Nobel laureates honored by the council for high blood pressure research.

In this issue, we salute three more outstanding scientists, Robert F. Furchgott, PhD, Louis J. Ignarro, PhD, and Ferid Murad, PhD, who have been recognized in earlier years by the Council for High Blood Pressure Research and then, in 1998, were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their important contributions. In 1988, Dr Furchgott, who is the Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Brooklyn, and Dr Murad, who is Chairman of the Department of Integrative Biology, Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston, received the CIBA Award by the Council. And, in 1995, the Council honored Dr Ignarro, who is in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine in Los Angeles, together with Dr Salvador Moncada of the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College in London. The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Drs Robert F. Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro, and Ferid Murad in 1998 for their studies that led to the important discovery of endothelial synthesis of nitric oxide and its role in the local vasodilation of blood vessels and of the signaling role of nitric oxide in the cardiovascular and nervous systems. These scientists’ important contributions to the overall understanding of the local regulation of blood flow have already made tremendous impact on our understanding of the pathophysiology of many cardiovascular, renal, and neurological diseases. Indeed, the concept of endothelial dysfunction with aging, menopause, its association with the underlying cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking and the hyperlipidemias, and with the common co-morbid diseases (eg, hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, and obesity) has become well known to the practicing physician in only the past few years. The essential importance of endothelial dysfunction has been the recent realization that this abnormality is treatable, if not preventable, under certain circumstances, using very common cardiovascular pharmacological treatments which are already available. Hypertension is delighted to highlight their award for this 20th anniversary celebration of our journal.