Neuroimmunology is one of the most rapidly developing branches of Neurobiology, prompted by novel neurochemical, neuroendocrinological and neurophysiological investigations of the central and peripheral nervous system including neuro-endocrine systems. Neuroimmunology can be considered an interdisciplinary science that covers relevant aspects of how the peripheral immune system can influence brain physiology and elicit neuro-endocrine immuno-regulatory responses and also how local interactions between immune and neuronal mediators of the brain influence the occurrence and course of neuropathologic diseases. That explains the reason why we have in this volume chapters that focus on immune-neuro-endocrine interactions underlying the control and regulation of processes involved in both immune and brain physiology and in the pathogenesis of different nervous diseases. Among such diseases are: schizophrenia, HIV, associated dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, several experimental pathologies, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune encephalomyelitis, Theilers virus infection, nervous system demyelination diseases, the primary degenerative disorders such as Alzheimera (TM)s and Parkinsona (TM)s as well as brain injuries resulting from stroke and trauma, the neuroimmunology of gene therapy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, prion disease and all theoretical questions covering these pathologies. All of the above mentioned involve autoimmune processes.

It is difficult, indeed, to imagine fundamental neurobiological processes, autoimmune, neuroendocrine and infectious diseases, where immune factors are not of prime importance. The elucidation of the intimate molecular-biological problems ofimmunopathologies requires deep knowledge of the intricate connection between immunomodulators, immune competent cells of blood, brain, and other organs.

This volume contains data on multiple immunomodulators, many of which are also the products of hypothalamic brain cell neurosecretion. Interleukins (IL-1a, IL-1A, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, TNFa), immunophylin and ubiquitin as well as proline rich peptides, comprised of 10-15 amino acids are being produced in N. Supraopticus and N. Paraventricularis and then secreted into neurohypophysis. Along the neurosecretion of the mentioned cytokines, there are other immunomodulators, the primary structure of which had been completely deciphered such as: Immunophyllins, intracellular receptors of immunosuppressors FK506, cyclosporine A., rapamicin. They are peptidyl-prolyl-cis-trans-isomerases. There are novel immunological hypothalamic factors such as ubiquitin, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), as well as Thymosin A 4(1-39). This data allowed us to propose the concept of neuroendocrine immune system of the brain.

This book presents a compendium of methodologies for the study of membrane lipids, varying from traditional lab bench experimentation to computer simulation and theoretical models. The volume provides a comprehensive set of techniques for studying membrane lipids with a strong biophysical emphasis. It compares the various available techniques including the pros and cons as seen by the experts.

Stroke is a global health problem affecting approximately 15 million people annually in the world and about 700,000 in the United States. It is the third leading cause of death and the most common cause of disability in most developed countries.

Acute Ischemic Injury and Repair in the Nervous System is intended to provide the most up-to-date knowledge of the mechanisms of neuronal death and repair after stroke. It is our belief that this volume of the Handbook of Neurochemistry and Molecular Neurobiology provides an excellent review of the tremendous advances of the past decades in the neurochemical and molecular biological aspects of cerebral ischemia. It is hoped that these advances will provide an impetus for basic scientists and clinicians to further their translational research and to promote the insights for development of therapeutic interventions for stroke.

Cancer Morbidity and mortality result from invasive and metastatic spread. Currently, no therapies are aimed at the underlying mechanisms that enable this progression due to only nascent recognition of the distinct biology which occurs only during tumor dissemination. Recent advances have highlighted the central role of cell motility during the dynamic and transient process of tumor invasion and metastasis. This book includes state-of-the-art updates by international leaders in these studies. Chapters first present the novel model systems that enable new investigations and insights. Chapters then describe in depth the key processes and molecules that may be therapeutically targeted. Finally, the role of cell motility and its signals is explored in a number of key tumor types. This compilation should be useful to researchers in basic and translational oncology as well as those developing novel agents to prevent tumor invasion and metastasis.

A panel of leading investigators summarizes and synthesizes the new discoveries in the rapidly evolving field of histone acetylation as a key regulatory mechanism for gene expression. The authors describe what has been learned about these proteins, including the identification of the enzymes, the elucidation of the enzymatic mechanisms of action, and the identification of their substrates and their partners. They also review the structures that have been solved for a number of enzymes-both alone and in complex with small molecule inhibitors-and the biological roles of the several histone deacetylases (HDAC) genes that have been knocked out in mice.

A comprehensive one-source guide to the most current information on red blood cell formation and the action of recombinant human erythropoietins. Topics covered include: erythropoiesis, recombinant protein discovery and production, and treatment of patients with anemia. The newest theories in erythropoiesis (receptors, signaling), manufacturing, new formulations, and clinical research are discussed. The text is ideal for researchers and clinical investigators in academia, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical companies, as well as clinical research associates, clinical monitors, and physician investigators. This softcover volume is an unchanged second printing of the hardcover edition published in 2003.

Natural Killer (NK) cells are large granular lymphocytes of the innate immune system. They are widespread throughout the body, being present in both lymphoid organs and non-lymphoid peripheral tissues. NK cells are involved in direct innate immune reactions against viruses, bacteria, parasites and other triggers of pathology, such as malignant transformation, all of which cause stress in affected cells. Importantly, NK cells also link the innate and adaptive immune responses, contributing to the initiation of adaptive immune responses and executing adaptive responses using the CD16 FcgRIIIA immunoglobulin Fc receptor. Such responses are mediated through two major effector functions, the direct cytolysis of target cells and the production of cytokines and chemokines. The authors focus here on the nature of recognition events by NK cells and address how these events are integrated to trigger these distinct and graded effector functions.

Brain Control of Wakefulness and Sleeping explores the history of efforts to understand the nature of waking and sleeping states from a biological point of view. This research represents the synthesis of the work of two individuals who have devoted their careers to investigating the mysterious states of the mind. This landmark book will interest the beginner scientist/researcher as well as the sleep clinician, with chapters on subjects including Neuronal Control of REM Sleep, Motor Systems and the Role of Active Forebrain, and Humoral Systems in Sleep Control. The authors explore the behavioral and physiological events of waking and sleep, analyzing the current realities and the future possibilities of unifying basic studies on anatomy and cellular psychology.

Welcome to the City of Groningen, the center of the North of the Netherlands. Groningen is proud of the long lasting tradition of scientific symposia organised by the Sanquin Blood Bank. These Sanquin International Symposia on Blood Transfusion have become a true traditional event in Groningen, marking the early academic year and have contributed to the specific reputation of Groningen and its University in the scientific field of Transfusion Medicine. The growing tradition has also contributed to initiatives of both University, Province and the City of Groningen to bring science and industry together - BioMedCity Groningen. Such repu- tion does not just happen, but is the result of creative and scientific leadership, of vision and an open mind, to explore in a team spirit horizons. Groningen is particularly proud of this reputation thanks to its leadership, the Sanquin Blood Bank North-East. This year in particular the theme chosen some two years ago is extremely timely as it illustrates the activities and scientific interest of an integrated team which includes our regional Sanquin Blood Bank North-East and fits in the City initiatives within the concept of BioMedCity, Groningen.

Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions are of fundamental importance for the development and the maintenance of tissues and organs in multicellular organisms. Adhesive processes are mediated and controlled by an increasingly large and complex number of cell adhesion molecules that are anchored to the cell surface membrane by transmembrane domains. According to their structural and functional features, cell adhesion molecules have been classified into at least four major families: the integrins, selectins, cadherins and members of the immunoglobulin superfamily. Apart from linking cells to each other or to components of the extracellular matrix, cell adhesion molecules function also as receptors that interact via their cytoplasmic domain with numerous signalling molecules including protein kinases and phosphatases, G-proteins, or proteins of the beta-catenin/armadillo family. Cell adhesion molecules can activate various signalling pathways and as a consequence play a crucial role in the regulation of cell differentiation, proliferation, migration and apoptosis. During the last decade it has been recognized that acquired as well as inherited defects of cell adhesion molecules and adhesion-linked signalling molecules are the molecular basis of various types of disease including cancer, infectious and inflammatory disease, connective tissue disorders or blistering disease.
This book is the proceedings of a Falk Workshop held in Berlin, Germany, on January 23-24, 2003, which brought together experts in different fields of research to stimulate the transfer of findings from basic research to clinical application. Section I focuses on cell adhesion molecules of the liver and their role inhepatocarcinogenesis and inflammatory liver disease. Section II deals with infection and fibrosis and with transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta). Morphogenesis, cell migration and inflammation are the subject of Section III with a focus on the role of integrins in blood cell-endothelial interactions. In Section IV the importance of cell adhesion molecules for cancer and their role as potential target for cancer therapy will be discussed.

Dendritic cells are vital to induce potent anti-viral immune responses. It will become clear to the reader that dendritic cells often play a dual role during viral infections. On the one hand they are able to mount potent antiviral immune responses, and on the other hand several viruses, including HIV-1, use DC as a vector to be transferred from the periphery to the lymph nodes where they infect their prime target.

Modern cell biology has brought improvements in therapy for advanced malignant diseases through immunomodulation, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and other advanced techniques. Collected here are selected papers from the Fifth International Symposium of Keio University for Life Sciences and Medicine on Cell Therapy.
All chapters include innovative basic research for clinical application: immunotherapy, cancer vaccination, molecular biology of hematopoietic stem cells, stem cell processing, and gene therapy.
The book is divided into three parts: Immunotherapy for malignant diseases; Hematopoietic stem cell biology and clinical application; and International collaboration in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Included in the third part is information on bone marrow registries from around the world.
The book thus presents up-to-date information on biological and clinical aspects of treatment, with insight into the future of cell therapy.

Leading scientists summarize the latest findings on signal transduction and cell cycle regulation and describe the effort to design and synthesize inhibiting molecules, as well as to evaluate their biochemical and biological activities. They review the relevant cell surface receptors, their ligands, and their downstream pathways. Also examined are the latest findings on the components of novel signaling networks controlling the activity of nuclear transcription factors and cell cycle regulatory molecules. Cutting-edge and highly suggestive, Signaling Networks and Cell Cycle Control: The Molecular Basis of Cancer and Other Diseases presents a wealth of information on the emerging principles of the field, as well as an invaluable guide for all experimental and clinical investigators of cell regulation and its rapidly emerging pharmacological opportunities today.

This book is concernced with the process of cell death in human cells by programmed cell death or apoptosis, and the modulation of this process by drugs. This is a new field of study and this volume represents the first comprehensive treatment of this subject matter. Its focus is on human biology and medicine. Apoptosis is a very prevalent type of cell death with importance in human diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease and autoimmune disorders. The book combines the expertise of leading scientists and writers from fields as diverse as neurosciences, immunology, pathology and cancer research. There is detailed analysis of the molecular and cellular aspects of apoptosis including the specific genes and molecules involved in the regulation of this special form of programmed cell death. Scientists, clinicians and researchers involved in studies of human biology and medicine will find this book an excellent resource.

The problem of the long-term proliferation of cells is a seminal one. It has always been a hot subject in biology, a source of far-reaching hypotheses, even more so now when explanations for the mechanisms of cell prolifera tive mortality or immortality seem within our reach. A question which is still debated is whether an infinite division potential can be a normal trait or is always the result of modifications leading to abnormal cell growth and escape from homeostasis. In general, investigators have been advocates of one of the two extremes, universal limited or unlim ited normal proliferative potential. Since the long-term proliferative potential of cells concerns regulation of development, regeneration of tissues, and homeostatic control of cell growth, in brief survival of living organisms, and since the regulation of these processes is so different along the evolutionary scale, it is not surpris ing that there does not seem to be any universal trait. The question of whether cells are endowed with finite or infinite prolifera tive phenotypes has to be seen using the perspective of comparative biology."

Human Protein Metabolism is a succinct review of hundreds of studies on the regulation of protein mass and protein turnover in the human body. The biochemistry of protein synthesis and breakdown is summarized, and the methods that are used to examine protein metabolism in humans are explained, and their limitations discussed. The book includes chapters that review the effects of nutrition, hormones, metabolic substrates, and physical activity. Various topics of clinical interest are covered, including cancer, diabetes, tissue injury, pregnancy, renal disease, muscular dystrophies, and other conditions. Normal values are presented for turnover of proteins in the whole body and individual organs, and for turnover of many individual proteins. This book will be a valuable resource for physiologists, nutritionists, and clinicians interested in the regulation of body protein stores in health and disease. For scientists primarily interested in the basic aspects of protein metabolism, it shows how the basic knowledge is being applied to the study of humans.

Apoptosis is a form of cell death that occurs in a controlled manner and is generally noninflammatory in nature. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, implies a cell death that is part of a normal physiological process of pruning of unneeded cells. However, many disease conditions utilize apoptosis for pathological ends, resulting in inappropriate cell death and tissue destruction. This book starts with an introduction that reviews the general characteristics of apoptosis, its regulation and its role in physiology and disease. Next, the book focuses on three areas as they relate to inflammatory cells and diseases. The first area consists of chapters on signals for apoptosis important to inflammatory cells, namely growth factors and arachidonic acid metabolism. The next area that the book focuses on are effects at the cellular level, on cell survival versus cell death and signals critical for cell function in both normal and disease states. These topics are covered in chapters on lymphocytes, granulocytes, chondrocytes and keratinocytes. The last area that the book focuses on are events at the level of tissue and disease, looking at the evidence for altered apoptosis and/or apoptotic processes in immune and inflammatory diseases. These topics are covered in chapters on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, psoriasis and renal disease. Together, these chapters will provide the reader with the latest insight in the role of apoptosis in inflammatory cells and diseases. This book starts with an introduction that reviews the general characteristics of apoptosis, its regulation and its role in physiology and disease. Next, the book focuses on three areas as they relate to inflammatory cells and diseases. The first area consists of chapters on signals for apoptosis important to inflammatory cells, namely growth factors and arachidonic acid metabolism. The next area that the book focuses on are effects at the cellular level, on cell survival versus cell death and signals critical for cell function in both normal and disease states. These topics are covered in chapters on lymphocytes, granulocytes, chondrocytes and keratinocytes. The last area that the book focuses on are events at the level of tissue and disease, looking at the evidence for altered apoptosis and/or apoptotic processes in immune and inflammatory diseases. These topics are covered in chapters on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, psoriasis and renal disease. Together, these chapters will provide the reader with the latest insight in the role of apoptosis in inflammatory cells and diseases.

In this volume of Reviews of Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology there a contributions by M.D. Swope, E. Lolis, F.Hofmann, L. Lacinova, N. Klugbauer, M. Hermann, P. Berger, S.S. Shen, J.S. Kim, M.E. Weksler, M. Hirsch-Kauffmann and M.Schweiger.

This book is a volume in the Penn Press Anniversary Collection. To mark its 125th anniversary in 2015, the University of Pennsylvania Press rereleased more than 1,100 titles from Penn Press's distinguished backlist from 1899-1999 that had fallen out of print. Spanning an entire century, the Anniversary Collection offers peer-reviewed scholarship in a wide range of subject areas.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most common respiratory disorder of adults in the developed world and is the fourth main cause of death in the USA. It is also associated with high morbidity, and poses an enormous burden of suffering and expense. Despite this, the disease has received little attention compared with other respiratory conditions such as asthma and lung cancer.
Current treatment can offer some marginal symptomatic relief but does not address the underlying disease process. Indeed, smoking cessation is the only intervention known to alter the rate of disease progression. There is clearly great need, and potential, for the development of superior therapies for symptomatic relief and disease modification. This book brings together leading researchers and physicians to discuss the most recent advances in our understanding of COPD, and draws together basic and clinical aspects relevant to the topic. Coverage includes the basic pathology, current and potential therapies, and detailed consideration of the major theories for the pathogenesis of COPD.

This unique introductory text explains cell functions using the engineering principles of robust devices. Adopting a process-based approach to understanding cell and tissue biology, it describes the molecular and mechanical features that enable the cell to be robust in operating its various components, and explores the ways in which molecular modules respond to environmental signals to execute complex functions. The design and operation of a variety of complex functions are covered, including engineering lipid bilayers to provide fluid boundaries and mechanical controls, adjusting cell shape and forces with dynamic filament networks, and DNA packaging for information retrieval and propagation. Numerous problems, case studies and application examples help readers connect theory with practice, and solutions for instructors and videos of lectures accompany the book online. Assuming only basic mathematical knowledge, this is an invaluable resource for graduate and senior undergraduate students taking single-semester courses in cell mechanics, biophysics and cell biology.

The surface pigmentation of vertebrates is controlled by specialized cells able to synthesize a variety of pigments collectively known as melanins. Recent research has shown that melanins are produced not only in the skin but also in many other sites such as the eye, inner ear, muscles, etc., - where they are engaged in some unanticipated roles. The details of the synthetic pathway, the complexities of its regulation and biological significance that have been unravelled in recent research comprise a fascinating story and are of key importance in understanding the nature of diseases, including malignant melanoma one of the most rapidly spreading cancers.

What every neuroscientist should know about the mathematical modeling of excitable cells. Combining empirical physiology and nonlinear dynamics, this text provides an introduction to the simulation and modeling of dynamic phenomena in cell biology and neuroscience. It introduces mathematical modeling techniques alongside cellular electrophysiology. Topics include membrane transport and diffusion, the biophysics of excitable membranes, the gating of voltage and ligand-gated ion channels, intracellular calcium signalling, and electrical bursting in neurons and other excitable cell types. It introduces mathematical modeling techniques such as ordinary differential equations, phase plane, and bifurcation analysis of single-compartment neuron models. With analytical and computational problem sets, this book is suitable for life sciences majors, in biology to neuroscience, with one year of calculus, as well as graduate students looking for a primer on membrane excitability and calcium signalling.

The manipulation and control of cells and sub-cellular structures through magnetic nanoparticle-based actuation is a relatively new technique that has led to novel and exciting biomedical applications. Nanomagnetic actuation is being used in laboratory studies of stem cells to determine how these mechanical cues can be used to control stem cell differentiation for regenerative medicine applications. This book explores this rapidly expanding field. It will interest industry bioscientists and biomedical engineers as well as academics in cellular biomechanics, cell and tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Key Features Focuses on the fundamentals and applications of magnetic actuation Includes contributions by world-class researchers from several countries and is edited by a well-known researcher in this field Offers multidisciplinary coverage and applications Supplies extensive references at the end of each chapter