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 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.

The journal Biomaterials was launched in 1980. The subject of biomaterials science was then in its infancy, being largely cofined to the study of the characteristics of materials used for medical devices. Twenty-five years on, we can truly say that biomaterials science has matured at an incredible rate and now represents a formidable sector that bridges the materials sciences, advanced medical therapies, and molecular and cell sciences. This Silver Jubilee Compendium consists of reprinted versions of the top 25 papers, published during these 25 years, as judged by an international panel of biomaterials scientists. This book is published as a landmark in biomaterials science and it is to be hoped that it will serve as a stimulus to young biomaterials scientists of the early twenty-first century for their pioneering work of the future.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

With the advent of sophisticated general programming environments like Mathematica, the task of developing new models of metabolism and visualizing their responses has become accessible to students of biochemistry and the life sciences in general. Modelling Metabolism with Mathematica presents the approaches, methods, tools, and algorithms for modelling the chemical-dynamics of metabolic pathways. The authors explain the concepts underpinning the deterministic theory of chemical and enzyme kinetics, present a graded series of computer models of metabolic pathways leading up to that of the human erythrocyte, and document a consistent set of rate equations and associated kinetic parameters.

The experimental and theoretical study of metabolism in mammalian cells has a long and fruitful history, but our understanding of cellular metabolism at the molecular level is far from complete. This book enables its readers to formulate their own models of time-dependent metabolic systems and aids them in the quest for the many fundamental and clinically relevant discoveries that remain to be made.

Autoradiography is the localization within a solid specimen of a radiolabel by placing the specimen against a layer of detector material. Many types of specimen can be studied, from whole organisms to ultra-this cryosections. Indeed, rather than being a single technique, autoradiography is a collection of methods with certain features in common. Between them, these techniques can supply information at the macroscopic, microscopic, and ultrastructural levels, and their use is important to biological scientists in a variety of research areas. In this handbook, the author provides a comprehensive overview of the major techniques of autoradiography. With the aid of numerous illustrations, the various methods are clearly described, and the information which they can provide is discussed. Suggestions for further reading are provided at the end of most chapters. The student involved in biological or biomedical research will find this an invaluable introduction to the theory and techniques of autoradiography, and a clear guide to choosing the correct approach for his or her particular application. It will also be of interest to more experienced researchers, who are already familiar with one particular method, and wish to broaden their approach to another level.

Bringing together the concepts of design control and reliability engineering, this book is a must for medical device manufacturers. It helps them meet the challenge of designing and developing products that meet or exceed customer expectations and also meet regulatory requirements. Part One covers motivation for design control and validation, design control requirements, process validation and design transfer, quality system for design control, and measuring design control program effectiveness. Part Two discusses risk analysis and FMEA, designing-in reliability, reliability and design verification, and reliability and design validation.

Contents:
Introduction 1. Health and the Net - an Overview 2. Getting Online 3. The World Wide Web 4. Finding Health Information on the Internet 5. Communicating with Other Health Professionals by E-Mail 6. Joining Health Discussion Groups, Mailing Lists Etc. 7. The Gateway to Free Health and Medical Resources 8. Publishing on the World Wide Web 9. Online Help with your Health Studies and Job Search Questions and Answers Appendices Worksheets

This book seeks to promote the exploitation of data science in healthcare systems. The focus is on advancing the automated analytical methods used to extract new knowledge from data for healthcare applications. To do so, the book draws on several interrelated disciplines, including machine learning, big data analytics, statistics, pattern recognition, computer vision, and Semantic Web technologies, and focuses on their direct application to healthcare. Building on three tutorial-like chapters on data science in healthcare, the following eleven chapters highlight success stories on the application of data science in healthcare, where data science and artificial intelligence technologies have proven to be very promising. This book is primarily intended for data scientists involved in the healthcare or medical sector. By reading this book, they will gain essential insights into the modern data science technologies needed to advance innovation for both healthcare businesses and patients. A basic grasp of data science is recommended in order to fully benefit from this book.

A volume in the Principles and Applications in Engineering series, Clinical Engineering focuses on managing the deployment of medical technology and integrating it appropriately with desired clinical practices. It provides a description of the wide range of responsibilities clinical engineers encounter, describes technology management and assessment in detail, and reviews the standards and regulatory agencies of interest. Then the book details various biomedical sensors, considering both biologic and electronic factors in sensor performance. Finally, the book covers bioinstrumentation, addressing traditional topics and recently developed instruments and devices such as pulse oximeters and home-care monitoring devices.

Challenged by stringent regulations, vigorous competition, and liability lawsuits, medical device manufactures must develop safe, reliable, and cost-effective products, and managing and reducing risk is a vital element of reaching that goal. These guidelines focus on Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and its application throughout the life cycle of a medical device. It outlines the major U.S. and E.U. standards and regulations and provides a detailed yet easy-to-read overview of risk management and risk analysis methodologies, common FMEA pitfalls, and FMECA-Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis.

Guidelines for Failure Modes and Effects Analysis for Medical Devices is written as a practical guide to achieving corporate consistency while dramatically cutting the time required for studies. It will help you prevent patient injuries, costly product recalls, and production department down-time.

Discover how the FMEA methodology can help your company achieve a more cost-effective manufacturing process by improving the quality and reliability of your products. This new FMEA manual from the experts at Dyadem is the ultimate resource for you and your colleagues to learn more about Failure Modes and Effects Analysis and then teach others at your facility. This comprehensive manual is sure to become a standard reference for engineering professionals.

Implants into the human body, such as hip joints, heart valves and dental crowns, have been increasingly used over the last 40 years or so, and many patients have benefited from their use. But how much is known about the metals, ceramics and polymers that are used in these repairs? This book provides a state-of-the-art account of the chemistry of the synthetic materials used in medicine and dentistry. It looks at the properties and interactions of these materials within the body at a molecular level, and includes discussion of bioengineering and cell biology. In addition, there is an account of the surgical procedures used, as well as extensive coverage of the possible biological reactions to the presence of foreign materials in the body. A brief look at the emerging field of tissue engineering completes the text. Fully referenced, with detailed reviews of the current literature, The Chemistry of Medical and Dental Materials will be an essential starting-point for all those in academia and industry who are involved in the development of new and improved repair materials.

Hydrogels are networks of polymer chains which can produce a colloidal gel containing over 99 per cent water. The superabsorbency and permeability of naturally occurring and synthetic hydrogels give this class of materials an amazing array of uses. These uses range from wound dressings and skin grafts to oxygen-permeable contact lenses to biodegradable delivery systems for drugs or pesticides and scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Biomedical Applications of Hydrogels Handbook provides a comprehensive description of this diverse class of materials, covering both synthesis and properties and a broad range of research and commercial applications. The Handbook is divided into four sections: Stimuli-Sensitive Hydrogels, Hydrogels for Drug Delivery, Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering, and Hydrogels with Unique Properties.

Key Features:

• Provides comprehensive coverage of the basic science and applications of a diverse class of materials
• Includes both naturally occurring and synthetic hydrogels
• Edited and written by world leaders in the field.

The entire scope of the BioMEMS field-at your fingertipsHelping to educate the new generation of engineers and biologists, Introduction to BioMEMS explains how certain problems in biology and medicine benefit from and often require the miniaturization of devices. The book covers the whole breadth of this dynamic field, including classical microfabrication, microfluidics, tissue engineering, cell-based and noncell-based devices, and implantable systems. It focuses on high-impact, creative work encompassing all the scales of life-from biomolecules to cells, tissues, and organisms. Brilliant color presentationAvoiding the overwhelming details found in many engineering and physics texts, this groundbreaking book-in color throughout-includes only the most essential formulas as well as many noncalculation-based exercises. Important terms are highlighted in bold and defined in a glossary. The text contains more than 400 color figures, most of which are from the original researchers. Coverage of both historical perspectives and the latest developmentsDeveloped from the author's long-running course, this classroom-tested text gives readers a vivid picture of how the field has grown by presenting historical perspectives and a timeline of seminal discoveries. It also describes numerous state-of-the-art biomedical applications that benefit from "going small," including devices that record the electrical activity of brain cells, measure the diffusion of molecules in microfluidic channels, and allow for high-throughput studies of gene expression.

Broadly tunable lasers continue to have a tremendous impact in many and diverse fields of science and technology. From a renaissance in laser spectroscopy to Bose-Einstein condensation, the one nexus is the tunable laser. Tunable Laser Applications describes the physics and architectures of widely applied tunable laser sources. Fully updated and expanded to address important advances in the science and technology, this Third Edition: Contains new chapters on tunable laser microscopy and tunable laser atomic vapor laser isotope separation Offers extended coverage of optical parametric oscillators and their application to atmospheric sensing, biomedicine, defense counter measures, microscopy, and spectroscopy Discusses exciting new applications in astronomy, defense R&D, medicine, and more Featuring fresh contributions from internationally recognized experts-including 100+ new pages and extensive reference listings-Tunable Laser Applications, Third Edition provides a timely account of the most promising tunable laser applications to date.