Stroke is an important clinical problem because of its large contribution to mortality. The main causal and treatable risk factors for stroke include hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and smoking. In addition to these risk factors, recent studies have shown the importance of genetic factors and interactions between multiple genes and environmental factors. Genetic linkage analyses of families and sib-pairs as well as candidate gene association studies have implicated several loci and many candidate genes in predisposition to ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, or subarachnoid hemorrhage. Recent genome-wide association studies identified various loci and genes that confer susceptibility to ischemic stroke or intracranial aneurysm. Such studies may provide insight into the function of implicated genes as well as into the role of genetic factors in the development of ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, or subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of non-traumatic mortality in young (<35 years old) athletes, with recent data suggesting the incidence to be higher than what was previously estimated. The vast majority of deaths are caused by silent hereditary or congenital cardiac disorders. Over the last decade, advances in our understanding of both the genetic and clinical mechanisms underlying these conditions, particularly those associated with a structurally normal heart, have led to advances in diagnosis and management including interventions and lifestyle modifications that aim to minimize the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Coupled with effective screening programs, other strategies such as emergency response planning and the use of automated external defibrillators have also emerged as strategies in preventing and treating sudden cardiac arrest.

This book aims to provide an overview of the genetic and clinical aspects of SCD in young athletes, with particular emphasis on the specific issues related to diagnosis and management that these unique group of individuals pose to a physician. Specific diagnostic and management dilemmas will be illustrated through clinical cases and the most up-to-date guidelines regarding participation in sport outlined.

The clinical syndrome of chronic heart failure (CHF) is the hallmark of progressive cardiac decompensation, one of the most common chronic medical conditions that affect around 2% of the adult population worldwide irrespective of ethnic and geographic origin (Anonymous). Apart from ischemic heart disease, hypertension, infection, and inflammation, several other etiologic factors account for irreparable and irreversible myocardial damage leading to heart failure (HF). Genetic and genomic factors are now increasingly identified as one of the leading underlying factors (Arab and Liu 2005). These factors may be related to pathogenic alterations (mutation or polymorphism) within specific cardiac genes, mutations in genes incorporating single or multiple molecular pathways (protein families) relevant to cardiac structure and/or function, genetic or genomic polymorphisms of uncertain significance (gene variants, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and copy number variations (CNVs)), and epigenetic or epigenomic changes that influence cardiac gene functions scattered across the human genome. Recent genetic and genomic studies in both systolic and diastolic ventricular dysfunction, the hallmark of CHF, have revealed a number of mutations in genes belonging to specific cardiac protein families. For example, around 200 mutations are now known to exist in around 15 genes coding for several different types of sarcomere proteins (Liew and Dzau 2004). The sarcomere protein family, alone, accounts for the bulk of inherited cardiomyopathies including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM), and left ventricular (LV) non-compaction (LVNC). In addition, there are several other potentially relevant factors involving different genes and genome-level elements. This article presents a systematic account on the available factual information and interpretations based on genetic and genomic studies in CHF (Liew and Dzau 2004). Genomic and molecular approaches have opened the way for a renewed debate for taxonomy of CHF (Ashrafian and Watkins 2007). The review draws attention to the potential diagnostic and therapeutic implications of genomic and transcriptional profiling in HF and translational genomics research that is likely to permit greater personalization of prevention and treatment strategies to address the complexities of managing clinical HF (Creemers, Wilde et al. 2011).

In this e-book, motor neuron disease (MND) shall refer to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common neurodegenerative disorder affecting both the upper and lower motor neurons. With the discovery of C9ORF72 expansions in approximately 10% of all MND cases, in certain populations, we stand at the brink of a new era of MND research and hopefully treatment facilitated by the ability to associate a relatively large group of patients with a similar disease mechanism. This review will summarise both current clinical management of MND and our present understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of MND. Study of C9ORF72-MND has the potential to rapidly advance both of these aspects in the coming years.

In the first section, we will discuss the clinical features of MND and describe how patients with this devastating condition present, are investigated, and managed in the 21st century. Although, currently, management is limited by an incomplete understanding of disease pathophysiology, there is much which can be done to assist and support patients with MND. In the following sections, we will discuss molecular mechanisms implicated in MND, highlighting observations which unify different theories. Particular attention will be given to placing proposed mechanisms within the clinical course of MND. Furthermore, novel therapeutic targets will be discussed.