EDITORIAL

Kuala Lumpur Emerging in Vascular Biology Paul M. Vanhoutte, MD, PhD

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his Highlighted Meeting Series brings to the readership the proceedings of some of the most important presentations made at the joint meeting of the 6th Scientific Meeting of The Asian Society for Vascular Biology (ASVB) and the 13th Symposium on Vascular Neuroeffector Mechanisms (VNEM), in association with the 28th Scientific Meeting of The Malaysian Society of Pharmacology and Physiology, which was held in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), August 22–24, 2014. The purpose of ASVB, stated in its bylaws, is to promote and advance the field of vascular biology and medicine in Asia and to maintain the highest standards of research, education, and exchange of scientific information. This goal once again was accomplished by attracting the Vascular Neuroeffector Mechanisms Symposium, internationally established for decades, to Kuala Lumpur, with the complicity of our friends and colleagues of the Malaysian Society of Pharmacology and Physiology. As usual, this meeting brought together a number of young researchers from the area and established vascular biologists from all over the world. The reader will be able to appreciate the level of scientific excellence reached in Kuala Lumpur when discovering the articles of this 3-part series. They address the overall important role of the sympathetic nervous system (so often forgotten by modern vascular biologists) not only in mediating the peripheral vascular changes accompanying depression (Bouzinova et al, Part 1)1 but also in underlying hypoxic remodeling of the fetal cerebral vasculature (Adeoye et al, Part 1).2 Concerning the latter circulation, its role in the genesis of Alzheimer’s disease was highlighted brilliantly (Hamel, Part 1),3 as was the protective role of GLP-1 against endothelial dysfunction (Limei et al, Part 2).4 New or revisited targets modulating the reactivity of vascular cells were discussed, including novel voltage-gated calcium channels (Hansen, Part 2),5 Rho-kinase (Shimokawa and Satoh, Part 2),6 microRNAs (Arunachalam et al, Part 2),7 or nucleoside transporters (Yang and Leung, Part 3).8 The effect of natural products has always been of major interest at meetings of the ASVB, and this one was no exception with overviews of the effects of boldine (Lau et al, Part 3)9 and flavonols (Leo and Woodman, Part 3)10 on endothelial dysfunction in disease. Finally, the paradoxical good and bad roles of endothelium-derived mediators such as hydrogen peroxide (Shimokawa and Satoh, Part 2)6 and nitric oxide itself (Gao et al, Part 3)11 were discussed, leading to novel concepts in intracellular messaging. We hope that our readers will enjoy all of those. The participants of the meeting in Kuala Lumpur already look forward to the next edition, to be held in Taiwan in 2016! Hong Kong, September 20, 2014. REFERENCES 1. Bouzinova EV, Wiborg O, Aalkjaer C, et al. The role of peripheral vascular resistance for the association between major depression and cardiovascular disease. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2015;65:299–307. 2. Adeoye O, Silpanisong J, Williams J, et al. Role of the sympathetic autonomic nervous system in hypoxic remodeling of the fetal cerebral vasculature. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2015;65:308–316. 3. Hamel E. Cerebral circulation: function and dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2015;65:317–324. 4. Limei L, Jian L, Yu H. Protective effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 on endothelial function in hypertension. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. In press. 5. Hansen PB. A new role for P/Q-type voltage-gated calcium channels; from transmitter release to contraction of renal vasculature. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. In press. 6. Shimokawa H, Satoh K. Light and dark of reactive oxygen species for vascular function. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. In press. From the State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, University of Hong Kong. The author reports no conflicts of interest. Copyright © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Editorial 7. Arunachalam G, Upadhyay R, Ding H, et al. MicroRNA signature and cardiovascular dysfunction. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. In press. 8. Yang C, Leung GP. Equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 and 4: which one is a better target for cardioprotection against ischemia–reperfusion injury? J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. In press. 9. Lau YS, Ling WC, Murugan D, et al. Boldine ameliorates vascular oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction: therapeutic

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J Cardiovasc Pharmacol ä  Volume 65, Number 4, April 2015 implication for hypertension and diabetes. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. In press. 10. Leo CH, Woodman OL. Flavonols in the prevention of diabetes-induced vascular dysfunction. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. In press. 11. Gao Y, Chen Z, Sws L, et al. Hypoxic vasospasm mediated by cIMP: when soluble guanylyl cyclase turns bad. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. In press.

Copyright © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.

Kuala Lumpur emerging in vascular biology.

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