Proper nutrition is the single most important component of preventative health care. Heart disease, diabetes, and other ailments are all linked to dietary habits. Accurate nutritional assessment can be a matter of life or death.
Laboratory Tests for the Assessment of Nutritional Status explores the expanded number of nutrients that can now be evaluated. The author makes a compelling case for the practice and advancement of this critical health care tool. Nutritional assessment identifies undernutrition, overnutrition, specific nutrition deficiencies, and imbalances. Diligent assessment determines the appropriate nutrition intervention and monitors its effects.
This book is a total revision of the 1974 version of the same title co -authored by Sauberlich. Since then, remarkable progress has been made on the methodologies applicable to nutrition status assessment and to the expanded number of nutrients that can be evaluated, especially trace elements. The introduction of high-performance liquid chromatography, amperometric detectors, and other technologies has advanced nutritional assessment by leaps and bounds. Today, nutritionists can gauge the value of microminerals, trace elements, and ultratrace elements. Sauberlich's revision updates the reader to the latest and most important trends in nutrition. These laboratory methods for the assessment of nutritional status are vital for identifying individuals as well as populations with nutritional risks.

The French physiologist Claude Bernard was responisble for investigating the chemical phenomena of digestion. This text reproduces his research into experimental medicine. A new introduction looks at his impact on the world of medicine.

The human pancreas consists of two organs in one: the exocrine gland made up of pancreatic acinar cells and duct cells that produce digestive enzymes and sodium bicarbonate, respectively; the endocrine gland made up of four islet cells, namely alpha-, beta-, delta- and PP-cells that produce glucagon, insulin, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide, respectively. While the physiological role of exocrine p- creas is to secrete digestive enzyme responsible for our normal digestion, absorption and assimilation of nutrients, the endocrine pancreas is to secrete islet peptide h- mones maintaining our glucose homeostasis. The pancreatic functions are nely regulated by neurocrine, endocrine, paracrine and/or intracrine mechanisms. Thus, dysregulation of these pathways should have signi cant impacts on our health and disease. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms by which pancreatic functions are regulated remain poorly understood. Recent basic science and clinical studies con rm myriad physiological and pathophysiological roles of the tissue renin-angiotensin systems (RAS). Of parti- lar interest is the recent identi cation of a local and functional RAS in the pancreas, which in uences both its exocrine and endocrine function. Its role in the pat- genesis of pancreatic diseases including diabetes and pancreatitis is increasingly recognized, as is the therapeutic potential of RAS antagonism: RAS blockade l- its disease progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance, and may also protect against pancreatic in ammation.

A rapid development in diverse areas of molecular biology and genetic engineering resulted in emergence of variety of tools. These tools are not only applicable to basic researches being carried out world over, but also exploited for precise detection of abnormal conditions in plants, animals and human body. Although a basic researcher is well versed with few techniques used by him/her in the laboratory, they may not be well acquainted with methodologies, which can be used to work out some of their own research problems. The picture is more blurred when the molecular diagnostic tools are to be used by physicians, scientists and technicians working in diagnostic laboratories in hospitals, industry and academic institutions. Since many of them are not trained in basics of these methods, they come across several gray areas in understanding of these tools. The accurate application of molecular diagnostic tools demands in depth understanding of the methodology for precise detection of the abnormal condition of living body. To meet the requirements of a good book on molecular diagnostics of students, physicians, scientists working in agricultural, veterinary, medical and pharmaceutical sciences, it needs to expose the reader lucidly to: Give basic science behind commonly used tools in diagnostics Expose the readers to detailed applications of these tools and Make them aware the availability of such diagnostic tools The book will attract additional audience of pathologists, medical microbiologists, pharmaceutical sciences, agricultural scientists and veterinary doctors if the following topics are incorporated at appropriate places in Unit II or separately as a part of Unit-III in the book. Molecular diagnosis of diseases in agricultural crops Molecular diagnosis of veterinary diseases. Molecular epidemiology, which helps to differentiate various epidemic strains and sources of disease outbreaks. Even in different units of the same hospital, the infections could be by different strains of the same species and the information becomes valuable for infection control strategies. Drug resistance is a growing problem for bacterial, fungal and parasitic microbes and the molecular biology tools can help to detect the drug resistance genes without the cultivation and in vitro sensitivity testing. Molecular diagnostics offers faster help in the selection of the proper antibiotic for the treatment of tuberculosis, which is a major problem of the in the developing world. The conventional culture and drug sensitivity testing of tuberculosis bacilli is laborious and time consuming, whereas molecular diagnosis offers rapid drug resistant gene detection even from direct clinical samples. The same approach for HIV, malaria and many more diseases needs to be considered. Molecular diagnostics in the detection of diseases during foetal life is an upcoming area in the foetal medicine in case of genetic abnormalities and infectious like TORCH complex etc. The book will be equally useful to students, scientists and professionals working in the field of molecular diagnostics.

Subcellular: Response-Field Dynamics in the Auditory Pathway; D.A. Depireux, et al. Rapid Categorization of Extrafoveal Natural Images: Implications for Biological Models;M. Fabre-Thorpe, et al. Cortical Activity Pattern in Complex Tasks; F. Frisone, et al. Cellular: Resolving the Paradoxical Effect of Activity on Synapse Elimination; M.J. Barber, J.W. Lichtman. Cellular Mechanisms of Calcium Elevation Involved in Long Term Memory; K.T. Blackwell, et al. Temporal Characteristics of V1 Cells Arising from Synaptic Depression; F.S. Chance, et al. Network: An Oscillating Cortical Network Model of Sensory-Motor Timing and Coordination; B. Baird. Pattern-Generator-Driven Development in Self-Organizing Models; J.A. Bednar, R. Miikkulainen. Systems: Finite Element Decomposition of Human Neocortex; D.A. Batte, et al. Path Integration in the Rat Head-Direction Circuit; H.T. Blair, et al. Methodology: The Paperless Laboratory: An Integrated Environment for Data Acquisition, Analysis, Archiving, and Collaboration; T.D. Coates, Jr. The Qualitative Reasoning Neuron: A New Approach to Modeling in Computational Neuroscience; J.L. Krichmar, et al. 93 Additional Articles. Index.

Signaling by calcium ions is an important regulator of muscle contraction, nerve impulses, fertilization, and numerous other cellular processes. This book explores the experimental techniques used to monitor movement of calcium ions into/out of cells and between subcellular compartments, as well as analyse its effects on the intracellular targets that mediate its effects.

Measurement of Cardiac Function presents detailed descriptions of how to set up and use several classical cardiac preparations from scratch. The preparations include whole heart, atrial, ventricular, and papillary muscles and in vivo small animal preparations. Methods for monitoring contraction and contractility are fully described. Flow charts and step-by-step instructions make it easy to understand, even for the first time investigator.
This book examines the most widely used tools in experimental cardiology and provides you with the recipe-setting up the technique, procurement of equipment, sample data and calculations, problems and trouble shooting, adapting to other species, modifications, and applicability. Undoubtedly, this text will be a great asset to cardiovascular physiologists, pharmacologists, experimental cardiologists, and students of physiology and pharmacology.

This book draws together important facts, in particular areas of vascular biology, and allows the generation of hypotheses and principles that unite an area and define newer horizons. It is designed for scientists and physicians interested in immunology, inflammation and cardiovascular diseases.

This book summarizes present knowledge of different mechanisms involved in the development of positive and negative consequences of cardiac adaptation. Particular attention is paid to the still underestimated adaptive cardiac responses during development, to adaptation to the frequently occurring pressure and volume overload as well as to cardiac changes, induced by enduring exercise and chronic hypoxia. "Cardiac Adaptations" will be of great value to cardiovascular investigators, who will find this book highly useful in their cardiovascular studies for finding solutions in diverse pathological conditions; it will also appeal to students, fellows, scientists, and clinicians interested in cardiovascular abnormalities."

This book bridges the gap between a clinician's and material scientists' knowledge by elucidating upon the different biomaterials used in anatomical systems and how those materials react to the human body. It explores both established and future prospective of biomaterial types/designs, and considerations in material selection and synthesis, to guide students from non-clinical background in understanding the relations of material science and the human body.

The rapidly evolving field of protein science has now come to realize the ubiquity and importance of protein-protein interactions. It had been known for some time that proteins may interact with each other to form functional complexes, but it was thought to be the property of only a handful of key proteins. However, with the advent of high throughput proteomics to monitor protein-protein interactions at an organism level, we can now safely state that protein-protein interactions are the norm and not the exception. Thus, protein function must be understood in the larger context of the various binding complexes that each protein may form with interacting partners at a given time in the life cycle of a cell. Proteins are now seen as forming sophisticated interaction networks subject to remarkable regulation. The study of these interaction networks and regulatory mechanism, which I would like to term "systems proteomics," is one of the thriving fields of proteomics.

The bird-eye view that systems proteomics offers should not however mask the fact that proteins are each characterized by a unique set of physical and chemical properties. In other words, no protein looks and behaves like another. This complicates enormously the design of high-throughput proteomics methods. Unlike genes, which, by and large, display similar physico-chemical behaviors and thus can be easily used in a high throughput mode, proteins are not easily amenable to the same treatment. It is thus important to remind researchers active in the proteomics field the fundamental basis of protein chemistry. This book attempts to bridge the two extreme ends of protein science: on one end, systems proteomics, whichdescribes, at a system level, the intricate connection network that proteins form in a cell, and on the other end, protein chemistry and biophysics, which describe the molecular properties of individual proteins and the structural and thermodynamic basis of their interactions within the network.

Bridging the two ends of the spectrum is bioinformatics and computational chemistry. Large data sets created by systems proteomics need to be mined for meaningful information, methods need to be designed and implemented to improve experimental designs, extract signal over noise, and reject artifacts, and predictive methods need to be worked out and put to the test. Computational chemistry faces similar challenges. The prediction of binding thermodynamics of protein-protein interaction is still in its infancy. Proteins are large objects, and simplifying assumptions and shortcuts still need to be applied to make simulations manageable, and this despite exponential progress in computer technology.

Finally, the study of proteins impacts directly on human health. It is an obvious statement to say that, for decades, enzymes, receptors, and key regulator proteins have been targeted for drug discovery. However, a recent and exciting development is the exploitation of our knowledge of protein-protein interaction for the design of new pharmaceuticals. This presents particular challenges because protein-protein interfaces are generally shallow and interactions are weak. However, progress is clearly being made and the book seeks to provide examples of successes in this area.

The genome's been mapped.
But what does it mean?

Arguably the most significant scientific discovery of the new century, the mapping of the twenty-three pairs of chromosomes that make up the human genome raises almost as many questions as it answers. Questions that will profoundly impact the way we think about disease, about longevity, and about free will. Questions that will affect the rest of your life.

"Genome" offers extraordinary insight into the ramifications of this incredible breakthrough. By picking one newly discovered gene from each pair of chromosomes and telling its story, Matt Ridley recounts the history of our species and its ancestors from the dawn of life to the brink of future medicine. From Huntington's disease to cancer, from the applications of gene therapy to the horrors of eugenics, Matt Ridley probes the scientific, philosophical, and moral issues arising as a result of the mapping of the genome. It will help you understand what this scientific milestone means for you, for your children, and for humankind.

This volume, based on the International Congress Creatine: From Basic Science to Clinical Application, held in Milan on June 4, 1999, outlines the physiological role of creatine in the human body as well as its possible role in different pathological conditions. Creatine is already used as a dietary supplement to augment muscle performance in healthy individuals and inpatients with immobilizing diseases, such as complex fractures. There is also an increasing interest in its administration in a growing number of clinical conditions. A specific deficit of endogenous synthesis of creatine which responds to high dosage exogenous supplementation has been described. In cardiac failure and in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, creatine improves the contractility of the muscular system. Promising effects of this substance have also been described in animal models of neurodegenerative disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and in some mitochondrial cytopathies. This volume is of obvious interest to basic scientists working on the physiology of creatine and to clinicians interested in its medical indications.

Skin bioengineering is an expanding field of investigative and clinical dermatology. This guide describes all commercially available techniques and instruments. It provides a thorough overview of methods for noninvasive investigation of skin function. Commercially available instruments are reviewed and compared, with updated references given for each instrument. This book offers a technical analysis of each instrument, allowing investigators to understand its biophysical principles and to make better purchases of lab instruments. Addresses of manufacturers and worldwide distributors are included, making this an essential reference source.
Chapters are written by international experts. Topics include transepidermal water loss, hydration, the measurement of skin blood flow in Laser-Doppler flowetry, sebum, pH and ions, and transcutaneous pO2 and pO2 measurements. Skin color, roughness, and elasticity are examined in detail. Skin imaging techniques, capillaroscopy, and fluorescence videomicroscopy are described. Instruments for surface microscopy of the skin are also discussed.
Bioengineering of the Skin explains state-of-the-art techniques and is valuable reading for anyone who needs to stay abreast of the latest activities in this ever-changing field.

This handbook presents the most current information on the effects of ionizing radiation on mammalian cells, with emphasis on human tissues. The dose-effect relationship is emphasized in a quantitative manner. The book contains up-to-date data on the late effects of low levels of radiation on humans. It also provides some of the late consequences of radiation therapy detected among cancer survivors.

From the reviews of the first edition

The Atlas of the Human Hypothalamus presents for the first time a detailed view of the cyto- and myeloarchitecture of the human hypothalamus. Providing high-resolution images of consecutive coronal sections, this book illustrates the brain area that is responsible for maintaining the homeostasis of the body by direct neuronal projections as well as by linking the central nervous system to the endocrine system. The primary goal of this atlas is to provide detailed morphological understanding of the hypothalamic structures that control numerous vital functions as well as to provide a tool to target hypothalamic areas during deep brain stimulation.

Image-Based Computational Modeling of the Human Circulatory and Pulmonary Systems provides an overview of the current modeling methods and applications enhancing interventional treatments and computer-aided surgery. A detailed description of the techniques behind image acquisition, processing and three-dimensional reconstruction are included. Techniques for the computational simulation of solid and fluid mechanics and structure interaction are also discussed, in addition to various cardiovascular and pulmonary applications. Engineers and researchers involved with image processing and computational modeling of human organ systems will find this a valuable reference.

The impaired brain has often been difficult to rehabilitate owing to limited knowledge of the brain system. Recently, advanced imaging techniques such as fMRI and MEG have allowed researchers to investigate spatiotemporal dynamics in the living human brain. Consequently, knowledge in systems neuroscience is now rapidly growing. Advanced techniques have found practical application by providing new prosthetics, such as brain-machine interfaces, expanding the range of activities of persons with disabilities, or the elderly. The book's chapters are authored by researchers from various research fields such as systems neuroscience, rehabilitation, neurology, psychology and engineering. The book explores the latest advancements in neurorehabilitation, plasticity and brain-machine interfaces among others and constitutes a solid foundation for researchers who aim to contribute to the science of brain function disabilities and ultimately to the well-being of patients and the elderly worldwide.

Written by the authority on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and an HCM patient, and fully endorsed by the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (HCMA), the leading advocacy and support organization, the 3rd Edition of this best-selling guide offers unparalleled insight into all aspects of living with and treating HCM.

Accessible and practical, A Guide to Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy For Patients, Their Families and Interested Physicians 3rd Edition: Answers the most pressing questions posed by patients, their families, and non-specialistshealth professionals involved in their careCovers everything from what is HCM and initial diagnosis of this increasingly prevalentcondition to the latest treatment optionsReflects the first-ever HCM guidelines published by the American Heart Association in 2011

Eighteen contributions consider various aspects of pulmonary vascular control and the pulmonary vasculature's response to injury and disease. They discuss recent advances in molecular biology to cell proliferation, interactions between the endothelium and smooth muscle, and the etiologies of various

: The second edition of this atlas has been revised and greatly en-larged to take account of recent diagnostic advances in the field of haematology. It contains 750 color photomicrographs of common and less common cell types, and is intended to supplement the per-sonal study of preparations under the microscope.: The photographs are grouped into five sections covering red cells and their precursors; nonerythroid cells of myeloid origin; lympho-cytes, plasma cells and their derivatives and precursors; miscella-neous cells of blood and marrow, including foreign cells and para-sites; and the imprint cytology of lymph nodes and spleen. Each section is preceded by a brief introduction, and an appendix pro-vides technical details of staining methods. The text accompanying the illustrations serves chiefly to identify the cells, but also gives explanations of certain unusual appearances and the cytochemical reactions where necessary.: A Colour Atlas of Haematological Cytology will be useful to students of medicine and medical laboratory science, as well as to doctors and technicians specializing in the diagnosis of haematological dis-ease.

Our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that control skeletal muscle development, regeneration, and adaptive responses to activity has increased dramatically in recent years, fostered by innovative techniques and approaches that are either specifically designed or adapted for research in skeletal muscle biology. Myogenesis: Methods and Protocols presents detailed, step-by-step methods in the study of the molecular and cellular biology of skeletal muscle cells. Protocols from different model systems including mammalian, avian, zebrafish, and invertebrate skeletal muscle are included in this volume. Highlighted topics cover a wide range of interests and expertise including myogenic and stem cell isolation, investigation of models of exercise and disuse, viral vector delivery systems, calcium imaging, cell profiling, as well as protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Comprehensive and authoritative, Myogenesis: Methods and Protocols serves as an invaluable, state-of-the-art resource for experienced and emerging scientists in basic research as well as clinical and regenerative medicine.

Experts in neuropsychology examine key issues in research involving the frontal lobes.