The articles collected in this volume largely arose from two related meetings held last spring. The first was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 11-12, 1997 and was titled Nuevos Avances en el Fenómeno de Isquemia y Reperfusión (New Advances in the Phenomenon of Ischemia and Reperfusion).
The second meeting took place in Stará Lesná located in the High Tatras Mountains of the Slovak Republic on June 27-30, 1997.
Both meetings were sponsored by several organizations including the International Society and Federation of Cardiology, the International Society for Heart Research and The American Heart Association.

Zusammenfassung
Collects articles from two related meetings - the first was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 11-12, 1997 and the second meeting took place in Stara Lesna located in the High Tatras Mountains of the Slovak Republic on June 27-30, 1997.

Inhalt
Opioid Receptor Contributes to Ischemic Preconditioning through Protein Kinase C Activation in Rabbits.- Equal Reduction in Infarct Size by Ethylisopropyl-Amiloride Pretreatment and Ischemic Preconditioning in the in Situ Rabbit Heart.- Loss of Myocardial Protection from Ischemic Preconditioning following Chronic Exposure to R(-)-N6-(2-Phenylisopropyl)Adenosine is Related to Defect at the Adenosine A1 Receptor.- Rapid Pacing-Induced Preconditioning is Recaptured by Farnesol Treatment in Hearts of Cholesterol-Fed Rats: Role of Polyprenyl Derivatives and Nitric Oxide.- Effect of Ethanol on Myocardial Infarct Size in a Canine Model of Coronary Artery Occlusion-Reperfusion.- Gene Expression after Short Periods of Coronary Occlusion.- Mechanism of Hypoxic Preconditioning in Guinea Pig Papillary Muscles.- Characterisation and Validation of a new Murine Model of Global Ischaemia-Reperfusion Injury.- Ischcmic Preconditioning in Isolated Perfused Mouse Heart: Reduction in Infarct Size without Improvement of Post-Ischemic Ventricular Function.- Differential Electrophysiologic Effects of Global and Regional Ischemia and Reperfusion in Perfused Rat Hearts. Effects of Mg2+ Concentration.- Ischemic Preconditioning and Superoxide Dismutase Protect against Endothelial Dysfunction and Endothelium Glycocalyx Disruption in the Postischemic Guinea-Pig Hearts.- Role of H2O2 in Changing ß-Adrenoeeptor and Adenylyl Cyclase in Ischemia-Reperfused Hearts.- PBN Spin Trapping of Free Radicals in the Reperfusion-Injured Heart. Limitations for Pharmacological Investigations.- Comparison of the Effects of ACE Inhibition with those of Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonism on Systolic and Diastolic Myocardial Stunning in Isolated Rabbit Heart.- Is Stunning Prevented by Ischemic Preconditioning?.-Physiological and Biochemical Adrenergic Regulation of the Stunned Myocardium.- Ischemic Preconditioning Attenuates Apoptotic Cell Death Associated with Ischemia/reperfusion.- The Extracellular Matrix in Hibernating Myocardium a Significant Factor Causing Structural Defects and Cardiac Dysfunction.- Dedifferentiated Cardiomyocytes from Chronic Hibernating Myocardium are Ischemia-Tolerant.- Role of Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases in Ischemic Preconditioning.- Myocardial Protection during Ischemia And Reperfusion.- Features of Short-Term Myocardial Hibernation.- Hibernating Myocardium: Its Pathophysiology and Clinical Role.- Non-Ischemic Myocardial Preconditioning.- Index to Volume 186.