From: GARAVELLI@NBRF.GEORGETOWN.EDU
Newsgroups: bionet.info-theory
Subject: Washington Philosophical Society --- 2007th Meeting
Date: 25 Jan 93 22:41:52 GMT
Distribution: bionet


                    The Philosophical Society of Washington
                                  Founded 1871

                                 2007th Meeting
                      Friday, February 5, 1993, at 8:15 pm

                   John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club
                     (Entrance at 2170 Florida Avenue, NW)

                                  Meyer Texon
                       New York University Medical Center

                    The Hemodynamic Basis of Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque deposits on the interior of blood
vessels, is found in varying degrees of severity in all individuals and cannot
be cured in the sense of eliminating an infectious disease.  It is the price we
pay for blood flow as a requirement of life.  Atherosclerosis develops
primarily from the fluid effects of blood flow, or hemodynamics, through
various blood vessel sections as curvatures, branches, bifurcations, tapers,
and external attachments.  As blood flows through narrow or curved sections, an
area of low pressure develops against the vessel wall, stimulating the normal
layer of endothelium to proliferate.  This plaque gradually enlarges and
further reduces the flow area.  For example, the plaque builds up on the convex
surface of a curvature, where the flow-induced area of low pressure occurs.

Data from human autopsy specimens, hydraulic system models, and atherosclerosis
lesion production experiments support the conclusion that atherosclerosis is a
reactive biological response of blood vessels to hemodynamics.  Current
research aims to minimize or retard the rate of development by controlling the
relevant blood flow parameters.  A promising area of research is the decrease
in blood velocity, which is expected to retard the progressive development of
atherosclerosis if achieved without impairing the metabolic requirements of
vital organs.

Meyer Texon received his A.B. (cum laude) from Harvard College and his M.D.
from New York University School of Medicine.  He has served as Assistant
Medical Examiner for New York City.  He is a practicing cardiologist and an
Associate Professor of Forensic Medicine at the New York University Medical
Center.  Mr. Texon was awarded the Hektoen medal by the American Medical
Association for his original research on Atherosclerosis.

Next Meeting: February 19, 1993 -  Gary Voelker, U.S. Department of Energy,
              "The Role of Advanced Technology in Cleaning Up
              the DOE Nuclear Weapons Complex."

     William Spargo           Eloise Moore Agger            Mary Enig         
       President                 Program Chair           Membership Chair     
 (703) 519-0252 (day)        (301) 652-7325 (day)    (301) 572-4914 (evening)
 (301) 493-8563 (evening)

Network inquiries to:  John S. Garavelli
                       GARAVELLI@GUNBRF.BITNET
                       GARAVELLI@NBRF.GEORGETOWN.EDU

                    Non-members are welcome at all meetings
                          Appropriate Attire Required

Notice:  Parking at the Cosmos Club is limited to members of the Club and their
guests.  The Cosmos Club is within easy walking distance of the Dupont Metro
stop (Q Street exit), the Connecticut Avenue bus routes (L2, L4), and the
Massachusetts Avenue bus routes (N2, N4).

                    The Philosophical Society of Washington
                     Second Half 1992-1993 Season Schedule

January 22	Daniel Appleman, National Museum of Natural History,
		Smithsonian Institution, "Plate Techtonics and the Fossil
		Record:  The Evolution of the Modern World"

February 5	Meyer Texon, Associate Professor of Forensic Medicine,
		New York University Medical Center, "The Hemodynamic Basis of
		Atherosclerosis"

February 19	Gary Voelker, U.S. Department of Energy,
		"The Role of Advanced Technology in Cleaning Up the DOE
		Nuclear Weapons Complex"

March 5		Robert Kanigel, Author,
		"The Limits of Friendship: Ramanujan and Hardy In England"

March 19	Ho-kwang Mao, Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of
		Washington, "Metallic Hydrogen"

April 2		Frank McLaughlin, College of Business and Management,
		University of Maryland, "The Recipe for FDA's Food Policies"

April 23	Robert Gordon, Systematic Entymology Laboratory,
		Agricultural Research Service, "Cryptic Crap Crunchers"

May 14		Joseph Henry Lecture, Cyril Ponnamperuma, Director,
		Laboratory of Chemical Evolution, University of Maryland,
		"Origin, Evolution, and Distribution of Life in the Universe"

All meetings start at 8:15 p.m., with the exception of the Retiring President's
Address, which begins at 8:30 p.m.  Meetings are followed by a Social Hour with
beer and cider.  Non-Members Welcome