Introduction to Clinical Informatics fills a void in the Computer in Health Care series. With this volume, Patrice Degoulet and Marius Fieschi provide a comprehensive view of medical informatics and carry that concept forward into the realm of clinical informatics. The authors draw upon their experi ences as medical school faculty members in France, where informatics has long been integrated into the curriculum and where the French version of this very book has been used, tested, and revised. In intent and content, this volume stands as the companion volume to Introduction to Nursing Informatics, one of the series' best selling titles. For practitioners and students of medicine, pharmacy, and other health profes sions, Introduction to Clinical Informatics offers an essential understanding how computing can support patient care, clarifying practical uses and critical issues. Today medical schools in the United States are making informatics a part of their curriculum, with required medical informatics blocks at the onset of training serving as the base for problem-based learning throughout the course of study. In an increasingly networked and computerized environ ment, health-care providers are having to alter how they practice. Whether in the office, the clinic, or the hospital, health-care professionals have access to a growing array of capabilities and tools as they deliver care. Learning to use these becomes a top priority, and this volume becomes a valuable resource."

The book provides an insight into the advantages and limitations of the use of fractals in biomedical data. It begins with a brief introduction to the concept of fractals and other associated measures and describes applications for biomedical signals and images. Properties of biological data in relations to fractals and entropy, and the association with health and ageing are also covered. The book provides a detailed description of new techniques on physiological signals and images based on the fractal and chaos theory. The aim of this book is to serve as a comprehensive guide for researchers and readers interested in biomedical signal and image processing and feature extraction for disease risk analyses and rehabilitation applications. While it provides the mathematical rigor for those readers interested in such details, it also describes the topic intuitively such that it is suitable for audience who are interested in applying the methods to healthcare and clinical applications. The book is the outcome of years of research by the authors and is comprehensive and includes other reported outcomes.

Statistical evaluation of diagnostic performance in general and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis in particular are important for assessing the performance of medical tests and statistical classifiers, as well as for evaluating predictive models or algorithms. This book presents innovative approaches in ROC analysis, which are relevant to a wide variety of applications, including medical imaging, cancer research, epidemiology, and bioinformatics. Statistical Evaluation of Diagnostic Performance: Topics in ROC Analysis covers areas including monotone-transformation techniques in parametric ROC analysis, ROC methods for combined and pooled biomarkers, Bayesian hierarchical transformation models, sequential designs and inferences in the ROC setting, predictive modeling, multireader ROC analysis, and free-response ROC (FROC) methodology. The book is suitable for graduate-level students and researchers in statistics, biostatistics, epidemiology, public health, biomedical engineering, radiology, medical imaging, biomedical informatics, and other closely related fields. Additionally, clinical researchers and practicing statisticians in academia, industry, and government could benefit from the presentation of such important and yet frequently overlooked topics.

Colloidal systems occur everywhere in soils, seawater, foodstuff, pharmaceuticals, paints, blood, biological cells, and microorganisms. Colloids and Interfaces in Life Sciences and Bionanotechnology, Second Edition, gives a concise treatment of physicochemical principles determining interrelated colloidal and interfacial phenomena.

New in the Second Edition

• New topics, including phase separations in polymer systems, electrokinetics of charged permeable surface coatings, and polymer brush coatings to control adsorption and adhesion of particles
• Emphasis on inter-particle interactions and surface phenomena in (bio)nanotechnology
• More than 100 new or updated exercises
• Full solutions to the exercises are presented in the Appendix

Focusing on physicochemical concepts that form the basis of understanding colloidal and interfacial phenomena rather than on experimental methods and techniques this book is an excellent primer for students and scientists interested in colloidal and interfacial phenomena, their mutual relations and connections, and the fascinating role they play in natural and man-made systems.

This is a book about how global unionism was born in the maritime shipping sector. It argues that the industrial structure of shipping, and specifically the interconnected nature of shipping production chains, facilitated the globalization of union bargaining strategy, and the transnationalization of union structures for mobilizing industrial action. This, in turn, led to global collective bargaining institutions and effective union participation in global regulatory politics. This study uses a variety of source and analytical techniques, relying heavily on interviews with union official and other maritime industry people in many countries.

Nanotechnology is about small things and medicine usually deals with bigger things - with patients and their diseases. The ultimate goal of all medical sciences is the healing of diseases whenever possible, otherwise the abatement of suffering. The first step of a successful medical treatment is the correct diagnosis of the disease or disease condition, based on clinical knowledge and experience and on diagnostic tools that give insight into macroscopic, microscopic, and biochemical properties of the disease process. Nanomaterials can improve currently available diagnostic applications in medicine and especially polymer-based nanostructures have an enormous potential to revolutionize the way how clinicians diagnose diseases correctly and efficiently. The second step when treating patients is a powerful and specific therapy that is low in side effects, that can prolong the survival of the patient or that can lower the burden of the disease. Again, polymer-based nanostructures are very promising novel tools that might change the way how certain diseases are being treated. This book combines both viewpoints and presents successful applications of nanotechnological constructs in medicine and the science behind the tools. Supramolecular nanometre-sized structures such as nanoparticles or vesicles built out of new synthetic polymeric materials have aroused enormous interest in recent years - both in chemical and pharmaceutical labs as well as in clinical medicine. They promise to be useful for novel or improved diagnostic and therapeutic applications for important diseases such as arteriosclerosis, cancer, infections, or autoimmune disorders. In the first part of this book, renowned researchers provide a detailed insight into both chemical and biological/pharmacological basics that have to be managed for successful applications of these nanostructures in human beings. In the second part, invited authors review the main literature in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications with polymer-based nanostructures that have already reached clinical practice or will enter it in the next few years. Key features include: -Multidisciplinary: The book is written by both clinicians from world-wide leading University Hospitals as well as researchers coming from natural sciences. Special effort was invested into comprehensibility across the traditional borders of medicine, pharmacology, and chemistry. -State-of-the-art: The book is filled with exciting contributions from some of the leading research groups in the field. This guarantees a clear emphasis on ongoing research and ground-breaking applications and projects -Structure: The book can be read from the beginning to the end, starting with basics that help to understand the current diagnostic and therapeutic applications of polymer-based nanostructures in medicine, ending with innovative multifunctional and "smart" nanostructures that might be the future of medicine. The way leads from solid foundations to nowadays applications and further to more futuristic approaches -References: The internationally renowned authors of the chapters have put great efforts into choosing only the most important and competitive papers for the reference lists. All major projects in this field are included - perfect for students or researchers that want to search the main literature thus avoiding the need to search through huge electronic databases

Multiple complex pathways, characterized by interrelated events and c- ditions, represent routes to many illnesses, diseases, and ultimately death. Although there are substantial data and plausibility arguments suppo- ing many conditions as contributory components of pathways to illness and disease end points, we have, historically, lacked an e?ective method- ogy for identifying the structure of the full pathways. Regression methods, with strong linearity assumptions and data-basedconstraints onthe extent and order of interaction terms, have traditionally been the strategies of choice for relating outcomes to potentially complex explanatory pathways. However, nonlinear relationships among candidate explanatory variables are a generic feature that must be dealt with in any characterization of how health outcomes come about. It is noteworthy that similar challenges arise from data analyses in Economics, Finance, Engineering, etc. Thus, the purpose of this book is to demonstrate the e?ectiveness of a relatively recently developed methodology-recursive partitioning-as a response to this challenge. We also compare and contrast what is learned via rec- sive partitioning with results obtained on the same data sets using more traditional methods. This serves to highlight exactly where-and for what kinds of questions-recursive partitioning-based strategies have a decisive advantage over classical regression techniques.

Most clinical laboratory tests utilize interstitial and extravascular such as blood, urine, cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), and saliva. For example, CSF is monitored in the context of cancer for both diagnostic and therapeutic reasons. And yet, our understanding of the makeup of interstitial fluids, their relationships to disease, as well as their commercial importance in therapeutics and diagnostics remains rudimentary. Although sometimes perceived as static, interstitial and extravascular fluids are surprisingly dynamic. More than half of serum albumin is in the extravascular space. These fluids move rapidly between the intravascular and extravascular spaces - one entire plasma volume is exchanged very nine hours. In the first half of the book, the authors cover fundamental concepts of interstitial fluids, including their composition and function. They then further review the mechanisms by which interstitial fluids are regulated, characterizing the importance of hyaluronan - a major constituent of interstitial spaces and an a component of synovial fluid; and, outlining the regulation of proteolysis in the interstitial space. In the second half of the book, the authors focus on the coagulation system. This system has been studied extensively in the context of vascular spaces. But many of its components exist in the interstitial spaces. Chapters are devoted to the fibrinolytic system, kallikrein, matrix metalloproteinases, coagulation factors, and protease inhibitors - all are interstitial. By covering a unique array of topics with broad application to biomedical scientists, this book expands our understanding of the importance of interstitial spaces and the fluids that move through and reside in this extravascular environment.

Nanotechnology and high-end characterization techniques have highlighted the importance of the material choice for the success of tissue engineering. A paradigm shift has been seen from conventional passive materials as scaffolds to smart multi-functional materials that can mimic the complex intracellular milieu more effectively. This book presents a detailed overview of the rationale involved in the choice of materials for regeneration of different tissues and the future directions in this fascinating area of materials science with specific chapters on regulatory challenges & ethics; tissue engineered medical products.

Informatics in Medical Imaging provides a comprehensive survey of the field of medical imaging informatics. In addition to radiology, it also addresses other specialties such as pathology, cardiology, dermatology, and surgery, which have adopted the use of digital images. The book discusses basic imaging informatics protocols, picture archiving and communication systems, and the electronic medical record. It details key instrumentation and data mining technologies used in medical imaging informatics as well as practical operational issues, such as procurement, maintenance, teleradiology, and ethics. Highlights Introduces the basic ideas of imaging informatics, the terms used, and how data are represented and transmitted Emphasizes the fundamental communication paradigms: HL7, DICOM, and IHE Describes information systems that are typically used within imaging departments: orders and result systems, acquisition systems, reporting systems, archives, and information-display systems Outlines the principal components of modern computing, networks, and storage systems Covers the technology and principles of display and acquisition detectors, and rounds out with a discussion of other key computer technologies Discusses procurement and maintenance issues; ethics and its relationship to government initiatives like HIPAA; and constructs beyond radiology The technologies of medical imaging and radiation therapy are so complex and computer-driven that it is difficult for physicians and technologists responsible for their clinical use to know exactly what is happening at the point of care. Medical physicists are best equipped to understand the technologies and their applications, and these individuals are assuming greater responsibilities in the clinical arena to ensure that intended care is delivered in a safe and effective manner. Built on a foundation of classic and cutting-edge research, Informatics in Medical Imaging supports and updates medical physicists functioning at the intersection of radiology and radiation.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to computational epidemiology, highlighting its major methodological paradigms throughout the development of the field while emphasizing the needs for a new paradigm shift in order to most effectively address the increasingly complex real-world challenges in disease control and prevention. Specifically, the book presents the basic concepts, related computational models, and tools that are useful for characterizing disease transmission dynamics with respect to a heterogeneous host population. In addition, it shows how to develop and apply computational methods to tackle the challenges involved in population-level intervention, such as prioritized vaccine allocation. A unique feature of this book is that its examination on the issues of vaccination decision-making is not confined only to the question of how to develop strategic policies on prioritized interventions, as it further approaches the issues from the perspective of individuals, offering a well integrated cost-benefit and social-influence account for voluntary vaccination decisions. One of the most important contributions of this book lies in it offers a blueprint on a novel methodological paradigm in epidemiology, namely, systems epidemiology, with detailed systems modeling principles, as well as practical steps and real-world examples, which can readily be applied in addressing future systems epidemiological challenges. The book is intended to serve as a reference book for researchers and practitioners in the fields of computer science and epidemiology. Together with the provided references on the key concepts, methods, and examples being introduced, the book can also readily be adopted as an introductory text for undergraduate and graduate courses in computational epidemiology as well as systems epidemiology, and as training materials for practitioners and field workers.

Although the use of new health technologies in healthcare and medicine is generally seen as beneficial, there has been little analysis of the impact of such technologies on people's lives and understandings of health and illness. This ground-breaking book explores how new technologies not only provide hope for cure and well-being, but also introduce new ethical dilemmas and raise questions about the 'natural' body. Focusing on the ways new health technologies intervene into our lives and affect our ideas about normalcy, the body and identity, Medical Technologies and the Life World explores: how new health technologies are understood by lay people and patients how the outcomes of these technologies are communicated in various clinical settings how these technologies can alter our notions of health and illness and create 'new illness'. Written by authors with differing backgrounds in phenomenology, social psychology, social anthropology, communication studies and the nursing sciences, this sensational text is essential reading for students and academics of medical sociology, health and allied studies, and anyone with an interest in new health technologies.

This dissertation examines the cultural and educational history of central Missouri between 1820 and 1860, and in particular, the issue of master-slave relationships and how they affected education (broadly defined as the transmission of Southern culture). Although Missouri had one of the lowest slave populations during the Antebellum period, Central Missouri - or what became known as Little Dixie - had slave percentages that rivaled many regions and counties of the Deep South. However, slaves and slave owners interacted on a regular basis, which affected cultural transmission in the areas of religion, work, and community. Generally, slave owners in Little Dixie showed a pattern of paternalism in all these areas, but the slaves did not always accept their masters' paternalism, and attempted to forge a life of their own.

This book introduces readers to the methods, types of data, and scale of analysis used in the context of health. The challenges of working with big data are explored throughout the book, while the benefits are also emphasized through the discoveries made possible by linking large datasets. Methods include thorough case studies from statistics, as well as the newest facets of data analytics: data visualization, modeling and simulation, and machine learning. The diversity of datasets is illustrated through chapters on networked data, image processing, and text, in addition to typical structured numerical datasets. While the methods, types of data, and scale have been individually covered elsewhere, by bringing them all together under one "umbrella" the book highlights synergies, while also helping scholars fluidly switch between tools as needed. New challenges and emerging frontiers are also discussed, helping scholars grasp how methods will need to change in response to the latest challenges in health.

Highly recommended by CHOICE, Oct 2018 Extremophiles are nature's ultimate survivors, thriving in environments ranging from the frozen Antarctic to abyssal hot hydrothermal vents. Their lifeforms span bacteria to fishes, and are categorized as halophiles from hypersaline environments, acidophiles from acidic waters, psychrophiles from cold habitats, and thermophiles from warm waters. Extremophiles: From Biology to Biotechnology comprehensively covers the basic biology, physiology, habitats, secondary metabolites for bioprospecting, and biotechnology of these extreme survivors. The chapters focus on the novel genetic and biochemical traits that lend these organisms to biotechnological applications. Couples studies of marine extremophile biology/genomics and extremophile culture for biotechnological applications with the latest advances in bio-prospecting and bio-product development Includes practical experiments that a laboratory can use to replicate extreme habitats for research purposes Presents latest advances in extremophile genomics to give the reader a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of extremophiles Offers insights into the production of commercially important extremozymes, carotenoids, bioactive compounds and secondary metabolites of medicinal value. This unique guide serves as a resource for biotechnologists who wish to explore extremophiles for their commercial potential, as well as a valuable reference for teaching undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students.

Fluorescence-based sensing is a significant technique used in prominent fields such as fluorescence-activated cell sorting, DNA sequencing, high-throughput screening, and clinical diagnostics. Fluorescence Sensors and Biosensors emphasizes the most recent developments and emerging technologies with the broadest impacts.

The text begins with the development of aptamers (oligoribonucleotides) and biorecognition techniques based on periplasmic binding proteins. The following chapters review the molecular beacon approach for DNA recognition, describe resonance energy transfer (FRET) in sensing, and present the use of carbonic anhydrase recognition platform for metal ion determination and imaging. The book explores the advantages of fluorophores, fluorescent labels, sensor and assay construction, metal-enhanced fluorescence, phosphorescent labels, and lab-on-a-chip applications. It also describes new anion-selective fluorescent probes used as analytes in clinical determinations.

The final chapters highlight the application of fluorescence sensing technology to several practical problems, such as the development of planar waveguide biosensors for clinical diagnostics and the adaptation of fluorescence-based sensing approaches for biochemical production by fermentation. The book also discusses the measurement of analytes, such as free zinc ions, at ultratrace levels in biological specimens. Written by internationally renowned authors in their fields, Fluorescence Sensors and Biosensors provides an up-to-date account of fluorescence-based sensors focused on practical applications in biotechnology, analytical chemistry, and biomedicine.

The microfluidic lab-on-a-chip allows scientists to conduct chemical and biochemical analysis in a miniaturized format so small that properties and effects are successfully enhanced, and processes seamlessly integrated. This microscale advantage translates into greater sensitivity, more accurate results, and better information. Microfluidic Lab-on-a-Chip for Chemical and Biological Analysis and Discovery focuses on all aspects of the microfluidic lab-on-a-chip technologies and offers an overview of the available technology, its limitations, and its breakthroughs over the years. It emphasizes analytical applications of microfluidic technology and offers in-depth coverage of micromachining methods, microfluidic operations, chemical separations, sample preparation and injection methods, detection technology, and various chemical and biological analyses. Other topics of interest include the use of polymeric chips, fluid flow valve and control, single-cell analysis, DNA and RNA amplification techniques, DNA hybridization, immunoassays and enzymatic assays. Originally conceived as a single chapter published in Ewing's Analytical Instrumentation, this book is a gateway to the vast literature and conference proceedings on the topic. Microfluidic Lab-on-a-Chip for Chemical and Biological Analysis and Discovery expands upon its roots to present a comprehensive treatment of microfluidic lab-on-a-chip methods and applications for novices and advanced researchers alike.

This scholarly set of well-harmonized volumes provides indispensable and complete coverage of the exciting and evolving subject of medical imaging systems. Leading experts on the international scene tackle the latest cutting-edge techniques and technologies in an in-depth but eminently clear and readable approach.Complementing and intersecting one another, each volume offers a comprehensive treatment of substantive importance to the subject areas. The chapters, in turn, address topics in a self-contained manner with authoritative introductions, useful summaries, and detailed reference lists. Extensively well-illustrated with figures throughout, the five volumes as a whole achieve a unique depth and breath of coverage.As a cohesive whole or independent of one another, the volumes may be acquired as a set or individually.

This scholarly set of well-harmonized volumes provides indispensable and complete coverage of the exciting and evolving subject of medical imaging systems. Leading experts on the international scene tackle the latest cutting-edge techniques and technologies in an in-depth but eminently clear and readable approach. Complementing and intersecting one another, each volume offers a comprehensive treatment of substantive importance to the subject areas. The chapters, in turn, address topics in a self-contained manner with authoritative introductions, useful summaries, and detailed reference lists. Extensively well-illustrated with figures throughout, the five volumes as a whole achieve a unique depth and breath of coverage. As a cohesive whole or independent of one another, the volumes may be acquired as a set or individually.

This scholarly set of well-harmonized volumes provides indispensable and complete coverage of the exciting and evolving subject of medical imaging systems. Leading experts on the international scene tackle the latest cutting-edge techniques and technologies in an in-depth but eminently clear and readable approach. Complementing and intersecting one another, each volume offers a comprehensive treatment of substantive importance to the subject areas. The chapters, in turn, address topics in a self-contained manner with authoritative introductions, useful summaries, and detailed reference lists. Extensively well-illustrated with figures throughout, the five volumes as a whole achieve a unique depth and breath of coverage. As a cohesive whole or independent of one another, the volumes may be acquired as a set or individually.

This scholarly set of well-harmonized volumes provides indispensable and complete coverage of the exciting and evolving subject of medical imaging systems. Leading experts on the international scene tackle the latest cutting-edge techniques and technologies in an in-depth but eminently clear and readable approach. Complementing and intersecting one another, each volume offers a comprehensive treatment of substantive importance to the subject areas. The chapters, in turn, address topics in a self-contained manner with authoritative introductions, useful summaries, and detailed reference lists. Extensively well-illustrated with figures throughout, the five volumes as a whole achieve a unique depth and breath of coverage. As a cohesive whole or independent of one another, the volumes may be acquired as a set or individually.

From the discovery of x-rays in 1895 through the emergence of computed tomography (CT) in the 1970s and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the 1980s, non-invasive imaging has revolutionized the practice of medicine. While these technologies have thoroughly penetrated clinical practice, scientists continue to develop novel approaches that promise to push imaging into entirely new clinical realms, while addressing the issues of dose, sensitivity, or specificity that limit existing imaging approaches. Emerging Imaging Technologies in Medicine surveys a number of emerging technologies that have the promise to find routine clinical use in the near- (less than five years), mid- (five to ten years) and long-term (more than ten years) time frames. Each chapter provides a detailed discussion of the associated physics and technology, and addresses improvements in terms of dose, sensitivity, and specificity, which are limitations of current imaging approaches. In particular, the book focuses on modalities with clinical potential rather than those likely to have an impact mainly in preclinical animal imaging. The last ten years have been a period of fervent creativity and progress in imaging technology, with improvements in computational power, nanofabrication, and laser and detector technology leading to major new developments in phase-contrast imaging, photoacoustic imaging, and optical imaging.

Polymers have emerged as one of the most innovative classes of materials in modern materials science, leading to new applications in medicine and pharmacy. This book offers a convincing and understandable approach to polymer biomaterial devices being used in various areas related to biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. The polymer materials finding application as biomaterials are discussed and described in detail pertaining to the areas of artificial implants, orthopedics, ocular devices, dental implants, drug delivery systems, burns and wounds.

The application of Biotechnology dates back to the early era of civilization, when people first started to cultivate food crops. While the early applications are certainly still relevant, modern biotechnology is primarily associated with molecular biology, cloning and genetic engineering not only to increase the yield and to improve the quality of the crop but also its potential impact has touched upon virtually all domains of human interactions. Within the last 50 years, several key scientific discoveries revolutionized the biological sciences that facilitated the rapid growth of the biotechnology industry. 'Biotechnology and Biological Sciences III' contains the contributions presented at the 3rd International Conference on Biotechnology and Biological Sciences (BIOSPECTRUM 2019, Kolkata, India, 8-10 August 2019). The papers discuss various aspects of Biotechnology such as: microbial biotechnology, bioinformatics and drug designing, innovations in pharmaceutical industries and food processing industries, bioremediation, nano-biotechnology, and molecular-genetics, and will be of interest to academics and professionals involved or interested in these subject areas.

Most people think that stroke victims end up looking like Frankenstein with a horrible facial expression and erratic movements. But, that is not the way it has to be. Today, it is possible for some stroke victims to make a full recovery. Gerry Purdy knows this because his wife, Alicia - a healthy, beautiful and smart person - suffered a stroke on August 23, 2011 and was able to return to her vivacious self. Our Stroke of Luck portrays the life they had together. Gerry and Alicia had dated in high school and got back together for their 45th high school reunion. Life was good. And then - Bam! - without warning Alicia suffered a stroke. Find out how Alicia's neurosurgeon was able to remove the clot from her brain that caused the stroke. Experience the tense ups and downs of that night-one moment seeming as though she might be paralyzed on her left side for the rest of her life and then the next seeing a flash of hope. Gerry and Alicia were lucky that the radiologist was able to identify the clot in her brain and lucky to get her transferred to the Marcus Stroke Center at Grady Hospital in Atlanta. They were lucky that Dr. Nogueira was able to extract the clot from Alicia's brain. And, finally, they were lucky that she was able to make a full recovery. Truly, this was their stroke of luck.