“Heart and Circulation” builds upon your primary knowledge of the heart and circulation. Contemporary views of cardiac and vascular physiology will be considered. The module will develop your understanding of cardiac and vascular function in relation to cellular mechanisms, with an emphasis on translating this to the human subject and the pathology of various cardiovascular diseases.

As well as formal lectures you will learn through small group tutorial sessions on preparing posters/oral presentations for scientific meetings, and assessing and assimilating data from journal papers so as to be able to write an essay. A separate session will be provided for MSc students where they will learn how to read a research paper and compose their own abstract. Practical sessions will give you first-hand knowledge and experience of two techniques for assessing cardiovascular functions – Blood pressure & Organ Bath Pharmacology. Masters students will have a slightly more complex blood pressure practical exploring, with the aid of a computer model, how different hemodynamic parameters affect blood pressure.

This module is compulsory for MSc and iBSc Cardiovascular Science students and a recommended option for iBSc students in Physiology as well as Biomedical and Natural Sciences students with a strong background in physiology. It can be taken as an elective by students (including affiliate students) on other degree programmes.

Indicative Lecture list (based on 2021/22 syllabus)

CARDIAC PHYSIOLOGY
Resume of Cardiac Physiology

Cardiac Excitation - Contraction Coupling

Electrocardiogram

Autonomic Control of Heart Function

 

VASCULATURE, GROWTH & REMODELLING

Vascular Smooth Muscle Contraction

Vascular Potassium Channels

Vascular Endothelium

Animal Models of Cardiovascular Disease

Angiogenesis

The Arterial Wall and Atherosclerosis

 

RISK FACTORS AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Pathology of Systemic Hypertension

Obesity

Sepsis and Circulatory Failure

Endothelium, Inflammation and Vasculitis

 

HEART DEVELOPMENT & DISEASE

Cardiac Development

Congenital Heart Disease

Pathophysiology of Heart Failure

Ion Channels in Heart Disease

MYOCARDIAL ISCHAEMIA AND PROTECTION
Pathophysiology of Myocardial ischaemia, Protection, Reperfusion and Thrombolysis

Cell Signalling in Myocardial Protection

PROCEDURES IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Functional imaging of the Heart

Stem and Gene Therapy for Cardiovascular Repair