The aim of this work is to reduce the risks of medical treatment and e nhance the safety of patients in all areas of healthcare. The first se ction discusses human error, the incidence of harm to patients, and th e development of risk management. Chapters in the second section discu ss the reduction of risk in clinical practice in key medical specialti es. The third section discusses features of the healthcare systems tha t are essential to safe practice, such as communication of risk to pat ients, the design of equipment, supervision and training, and effectiv e teamwork. The fourth section describes how to put risk management in to practice, including the effective and sensitive handling of complai nts and claims, the care of injured patients and the staff involved, a nd the reporting, investigation and analysis of serious incidents.

Coumarins are a group of compounds that have important roles as food constituents; as anti-oxidants, stabilisers, and immunomodulatory substances; as fluorescent markers for use in analysis, in lasers and in clinical use. Coumarins: Biology, Applications and Mode of Action predominantly focuses on the parent compound, coumarin, and its main metabolite in humans, 7-hydroxycoumarin. It describes in detail every facet of these compounds including history, toxicology, chemistry, metabolism, analysis, clinical, veterinary and other applications, their roles as immunomodulatory agents and speculates on their mode of action. Features include:
* New insights into mode of action of coumarins
* Comprehensive summary of new coumarin compounds
* Detailed accounts of methods used for analysis
* Applications of coumarins for diverse methods of analysis
This volume will be of interest to those working in biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacology, clinical sciences and toxicology.

This issue of Medical Clinics, guest edited by Dr. Robert Saper, is devoted to Complementary and Integrative Medicine. Articles in this outstanding issue address integrative medicine in the areas of mental health disorders; sleep disorders; neurological conditions; cardiovascular disease; respiratory disorders; gastrointestinal disorders; gynecological conditions; oncology; rheumatologic conditions; pain management; geriatric and palliative care; and physician health and wellbeing.

Advances in Clinical Chemistry, Volume 82, the latest installment in this internationally acclaimed series, contains chapters authored by world-renowned clinical laboratory scientists, physicians and research scientists. This updated volume includes chapters on Calcium and Bone Metabolism Indices, Cytokines and MicroRNA in Coronary Artery Disease, Biological and molecular characterization of circulating tumor cells: A creative strategy for precision medicine?, Towards a blood-borne biomarker of chronic hypoxemia: Red cell distribution width and respiratory disease, miRNAs: nanomachines that microManage the pathophysiology of Diabetes mellitus, and Fortilin, A Potential Target for the Prevention and Treatment of Human Diseases. The serial discusses the latest and most up-to-date technologies related to the field of clinical chemistry, and is the benchmark for novel analytical approaches in the clinical laboratory.

Advanced Perioperative Crisis Management is a high-yield, clinically-relevant resource for understanding the epidemiology, pathophysiology, assessment, and management of a wide variety of perioperative emergencies. Three introductory chapters review a critical thinking approach to the unstable or pulseless patient, crisis resource management principles to improve team performance and the importance of cognitive aids in adhering to guidelines during perioperative crises. The remaining sections cover six major areas of patient instability: cardiac, pulmonary, neurologic, metabolic/endocrine, and toxin-related disorders, and shock states, as well as specific emergencies for obstetrical and pediatric patients. Each chapter opens with a clinical case, followed by a discussion of the relevant evidence. Case-based learning discussion questions, which can be used for self-assessment or in the classroom, round out each chapter. Advanced Perioperative Crisis Management is an ideal resource for trainees, clinicians, and nurses who work in the perioperative arena, from the operating room to the postoperative surgical ward.

A Structure-Function Toolbox for Membrane Transporter and Channels, Volume 594, a new release in the Methods in Enzymology series, continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. New chapters in the updated serial include Cryo-EM on membrane proteins embedded in nanodics, Solid-Supported membrane-based electrophysiology on membrane transporters and channels, Saposin-lipoprotein scaffolds for structure determination of membrane transporters and channels, Single-molecule FRET on transporters, Dynamics of channels and transporters investigated by NMR, Structure-function studies on channels and transporters, and a section on MemStar, a new GFP-based expression and purification system for transporters and channels.

This issue of Medical Clinics, guest edited by Dr. Kimberly Peairs, is devoted to Care of Cancer Survivors. Articles in this issue include: Care Coordination and Transitions of Care; Cancer Survivorship in Adolescents and Young Adults; Long-term and Late Side Effects of Specific Cancer Types; Diet, Physical Activity, and Body Weight in Cancer Survivorship; Anxiety and Depression in Cancer Survivors; Cognitive Changes Related to Cancer Therapy; Cardiac Disease in the Cancer Survivor; Cancer-related Fatigue; Hormonal Changes and Sexual Dysfunction; Palliative Care Issues; Screening for Recurrence and Secondary Cancers; and Pulmonary Disease in the Cancer Survivor.

Functional Neural Transplantation IV: Translation to Clinical Application, Volume 230 provides the current status of cell transplantation in the nervous system, with a focus on the conditions for achieving structural repair and functional recovery after brain damage or in neurodegenerative disease. New to this release are chapters that delve into the Mechanisms and Use of Neural Transplants for Brain Repair, Reprogramming of Somatic Cells: iPS and iN Cells, Brain Repair from Intrinsic Cell Sources: Turning Reactive Glia into Neurons, and Ex Vivo Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Neurological Disorders, Preparation, Characterization and Banking of Clinical-grade Cells for Neural Transplantation. As the fourth in a periodic series of updates at 5-7 year intervals, this volume highlights recent developments related to the application of advances in cellular and molecular science, providing an understanding of the fundamental principles of neuroplasticity and regeneration in the brain and spinal cord, and also addressing the topic of the power of pluripotent stem cells to generate new sources of precisely specified neurons for utilization in brain repair.

This issue of Medical Clinics of North America, guest edited by Roy Colven, MD, is devoted to Dermatology. Articles in this issue include: Topical Therapy Primer for the Non-dermatologist; The Role of Biologic Therapies in Dermatology; Commonly Used Non-biologic Systemic Therapies in Dermatology; Diseases of Skin Appendages: Acne, Alopecia, and Hyperhidrosis; Common Procedures in Dermatology; Skin Cancer Epidemiology, Detection, and Management; Psoriasis and Cardiovascular Disease; Cutaneous Adverse Drug Reactions; Consultative Inpatient Dermatology; Approach to the Patient with Diffuse Blisters; Teledermatology; Nail Disease for the Primary Care Provider; Rheumatologic Skin Disease; and Common Pediatric Skin Diseases.

This issue of Medical Clinics, guest edited by Drs. Marc Shalaby and Edward Bollard, is devoted to Quality Patient Care: Making Evidence-Based, High Value Choices. Articles in this issue include: Cardiovascular testing in asymptomatic patients: carotid duplex, cardiac stress testing, screen for PVD; Utility of echocardiogram in the evaluation of heart murmurs; Evidenced-based recommendations for the evaluation of palpitations in the primary care setting; Radiologic evaluation of common orthopedic complaints: low back pain, non-traumatic knee/shoulder/hip pain, and ankle injuries; Indications and usefulness of common injections for non-traumatic orthopedic complaints - shoulder, trochanteric bursa, epidural injections, tennis elbow, and knee; The evidence-based evaluation of chronic cough; Evaluation of uncomplicated headache; Evaluation of syncope; Pre-operative assessment: Cataract surgery, pre-operative EKG testing, screening for cardiopulmonary disease, urinalysis, coagulation studies, other lab assessments; The approach to occult GI bleed; The role of EGD surveillance for patients with Barrett's esophagus; The evidence-based evaluation of iron deficiency anemia; Cancer screening in the elderly; Utilization and safety of common over the counter dietary/nutritional supplements, herbal agents and homeopathic compounds for disease prevention; Utilization of oxygen for the patient with dyspnea; IV fluids, enteral or parenteral nutrition; and Symptom control at the end of life.

This invaluable resource discusses clinical applications with effects and side-effects of applications of stem cells in liver, lung and heart regeneration. All chapters are contributed by pre-eminent scientists in the field and covers such topics as cell therapy in the treatment of cirrhosis and other liver, heart and lung diseases, characteristics of hepatic progenitor cells, future directions of the discussed therapies and much more. Liver, Lung and Heart Regeneration and the other books in the Stem Cells in Clinical Applications series will be invaluable to scientists, researchers, advanced students and clinicians working in stem cells, regenerative medicine or tissue engineering.

For years after graduating from medical school, Dr. Clifton K. Meador assumed that symptoms of the body, when obviously not imaginary, indicate a disease of the body--something to be treated with drugs, surgery, or other traditional means. But, over several decades, as he saw patients with clear symptoms but no discernable disease, he concluded that his own assumptions were too narrow and, indeed, that the underlying basis for much of clinical medicine was severely limited.
Recounting a series of fascinating case studies, Meador shows in this book how he came to reject a strict adherence to the prevailing biomolecular model of disease and its separation of mind and body. He studied other theories and approaches--George Engel's biopsychosocial model of disease, Michael Balint's study of physicians as pharmacological agents--and adjusted his practice accordingly to treat what he called "nondisease." He had to retool, learn new and more in-depth interviewing and listening techniques, and undergo what Balint termed a "slight but significant change in personality."
In chapters like "The Woman Who Believed She Was a Man" and "The Diarrhea of Agnes," Meador reveals both the considerable harm that can result from wrong diagnoses of nonexistent diseases and the methods he developed to help patients with chronic symptoms not defined by a medical disease. Throughout the book, he recommends subsequent studies to test his observations, and he urges full application of the scientific method to the doctor-patient relationship, pointing out that few objective studies of these all-important interactions have ever been done.

For years after graduating from medical school, Dr. Clifton K. Meador assumed that symptoms of the body, when obviously not imaginary, indicate a disease of the body--something to be treated with drugs, surgery, or other traditional means. But, over several decades, as he saw patients with clear symptoms but no discernable disease, he concluded that his own assumptions were too narrow and, indeed, that the underlying basis for much of clinical medicine was severely limited.
Recounting a series of fascinating case studies, Meador shows in this book how he came to reject a strict adherence to the prevailing biomolecular model of disease and its separation of mind and body. He studied other theories and approaches--George Engel's biopsychosocial model of disease, Michael Balint's study of physicians as pharmacological agents--and adjusted his practice accordingly to treat what he called "nondisease." He had to retool, learn new and more in-depth interviewing and listening techniques, and undergo what Balint termed a "slight but significant change in personality."
In chapters like "The Woman Who Believed She Was a Man" and "The Diarrhea of Agnes," Meador reveals both the considerable harm that can result from wrong diagnoses of nonexistent diseases and the methods he developed to help patients with chronic symptoms not defined by a medical disease. Throughout the book, he recommends subsequent studies to test his observations, and he urges full application of the scientific method to the doctor-patient relationship, pointing out that few objective studies of these all-important interactions have ever been done.

This issue of Medical Clinics of North America, guest edited by Paul S. Pottinger and Christopher A. Sanford, is devoted to Travel and Adventure Medicine. Articles in this issue include: Immunizations; Malaria; Personal Protection Measures; Traveler's Diarrhea; Urban Medicine and Trauma; Care of the Healthcare Provider; Evaluation of the Ill Returned Traveler; The Ethics of Medical Volunteerism; High-Altitude Medicine; Dive Medicine; Wilderness Medicine, Including First Aid & Hypo/Hyperthermia; The Medical Kit; Adventure Sports: Spelunking, water exposures; and Resources for the Provider and Opportunities in Further Training in Travel and Adventure Medicine.

Clinical decision support systems, medical applications, and electronic health records each help to ensure the provision of efficient, accurate healthcare services, thereby providing patients with a better experience and overall reducing health care costs. Advancing Technologies and Intelligence in Healthcare and Clinical Environments Breakthroughs is a prime resource for both academic researchers and practitioners looking to advance their knowledge of the interdisciplinary areas of healthcare information technology and management research. This book addresses innovative concepts and critical issues in the emerging field of health information systems and informatics, with an emphasis on sustainable computer information systems, ensuring healthcare efficiency, and denoising MRI and ECG outputs.

Specialists join forces in this new volume to offer a complete, practical guide for understanding and treating obesity and eating disorders. The contributors provide a solid background on the problem, give relevant, detailed discussions of prominent issues, and suggest treatment methods from case studies. With this book in hand, professional counselors including social workers, psychologists, nutritionists, psychiatrists, nurses, dieticians, and health directors will have the information they need to handle specific problems of weight control.

This issue of Medical Clinics of North America, Guest Edited by Douglas S. Paauw, MD is devoted to Comprehensive Care of the Patient with Chronic Illness. Dr. Paauw has assembled a group of expert authors to review the following topics: Primary Care of the Homeless Patient; Primary Care of the Patient with Chronic Liver Disease; Primary Care of the Transplant Patient; Primary Care of the Patient with CRI; Primary Care of the Patient with Alcoholism; Primary Care of the Childhood Cancer Survivor; Primary Care of the Immigrant Patient; Primary Care of the HIV Patient; Primary Care of the Patient with Chronic Lung Disease; Primary Care of the Patient with Sarcoid; and Primary Care of the Patient with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Artists have always known intuitively what science is just beginning to discover: that creating a visual image through any medium can produce physical and emotional benefits for both the creator as well as those who view it. Most important, you don't need to think of yourself as an artist or even believe you have any "talent" to tap into the healing powers of art.

In this remarkable testament to the power of creativity, Barbara Ganim shows step-by-step how to use art to heal body, mind, and spirit. By using guided meditation and artistic techniques, you can gain insight and clarity into depression, anxiety, rage, and even illnesses, including cancer, arthritis, and AIDS.

At once inspirational and instructive, "Art and Healing" will teach you how to connect with negative, painful, and even repressed emotions and then express them through drawing, painting, sculpture, or collage. Releasing these feelings through the creative process frees up the immune system and clears the mind, allowing the body to fight off disease and begin to heal emotional wounds. Filled with actual stories from those who have triumphed over adversity and with more than a hundred different pieces of artwork created using this groundbreaking method, "Art and Healing" is sure to provide the tools needed for healing body and spirit.