Protein Kinase C Isozymes in Heart Disease: A Therapeutic Opportunity                         
Daria Mochly-Rosen, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA   

Renin Inhibition: A Novel Approach to Blood Pressure Control and Organ Protection
Alexander H. J. Danser, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands         

RHO-Kinase is an Important Therapeutic Target in Cardiovascular Medicine
Hiroaki Shimokawa, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan  

Inhibition of Phospholipases: A New Strategy to Treat Atherosclerosis and its Clinical Complications?     
Wolfgang Koenig, University of Ulm Medical Center, Ulm, Germany

Peptidases Degrading Cardioprotective Natriuretic Peptides: A New Target for the Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases?    
Thomas Walther, Charite-Universitatsmedizin, Berlin, Germany      

Coronary Microvascular Regulation by Angiotensin II: Pathophysiological Implications   
Lih Kuo, Temple Cardiovascular Research Institute Texas, TX, USA     

Restoration of Endothelial Function by Statins and Beta-Blockers       
Tadeusz Malinski, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA        

The Role of Endothelial Progenitor Cells In Cardiovascular Diseases
Dimitris Tousoulis, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece    

Does Tissue Factor Link Vasospasm And Thrombosis                          
Felix C. Tanner, Cardiovascular Research Physiology Institute & Clinic for Cardiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland 

Contributions of Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) to Cardiovascular Disease
Richard C. Austin, Henderson Research Center, Hamilton, ON, Canada     

Coronary Endothelial Dysfunction in Left Ventricular Hypertrophy  
Louis P. Perrault, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Canada

Estrogen, Aging and the Cardiovascular System  
Anne A. Knowlton, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

Endothelium, Inflammation and Vascular Aging  
Carlos F. Sanchez Ferrer, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain      

Insulin Resistance – Effects on Vascular Endothelial Function and Repair
Stephen Wheatcroft, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

Endothelium in the Heart
Suresh C. Tyagi, University of Louisville, KY, USA

New Plaque Biomarkers for Atherosclerotic Disease Progression: Outcome of the Longitudinal Athero-Express Study   
Gerard Pasterkamp, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands          

Serum Amyloid A: A Marker and Mediator of Acute Coronary Syndromes                        
Janos G. Filep, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada       

Cardiac Biomarkers in Pulmonary Embolism and Lung Disease                        
Ijaz Khan, Good Samaritan Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA      

THE RELEVANCE OF GENETICS IN PROVIDING AN UNDERSTANDING OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES

Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Families
Lewis C. Becker, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Baltimore, MD, USA    

Genetics of Myocardial Infarction
Robert Roberts, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Finding and Validating New Targets for Heart Failure Treatment
Burns C. Blaxall, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA       

Getting to the Point: Forkhead Transcription Factors in the Vascular System
Kenneth Maiese, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Michigan, Detroit, USA       

Nucleic Acid Based Gene Targeting: Current Status in Cardiovascular Medicine              
Harry C. Lowe, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia             

Pharmacogenetics                                                    
Harisios Boudoulas, Center for Clinical Research Academy of Athens, Greece 

Identification of MI-Susceptibility Genes using Genome-Wide Linkage Analysis
Mitsuhiro Yokota, Aichi-Gakuin University, Nagoya, Japan

Cardiac Hypertrophy and Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines in Npr1 Gene-Disrupted Mouse Model
Kailash N. Pandey, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

The Role of Phospholipase C in Cardiac Hypertrophy
Paramjit S. Tappia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Canada

Functional Corin Gene Mutations and the Risk of Hypertension, LVH, and Progression of Systolic Heart Failure in African-Americans
Daniel L. Dries, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA

CARDIAC REPAIR AND REGENERATION

Novel Myogenesis Strategies
Roger Laham, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA     

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Therapy in Heart Disease                          
Jens Kastrup, University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark

In Situ Tissue Engineering For the Treatment of Cardiomyopathy
Randall J. Lee, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

The Role of Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Atherosclerosis and Coronary Artery Disease
Shing- Jong Lin, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan-R.O.C. 

Diurnal Rhythms: Unrecognized Critical Determinants of Cardiovascular Health and Disease
Michael J. Sole, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada

ATHEROGENESIS, INFLAMMATION AND OXIDATIVE STRESS

Regulation of Intracellular Calcium in the Ischemic Heart Disease      
Naranjan S. Dhalla, St Boniface Hospital Research Centre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada   

What is More Important in Atherogenesis- Oxidized or Native - LDL    
Jawahar L. Mehta, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

Stress and CV Disease - Oxidative and Otherwise
Philip R. Liebson, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA  

Il-10 and TNF- A Cykotine Imbalance in Heart Failure                          
Pawan K.Singal, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, MB, Canada        

The Metabolic Syndrome, Oxidative Stress and Inflammation, and Cardiovascular Diseases
Paul Holvoet, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

Noxes, Oxidative Stress and Cardiovascular (PATHO) Biology            
Rhian M. Touyz, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada  

Analysis of Molecular Inflammatory Pathways in Atherogenesis
Salomon Amar, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

Role of NADPH Oxidase in Human Atherosclerosis        
Francesco Violi, Universita di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy

Inflammation and Metabolic Disorders
Guo-Ping Shi, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA  

Drugs Preventing Vascular Oxidative Stress: Reciprocal Regulation of Pro- and Anti-Oxidative Enzyme Systems
Ulrich Forstermann, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany 

Modulation of Vascular Inflammation and Stabilization of Atherosclerotic Plaque Phenotype by Sirolimus
Domenico Pratico, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Oxidative Stress & Atherogenesis – The Role of Drugs with Antioxidant Capacity 
Jaw-Wen Chen, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine; Taiwan, Taipei    

Inflammation In Diabetic Vascular Disease : The Role Of Hyperglycemia
Concepcion Peiro, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Arzobispo Morcillo, Madrid, Spain

MODULATION OF ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION INJURY

Potential Effects of Anti-Platelet Therapy on the Pleiotropic Effects of Statins
Yochai Birnbaum, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA     

The Role of the Chemokines in Healing Myocardial Infarction
Nikolaos Frangogiannis, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

Cytochrome P450 Enzymes in Heart Disease
Ingrid Fleming, Klinikum der J.W. Goethe-Universitat, Frankfurt, Germany

Fetal Programming Increases Cardiac Susceptibility to Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury       
Sandra T. Davidge, University of Albert, Edmonton, AB, Canada             

Aging-Reduced Myocardial Insulin Sensitivity Contributes to the Aggravated Myocardial Injury Following Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion
Feng Gao, Fourth Military Medical University, Xian, Xian, China       

NANOMEDICINE AND MOLECULAR IMAGING

Nanomedicine: The Next Frontier in Clinical Cardiology
Israel Rubinstein, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA         

Macrophage Activation and Atherogenesis: Basic Biology and Molecular Imaging
Masanori Aikawa, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA       

Imaging Mechanisms of Arterial Calcification in Atherosclerosis and Chronic Kidney Disease                   
Elena Aikawa, Center for Molecular Imaging Research, Charleston, MA, USA

Metabolic Imaging of the Heart: Ischemic Memory
Vasken Dilsizian, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA   

New CT Imaging Targets of Vulnerable Plaque
Birgit Kantor, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

Newer Echocardiographic Methods for Cardiovascular Phenotyping in Small Animals    
Brian D. Hoit, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

Clinical Application of 3D Echocardiography
Takahiro Shiota, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Noninvasive Assessment of Left Ventricular Systolic Torsion: Is It Time to do the Twist?
Jonathan N. Bella, Bronx -Lebanon Hospital Center, NY, USA

Coronary Flow Reserve in the Echo Lab: Prognostic Impact
Rosa Sicari, CNR Institution of Clinical Physiology, Pisa, Italy

New Innovations in Echocardiography                      
Smadar Kort, Stony Brook University Medical Center, NY, USA

New Aspects of Ultrasound Contrast in Cardiology    
Annemieke Jansen, Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, Netherlands

Stress EchoCardiography for Risk Stratification        
Abdou Elhendy, Marshfield, WI USA 

Non-Invasive Assessment of Vascular Load and Ventricular-Vascular Coupling: A Focus on Echocardiography
Julio A. Chirinos, Philadelphia VA Medical Center, PA, USA

IDENTIFICATION OF HIGH RISK ASYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS

Targeting the High Risk Asymptomatic Patient for Therapy: The Role of Cardiac Imaging beyond Coronary Risk Factors        
Ronald G. Schwartz, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA  

Myocardial Viability Diagnosis and Risk Stratification
Farooq A. Chaudhry, St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY, USA     

Infarct Sizing By Spect                            
J. Wells Askew, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

The Prognostic Value of CT Coronary Calcification in Asymptomatic Individuals
Michael Motro, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel  

Incremental Value of CT to SPECT in Patient Management
John J. Mahmarian, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

Detection of Coronary Artery Disease with Dipyridamole Stress
Michael Main, Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, MO, USA 

Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease: What Does It Mean?      
Michael H. Criqui, University of California, CA, USA

Atherosclerotic Calcification – The Cardiovascular Epidemiology of Whole Body Scanning              
Matthew Allison, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

Is There a Role for CMR in Cardiology Practice?
Gerald Pohost, Salick Cardiovascular Centers, Los Angeles, CA, USA   

Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Delayed-Enhancement Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Rungroj Krittayaphong, Siriraj Hospital Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand       

Atherosclerosis Imaging: A CT/MR Perspective         
Sanjay Rajagopalan, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA     

MRI Coronary Angiography in the Diagnosis of Anomalous Origin of the Coronary Arteries: A Comparison with Multi Detector Computed Tomography (MDCT)
Sergio Dalla-Volta, Universita degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy

Prognostic Value of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease 
Vicente Bodi, Hospital Clinico Universitario, Valencia, Spain

MRI in Cardiac Electrophysiology
Nassir Marrouche, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

Outcome of Patients with Suspected ACS and Elevated Troponin without Significant Epicardial CAD
Nasser Lakkis, Ben Taub General Hospital, Houston, TX, USA           

Targeted Use of Drug-Eluting Stents: Lessons from the Basket Trial     
Hans Peter Brunner-La Rocca, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland

Troponin - From Molecular Alterations to Clinical Implications     
Dan Atar, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Pro-Healing Aspects of 17B-Estradiol after PCI      
Jean-Francois Tanguay, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Canada

Micro and Macrovascular Protection in Primary PCI 
Deepak Jain, Medizinische Klinik II, Lubeck,Germany        

Integration of New Technologies in the Management of Cardiovascular Disease: What Have We Learned?
Andrew J. Carter, Michigan State University School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI, USA

Are Platelet Inhibition, Coronary Flow, and Myocardial Perfusion Important Targets in NSTE-ACS Patients?
Leonardo Bolognese, Azienda Ospedaliera Arezzo, Italy

The Role of Enoxaparin in Patients with Primary PCI for ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction          
Uwe Zeymer, Mediznische Klinik B, Ludwigshafen, Germany    

Does Intracoronary Therapy with Metabolic Cytoprotectors Limit Myocardial Injury in Patients with AMI?
David G. Iosseliani, Moscow's City Center of Interventional Cardioangiology, Moscow, Russia

NEW DIRECTIONS IN CORONARY INTERVENTIONAL THERAPY

Low Level Laser Irradiation: Therapeutic Potential in Cardiovascular Pathology
S. David Gertz, Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel  

Neointima Coverage of DES and Risk of Stent Thrombosis - Angioscopic Evaluation
Yasunori Ueda, Osaka Police Hospital, Osaka Japan

Update on Coronary Artery Bifurcation Lesions Classification and Interventional Technique
Mohammad-Reza Movahed, University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center, AZ, USA

Intracoronary Pressure and Flow Velocity: Mechanistic Insight from Looking Beyond Means    
Maria Siebes, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands  

Long-Term Safety and Effectiveness of Drug-Eluting Stents
Jack V. Tu, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada

CAROTID ARTERY DISEASE: TREATMENT AND PREVENTION

Carotid Artery Stenting 2008 – What do Trials and Registries Tell Us? 
Harald Mudra, Krankenhaus Munchen Neuperlach, Munchen, Germany  

Carotid Angioplasty and Stenting under Protection. Complications, How to Avoid Them?
Michel Henry, Cabinet de Cardiologie, Nancy Cedex, France 

Elevated Levels of Troponin in Acute Ischemic Stroke – Silent Coronary Artery Disease?
Jesper Jensen, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark

Update on Stable Angina with Special Emphasis on Management of “No Option” Angina
Udho Thadani, University of Oklahoma HSC, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Assessing Myocardial Ischemia in the Hypertensive Patient: Still a Challenge in Clinical Cardiology
Riccardo Bigi, University School of Medicine and CDI, Italian Diagnostic Center, Milan, Italy

The Left Atrium and its Role in Myocardial Ischemia
Vignendra Ariyarajah, Boniface Hospital/University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada

New Insights on Accelerated Vascular Calcification in Patients with Kidney Disease
Peter A. McCullough, Beaumont Health Center, Royal Oak, MI, USA

Coffee and Coronary Disease
Arthur L. Klatsky, Kaiwer Permanente Medical Center, Oakland, CA, USA

Dietary Strategies for Hypertension Prevention: Progress and Promise
Howard D. Sesso, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Influenza Vaccination: The Neglected Component of the Cardiovascular Prevention Guidelines
Mohammad Madjid, Texas Heart Institute, Houston, TX, USA

Prediction of Cardiovascular Disease                                                   
Takanobu Tomaru, Toho University Sakura Hospital, Sakura City, Chiba, Japan

Second Hand Smoke and Cardiovascular Disease in Germany and Europe: A Sensitivity Analysis
Ulrich Keil, University of Muenster, Muenster Germany

Circadian Aspects of Cardiovascular Diseases
Roberto Manfredini, Hospital of Delta, Ferrara, Italy

DYSLIPIDEMIA AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK

Intensive Statin Therapy in CHD - A Review of the Evidence               
Kausik K. Ray, University of Cambridge. Cambridge, England

Combination Therapy in Lipid Management             
Donna Polk, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA  

Statins in the Elderly
Dan Tzivoni, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel  

New Targets for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction in the Metabolic Syndrome: Lipoproteins are more important than Lipids
Robert S. Rosenson, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Protein Kinase A- Regulates Apolipoprotein E Secretion by Macrophages
Leonard Kritharides, Concord Hospital, University of Sydney, Australia

HIV Protease Inhibitor Ritonanir Inhibits Cholesterol Efflux in Human Macrophages-Derived Foam Cells
Changyi Chen, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

HYPERTENSION

A Guide to the New Guidelines for the Management of Hypertension
Clive Rosendorff, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and the J.J. Peters VA Medical Center, New York, NY, USA    

The Role of Arterial Stiffness and Resistance in Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease
Stanley S. Franklin, University of California, CA, USA    

DIABETES, METABOLIC SYNDROME AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Metabolic Syndrome in Childhood and its Impact on Adult Heart Disease                        
Gerald S. Berenson, Tulane Center for Cardiovascular Health, Louisiana, New Orleans, USA

Genetics and Metabolic Risk of Atherosclerosis
Robert Hegele, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in The Diabetic Heart            
Karin Przyklenk, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA    

Tackling the Diabetic Platelet
Dominick J. Angiolillo, University of Florida-Shands, Jacksonville, FL, USA

Women and Heart Disease in the Post-WHI Era
Elizabeth L. Barrett-Connor, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA

Heart Failure in Women: Really Different or Just PC?
Maryl R. Johnson, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, WI, USA.

Dyslipidemia in Women: Epidemiology and Treatment
Vera Bittner, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Estrogen, Aging and the Cardiovascular System
Anne A. Knowlton, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

Outcomes for Women following Cardiac Surgery     
Veena Guru, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada

Pregnancy and Heart Disease
Candice Silversides, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada 

SPORTS AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

An Athlete’s Heart may Harbour Proarrhythmic Changes                     
Hein Heidbüchel, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium

Exercise Training Improves Centrally Mediated Regulation of Sympathetic Outflow in Rats with Heart Failure
Kaushik P. Patel, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA     

Update on Complementary and Integrative Therapies in Cardiovascular Disease            
Maura Paul-Labrador, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA 

Unusual Presentations of Preload Dependent Cardiac Conditions and their Management 
Hanumanth Reddy, Medical Center of South Arkansas, El Dorado, AR, USA

AORTIC AND VASCULAR DISEASE

A Blood Test for Thoracic Aneurysm
John A. Elefteriades, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

Tissue Characterization in Renal Arteries                 
Verghese Mathew, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

The Medical and Endovascular Therapy of SFA Disease
Hitinder S. Gurm, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA     

Intermittent Claudication: Walking Disability or Cardiovascular Disease?
Fabio Manfredini, University of Ferrara Medical School, Ferrara, Italy

VALVULAR HEART DISEASE: EVALUATION AND TREATMENT

Biomarkers for Evaluating Valvular Diseases – Recent Progress
Jeffrey S. Borer, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, NY, USA

Calcific Aortic Stenosis: Therapeutic Lessons Learned from Experimental Models               
Nalini M. Rajamannan, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

Present Status of Rheumatic Heart Disease in Developing Countries of the World
Adarsh Kumar, Govt. Medical College/G.N.D. Hospital, Amritsar, India

Percutaneous Aortic Valve Implantation: State of The Art
Horst Sievert, Cardiovascular Center Frankfurt, Germany    

Mitral Balloon Valvuloplasty – 18 years follow up: Effect on Left Ventricular Function, Severe Pulmonary Hypertension, and Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation
Mohamed E Fawzy, King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Transcatheter Closure of Perivalvular Leaks after Surgical Mitral and Aortic Valve Replacements            
Larry Latson, Children's Hospital at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

Minimally Invasive Mitral Surgery: Should it be Considered State of the Art for Isolated Mitral Disease?   
Francois Dagenais, Laval Hospital, Quebec, Canada

Unanswered Questions in Rheumatic Heart Disease 
Ganesan Karthikeyan, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

PEDIATRIC AND ADULT CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Quality Improvement in Pediatric Cardiology: An Overview of National Initiatives
Geoffrey L. Rosenthal, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH, USA

Sudden Death in the Adult with Congenital Heart Disease
Louise Harris, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

Coarctation Stent Treatment in Adults
Thomas Forbes, Wayne State University, MI, USA

Management of Aortic Dilation in Congenital Heart Disease                
Angela T. Yetman, Primary Children's Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Update on Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support                          
Brian W. Duncan, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA 

Catheter Laboratory Completion of the Fontan Operation
Lee Benson, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Interventional Decision Making in Adult Congenital Heart Disease
Eric Horlick, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada

Percutaneous PFO Closure for Cryptogenic Stroke and Migraines, The Simple Way
Antonis Manolis, Patras University, Athens, Greece

The Role of the Innate Immune Response in Protecting Against Infection of the Heart     
Neil E. Bowles, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

An Unappreciated Role for Ubiquitin Ligases in Experimental Cardiac Hypertrophy
Cam Patterson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA  

Doxorubicin Cardiotoxicity is Markedly Attenuated by Concurrent Treatment with Vincristine 
Kanu Chatterjee, UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA

Cardiovascular Effects of Chronic, Subclinical Exposure to Lipopolysaccharide   
Wilbur Lew, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System,