Arsenic contamination poses a major environmental problem, especially in Southeast Asian countries like Bangladesh and India. Threatening the health of millions of people due to arsenic's toxicity and carcinogenicity, the major routes of arsenic exposure for humans are either through drinking water or crops. Rice is the crop most affected by arsenic owing to its cultivation in major arsenic contaminated areas, biogeochemical factors in the soil during rice growth, and specific features of rice that enable it take up more arsenic than other crop plants. This book addresses the problem of arsenic by pursuing a holistic approach. It presents the status quo in different parts of the world (North and South America, Europe, Asia, etc.) and provides essential information on food-related arsenic exposure risks for humans, and possible preventive and curative measures for tackling arsenic poisoning. It covers the arsenic contamination status of rice, rice-based products, other vegetables, fishes, mushrooms, and other foods, with a special focus on rice-arsenic interactions. The mechanisms of arsenic uptake, translocation and distribution in plants and grains are also explained. In closing, the book reviews a variety of prospective agronomic and biotechnological solutions to the problem of arsenic accumulation in rice grains. The book is intended for a broad audience including researchers, scientists, and readers with diverse backgrounds including agriculture, environmental science, food science, environmental management, and human health. It can also be used as an important reference guide for undergraduate and graduate students, university faculties, and environmentalists.

This edited volume summarizes the recent advancements made in plant science including molecular biology and genome editing , particularly in the development of novel pathways tolerant to climate change-induced stresses such as drought, extreme temperatures, cold, salinity, flooding, etc. These stresses are liable for decrease in yields in many crop plants at global level. Till date conventional plant breeding approaches have resulted in significant improvement of crop plants for producing higher yields during adverse climatic conditions. However, the pace of improvement through conventional plant breeding needs to be accelerated in keeping with the growing demand of food and increasing human populationl, particularly in developing world. This book serves as a comprehensive reference material for researchers, teachers, and students involved in climate change-related abiotic stress tolerance studies in plants.

Carbohydrate Chemistry provides review coverage of all publications relevant to the chemistry of monosaccharides and oligosaccharides in a given year.
The amount of research in this field appearing in the organic chemical literature is increasing because of the enhanced importance of the subject, especially in areas of medicinal chemistry and biology. In no part of the field is this more apparent than in the synthesis of oligosaccharides required by scientists working in glycobiology. Clycomedicinal chemistry and its reliance on carbohydrate synthesis is now very well established, for example, by the preparation of specific carbohydrate- based antigens, especially cancer-specific oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates. Coverage of topics such as nucleosides, amino-sugars, alditols and cyclitols also covers much research of relevance to biological and medicinal chemistry.
Each volume of the series brings together references to all published work in given areas of the subject and serves as a comprehensive database for the active research chemist.
Specialist Periodical Reports provide systematic and detailed review coverage in major areas of chemical research. Compiled by teams of leading authorities in the relevant subject areas, the series creates a unique service for the active research chemist, with regular, in-depth accounts of progress in particular fields of chemistry. Subject coverage within different volumes of a given title is similar and publication is on an annual or biennial basis.

Revealing essential roles of the tumor microenvironment in cancer progression, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research on the role of chemokines in the tumor microenvironment. Each chapter focuses on the chemokines patterns of expression, their regulation, and their roles in immune cell recruitment, as well as how they affect cancer immunity and tumorigenesis.Taken alongside its companion volumes, Tumor Microenvironment: The Role of Chemokines - Part B updates us on what we know about various aspects of the tumor microenvironment, as well as apprises us on future directions in the field. This book is essential reading for advanced cell biology and cancer biology students as well as scientists seeking an update on recent developments and research in the tumor microenvironment.

The generation of well-defined nanoparticles of excellent size and shape involves physical and chemical methodologies that are complicated, expensive, and produce hazardous toxic waste that is harmful to the environment and to human health. In order to combat the disadvantages of these methods, scientists have created "the biological method," a new synthetic methodology that serves as a proper alternative to physical and chemical methodologies because of its easy utility, low cost, rapid synthesis, controlled size characteristics, controlled toxicity, and eco-friendliness. Nanobiotechnology is the science in which living matter can be manipulated and exploited to produce materials within the nano-scale. It is a multidisciplinary field of science framed by biology, chemistry, engineering, materials, and life sciences. Different biological entities can be exploited to yield biologically synthesized nanomaterials including bacteria, actinomycetes, yeast, fungi, viruses, algae, plant extracts, and agro-industrial waste extracts. This book represents a comprehensive review concerning the state of the art in nanobiotechnology, emphasizing the use of diverse biological entities in the science, and its versatile applications. It describes currently existing methodology with the latest published references, and provides safety information. It serves as the ideal guide for scientists interested in exploring nanobiotechnology.

This book consists of 3 volumes: Basic Science (Volume 1), Clinical Science (Volume 2) and Technology and Methodology (Volume 3). Volume 2 focuses on the clinical aspects of autophagy research, discussing the role of autophagy in neuropsychiatric disorders, the cardiovascular, immune, digestive and endocrine systems, as well as tumors, infection, the kidney, and the respiratory and hematological systems. It also addresses autophagy-related drug development. Written and edited by a team of 90 experts, and presenting the state of the art in autophagy research, this book is a valuable reference resource for researchers and clinicians alike. It can also be used as supplementary material for graduate students majoring in biology and medicine

Early anthropological evidence for plant use as medicine is 60,000 years old as reported from the Neanderthal grave in Iraq. The importance of plants as medicine is further supported by archeological evidence from Asia and the Middle East. Today, around 1.4 billion people in South Asia alone have no access to modern health care, and rely instead on traditional medicine to alleviate various symptoms. On a global basis, approximately 50 to 80 thousand plant species are used either natively or as pharmaceutical derivatives for life-threatening conditions that include diabetes, hypertension and cancers. As the demand for plant-based medicine rises, there is an unmet need to investigate the quality, safety and efficacy of these herbals by the "scientific methods". Current research on drug discovery from medicinal plants involves a multifaceted approach combining botanical, phytochemical, analytical, and molecular techniques. For instance, high throughput robotic screens have been developed by industry; it is now possible to carry out 50,000 tests per day in the search for compounds, which act on a key enzyme or a subset of receptors. This and other bioassays thus offer hope that one may eventually identify compounds for treating a variety of diseases or conditions. However, drug development from natural products is not without its problems. Frequent challenges encountered include the procurement of raw materials, the selection and implementation of appropriate high-throughput bioassays, and the scaling-up of preparative procedures. Research scientists should therefore arm themselves with the right tools and knowledge in order to harness the vast potentials of plant-based therapeutics. The main objective of Plant and Human Health is to serve as a comprehensive guide for this endeavor. Volume 1 highlights how humans from specific areas or cultures use indigenous plants. Despite technological developments, herbal drugs still occupy a preferential place in a majority of the population in the third world and have slowly taken roots as alternative medicine in the West. The integration of modern science with traditional uses of herbal drugs is important for our understanding of this ethnobotanical relationship. Volume 2 deals with the phytochemical and molecular characterization of herbal medicine. Specifically, it focuess on the secondary metabolic compounds, which afford protection against diseases. Lastly, Volume 3 discusses the physiological mechanisms by which the active ingredients of medicinal plants serve to improve human health. Together this three-volume collection intends to bridge the gap for herbalists, traditional and modern medical practitioners, and students and researchers in botany and horticulture.

SINGLE SOURCE GUIDE TO PEROXIDASES AND CATALASES

Reflecting the important historical discoveries and exciting research in the field in recent years, "Peroxidases and Catalases: Biochemistry, Biophysics, Biotechnology and Physiology" provides a much-needed systematic, up-to-date treatment of peroxidases and catalases.

From the structure and properties of the various superfamilies to current applications of peroxidases, the book consolidates vast amounts of information previously scattered in the professional literature, covering all aspects of these ubiquitous enzymes that act on a variety of substances and processes in living systems--their properties, reactions, crystal structures, cloning, and more.

Considering the subject from both theoretical and applied perspectives, "Peroxidases and Catalases" offers a critical review of the literature and detailed discussions of the most current research. Chapters cover:

The background and history of peroxidases and catalases

Plant, fungal, and bacterial peroxidase superfamilies and their organization

Mammalian peroxidases including medical and physiological roles

Spectroscopic and theoretical techniques for studying peroxidases highlighting the contributions of physicists and physical/theoretical chemists

Heme peroxidases, catalases, and other peroxidases such as vanadium and selenium peroxidase

Relevant plant and animal physiology

This one-stop reference is a vital reference for biochemists, biologists, biochemical engineers, physiologists, environmental and pharmaceutical researchers, and others interested in the study and use of peroxidases and catalases.

This book presents an overview of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), their mechanisms of antimicrobial action, other activities, and various problems that must still be overcome regarding their clinical application. Divided into four major parts, the book begins with a general overview of AMPs (Part I), and subsequently discusses the various mechanisms of antimicrobial action and methods for researching them (Part 2). It then addresses a range of activities other than antimicrobial action, such as cell penetration, antisepsis, anticancer, and immunomodulatory activities (Part 3), and explores the prospects of clinical application from various standpoints such as the selective toxicity, design, and discovery of AMPs (Part 4). A huge number of AMPs have been discovered in plants, insects, and vertebrates including humans, and constitute host defense systems against invading pathogenic microorganisms. Consequently, many attempts have been made to utilize AMPs as antibiotics. AMPs could help to solve the urgent problem of drug-resistant bacteria, and are also promising with regard to sepsis and cancer therapy. Gathering a wealth of information, this book will be a bible for all those seeking to develop antibiotics, anti-sepsis, or anticancer agents based on AMPs.

This book introduces readers to basic studies on and applied techniques involving lactic acid bacteria, including their bioengineering and industrial applications. It summarizes recent biotechnological advances in lactic acid bacteria for food and health, and provides detailed information on the applications of these bacteria in fermented foods. Accordingly, it offers a valuable resource for researchers and graduate students in the fields of food microbiology, bioengineering, fermentation engineering, food science, nutrition and health.

To optimize separations, membranes are imprinted with various molecules. The theory and mechanism of the separation as well as strategies for imprinting are explained in this book. Different molecules and applications are summarized such as imprinting of proteins, ions and cyclodextrins as well as sensor based imprinted membranes and drug delivery in context of molecular imprinting.

This book provides medical professionals and researchers with a comprehensive overview of fundamental concepts and recent advances in neurochemistry, and offers new perspectives for all those involved with research in related disciplines. As drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases is one of the largest subspecialties in the field of medicine, the book addresses topics that transcend the borders between disciplines, and presents a wealth of investigations into and discussions on critical questions relevant to the entire field of CNS drug research. It summarizes the available data on the fundamentals of neurotransmitters, treatment of and advanced care for neurodegenerative diseases; and outlines current and future research directions in this field. Combining both conventional and innovative approaches to the topic, the book offers a valuable guide for readers working in medicinal chemistry, the life sciences and allied fields.

This book gathers selected studies on the industrial applications of glycoside hydrolases (GHs), presenting an updated classification of these enzymes, and discussing their structure, mechanisms, and various approaches to improve their catalytic efficiency. Further, it explains the various industrial applications of glycoside hydrolases in food, effluent treatment, biofuel production, and the paper and pulp industries. Lastly, the book provides a comparative analysis of glycoside hydrolases and discusses the role of metagenomics in the discovery of industrially important enzymes. As such it is a thought-provoking, instructive and informative resource for biochemists, enzymologists, molecular biologists and bioprocess technologists.

Methods in Enzymology series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters. Each chapter is written by an international board of authors.

Sugarcane enjoys a prominent position among agro-industrial crops and is commercially grown in 115 tropical and subtropical countries around the world. However, fluctuations in sugar prices have forced the sugarcane industry worldwide to broaden its revenue base by moving from single-commodity manufacturing to a range of value-added products. Utilizing the by-products in an innovative manner to create value-added products is the new course of action for sugar-producing countries. For many years sugarcane was regarded as a single-product crop, i.e., only useful for producing sugar. Its actual potential is now increasingly being recognised by the industry and there is a growing trend toward the manufacturing of allied products from sugarcane. Therefore, the focus is now on the establishment of sugar-agro-industry complexes, processing not just sugar but a range of other products. This book provides a comprehensive overview of sugarcane not only as a source of sweetening agents but also for many other uses, including as a source of bio-energy. It also explores the trend of sugar consumption and suggests practices to curb the consumption of sugar products in order to tackle obesity and reduce public health costs. The book underscores the need to diversify sugarcane and highlights means of doing so, while also addressing various innovations and technologies being developed in connection with sugar, sugar derivatives, and sugar industry by-products for sustainable utilization in the sugar-agro industry. Accordingly, it offers a valuable resource for professionals and R&D units in the sugar industry, and for students of agronomy and related fields.

An accompanying volume (Volume 6) in this series presents strategies of cellular invasion from the viewpoint of the microbe.
This filed of study is growing rapidly after a somewhat slow start over recent decades. This collection of invited chapters attempts to reflect current research, and brings together cell biologists, microbiologists and immunologists with disparate interests. However, there is a certain unity, even repetition of key themes, hopefully like a symphony rather than a boring catalogue. It will be evident that editorial bias favors intracellular paratism and medically important organisms. The neutrophil is far more than a supporting player to the macrophage, and some attempt is made to remind the reader of some of its unique skills. To retain a manageable size, the emphasis is on relatively early events such as mutual recognition, cell entry, and response, rather than on longterm changes in gene expression by either host cell or pathogen. Viruses are excluded not because of lack of importance but because of somewhat different research approaches, although it is cytogenes, share common strategies in invasion and intercellular spread.

This book provides a modern and easy-to-understand introduction to the chemical equilibria in solutions. It focuses on aqueous solutions, but also addresses non-aqueous solutions, covering acid-base, complex, precipitation and redox equilibria. The theory behind these and the resulting knowledge for experimental work build the foundations of analytical chemistry. They are also of essential importance for all solution reactions in environmental chemistry, biochemistry and geochemistry as well as pharmaceutics and medicine. Each chapter and section highlights the main aspects, providing examples in separate boxes. Questions and answers are included to facilitate understanding, while the numerous literature references allow students to easily expand their studies.

Authored by the world's leading kinase experts, this is a comprehensive introduction to current knowledge and practice within this emerging field. Following an overview of the major players and pathways that define the kinome, the major part of this work is devoted to current strategies of kinome investigation and manipulation. As such, kinase engineering, peptide substrate engineering, co-substrate design and kinase inhibitor design are discussed in detail, and their potential applications in kinome analysis and kinome-based pharmacotherapy are shown. The result is a toolbox for every kinase researcher: By addressing and comparing current approaches to the study of kinase action, both novice and established researchers will benefit from the practical knowledge contained in this invaluable reference.

This book reviews all important aspects of dietary research associated with cancer with the aim of shedding new light on these conditions through combined understanding of traditional and new paradigms. The book is divided into 17 chapters, the first portion reinterprets healthy diets for cancer based on up-to-date evidence from a network science perspective, examining the dietary patterns, outcome of diet related clinical trials, emerging framework of molecular mechanisms and interactions of dietary interventions and their applications in personalized diet, ground realities of benefits and regulatory frame work for functional foods, nutraceuticals and supplements in cancer prevention and upcoming future prospectus in diet-cancer research.. The later part of the book discusses recent advances in understanding of the elaborative discourse on cancer and fasting, covering, for example, calorie restriction and fasting mimicking diet. Finally, different Dietary research and approaches are considered in the context of novel intervention for cancer research. Dietary Research in Cancer will be of interest for all researchers, nutritionists, students and clinicians in the field.

Secretory Proteins, Volume 133 in the Advances in Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology series highlights new advances in the field, including chapters on Proprotein Convertases regulate trafficking and maturation of key proteins within the secretory pathway, Secretory Proteins in Cancer Diagnosis, Senescent Cells and SASP in Cancer Microenvironment: new approaches in cancer therapy, Autophagy for secretory protein: Therapeutic targets in cancer, Secretory proteins and pathways of secretion of osteosarcoma, Monocyte secretory proteins as drug targets for arresting progression of atherosclerosis, The secretory phenotypes of envenomed cells: insights into venom cytotoxicity, Macromolecules for secretory pathway in SARS-CoV-2 infection, and much more. Other sections cover Exploring the role of secretory proteins in the human infectious diseases diagnosis and therapeutics, Secretory proteins in orchestration of microbial pathogenesis- the curious case of Staphylococcus aureus, Influence of pathological mutations in Aspartylglucosylamine Deaspartylase causing Aspartylglucosaminuria: an in silico approach, and Change in conformational dynamics of Lipase A secretory protein upon mutation causing Wolman disease.

Protein degradation has been identified as a major mechanism for the regulation of cellular functions. Not surprisingly, its deregulation is implied in almost any pathological condition. This book describes how aged proteins are eliminated during cell metabolism, how cell proliferation is regulated by protein degradation and how its deregulation can contribute to the development of cancer, how protein degradation is modified during normal and abnormal aging, in particular with regard to Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative diseases of the brain and central nervous system. Attempts aiming at correcting these pathologies by interfering with deviations of the normal pathway of protein degradation are also treated.

Volume 22, entitled Metal Ions in Bio-Imaging Techniques, of the series Metal Ions in Life Sciences deals with metal ions as tools in imaging. This dates back to the first half of the past century, when barium sulfate was orally given to patients undergoing X-ray examination. The use of contrast agents has since developed into a large interdisciplinary field encompassing not only medicine, but also chemistry, material sciences, physics, biology, engineering, and computer sciences. MILS-22 provides deep and current insights in 17 stimulating chapters on the new research frontiers of this fast growing field on bio-imaging ... and beyond. For example, adding bio-sensing yields theranostic agents, meaning diagnosis and therapy linked in the same molecule; ions of Gd, Mn, Fe, Co, Ir, 99mTc, etc., are involved. Other important topics are, e.g., metal complexes in paramagnetic Chemical Exchange Transfer (paraCEST), radiometals for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging, or paramagnetic metal ion probes for 19F magnetic resonance imaging. MILS-22 is written by 57 internationally recognized experts from 12 countries, that is, from the US via Europe to China. The impact of this vibrant research area is manifested by more than 2300 references and nearly 120 figures, mostly in color, and several informative tables. To conclude, Metal Ions in Bio-Imaging Techniques is an essential resource for scientists working in the wide range from material sciences, enzymology, analytic, organic, and inorganic biochemistry all the way through to medicine including the clinic ... not forgetting that also excellent information for teaching is provided.

The main aim of this book is to collect a series of research articles and reviews from a diverse group of scientists to share their research work on the role of free radical research and environmental toxicity. This book presents various state-of-the-art chapters of recent progress in the field of cellular toxicology and clinical manifestations of various disorders. Topics include cell signaling, various risk factors, the pathophysiology of disease instigation and distribution, mechanistic insights into metal and nanoparticle toxicity, neural toxicity, nongenotoxic carcinogenicity, immune and idiosyncratic toxicity, prevention, biomarkers related to disease progression and therapeutic strategies. In particular, this book provides valuable insight for researchers, pathologists, and clinicians with an interest in toxicological research and cellular impairments with special emphasis on therapeutic advancement.

This volume brings together a plethora of protocols and experimental methods used by scientists to study calpains, their inhibitors, and their substrates. It also explores bioinformatic approaches to calpain substrate identification. The chapters in this book are divided into five parts and cover topics such as production and purification of calpains; determination of calpain localization, expression, and activity; identification of calpain-activated protein function; interrogation of calpastatin; and manipulation of calpain expression. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and practical, Calpain: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for researchers and scientists who want to learn more about this developing field, and get inspired to make new discoveries that will aid in diagnosing and treating calpain-related diseases.