Publisher's Synopsis
Resistance arteries play a crucial role in controlling resistance to blood flow and consequently blood pressure, as well as maintaining a constant supply of blood to tissues such as heart, kidney and brain. With the development of miniaturised techniques interest has heightened and produced a plethora of investigations concentrated on pieces of tissue weighing but a few micrograms. This volume presents a synthesis of these approaches, resulting in the most comprehensive current guide to all aspects of resistance vessel physiology and pharmacology presently available. The increasing importance of resistance artery structure as a determinate of peripheral resistance is recognised. Many contributions are concerned with the myogenic response - the ability of a blood vessel to contract when the intravascular pressure is raised. An up-to-date guide to current knowledge of the endothelial function, both in modulating this response and biochemical aspects of smooth muscle contraction is given. Important concensus is also established concerning the existence of receptor-operated calcium channels, in addition to voltage dependent calcium channels.
