Latest Program Sponsored by the American Physiological Society Focuses on Autonomic Regulation of Cardiovascular Function in Health and Disease

Meeting Overview of conference being held July 7-10, 2012 in Omaha

Newswise — BETHESDA, Md. (June 18, 2012) —The latest conference to be sponsored by the American Physiological Society (APS) focuses on the relationship between certain molecular mechanisms that are involved in the development of hypertension, heart failure, and diabetes. Entitled Autonomic Regulation of Cardiovascular Function in Health and Disease, the meeting will be held July 7-10, 2012 in Omaha, Nebraska. The full program is available online. An overview of the program is below.

Sunday, July 8

Plenary Lecture: Advances in the Central Renin-angiotensin systemCurt Sigmund of the University of Iowa will cover the role of the renin-angiotensin system as a controller of cardiovascular function, as well as its newly recognized role in controlling energy expenditure and fat storage.

Symposia I: Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 and ANG (1-7): Roles in Central HypertensionSpeakers will cover how brain angiotensin peptides control blood pressure and the role ACE2 plays in hypertension.

Symposia II: Oxidative Stress and Sympathetic RegulationExperts will discuss how oxidative stress-associated signals regulate sympathetic activity and blood pressure, as well as nanoforumulated antioxidants.

Symposia III: Mechanisms of Baro and Chemoreceptor Sensory Transduction: A Link to Sympatho-excitation in DiseaseResearchers will discuss how sensory neuronal signals are powerful regulators of the hypertensive state and the role of gaseous messengers in oxygen Sensing by the carotid body.

Monday, July 9

Plenary Lecture: Neuromodulatory Pathways and Central Control of Sympathetic Activity in Hypertension and Heart FailureFrans Leenen of the University of Ottowa will cover the role of various neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in regulating the sympathetic nervous system and how dysregulation can lead to cardiovascular dysfunction and disease.

Symposia IV: Sympatho-excitatory Mechanisms in Cardiovascular DiseaseResearchers will discuss the neural mechanisms behind psychogenic cardiovascular disease and the role of inflammatory cells in the progression of cardiovascular disease.

Symposia V: Sympathetic Mechanisms in Human HypertensionExperts will cover impaired autonomic regulation of blood pressure that can lead to hypertension and acute and chronic orthostatic intolerance.

Tuesday, July 10

Plenary Lecture: Muscle Sympathetic Reflexes in Humans Lawrence I. Sinoway, Director of the Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute, leads the discussion on the exercise pressor reflex and how it is altered in cardiovascular disease, such as heart failure.. The cellular and molecular mechanisms that elicit this reflex will also be described.

Symposia VI: Nitric Oxide and Sympatho-vagal RegulationResearchers will discuss targeting cyclic nucleotides to rescue cardiac sympatho-vagal phenotypes in cardiovascular disease and the blood brain barrier and control of arterial pressure.

Symposia VII: Device Therapy for Hypertension and Heart FailureExperts will provide insight into long-term neural control of arterial pressure by chronic baroreflex activation, as well as discuss sympathetic control of splanchnic vessels leading to acute heart failure and clinical implications of renal denervation.

About the American Physiological Society (APS)The American Physiological Society (APS) is a nonprofit organization devoted to fostering education, scientific research, and dissemination of information in the physiological sciences. APS publishes 13 scholarly, peer-reviewed journals covering specialized aspects of physiology. The Society was founded in 1887 and today has more than 10,500 members.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: The Autonomic Regulation of Cardiovascular Function in Health and Disease conference will be held July 7-10 at the downtown Hilton Omaha hotel in Omaha, Nebraska. The press is invited to attend. Please contact Donna Krupa at 301.634.7209, [email protected], @Phyziochick for additional information.