"I found it (the story) at first sad and tragic, all the more to be uplifted by its outcome. What better ever proof of a miracle, of the value of family support, of the power of faith, of the hand of God, of the unpredictability of life. All in all it's a wonderful piece to read. What's more, you make readers care, because the woman (Jane Williams) and her family, including the convincing and articulate narrator, Dr. Henry, become real people in readers' minds, people they know well enough to worry about, to cheer for. I came to feel, thanks to Dr. Joel Hilaire's sharp and rich writing, that I was one of those people, close to the family, involved in every down-and-up event. To my mind you achieved exactly what you were after with this extensive true-to-life story."--Lou Fisher, from Long Ridge Writers Group

Author Dr. Nelly Maseda often wonders how she became successful, but her brothers didn't. She wonders how she survived a childhood raised by a single Dominican mother on public assistance who suffered from severe mood swings, rage, promiscuous sexual behavior, and cycles of depression. While Maseda pursued her degree at Cornell University, her brothers and cousins entered into a world of substance abuse and its related criminal activities and violence.

In Strangers in the Night, Maseda looks inside the dynamics of a family and describes the life of her mother, Nena-her early years in the Dominican Republic, immigration to the United States in 1959, her new life in New York City, and raising her children against the backdrop of rage, depression, and a questionable home life. She also shares the trajectory of her two brothers' lives to show that lessons can be learned from their experiences.

Maseda tells her mother's story from the perspective of her profession as a pediatrician to communicate to patients and others that we now live in a time where help exists to undo the damage that negative, early life experiences can do to minds and lives.

Jada Patrice Howard captures the ups and downs of her life in "Through These Eyes," the second volume of her memoir. This heartfelt, personal tale recalls her journey through the life experiences she has had in recent years.

She recounts her joy at finally being chosen to attend a live taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago. Follow her as she prepares for the trip of a lifetime, traveling from Washington, DC, to Chicago to attend the show; share her delight as she has the time of her life at Oprah's show.

She also shares tales of her work as a school bus driver, her brief move to North Carolina to help family members, and her attendance of Dr. Dorothy Height's funeral.

"Through These Eyes" explores the nature of people and their relationships and relates experiences of happiness, sadness, joy, and pain-life experiences that we can learn from.

Thomas Addison, a physician from the North of England, was acutely ill, and he knew it. The profession of medicine had been his life. Students and patients flocked to Guy's Hospital in London because he taught and worked there. He had no rival in Britain during the early Victorian era.

Addison taught his students that most people resisted new ideas even when society benefitted from them and that people were unwilling to admit the merits of a great discovery. This would prove to be true particularly in the case of his own discoveries. Addison weathered five years of scorching criticism from his peers when he discovered that the adrenal glands were essential to life and that diseased adrenal glands could darken a white person's skin to mulatto hues. In the end, he experienced an unshakable depression that ultimately led to suicide.

Medical science subsequently validated Addison's ingenious discoveries, which led other investigators to isolate and identify epinephrine, the adrenocortical steroids, and even vitamin B12.

In this biography, author Margaret R. O'Leary, MD, presents Addison's life story, considering his reception during his lifetime and recognizing his profound contributions to modern medicine.

As a new physician, you face numerous questions: How do you decide what type of medicine to practice? How should you prepare for your residency interview? Where do you want to settle after your training? Dr. Rashed Hasan, a pediatrician, knows that it's not always easy to answer that question. He offers advice that can help you decide what's right for you, answering the questions above and also providing insights on

determining the right time to buy a home;

negotiating contracts with hospitals;

building a sound financial life;

deciding whether to open your own practice or join a group; and

navigating the tax code to maximize earnings.

He includes practical information for new and established physicians on a variety of topics, such as improving leadership skills, maintaining health, responding to malpractice claims, and preparing for retirement. Hasan also explores the ramifications of recent changes to the health care system, including the Affordable Care Act.

While it isn't perfect, the medical profession can be everything you dreamed it would be when you learn how to build your future today.

This issue of Veterinary Clinics: Food Animal Practice, guest edited by Dr. Christopher Chase in collaboration with Consulting Editor Dr. Robert Smith, focuses on Ruminant Immunology. Article topics include: Herd immunity: an epidemiologist's view; Genetics of immunoresponsive and correlates of immunity; Microbiome and immunity: an evolving field; Vaccine administration dos and don'ts (endotoxin stacking; delayed MLV); Mycoplasma bovis: interations with the immune system and failure to generate an immune response; Nutriceuticals and their effect on immune response; Adjuvants; Immunology of maximizing passive transfer; Mucosal immunity and common mucosal response; Vaccinating in the face of maternal immunity; and Gamma Delta T cells in ruminants: their role, function, and importance.

Patient providers need to continue to stay abreast of the advances in the care of patients with advanced liver disease. They will continue to be exposed to a greater number of patients with cirrhosis, a reflection of the increasing burden of liver disease in patients where non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and even hepatitis C mature to cirrhosis. Although the hepatitis C viral infection can be eliminated, the natural history of the disease will not be necessarily completely altered. For this issue on Portal Hypertension, recognized authorities in these areas stress the relevance, utility, and novelty in their clinical review articles so that they can be used by practicing providers, quoted in the medical literature, and referenced in lectures. Topics addressed are Portal Hypertension, Sarcopenia, Hepatic Encephalopathy, Varices, Ascites and Hepatorenal Syndrome, Pulmonary Complications, Pharmacologic Management, Non-Cirrhotic Portal Hypertension, and Surgery in the Portal Hypertension Patient.

Before the integration of expert systems in biomedical science, complex problems required human expertise to solve them through conventional procedural methods. Advancements in expert systems allow for knowledge to be extracted when no human expertise is available and increases productivity through quick diagnosis. Expert System Techniques in Biomedical Science Practice is an essential scholarly resource that contains innovative research on the methods by which an expert system is designed to solve complex problems through the automation of decision making through the use of if-then-else rules rather than conventional procedural methods. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as image processing, bio-signals, and cognitive AI, this book is a vital reference source for computer engineers, information technologists, biomedical engineers, data-processing specialists, medical professionals, and industrialists within the fields of biomedical engineering, pervasive computing, and natural language processing.

When Melissa's gynecologist recommends she get a test specifically for women with a history of cancer in their families, she agrees. With seventeen immediate family members having had the disease, she knows she might not be happy with the results. But nothing can prepare Melissa for the outcome: She tests eighty-seven percent positive for breast cancer and forty-four percent positive for ovarian cancer, both by the age of forty. She faces a twenty percent chance of the cancer recurring in less than four years if she opts for chemotherapy and radiation. Those aren't good odds, and Melissa makes a brave decision: She has both breasts removed and goes through the process of breast reconstruction. In "Perky Mutant, " she shares how she made tough decisions, how surgeries affected her body, and what helped her get through the recovery process. She also includes week-by-week progressive photos to help other women going through the breast reconstruction process. With a cast of characters by her side that includes her husband, "Studly," Melissa somehow maintains her humor, wit, and hope. An inspirational story, "Perky Mutant" will help patients, their friends and family members learn, cope and laugh.

An invaluable resource for anyone touched by spinal cord injury-newly injured patients, longtime survivors, friends and loved ones, and medical professionals-"A Complete Plain English Guide to Living with an Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury" offers a survivor's perspective on the physical and emotional journey from the time of injury, through the entire recovery process, and on to living a full and happy life. This thorough, down-to-earth manual delivers solid, factual information and real-world advice from someone who has been there. Carolyn Boyles, a long-term spinal cord injury survivor, translates medical jargon into plain English, and helps you understand everything you need to know about living and thriving with an injured spinal cord. Boyles' handbook covers surgeries and complications, treatment and rehabilitation, working with medical professionals, dealing with family and friends, understanding your unique injury, prognosis and life expectancy, maintaining hope and faith, working through emotional baggage (including the many forms of survivor guilt), what to expect physically, and how to rebuild a quality life. She candidly answers all the questions nobody wants to ask, and she even includes statistics, ideas for additional reading and movies, resources, and more. But most importantly, she shows you that a spinal cord injury is not a life-ending event, but rather a new beginning.

This issue of Critical Care Clinics, guest edited by Drs. Marie Baldisseri, Mary Reed, and Randy Wax, in collaboration with Consulting Editor John Kellum, is devoted to Intensive Care Unit in Disaster. Topics in this issue include: Intensive care role in disaster management; Preparing the ICU for disaster; Augmenting capacity; Triage; Natural disasters; Biological/pandemic disasters; Chemical disasters; Radiation; Anthropogenic (terrorist/criminal act) disasters; Special populations (i.e., chronically ill, morbidly obese, pregnant); Pediatrics; Austere environments; Hospital as disaster Ground Zero; and Special considerations (i.e., mental health, ethics, public relations).

This book reiterates the need for all stake holders involved in transfusion service delivery in Africa; from patients to the transfusion scientist, requesting clinicians, blood collection staff and distribution staff to work collaboratively to demonstrate judicious, world-class stewardship and use of the precious gifts of human blood as well as help people understand the limitations of blood supply. It is designed to emphasize the evidenced -based best practices in transfusion medicine in the developed world to enable countries in Africa optimise their transfusion service delivery to their patients.

Advances in Anesthesia highlights the year's significant medical advances, providing one source to review the essential information updates for the Anesthesiologist in that year. The distinguished editorial board, led by Dr. Thomas McLoughlin, includes Drs. Richard Dutton, Laurence Torsher, and Francis Salinas. The board has assembled a first-rate volume for 2019."