopaschuk (University of Alberta)and his staff, all of whom made our first ECIevent a great success.

I should also say that this was the first ISHRmeeting I attended as a member of the ISHR-NAS Council (as ECI representative). Thetwo Council meetings scheduled in Banffgave an interesting view behind theproverbial curtain to see how the society isorganized and managed. I walked awaywith a new appreciation for the amount oftime and effort invested in making the ISHR,and Section meetings specifically, sosuccessful year after year. The contributionsof each member of the Council, and ISHRExecutive Secretary, Dr Leslie Lobaugh,should not go unmentioned. Thanks toeveryone for your efforts and I look forwardto the ECI pre-Congress event in 2013!

Jeffrey Erickson, Ph.D.Univ. of California, Davis �

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The Richard J. Bing Young Investigator AwardThe Outstanding Investigator AwardThe Research Achievement Award

The Peter Harris Distinguished Scientist Award

The International Society for Heart Research (ISHR) is seeking nominations for four distinguishedawards of international importance for recognizing outstanding scientists at various stages of theircareer, who have made significant contributions to the advancement of cardiovascular science: TheRichard J Bing Young Investigator Award, the Outstanding Investigator Award, the ResearchAchievement Award, and the Peter Harris Distinguished Scientist Award.The Richard J Bing Award recognizes young talent, the Outstanding Investigator Award and theResearch Achievement Award are targeted at established scientists in the intermediate and advancedstages of their career, and the Peter Harris Award focuses on lifelong accomplishments.The monetary prizes are $1,500 for the Richard J Bing Award, $5,000 for the Outstanding InvestigatorAward and the Peter Harris Award, and $10,000 for the Research Achievement Award.These high-profile recognitions will be presented at the XXIth ISHR World Congress in San Diego,CA, USA, June 30 – July 4, 2013. The winners will be announced in the Journal of Molecular andCellular Cardiology (the official publication of the ISHR), on the ISHR website, and in Heart News andViews (the newsletter of the ISHR).

Full details of these awards, including lists of previous recipients, and relevant guidelines are providedon the ISHR web pages at www.ishrworld.org, under “ISHR Awards”. The guidelines should beconsulted before preparing any nomination or application.

As detailed in the relevant guidelines on the ISHR web site, all nomination materials should be providedin electronic format, as PDF files, on a flash drive. Where required, printed copies of supportingdocuments with original signatures (e.g. nomination letters) should accompany the submitted flashdrive.

Applications/Nominations should be submitted (by mail/airmail or courier) no later than Oct 30, 2012(OIO, RAA, Harris) or Jan 9, 2013 (Bing) to:

Professor Richard L. MossSecretary General - ISHRSenior Associate DeanBasic Research, Biotechnology and Graduate StudiesUniv of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health750 Highland AvenueMadison, WI 53705, USA

Phone: 608-265-0523Fax: 608-265-0522

Email: [email protected].

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IN MAY 2012, I was delighted to receivethe prestigious “Distinguished LeaderAward” from the International Society

for Heart Research. In his laudatio, thePresident-Elect of the ISHR, Dr MetinAvkiran, emphasized the importance of thisAward that is designed as a reward for ascientist “who has made sustainedoutstanding contributions to accom–plishing the mission and advancing theobjectives of the ISHR” (cited from thewebsite of the ISHR). I have been involvedwith the ISHR for many years, beginning in1973 when I attended my first WorldCongress of the ISHR (then called the“International Study Group for Research inCardiac Metabolism”) in Freiburg, Germany.At that time, it was decided to establishdifferent regionally determined Sections,including the American and the EuropeanSection. Dr Peter Harris from London wasthe first Secretary General; the office ofPresident was added much later. Dr Harrisand his secretary, Molly White, maintainedthe European Section as a well functioningbody with about 400 members from all overWestern Europe, and a few people fromEastern Europe and Israel.

I was elected Secretary General in 1981 atthe European Section meeting in Bologna,and I remained in that position until 1992.With the help of my secretary, Erika Gassig,we transferred the membership list to ourcomputer (at that time a rather primitiveapparatus), we transferred the bank accountto a German Bank in Bad Nauheim, and weregistered the ISHR as a “non profitorganization” with the fiscal authorities inGermany. Dr Harris taught me how to leadan organization, which involved not onlyadministrative efforts in maintaining or

increasing the membership, but alsotraveling and negotiating with futuremeeting organizers. Between 1981 and 1992,we initiated nine European Sectionmeetings (Geneva, Stockholm, Rejkjavik,Budapest, Oxford, Rotterdam, Glasgow,Leuven and Heidelberg). In preparation forthese congresses, I visited at least oncewith the organizers about 2 years beforethe fixed date of the meeting, inspected theproposed locations and discussed prob–lems such as the meeting dates, the amount

jutta schaper, m.d., ph.d.

2012 recipient of the ishr

distinguished leader award

This picture shows Jutta Schaper (left) and Ketty Schwartz; in thebackground are their friends, Marcel Borgers and Fabio di Lisa.

of the registration fee, the scientific andsocial programs, travel expenses for younginvestigators and various other items. Isoon realized that the European Section(ES) needed a democratic structure, andwith the help of several scientists from allover Europe, in 1984 we established an ESCouncil (the parliament of the ES). Then,

as members of a committee chosen by theCouncil, we designed a set of bylaws similarto those that were already published in theJMCC for the ISHR-Intl. Dr Dhalla fromWinnipeg, who was Secretary General ofthe ISHR-Intl, supported these under–takings with good advice, for which I amstill grateful. His primary motto, which thenbecame mine as well, was: “Think first ofthe welfare of the members; only afterwardsyou may consider diplomatic or politicalaspects”. I have taken this counsel to heartand tried to do my best for all members.

At each meeting of the European Section,the Council gathered at least once (mostlytwice) and discussed matters of importanceto the Society, including the location anddates of future meetings, relationships withother professional organizations (es–pecially the European Society of Car–

diology), and sponsorship of stipends andtravel awards for young investigators. Oneissue of great importance to me was theintegration of Eastern European and Israeliscientists into the European Section, aproblem we successfully solved byestablishing the “Eastern EuropeanSubsection” and the “Israeli Subsection”

15

ISHR MEETINGS CALENDAR


� October 25-26, 2012. XIX Annual Meeting of the Latin American Section. Santiago, Chile. Inquiries: Dr Paulina Donoso,

President ISHR-LAT ([email protected])

� October 26-27, 2012. XXIX Annual Meeting of the Japanese Section. Fukuoka, Japan. Inquiries: Dr Kenji Sunagawa

([email protected])

� November 20-24, 2012. XI Congress of the Chinese Section: "Today's Science, Tomorrow's Medicine". Guangzhou Pearl River

Hotel, Guangzhou, China. Inquiries: E-mail: [email protected]; Website: www.ishrchina.org; Fax: +8620 83769487.

� June 29, 2013. XXX Annual Meeting of the Japanese Section: "Inflammation and Regeneration in the Cardiovascular System".

La Valencia Hotel, San Diego, California. Inquiries: Dr Keiichi Fukuda (President). E-mail: [email protected]; Website:

www.congre.co.jp/ishr2013/eng/

� June 30 - July 4, 2013. XXI World Congress of the ISHR. San Diego, California. See page 10-11.

the ISHR-ES took place. The Presidencypassed from Thomas Eschenhagen to PéterFerdinandy (Szeged, Hungary), whopresented plans and strategies for the ISHRin the coming years. The formerly combinedoffice ISHR-ES Secretary/Treasurer waspassed by Barbara McDermott (Belfast,IR) to Denise Hilfiker-Kleiner (Secretary;Hannover, Germany) and Jolanda van derVelden (Treasurer, Amsterdam, TheNetherlands). She also presented theannual report in which one of the keymessages to the members was to actively

promote ISHR membership in their re–spective home institutions and countries.Afterwards, we met at the traditional Serbianrestaurant Sindjelic. The evening startedwhen we were handed impressive bottlesof hard liquor and huge glasses. The food– basically lots of grilled meat – was greatand the evening very entertaining.

Needless to say that Tuesday saw evenmore outstanding sessions, including asession on highlights of the Congress inwhich the ISHR sessions had a prominent

and substantial part.

Altogether Belgrade easily lived up to themotto with which the Congress started: Itis not about the size of a city but about thesize of its heart. And Belgrade seems tohave quite a huge heart when it comes toexcellent science – and excellent hospitality.

Marc Hirt, M.D. and Justus Stenzig, M.D.

Institute of PharmacologyUniversity Medical CenterHamburg-Eppendorf, Germany �

as independent organizations under theumbrella of the European Section. In 1991,the number of members had significantlyincreased and meetings took placeregularly. After 11 years of service to theISHR I stepped down, and Ketty Schwartzwas elected Secretary General (1992-2003).She was an excellent leader and continuedto develop the European Section into avery active Basic Science organization. Shedied in 2008, and we still miss Ketty. Thephotograph taken in 2003 shows you thatwe were, indeed, dear friends.

In 1992, at the World Congress of the ISHRin Kobe organized by the Japanese Sectionunder the leadership of Drs Ito, Naganoand Tada, I was elected President-Elect ofthe ISHR-Intl and I became President from1995-1998 at the World meeting in Pragueorganized by Drs B. Ostadal, F. Kolar, and

others. At that time, the structure of theISHR-Intl was already determined by by-laws as published in 1981, but otherproblems remained to be solved, such asthe location of World Congresses, spon–sorships, interrelation with other sections,honorary memberships and the es–tablishment of a new logo. During myPresidency, negotiating with the publishersof the Journal of Molecular and CellularCardiology was the most important task.Dr David Hearse, President Elect, and myselfsucceeded in designating the JMCC as theofficial Journal of the Society. In addition,we were able to obtain a much morefavorable financial arrangement, which stillhelps greatly in financing the obligationsof the Society.

I always considered it very important toestablish a feeling of “belonging” to the

ISHR. Therefore, I initiated ISHR dinners,at the American Heart AssociationCongresses and at other convenientoccasions (e.g. at the World Congress ofCardiology in Rio de Janeiro). These socialinitiatives were warmly welcomed andannual ISHR dinners are now an establishedevent.

Finally, I would like to thank all the peoplewho worked with me for the benefit and theprosperity of the ISHR; there are many andit is impossible to name them all. A big“THANK YOU” TO ALL OF YOU! Myhope is that the ISHR will continue to be aunique scientific organization unifyingcardiovascular scientists worldwide.

Jutta Schaper, M.D., Ph.D.Bad Nauheim, Germany �

(continued from page 9)

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HEART NEWS AND VIEWS

is the official News Bulletin of theInternational Society for HeartResearch and is published everyfourth month.

EditorL. Anderson LobaughDurham, NC, USAE-mail [email protected]

Founding EditorT.J.C. RuigrokWijk bij Duurstede, The NetherlandsE-mail [email protected]

Editorial BoardR.A. AltschuldColumbus, OH, USAM. AvkiranLondon, UKPresident-ElectR. BolliLouisville, KY, USAPast-PresidentT. IzumiKanagawa, JapanJapanese SectionH. KiriazisMelbourne, AustraliaAustralasian SectionX.Y. LiBeijing, ChinaChinese SectionA. MattiazziLa Plata, ArgentinaLatin American SectionB. McDermottBelfast, UKEuropean SectionE. MurphyBethesda, MD, USANorth American SectionT. RavingerovaBratislava, Slovak RepublicA.-M.L. SeymourHull, UKN. TakedaTokyo, JapanK.K. TalwarChandigarh, IndiaIndian SectionD. EisnerManchester, UKEditor-in-Chief, JMCCB.J. WardLondon, UKK.T. WeberMemphis, TN, USA

Editorial Office3711 Lochn'ora ParkwayDurham, NC 27705USA.Phone/Fax: +1 919 493 4418


HEART NEWS AND VIEWSis published thanks to

an educational grant from Servier

A private French pharmaceutical company committedto therapeutic advances in cardiovascular medicine as

well as other key therapeutic areas. We have successfullydeveloped products in the field of cardiovascular diseases(ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and heart failure),

as well as in other major therapeutic fields. A numberof landmark studies like PROGRESS, EUROPA,

PREAMI, ADVANCE, HYVET, BEAUTIFUL,and SHIFT have been conducted with our support.

The SIGNIFY trial in coronary artery disease is ongoing.

The dynamism of our research is ensured byconsistent allocation of as much as over 25% of the

annual turnover of the Group to search for new moleculesand develop their therapeutic applications.

Servier is also the foundingfather of Dialogues in

Cardiovascular Medicine,

a quarterly publicationwith a worldwidecirculation edited byRoberto FERRARI

and David J. HEARSE.

Dialogues discusses in acomprehensive way issuesfrom the cutting edgeof basic research andclinical cardiology.

Visit the Web version atwww.dialogues-cvm.org

The forthcoming issue, devoted to

LESSONS FROM THE ONCOLOGIST

will feature articles by:B. I. Lévy; P. Rizzo and D. Mele;

T. Edvardsen and S. I. Sarvari; M. E. Safar

Lessons

From the Oncologist

Volume 17 • Number 3

2012

For further information onDialogues in Cardiovascular Medicine please contact:

Dr Irina Elyubaeva - Servier International50 rue Carnot - 92284 Suresnes Cedex - France

or [email protected]

volume 20, number 1, 2012 heart news views

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