[CICS Roster]

The Clinical and Integrative Cardiovascular Sciences [CICS] Study Section will primarily consider patient oriented research applications involving the cardiovascular system and related regulatory organ systems.   Patient oriented research is defined as studies involving investigation of the cardiovascular system of humans, including autonomic physiology and exercise cardiovascular studies and extending to include surgery and pediatrics. Clinical trials that are secondary prevention trials and focus on outcomes may be assigned to CICS.  Applications involving randomized multi-center clinical trials are not appropriate for this study section.

Specific areas covered by CICS:

• Human clinical studies, including pediatric populations, of mechanisms and consequences of disease.  Investigations may include coronary physiology and pharmacology, cardiac electrophysiology, regional circulations, hemodynamic studies, cardiac mechanics and cardiovascular genetic studies.   Disease states can include cardiac or vascular ischemia, hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disease, atherosclerosis or hypercholesterolemia. 
  
  
• Clinical, population or integrative studies of the responses of the cardiovascular system to trauma or surgery, including arrhythmias associated with cardiac surgery or cardiopulmonary bypass, the use of stents, pacemakers, etc., in cardiovascular injury and repair, and myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.
  
  
• Environmental stresses.  Smoking, altitude, heat, cold, environmental pollution in patients ranging from childhood to adolescence, adult, pregnancy and aging.
  
  
• Allopathic and alternative or complementary therapies, excluding large multicenter clinical trials and surveys or studies confined to tissue analysis.
  
  
• Exercise.  Studies investigating the influence of acute and chronic exercise on cardiac, vascular smooth muscle, and,vascular endothelial function may be included.  In addition, studies of the adaptive responsiveness of cardiac mechanical, contractile, and metabolic function to acute and chronic exercise.
  
  
• Modulation of cardiovascular responses and adaptations by disease and environment. Disorders, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, ischemia, hypertension, environmental or modifying conditions, and stimuli, such as microgravity, smoking, pollutants, altitude, bed rest, aging, neonatal, maternal and deconditioning, among others, are included.
  
  
• Neural control of the cardiovascular system in healthy and diseased populations.  This includes central and peripheral autonomic physiology, pharmacology, and receptor mechanisms. 
  
  

CICS has the following shared interests within the CVS IRG:

There is a shared interest in the study of clinical cardiovascular physiology and pathology with other study sections in this IRG.  Clinical trials of small numbers of patients that investigate mechanisms involving particular expertise on other study sections within the IRG may be assigned to these study sections.  For example, studies of polygenic cardiovascular diseases may be assigned to CICS, while monogenic studies may be assigned to one of the other cardiovascular sciences study sections.

• With Cardiac Contractility, Hypertrophy and Failure [CCHF]:  Clinical, population and clinically oriented integrative studies may be more appropriately assigned to CICS, but vertebrate animal integrative studies may be assigned to CCHF.
  
          
• With Electrical Signaling, Ion Transport and Arrhythmias [ESTA]:  Applications that deal with the mechanisms of arrhythmogenesis are the purview of ESTA, while CICS may more appropriately be assigned those that are outcome-based.
  
  
• With Vascular Cell and Molecular Biology [VCMB]:  VCMB focuses on studies of the microcirculation at the cell and molecular levels.  Applications addressing integrated microvasculature function in humans are more appropriately assigned to CICS.
  
  
• With Myocardial Ischemia and Metabolism [MIM]:  Studies in vertebrate animals that focus on the mechanism of myocardial injury and/or myocardial preservation are appropriately assigned to MIM.  Applications that examine myocardial ischemia/reperfusion in the context of focused clinical and population studies may be more appropriately assigned to CICS.
  
   
• With Hypertension and Microcirculation [HM]: In general, mechanism based research, including vertebrate animal studies on the neural control of the cardiovascular system belongs to HM, whereas patient oriented research on hypertension may be preferentially assigned to CICS.
  
  
• With Atherosclerosis and Inflammation of the Cardiovascular System [AICS]:  While applications on the genetics and mechanism of atherosclerosis should be directed to AICS, patient-oriented research applications that focus on genetics and mechanisms involved in the modification of risk factors (such as lipid dysfunction) may be more appropriately assigned to CICS.
  
  

CICS has the following shared interests outside the CVS IRG:

• With the Biology of Development and Aging [BDA] IRG:  Studies on aging where the primary focus is on clinical studies of the cardiovascular system could be assigned to CICS.  Studies on the cardiovascular system that are testing hypotheses about mechanisms of aging that affect multiple systems or non-cardiovascular tissues could be assigned to the BDA IRG.  Studies on cardiovascular function or properties that are part of studies of multiple age-related changes in physiology or body composition (e.g., fat, cardiovascular and bone) could be assigned to the BDA IRG.
  

• With the Health of the Population [HOP] IRG:   Applications in which the primary outcomes are population studies of healthy people related to demographics, epidemiology or disease prevention may generally be assigned to the HOP IRG.  Applications on the diseases or complications in persons suffering from cardiovascular diseases could be assigned to CICS.
  

• With the Risk, Prevention, and Health Behavior [RPHB] IRG:  Behavior modification directed toward the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, including psychological aspects, could be assigned to the RPHB IRG.  Applications on the diseases, disorders, or functional consequences of behaviors could be assigned to CICS.
  
  
• With the Biobehavioral and Behavioral Processes [BBBP] IRG:  Studies emphasizing the effects of acute or chronic psychological stress on cardiovascular endpoints, including blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and ischemia may be assigned to the BBBP IRG. Research on psychoneuroimmune and psychoneuroendocrine mechanisms in cardiovascular function, exercise as a moderator of the effects of stress on cardiovascular function, and interactions between emotion, personality, psychopathology and cardiovascular function (including reactivity) may be assigned to the BBBP IRG. Applications on the diseases, disorders, or functional consequences of behaviors could be assigned to CICS.

• With the Immunology [IMM] IRG:  The IMM IRG may be assigned applications concerning transplantation and graft rejection when the focus is on the immune system.  Patient-oriented research on cardiac transplantation could be assigned to CICS when the focus is on the function of the cardiovascular system.
  
  
• With the Hematology [HEME] IRG:  When the primary emphasis of clinical studies is on the cardiovascular system, applications may be assigned to CICS.  When the primary emphasis of a multi-system clinical study is on clinical hematopoiesis, blood cells and their diseases and studies of normal and pathologic hemostasis and thrombosis, the application could be assigned to the HEME IRG.
  
  
• Endocrinology, Metabolism, Nutrition and Reproductive Sciences [EMNR] IRG:  When the primary emphasis of clinical studies is on the cardiovascular system, applications may be assigned to CICS.  When the primary emphasis of a multi-system clinical study is on addressing molecular, cellular, and higher order hormone-regulated processes in physiology and pathophysiology, the application could be assigned to the EMNR IRG.
  
  
• With the Musculoskeletal, Oral and Skin Sciences [MOSS] IRG: The MOSS IRG and CICS have complementary roles and mutual interests.  (1) In general, the influence of exercise on the cardiovascular system would be assigned to CICS.  Similar studies where the primary focus is on the musculoskeletal system could be assigned to the MOSS IRG.  Studies that focus on blood flow in skeletal muscle in response to exercise would be assigned on the basis of the central interests of the application.
  
  
• Respiratory Sciences [RES] IRG: When the primary emphasis of clinical studies is on the cardiovascular system, including its response to neural control, applications may be assigned to CICS.  When the primary emphasis of a multi-system clinical study is on the pulmonary system and related organs and processes, the application could be assigned to the RES IRG.
  
  
• Renal and Urological Sciences [RUS] IRG: In general, clinical protocols dealing with hypertension would be assigned to CICS.  Clinical protocols dealing with other renal or urological disorders would be assigned to the RUS IRG.
  

• With the Surgical Sciences, Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering [SBIB] IRG:  (1) Transplantation applications focused on the surgical aspects of organ preservation or organ allocation may be assigned to SBIB. Patient oriented  research on the responses of the cardiovascular system to trauma, surgery, including transplantation, or other physiologic stress may be assigned to CICS. (2) Studies of arrhythmias associated with cardiac surgery or cardiopulmonary bypass can be appropriately assigned either in the SBIB IRG or CICS, with CICS focused more on cardiovascular evaluation. (3) Patient-oriented research on the use of stents, pacemakers, etc., in cardiovascular injury and repair are appropriate for CICS. Those involving more general aspects of bioengineering could be assigned to SBIB IRG. (4) Patient-oriented studies of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury associated with cardiac surgery or cardiopulmonary bypass can be appropriately assigned either in the SBIB IRG or to CICS, with CICS focused more on cardiovascular evaluation of surgical or bypass procedures.
  

• Integrative, Functional and Cognitive Neuroscience [IFCN] IRG:  In general, the CICS study section would be assigned applications that focus on clinical studies of the autonomic nervous system control of the cardiovascular system.  Similarly, applications focusing on mechanisms underlying general homeostasis and other integrative mechanisms and functions of the autonomic nervous systems would be assigned to the IFCN IRG.