Environmental Factors in the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular Diseases

Dr. Devendra K. Agrawal earned MSc, PhD (Biochemistry), PhD (Medical Sciences), MBA and MS (Information Technology & Management). After serving on several academic positions, including Chairman of the Department of Clinical & Translational Science, Senior Associate Dean of Clinical & Translational Sciences, and Senior Vice President for Research and Biotechnology, he is currently the Professor and Director, Department of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, USA. Dr. Agrawal is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and is a Fellow of the AAAAI, AHA, APS, and IACS.  He has been recognized with many awards, including the highest teaching award, Distinguished Research Career Award, and Distinguished Mentor Award. Dr. Agrawal has served on many grants review panels, including VA Merit Review, DoD, NIH-NIAID, NIH-NHLBI, MRC-UK and US-Israel BSF Grant Review Committees, Science Foundation Ireland, Austrian Science Fund, British Lung Foundation, Swiss NSF, ViCi Netherlands, and Asthma Research Foundation of Western Australia. Dr. Agrawal has served on the editorial board of several prestigious journals. Dr. Agrawal contributed to science by publishing >560 original research articles in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters. He has co-edited six books in Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, COVID19 and Stem Cells, Flow Cytometry, and this book on the Environmental Factors in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, and currently working on a book in cardiovascular Toxicity. His major research areas include the cellular, molecular and immunobiology of diabetes and diabetic foot ulcers, renal diseases, allergy and bronchial asthma, vascular diseases, shoulder rotator cuff injuries, and traumatic brain injury. NIH funds his research projects.Dr. Agrawal has trained >200 medical students (many of them are now academic physician-scientists), directly supervised and guided 72 graduate students to earn MD-PhD, MD-MS, MS, and PhD, degrees, 74 post-doctoral fellows, 15 assistant professors, many of whom are currently on high positions in academia and industries. Many clinical residents, fellows and research investigators have received training under his direct supervision. He is passionate to train and mentor next generation of clinical and translational researchers.”Dr. Dragan M. Djuric earned MD degree in 1987, MS degree in 1991, PhD degree in 1993, and Clinical Physiologist degree in 2007, all from the Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade (Belgrade, Serbia). He finished his postdoctoral trainings in Germany (Max Planck Institute for Physiological and Clinical Research and Kerckhoff Klinik GmbH, Bad Nauheim, 1998, 2001-2002), and in USA (Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, 2000). After serving on several academic positions, including Director and Chair, Institute of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade (2006-2012), Founder and Chair, PhD Program in Physiological Sciences (2009-2024), leadership positions in Serbian Physiological Society (2003-2021), FEPS Task Force Group on Education in Physiology (2007-2008), and national atherosclerosis societies (since 1998),  he is currently the Professor of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade (Belgrade, Serbia), and Visiting Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (since 2019). Dr Djuric is a Fellow of IACS and IUPS Academy of Physiology. He has been recognized with many awards, including the IACS Naranjan Dhalla Award for Innovative Investigators in Cardiovascular Sciences (2024), IACS Oration Award Prof. Harpal Buttar (2024), IACS Howard Morgan Award for Distinguished Achievements in Cardiovascular Research (2022), IACS James Willerson Award for Excellence in Cardiovascular Sciences (2021), IACS Distinguished Leadership Award in Cardiovascular Sciences (2019), IACS Andras Varro Award for Excellence in Cardiovascular Sciences (2018), IACS Lifetime Achievement Award in Cardiovascular Science, Medicine and Surgery (2015), all by the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences (IACS) including European, North American and Indian sections; Serbian Physiological Society Award for Lifetime Achievement in Physiological Sciences (2016); Samuel Racz Medal and Honorary Member for the Contribution in Physiology by the Hungarian Physiological Society (2010); Honorary Member, Bulgarian Society for Cell Biology (2009); Honorary Member, Romanian Society for Laboratory Medicine (2008); Medal of the Yugoslav Society of Cardiology (2002), and Belgrade City October Award (1987). Dr. Djuric has served on the editorial board of several prestigious journals, and in a few grants review panels, and he was a reviewer in journals, books, and meetings abstracts. Dr. Djuric contributed to science by publishing >300 original research, review end editorial articles in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters. He has edited/co-edited 6 books in a field of medical physiology, 7 monographs in a field of endothelium, vascular biology, atherosclerosis and nutrition (including this book on the Environmental Factors in the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular Diseases, and currently working on a book in Cardiovascular Toxicity), 15 books of abstracts from scientific meetings which he organized/co-organized, and he was guest editor in 13 special/topic issues of prestigious international journals. Dr. Djuric has trained >30 medical students in a research work, and directly supervised and guided 20 graduate students to earn MD-MS and MD-PhD degrees. National Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and EU COST funds his research projects. His major research areas include the cardiovascular research, cardioprotection, experimental cardiometabolic models, endothelial dysfunction, experimental vascular models, gasotransmitters and oxidative stress, homocysteine and related vitamins, nutraceuticals and cardiovascular health, risk factors and cardiovascular health, vascular reactivity and mediators of inflammation, micronutrients deficiencies, atherosclerosis, and environmental factors in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases.

• Part 1. Introduction.- 1. Introduction Dragan M. Djuric and Devendra K. Agrawal (Serbia, US).- 2. Human envirome and cardiovascular diseases Professor Kristina Gopcevic and Team (Serbia).- Part2. Environmental Aspects in the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular Diseases.- 3. Endocrine disruptors and cardiovascular diseases: a thinly veiled threat Professor Danina M. Muntean and Team (Romania).- 4. Cardiovascular disease risk factors, immune checkpoints and Tregs Professor Xiaofeng Yang and Team (US).- 5. Toxic effects of intracellular free zinc ion in cardiomyocytes via zinc-transporters: Structural and functional changes in mitochondria Professor Belma Turan and Team (Turkey).- 6. Cardiovascular effects of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors Professor Milos Stojiljkovic and Team (Bosnia and Herzegovina).- 7. Cardiotoxic effects of catecholamines Professor Milos Stojiljkovic and Team (Bosnia and Herzegovina).- 8. Pathophysiological mechanisms of COVID infection in diabetes Professor Dinender K. Singla and Team (US).- 9. Magnetic fields and cardiovascular health Professor Nina Japundzic Zigon and Team (Serbia).- 10. Seasonality of cardiovascular diseases: Roles of natural and anthropogenic factors Professor Leonid P. Churilov and Team (Russia).- 11. Environmental factors and CABG grafts: histophysiology and strategies for grafts patency rate improvement Professor Milica Labudovic Borovic and Team (Serbia).- 12. Is homocysteine biomarker of epigenetic-DNA methylation and environmental health risk: Roles in cardiovascular pathophysiology and link with homocysteine-related vitamins? Professor Dragan M. Djuric and Team (Serbia).- 13. Mental stressors and cardiovascular diseases Professor Antoinette Oliveira Blackman (Brazil).- 14. Air pollution and the pathogenesis of CVD -to be determined.- 15. Water pollution and the pathogenesis of CVD -to be determined.- Part 3. Genetics and Nutritional Effects in the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular Diseases.- 16. Interaction between Genetic Factors and Environmental Factors in the Pathogenesis of CVD Professor Devendra K. Agrawal and Team (US).- 17. Nutrition, Gut Microbiota, and the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular Diseases  to be determined.- Part 4. Prevention of Environmental Factors-induced Cardiovascular Diseases.- 18. Recent trends and advancements in the pathogenesis and prevention of cardiovascular diseases: With special focus on the mitigation of oxidative stress, atherosclerosis, and gut microbiota-induced trimethylamine Professor Harpal Buttar and Team (Hungary).- 19. The role of exercise in the CVD prevention Professor Dr. Maciej Banach (Poland).- 20. Cardiovascular adaptation to exercise: from basic science to applied investigations Professor Vladimir Jakovljevic and Team (Serbia).- 21. French paradox: a role for Akt activation Professor Ferenc Gallyas Jr, and Team (Hungary).- Part 5. Treatment of Environmental Factors-induced Cardiovascular Diseases.- 22. Potential new drug targets modulating the environmentally induced oxidative stress in the cardiovascular system Professor Zoran Todorovic and Team (Serbia).- 23. Critical Therapeutic Targets of Human Cardiac Infarction Pathology – Methods to Aid the Adult Hypoxic Heart Professor Ildiko Bock-Marquette and Team (Hungary).- 24. Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE-2): A target for Novel Drug Development Professor Ramesh K. Goyal and Team (India).- 25. The role of pharmacogenomics in drug-induced cardiovascular toxicity Professor Ranko Skrbic (Bosnia and Herzegovina).- 26. Anti-inflammatory therapy and pleiotropic effects of drugs Professor Devendra K. Agrawal and Team (US).