Once in four years, cardiologists of the world united into the International Society and Federation of Cardiology corne together to discuss the most pressing problems of cardiovascular pathology, sum up the accomplishments of the intervening years, and set directions for future research and exploitation of the existing knowledge. Not too much time passed since the I Paris Congress of International Foundation of Cardiology in 1950, but since then we have been witnessing a real information explosion. Extraordinary amounts of new knowledge, accumulated during the past three decades, has revolutionized our understanding of major cardiovascular diseases as well as approach to their treatment and diagnosis. The IX World Congress of Cardiology, held in Moscow in June 20-26, gathered 5,099 delegates from 78 countries. In the course of the Congress, prominent scientists presenting 21 lectures on topical problems of theoretical and practical cardiology; 900 papers were heard at 37 Symposia and 58 Free Communication Sessions. The papers and discussions demonstrated an increased contribution of fundamental research to clinical arsenal. Another feature of modern biomedical research is that it makes use of the latest accomplishments in other fields of science and technology: physics, chemistry, elec­ tronics, etc. Of late, a new research discipline, called molecular cardiology, has formed. By elucidating the most subtle basic mechanisms whereby pathological processes develop, it is expected to afford ultimate control of cardiovascular diseases. The Congress demonstrated that new knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment is being successfully introduced into clinical practice.

Inhalt

Are There Markers for the Physiopathology of Essential Hypertension?.- Control and Treatment of Arterial Hypertension.- Biochemical Mechanisms of Altered Metabolism in Ischemic Heart.- Calcium and Cardiovascular Disease.- Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Atherosclerosis.- Coronary Artery Disease in Children.- Cardiomyopathies: Pathology and Infectious Immune Mechanisms.- Treatment of Cardiomyopathies.- Heart in Outer Space.- Progress in Radionuclide Methods.- Clinical Trials with Antiaggregating Agents in Thrombosis.- Echocardiography: Present State of the Art.- High Blood Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure: State of Knowledge Today and Implications for Prevention and Control of Epidemic Adult Cardiovascular Disease.- Detection and Treatment of Ventricular Arrhythmias.- Clinical Efficiency and Side-effects of Old and New Antiarrhythmic Drugs.- General and Local Factors in Arterial Thrombosis: Platelets, Prostaglandins and Postulates.- Influence of Different Factors on Mild Hypertension.- Epidemiology and Natural Process of Mild Hypertension.- Mild Hypertension: Treatment and Prognosis.- Antihypertensive Therapy in Patients Above Age 60: A Report of the European Working Party on High Blood Pressure in the Elderly (EWPHE).- The Clinical Relevance of Partial Agonist Activity of Beta-adrenoceptor Blocking Drugs.- The Withdrawal of Beta Adrenergic Blocking Drugs.- The Management of Hypertension.- Sodium and Blood Pressure in Human Hypertension.- Inhibition of the Renin Angiotensin System in the Treatment of Hypertension.- Catheter Treatment of Renovascular Hypertension.- Pathogenetic Mechanisms in Essential Hypertension.- Neural Factors in Essential Hypertension.- Renovascular Hypertension: New Aspects of Pathogenesis and Treatment.- Alteration of Cell Membranes in Primary Hypertension.- High Density Lipoproteins and Atherosclerosis.- Regulation of Plasma High Density Lipoprotein Concentration by Lipoprotein Lipase and Hepatic Endothelial Lipase.- Peculiarities of Composition and Properties of High-density Lipoproteins in Patients with Coronary Atherosclerosis.- Blood Lipids and Antihypertensive Drugs: The Oslo Study.- Endogenous Regulation of Prostacyclin Synthesis in Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells.- Platelets, Megakaryocytes and Vascular Disease.- Effects of Beta Receptor Blocking Drugs on Prostacyclin (PGI2) and Thromboxane A2 (TXA2) Biosynthesis as a New Aspect of Their Mode of Action.- Platelet Spreading and Thrombi-formation In Vitro.- Impairment of Fibrinolysis as a Risk Factor for Thrombosis.- Blood Tests for the Diagnosis of Thromboembolism.- Heart Microcirculation.- Dynamic Coronary Stenosis: The Elusive Link Between Coronary Atherosclerosis and Clinical Manifestations of Ischaemic Heart Disease.- Fate of the Coronary Microvasculature in Infarcting Canine Myocardium: Role of Collateral Blood Flow.- Epidemiology of Sudden Cardiac Death.- Neural Factors in Sudden Death.- Management of the Patient at High Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death.- Stroke and Cardiac Disorders.- The Pathogenesis of Vascular Disorders of Brain and Heart - are there Similarities or Dissimilarities?.- Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis of the Cerebral and Coronary Arteries.- Manifestations of Coronary Disease Predisposing to Stroke: The Framingham Study.- Limitation of Infarct Size: Theoretical Aspects.- Quantitative Assessment of Infarct Size and its Influence by Thrombolysis.- Limitation of Infarct Size by Pharmacological Interventions.- Substrate Effects in Myocardial Ischemia.- Prevention of Catecholamine-induced Myocardial Damage.- Maintenance of Ca2+ Homeostasis in the Myocardium.- Theoretical Implications of the Use of Antioxidants for Heart Protection Against Stress-induced and Ischemic Damages.- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies of Intracellular pH and Myocardial Contractility During Ischemia.- Intervention Trials - Problems of International Coordination and Evaluation.- Hypertension Control in Populations.- Comprehensive Cardiovascular Community Control Program in the Philippines.- Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases - WHO Program.- Integrated Prevention Within Primary Health Care.- Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial: 6 Year Risk Factor Changes.- Multifactor Prevention of Ischemic Heart Disease (A Cooperative Survey).- Effect of Diet and Smoking Intervention on the Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease.- The present Status of Cardiovascular Medicine in Africa.- Chagas' Cardiomyopathy.- Cardiovascular Disease in Developing Countries Rheumatic Heart Disease.- Long-term Results of Coronary Rehabilitation: Rationale, Implementation and Significance of Programs.- Long-term Results of Coronary Rehabilitation: Factors and Reasons for Success and Failure.- The Economic Effects of Cardiac Rehabilitation: Principles, Methods and Problems of Evaluation.