MOLECULAR CARDIOLOGY, BASIC RESEARCH

• Apoptosis in vascular and cardiac remodeling

• Oxidative stress and anti-oxidant therapy

• Genetic determinants of coronary heart disease

• Genetic studies in cardiomyopathy

• Gene transfer and therapy

• The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis

• Extracellular matrix and atherosclerosis

• Immunological principles in coronary artery disease

• Growth control and cytokines in vascular cells

• Neointimal hyperplasia and vascular injury

• Pharmacologic modulation of vascular-endothelial function

DIAGNOSTIC METHODS

• Biochemical markers of acute ischemia

• Transesophageal echocardiography

• Pharmacologic stress testing - echocardiography

• Echocardiography, three-dimensional reconstruction

• Nuclear cardiology - new techniques to assess cardiac perfusion, function and viability

• PET - new insights into myocardial metabolism

• Applications of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

• CT and coronary calcification

• Percutaneous coronary angioscopy

• Intravascular ultrasound imaging

• Intracoronary flow, doppler measurements

CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

• The plaque and acute coronary syndromes

• Mechanisms involved in myocardial stunning, hibernation and ischemic preconditioning

• Acute myocardial infarction: thrombolysis and reperfusion

• Angioplasty therapy for acute myocardial infarction

• Stents: new devices/optimal application/multiple stents

• Antithrombotic and antiplatelet adjunctive therapy for PTCA

• Blockade of tissue proliferation after coronary interventions

• Restenosis - use of ionizing radiation

• Nitrates, beta blockers, calcium entry blockers and ACE inhibition for myocardial ischemia/infarction

• Left ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction

• Assessment of prognosis, post acute myocardial infarction

• Secondary prevention, risk stratification

• Cardiac rehabilitation as secondary prevention: is it worth the effort?

• Can the progress of atherosclerosis be halted?

• Modification of lipoproteins and coronary disease

• Hypertension, new therapeutic approaches

• Diabetes mellitus, obesity, insulin and atherosclerosis

• Mental stress: its effect on cardiovascular health

• Primary prevention of coronary artery disease in the healthy adult

• Hormone therapy in postmenopausal women: does it alter coronary risk?

• Prevention in children

HEART FAILURE

• Neurohumoral, immunologic and cytokine aspects of heart failure

• Nitric oxide and nitric oxide synthase in heart failure

• Myocyte and receptor abnormalities in heart failure

• Natriuretic peptides, endothelin: role in heart failure

• Inflammatory mediators and heart failure

• Dilated cardiomyopathy: various etiologies

• Ischemic cardiomyopathy

• Left ventricular hypertrophy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

• Role of the pericardium, pericarditis and restrictive cardiomyopathy

• Pathophysiologic and prognostic insights in valvular heart disease

• Pulmonary circulation aspects, pulmonary hypertension

• Predictors and markers of heart failure outcome

• Exercise physiology in heart failure

• Renal aspects - diuretics

• Digoxin and other new inotropic agents in heart failure

• ACE inhibitors and Angiotensin-ll receptor blockers

• Beta-blockers and beta-adrenergic receptors in heart failure

• Calcium channel blockers and promoters in heart failure

• Cardiac pacing strategies in heart failure

ARRHYTHMIAS

• Arrhythmias and antiarrhythmic drug therapy

• Atrial flutter/fibrillation - electrophysiologic concepts and clinical aspects

• Management of cardiac arrhythmias pediatric population

• Heart rate variability and prognostic implications

• QT prolongation/dispersion: pathophysiology and prognostic implications

• Sudden death

• Electrophysiologic techniques of mapping and radiofrequency ablation

• Advances in internal defibrillation and implantable antiarrhythmic devices

• Cardiac Pacing

CARDIAC SURGERY

• Advances in congenital heart disease

• Angioplasty or surgery for multivessel coronary artery disease

• New approaches to surgical revascularization: Minimally invasive surgery, TMLR

• Therapeutic and physiologic issues surrounding heart valve surgery

• Mechanical support left ventricular assist devices

• Surgery for LV dysfunction

• Cardiac transplantation

MISCELLANEOUS

• Practice guidelines, cost containment

• Computers in cardiology