The Yearbook compiles the most recent developments in experimental and clinical research and practice in one comprehensive reference book. The chapters are written by well recognized experts in the field of intensive care and emergency medicine. It is addressed to everyone involved in internal medicine, anesthesia, surgery, pediatrics, intensive care and emergency medicine.

I opened my series editor manuscript of The Handbook of Contraception: A Guide for Practical Management, edited by Drs. Donna Shoupe and Siri Kjos, on a tiny plane on the way to giving a lecture in Albany, NY. I expected to peruse the ma- script, and found that I could not put it down. The Handbook of Contraception: A Guide for Practical Management is an incredibly informative and enjoyable read. In keeping with the objective of this series for primary care clinicians, there is a quality in this title that is uncommon among medical textbooks. The chapters of this book are written with extraordinary intelligence and und- standing, and with attention to practical considerations in the selection and mana- ment of contraceptive options. The authors have reviewed the science behind contraception, including the chemical structure and effects of hormonal contraception, physiology of contraception, efficacy rates, and side effects, as well as the practical considerations that are relevant in helping patients choose between different cont- ceptive options. They do this with a clarity of language and intent that lets the book cover with sufficient detail the full range of questions that any primary care clinician will have regarding any of the traditional or new contraceptive options. Also included in each chapter is a section on "counseling tips," which explicitly answers many of the questions that clinicians and their patients often have when discussing contraceptive options. For a book so useful and well done, the editors and authors deserve our thanks.

Recent publications have addressed specific aspects of the endothelins, such as their roles in disease or the importance of endothelin receptors. However, in this book the entire field of endothelins is covered. This includes the pathways of endothelin production and their regulation, the local and systemic actions of endothelins, receptors for the endothelins and the signalling pathways employed, and the involvement of endothelins in a range of diseases. Attention is also paid to the development through chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of endothelin antagonists and endothelin-converting enzyme inhibitors, with mention of all the important members of these drug classes. This leads to well-rounded discussions of the potential therapeutic benefit of endothelin inhibitors.

Completely revised and including new additional material, this second edition of the bestselling Get Through MRCGP: Clinical Skills Assessment provides candidates with a definitive, one-stop revision resource for the CSA part of the MRCGP examination.

• Fully revised in accordance with the current MRCGP and MRCGP(INT) curriculum
• Mock examinations cover a spread of topics and skills outlined in the RCGP curriculum
• Comprehensive discussion of areas that stations test and detailing points needing to be covered to achieve the best results
• Brand new material including six new cases and task boxes to refocus the reader's attention on the different challenges of each station
• Completely rewritten introductory chapter
• Offers valuable advice on how to approach the exam, focus time in day-to-day GP surgeries and how to develop skills required to pass the CSA

Written by an experienced author team that has extensive knowledge of both national and international primary care clinical skills assessment, Get Through MRCGP: Clinical Skills Assessment, Second Edition is essential reading for postgraduate candidates preparing for this challenging examination.

Born in Cornwall, John Davy (1790 1868) physiologist and anatomist, and the younger brother of the distinguished chemist Sir Humphry Davy (1778 1829), was one of the most prolific medical experts of his day. After taking a medical degree from Edinburgh in 1814 he became an army surgeon. He later became a hospital inspector and spent time living in overseas territories including India, Sri Lanka, and Barbados. First published in 1862, Davy's book discusses the prominence of fever, dysentery, cholera, liver disease, pneumonia, and other diseases common to the army, estimating that 45% of deaths in the British army serving abroad were caused by disease rather than by conflict. Davy also records his observations on putrefaction of bodies, particularly the vital organs, emphasising the need to determine the normal condition of human organs so that abnormal, diseased organs can be easily identified.

Almost 50 million persons visit another continent each year. It is mainly those 15-18 million travelers from industrialized nations who visit or reside in developing countries that are at increased health risk. To develop effective health protection advice, the health risks of travel and the benefits of prophylaxis (vaccines, new and old drugs, behaviour modification, etc.) should be assessed systematically. The purpose of this book is to improve the protection of the travelers' health by more effective and more uniform recommendations. It contains many data on recent research and represents the first comprehensive account on travel medicine for professionals.

The proliferation of information on rotaviruses in the twenty years since their description as human pathogens has made it difficult to keep up with the latest developments in the field. Numerous aspects of rotavirus biology have been addressed in reviews, but these have been infrequent and quite selective in the material covered. The time appeared right to attempt to gather, into a single source, an overview of what we have learned. This volume is the result of that attempt. I hope that the reader will find in this single source, the core of information covering our current state of knowledge. I acknowledge my debt to the authors of the various chapters, for it is they who performed the tedious process of reviewing the literature and synthesizing and organizing it into concise works. R.F. RAMIG Contents Introduction and Overview R.F. RAMIG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Structure of Rotavirus B.V.V. PRASAD and W. CHIU .................... 9 The Rotavirus Genome U. DESSELBERGER and M.A. MCCRAE . . . . . . . . . . . 31 . . Rotavirus Protein Structure and Function G.W. BOTH, AR. BELLAMY, and D.B. MITCHELL 67 Rotavirus Replication J.T. PATTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 107 . . . . . . .

The decisive factor in trauma is that many processes first occur at the cellular level before they can be determined in laboratory tests, and recognition of them has only recently found its way into intensive care practice. Yet knowledge of the pathophysiology of these processes is essential for an early diagnosis of multiple organ failure and the implementation of adequate therapy, which ultimately make the patient's survival possible. Professor Schlag, an internationally renowned scientist and clinician, has been concerned with the basic pathophysiological principles of shock for many years. In this book he has brought together for the first time an international team of authors primarily from the USA and Europe, who present their collective findings of trauma, shock, development of the organ in shock and early failure and of sepsis-like syndrome, and development of septic multiple organ failure. Patienten mit Multiorganversagen haben immer noch eine schlechte Prognose in der intensivmedizinischen Behandlung, insbesondere wenn sie noch zusatzlich in einen septischen Schock geraten. Hier hilft auch oft eine breite Abdeckung mit modernsten Antibiotika nicht weiter. Neue Ansatze fur eine Therapie dieser problempatienten haben sich in den letzten Jahren durch Erkenntnisse der pathophysiologischeen Vorgange die zum Schock fuhren ergeben. Herr Professor Schlag hat als anerkannte Kapazitat auf dem Gebiet der Traumatologie und Schockforschung fur dieses erste umfassende Werk zu den Grundlagen des Multiorganversagens eine beeindruckende Liste von mehr als 50 international renommierten Autoren zusammenbekommen. Das Buch ist nicht nur eine Aufarbeitung aller Grundlagen des Schocks und Multiorganversagens sondern zudem ein ausgezeichnetes Nachschlagewerk fur jeden intensivmedizinisch tatigen Klinikarzt, egal ob er aus der Anasthesie, der Inneren Medizin oder der Unfallchirurgie kommt."

Nutritional support of critically ill patients is a major treatment modality which will enhance recovery and shorten convalescence. New knowledge has emphasized that much of the organ dysfunction associated with sepsis and altered blood flow is related to oxidative injury. Specific nutrients are highly effective in counteracting these effects and their early administration may attenuate cellular damage and multi-organ failure. Patient outcome may also be enhanced by the route of feeding, administration of newer nutrient combinations, utilization of evolving methods of monitoring and the use of growth factors. This new knowledge has evolved to a new area of metabolic support which is addressed for the first time by a group of international experts. The topics presented and general conclusions are of major importance to the practitioners in this field, for they show, for the first time, a departure from the more traditional approaches of nutritional support in patients with life-threatening diseases.

Six members of the Herpesviridae family are human pathogens, including herpes and 2 (HSV-I and 2), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), varicella zoster simplex virus I virus (VZV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV 6). Each of these viruses is capable of causing distinct diseases of varying severity in children, young adults, and the aged. The diseases range from infection of epithelial tissue to the infection of internal organs and white blood cells. A common feature of the six pathogenic human herpesviruses is their ability to latently infect different cell types in which the viral DNA is not integrated and is unable to express its pathogenicity. Reactivation of the herpesviruses is a result of cellular processes which reactivate viral genes, leading to virus progeny and to signs of infection. Due to their ability to become latent after initial infection, once the pathogenic herpesviruses infect children they are maintained throughout life, having the potential of cause various diseases upon reactivation.

In spite of a long history of intense investigation the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies remain a poorly understood family of neurodegenerative diseases. This group of diseases has been described in a wide variety of animal species and includes kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and Gerstmann-Straussler syndrome in humans, and scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and related syndromes in ruminants and rodents. In all cases spongiform degeneration and astrocytosis are seen in specimens of brain and a filterable transmissible agent is present in the brain and some other tissues of affected individuals. However, the precise nature of this agent remains unknown. Agent infectivity, which can so far only be assayed by serial transmission to new individuals, be remarkably resistant to inactivation has been shown to by heat, chemicals, and irradiation. These properties create significant biohazard possibilities during exposure to infected tissues. Transmission between humans was originally reco gnized in the unique epidemiology of kuru in New Guinea tribesmen, and concern about transmission from animals to humans has re-emerged as a result of the current epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in dairy cattle in Great Britain. Although interspecies transmission has often been achieved experimentally, its efficiency is highly variable. There fore, the possibility of spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy from cattle to humans or various animal populations cannot be accurately predicted at this time. This volume presents a comprehensive update of know ledge concerning the transmissible spongiform encephalo pathies."

An up-to-date overview of acute and chronic pancreatitis. The two authors with special interests in this field deal with the aetiology, pathophysiology, and clinical features of these diseases, as well as complications, treatment strategies, and prognostic factors. Two chapters on congenital abnormalities and hereditary pancreatic diseases round off this book. Intelligently-structured for everyday practice, this can also be used as an actual reference book. For gastroenterologists in clinic and practice.

In recent years, the progress made in the prevention of mortality and morbidity caused by communicable diseases and malnutrition has changed the disease spectrum in both developed and, particularly developing countries. As a result, noncommunicable diseases, includ ing genetic disorders, have achieved considerable importance in public health. Furthermore, it is now evident that inherited predisposition is important in a number of common diseases that occur in later life, such as atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and in some rheumatic, oncological, and mental illnesses that appear at an early stage and develop into severe handicaps in predisposed people. Rapid advances in gene mapping concerned with international human genome research make it almost certain that the use of new genetic knowledge will dramatically increase the requirement for genetic approaches in the control of a wide spectrum of diseases, and will provide possibilities for their prevention and treatment in the form of changes in lifestyle, diet modification, periodic check-ups, or the administration of gene therapy. It appears that one of the main problems in delivering genetics services is the difficulty involved in informing the health profession and the community of the real sig nificance of genetic problems. There is, therefore, a need for international collaboration in improving genetic health education at all levels and in improving health through genetic approaches."

An insight into new advances of current interest in metal toxicology, such as mechanisms important in risk-assessment for human health. The book also has chapters on emerging conceptual problems including resistance to metal toxicity effects on gene expression, alongside principles regarding drug-chelation of metals, the potential use of prophyrins as indicators of metal exposure and toxicity. The toxicology of specific metals of major public health concern are discussed in depth, such as mercury, aluminum, arsenic, chromium, and cadmium. Of interest to basic scientists as well as public health administrators.

Now, in one volume, the latest research from the areas of molcular biology, neurochemistry and behavior analysis of drug abuse and dependence, with, wherever possible, an integration of the data from these various levels of analysis. The ensuing reports point to the complexity of the phenomenon of abuse and dependence and clearly demonstrate that it is determined by a variety of variables from molecular biology and genetics through behavioral history. This complexity is shown, however, to be responsive to rigorous scientific analysis and our success to date gives rise to hope that this distressing public health problem can ultimately be brought under control. Each of the chapters is written by a leading researcher in the field.

for the design of control programs; in extreme cases (as dis cussed below, by Fine et al., this volume, and elsewhere) it can happen that immunization programs, although they protect vaccinated individuals, actually increase the overall incidence of a particular disease. The possibility that many nonhuman animal populations may be regulated by parasitic infections is another topic where it may be argued that conventional disciplinary boundaries have retarded investigation. While much ecological research has been devoted to exploring the extent to which competition or predator-prey interactions may regulate natural populations or set their patterns of geographical distribution, few substan tial studies have considered the possibility that infectious diseases may serve as regulatory agents (1,8). On the other hand, the many careful epidemiological studies of the trans mission and maintenance of parasitic infections in human and other animal populations usually assume the host population density to be set by other considerations, and not dynamically engaged with the disease (see, for example, (1,2)). With all these considerations in mind, the Dahlem Workshop from which this book derives aimed to weave strands together -- testing theoretical analysis against empirical facts and patterns, and identifying outstanding problems -- in pursuit of a better un derstanding of the overall population biology of parasitic in fections. For the purpose of the workshop, the term "parasite" was de fined widely to include viruses, bacteria, protozoans, fungi, and helminths."

Stem cells have generated considerable interest recently in the scientific, clinical, and public arenas. It is essential that we gain a broader understanding of the factors that regulate the biology of stem cells: their ability for self-renewal, differentiation, and plasticity, as well as the differences between embryonic and adult stem cells. And to learn whether stem cells can be manipulated to replace cells in diseased tissues depends on better understanding their normal developmental properties.

This volume offers contributions from numerous interdisciplinary areas bridging biotechnology and biomedical sciences. The ability to isolate and maintain pluripotent stem cells in culture offers exciting possibilities for replacing damaged or diseased organs and tissues. Moreover, stem cells will provide opportunities for major advances in our understanding of fundamental developmental processes.

The study of pluripotent stem cells derived from early embryos or fetal tissues has shown that they are capable of replicating indefinitely in vitro and possess the ability to differentiate into many cell types. Biotechnological advances under which growth conditions and factors can be identified and characterized are needed to guide such cells to form organ-specific tissues.

Biomedical researchers are also investigating approaches to isolate and manipulate adult-derived multipotential stem cells that appear to possess considerably broader differentiation capacity than originally imagined.

Novel therapeutic strategies are being developed to take advantage of the ability of stem cells to proliferate in culture and to survive after transplantation into various tissues, where they may integrate and stably express foreign genes, or repopulate damaged or diseased organs such as the heart, brain, or pancreas.

These presentations foster a broader understanding of the factors that regulate the biology and plasticity of stem cells through the picture they provide of the "state of the science" of stem cell biology and by framing the many questions that remain to be answered.

"NOTE: Annals volumes are available for sale as individual books or as a journal. For information on institutional journal subscriptions, please visit" "www.blackwellpublishing.com/nyas."

"ACADEMY MEMBERS Please contact the New York Academy of Sciences directly to place your order (""www.nyas.org"). Members of the New York Academy of Science receive full-text access to the Annals online and discounts on print volumes. Please visit http: //www.nyas.org/MemberCenter/Join.aspx for more information about becoming a member.

The very first international working discussion on slow infections of the nervous system was entitled "Slow, Latent, and Temperate Virus Infec tions" and was held at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in December 1964. The primary impetus was the discovery and investigation of kuru in New Guinea by D. Carleton Gajdusek, M. D. This working discussion brought together investigators in human and veterinary medicine, virolo gists, microbiologists, and neuropathologists actively engaged in laboratory work with viruses that illustrated properties of latency, masking, slowness, or temperateness, with emphasis on subacute and chronic neurologic dis eases of unknown etiology. In the Preface to the monograph of published papers presented at the working discussion, Gajdusek and Gibbs wrote the following: After microbiology had given solution to the etiology of most acute infections of the central nervous system and after fungi and bacteria had been incriminated in impor tant chronic disorders of the nervous system such as torula and tuberculosis men ingitis, we have been left, in neurology, with a wide range of subacute and chronic affections of the central nervous systems of unknown etiology. Some of these diseases, still listed as idiopathic, are among the most prevalent afflictions of the central nervous system. Many others with familial patterns of occurrence do not yet have their basic pathogenesis or underlying metabolic defect elucidated, although we tend to think of them as genetically mediated."

Incorporates mixed-effects modeling techniques for more powerful and efficient methods
This book presents current and effective nonparametric regression techniques for longitudinal data analysis and systematically investigates the incorporation of mixed-effects modeling techniques into various nonparametric regression models. The authors emphasize modeling ideas and inference methodologies, although some theoretical results for the justification of the proposed methods are presented.
With its logical structure and organization, beginning with basic principles, the text develops the foundation needed to master advanced principles and applications. Following a brief overview, data examples from biomedical research studies are presented and point to the need for nonparametric regression analysis approaches. Next, the authors review mixed-effects models and nonparametric regression models, which are the two key building blocks of the proposed modeling techniques.
The core section of the book consists of four chapters dedicated to the major nonparametric regression methods: local polynomial, regression spline, smoothing spline, and penalized spline. The next two chapters extend these modeling techniques to semiparametric and time varying coefficient models for longitudinal data analysis. The final chapter examines discrete longitudinal data modeling and analysis.
Each chapter concludes with a summary that highlights key points and also provides bibliographic notes that point to additional sources for further study. Examples of data analysis from biomedical research are used to illustrate the methodologies contained throughout the book. Technical proofs are presented in separate appendices.
With its focus on solving problems, this is an excellent textbook for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in longitudinal data analysis. It is also recommended as a reference for biostatisticians and other theoretical and applied research statisticians with an interest in longitudinal data analysis. Not only do readers gain an understanding of the principles of various nonparametric regression methods, but they also gain a practical understanding of how to use the methods to tackle real-world problems.

The book aims to review knowledge on the disorders of eating behaviour and body composition in some of the non-primate higher animals and to relate these to similar conditions in humans. With advances in understanding the nature of these disorders and their biological basis, it seems timely to assess what cross-species comparisons can tell us about the general underlying factors at work. This may also help to delineate what may be a general biological basis that humans share with their higher animal comrade species and what may distinguish human from non-human, particularly in a cultural context. This could help in combating better the problems of these conditions in the animal species as well as in man and in suggesting well-based preventive measures. As far as people are concerned the last two decades of the 20th century have shown a significant increase in obesity in the richer countries, particularly the USA (Table 1). Possibly associated with the obesity boom, there is an increasing awareness of other disorders of eating behaviour and body composition. These range from anorexia nervosa, at the other end of body composition to obesity, to others, such as bulimia, with more variable effects on body composition.

In the late eighties of the twentieth century I encountered a paper referring to mathematics dealing with imprecision applied to medical diagnosis. I was working in the area of medical statistics at that time, and obviously I was interested in the contents of the paper. After I had read it I became fascinated by new possibilities of medical data interpretation and processing proposed by the author. The new world of fuzziness, originated by Professor Lotfi Zadeh, seemed to open up to me and I started reading all accessible material about fuzzy set theory. Many years have passed since then. We are now living in the information so- ety and we do not experience troubles in reaching scientific material. Lately I have read many papers and books about treating medical tasks solved by using fuzzy ideas. I am still keen on tracing applications in medicine, and by myself I have been contributing to some concepts in this subject that has motivated me to p- pare my own book. The objective of writing such a book has been a little parti- lar, namely, I have intended to present the subject of fuzzy tools and techniques in medicine for eventual users. These, maybe representatives of medical or phar- cological staffs, are not expected to possess a large amount of mathematical knowledge.

This book provides a state-of-the-art, comprehensive overview of the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. It details evidence-based practice recommendations using parameters primarily developed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The book offers a thorough and extensive board review for specialization in sleep medicine and supports primary care clinicians in appropriately using sleep diagnostic testing results in clinical practice.

It has never been easy to introduce new concepts and therapeutic in-terventions into surgical practice. When attempting to do so, one is faced with the interagency of traditional dogma, which still in this era of evidence-based medicine tends to dominate the surgical thought pr- ess. This is particularly so in the area of coloproctology, where prejudice and personal opinion often influence objective analysis whenever tradition is challenged. A large body of literature on anorectal prolapse has accumulated over the years; although much is based on personal viewpoint rather than scientific evidence, it has nevertheless been passed down through the generations as ac-cepted wisdom and practice. As a consequence, it is a challenge to change the mindset of a generation of surgeons and to introduce new concepts and novel techniques which at first might appear to be a radical departure from conventional teaching. It is obviously not possible to present the basis for the develop-ment of transanal stapling techniques for anorectal prolapse in this Foreword; this is dealt with in detail elsewhere in this book. The in-terested reader will have the opportunity to share in the new and emerging concepts surrounding anorectal prolapse and to deepen their understanding of the pat- physiology and basis for surgical correction. Although hemorrhoidal disease and external rectal prolapse have been known about for centuries, the understanding of internal rectal prolapse (intussusception) and rectocele has only really advanced with the emergence of radiological imaging tech-niques, such as defecography.

Translational Research and Clinical Practice offers a clear and comprehensive introduction to evidence-based medicine. The use of medical literature has always been an integral tool for patient care, yet recently the modern processes of question formulation, literature search, and study evaluation have changed with the advent of the internet and technology. The physician must be able to find empirical evidence from the appropriate study using a searchable question and then determine its impact on patient care. The book provides the general framework for such medical decision making; it covers all kinds of cases and strategies, including questions of diagnosis, therapy, prognosis, differential diagnosis, clinical presentation, and causality.
The tested material and approaches in this book are based on a course developed and taught by the author at Temple University School of Medicine. Organized for ease of use, accessibly written, and replete with clinically germane examples, Translational Research and Clinical Practice is a concise guide for medical students and clinicians seeking to effectively interpret and apply medical evidence in daily practice.

Step 2 Clinical Knowledge is one of the hardest exams you'll take in your medical training, and it's very important to do well Preparation is the key that separates successful candidates from the rest.
USMLE Step 2 Triage provides a thorough yet high-yield review for the exam, covering a gamut of frequently tested specialties and subspecialties with emphasis on pertinent principles of clinical science and patient-centered skills. Consistently organized, each topic is structured to provide the material in a manageable format, divided into several sections: "Symptoms," "Diagnosis," "Treatment," and "Take Home Points." USMLE Step 2 Triage is geared to facilitate the most comprehensive and efficient preparation for the exam; it is packed with tables and figures, and features 100 full color images. Written by the author of the popular USMLE Step 3 Triage and the USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills Triage, this book will help deliver the best results for any student studying for the Step 2 Clinical Knowledge exam.