W. Kaufmann - Böcker

On behalf of the organizing committee of this symposium, I would like to wel­ come you to Cologne and thank you very much for coming. We appreciate that some of the leading scientists in the field of hypertension have accepted our invi­ tation to participate actively at this conference. Our first symposium on renin-angiotensin, aldosterone, and hypertension took place at Titisee in the Black Forest in 1967. The second one, on the renin-angio­ tensin-aldosterone system under the influence of therapeutic procedures, was held at the same place in 1970. Five years later in 1975 at a third symposium in Cologne, we discussed the problems of central nervous control of sodium balance in relation to the renin-angiotensin system. The symposium about to begin is devoted to the significance of mineralocorti­ coids in developing and sustaining arterial hypertension. 1) In order to provide a physiologic background for the understanding of the mechanisms involved in this complicated process, new concepts on the regulation of mineralocorticoid secretion must be discussed in detail. As the most important mineralocorticoid, aldosterone is regulated by changes in sodium and potassium homeostasis and is also influenced by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).

Starting with the morphology of the myoendocrine cell and the biochemistry and physiology of cardiac hor mones, the book describes pathophysiological findings and discuss their clinical relevance in congestive heart failure, arterial hypertension, renal insufficiency, and cirrhosis of the liver. Furthermore, evidence is presented for the role of the heart as a target organ for various endocrine factors such as thyroid hormones, catecholamines, renin-angiotensin, growth hormones and endogenous opioids.

This symposium on cerebral and coronary vascular disorders and infarcts is probably the first attempt to hold a joint discussion in this field. Despite many difficulties we feel that it has been successful and we hope that it will stimulate further interest and investigations. To hold such a meeting with scientists from far away was possible only with the assistance of Bundesminister fUr Jugend, Familie und Gesundheit, Minister fUr Hissenschaft und Forschung des Lan- des Nordrhein-Westfalen, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Wissenschaften e.V., Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, to whom we are very grateful. Moreover the pharmaceutical industry gave assistance in the organization and the transcript of the pro- ceedings. Dr. G~TZE of Springer-Verlag, was, as we will explain later, the original promotor of the idea for such a meeting. We should like to thank Springer-verlag for the excellent layout and quality of this book. Koln, Spring 1977 K.J. ZULCH, W. KAUFMANN K.-A. HOSSMANN, V. HOSSMANN Contents Welcome K.J. ZULCH xv Introduction W. KAUFMANN ...XIX Coronary Circulation with Special Remarks on the Extra- vascular Component of Resistance and on Collateral Flow W.LOCHNER, H. P. DIEMER, and J. WICHMANN. With 5 Figures ..