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Sleep disordered breathing including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA) with Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) is often accompanied by heart fail-ure. Treatment of OSA centered on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is established. However, treatment of CSR-CSA is still controversial. Since CSR-CSA occurs as a consequence of heart failure, optimization of heart failure is essential to treat CSR-CSA. For treatment directed at CSR-CSA itself, a variety of treatment approaches including night oxygen therapy and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation have been applied. Among them, night oxygen therapy improves patients' symptoms, quality of life (QOL), and left ventricular function, but had yet been shown to improve clinical outcome. For CPAP, there are responders and non-responders and for responders CPAP can also improve survival. Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV), which most effectively treats CSR-CSA, improves exercise capacity, QOL, and cardiac function. Recent reports suggested ASV may also prevent cardiac events in patients with heart failure. However, further studies are needed to conclude that this treatment improves patient survival. © 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Japanese College of Cardiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost any definition of biological life includes the term "movement'; which is inherently linked to t he sensation of mechanically induced deformation. As such, mechanosensation (a cell's perception of mechanical stimuli) as well as mechanotransduction (transmission of mechanically induced signals) belong to the most fundamental processes in biology. These processes are particularly important in cardiovascular physiology, as each cycle of contraction and relaxation causes dynamic deformations of the heart and the large blood vessels. Cardiomyocytes are equipped with different mechanisms aimed to sense any form of mechanical deviation. For example, the titin springs extend and unfold elastic domains during diastolic distension and may serve as a length sensor, in contrast to the Z-discs, which experience particularly high forces during systole and may serve as a tension sensor. Activation of different sensors at t he cellular level affects the composition of signalosomes attached to these structures, and these signalling complexes eventually translate the mechanical information into functional alterations via short term (i.e., activation of kinases) or long term (i.e., altered gene expression) effects. At the organ level, mechanosensation is involved in diverse feedback mechanisms such as the Bainbridge reflex, t he Frank-Starling mechanism, and ischemic preconditioning. Therefore, it is not surprising that mutations in components of the cardiomyocyte stretch sensory apparatus cause cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Although significant progress has been made in this field during the last decade, t he molecular mechanisms underlying mechanosensation still remain poorly understood. The article offers an overview on the fundamental processes involved in cardiomyocyte stretch sensing and provides important links to clinical cardiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reviews the book 'Professor Hein J.J. Wellens: 33 Years of Cardiology and Arrhythmology,' edited by J.L.R.M. Smeets, et al.

Reviews the book, "Evidence-Based Cardiology," edited by Salim Yusuf, John A. Cairns, A. John Camm, Ernest L. Fallen, and Bernard J. Gersh.

Reviews the book 'Comparative Basic Cardiology,' by Jane Sands Robb.

Reviews the book "Heart Failure: A Critical Inquiry into the Revolution in Heart Care," by Thomas J. Moore.

Reviews the book 'Take Heart: the life and prescription for living of Dr. Paul Dudley White,' by Oglesby Paul.

Reviews the book 'Surviving Your Heart Attack: The Duke University Complete Heart Treatment Program,' by James V. Warren and Genell J. Subak-Sharpe and introduction by F. Paul Koisch.

Reviews two books on cardiology. 'Consultation with a Cardiologist: Coronary Heart Disease and Heart Attacks; Management' and 'Consultation with a Cardiologist: Coronary Heart Disease and Heart Attacks; Prevention,' by Jacob I. Haft and Saretta Berlin.

This article is a review of the 2010 book Collateral Damage by Dan Walter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morris looks at some of the great moments in cardiology and our understanding of how the heart muscle works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cardiology professor-turned-academic consultant and clinical investigator for a pharmaceutical company reveals the way prescription drugs are developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the second edition of the book "Cardiology and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery," which was officially launched on November 29, 2012 during the XXII Brazilian Congress of Pediatric Cardiology.

The article reviews the book "Cardiology Essentials in Clinical Practice," by Gabriel A. Adelmann.

A review of the 2011 DVD release entitled "Animated Dictionary of Cardiology" from Research & Markets Ltd. is presented.

The article reviews the book "Evidence-Based Cardiology," edited by Salim Yusuf, John A. Cairns, A. John Camm, Ernest L. Fallen, and Bernard J. Gersh.

The article reviews the book "Evidence-Based Cardiology," 3rd edition, edited by Salim Yusuf, John Cairns, John Camm, Ernest L. Fallen, and Bernard J. Gersh.

The article reviews the book "Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Cardiology," 3rd Ed., edited by Michael H. Crawford.