Technology is playing an increasing role in the lives of the elderly. One of the most prevalent developments for the aging population is the use of technological innovations for intervention and treatment of individuals with mental impairments. The Handbook of Research on Innovations in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia offers empirical research and theoretical analyses on the cognitive impairment of the aging. Featuring studies in gerotechnology, this book is an essential resource for researchers, students, and practitioners in the field of geriatrics who are interested in the emerging research, clinical practices, therapy, and technological innovations concerning the development and treatment of dementia.

This book explores how PPPM, clinical practice, and basic research could be best served by information technology (IT). A use-case was developed for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The subject was approached with four interrelated tasks: (1) review of clinical practices relating to HCC; (2) propose an IT system relating to HCC, including clinical decision support and research needs; (3) determine how a clinical liver cancer center can contribute; and, (4) examine the enhancements and impact that the first three tasks will have on the management of HCC. An IT System for Personalized Medicine (ITS-PM) for HCC will provide the means to identify and determine the relative value of the wide number of variables, including clinical assessment of the patient -- functional status, liver function, degree of cirrhosis, and comorbidities; tumor biology, at a molecular, genetic and anatomic level; tumor burden and individual patient response; medical and operative treatments and their outcomes.

There are more than 80 different sleep disorders including insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, hypersomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, and parasomnia. Good sleep is necessary for optimal health and can affect hormone levels and weight. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and biomedical signals and images can help in healthcare diagnostics that are related to these and other sleep disorders. Advancing the Investigation and Treatment of Sleep Disorders Using AI presents an overview of sleep disorders based on machine intelligence methods in order to learn and explore the latest advancements, developments, methods, systems, futuristic approaches, and algorithms towards sleep disorders and to address their challenges. This book also discusses recent and future advancements in various feature extraction techniques and machine learning methods. Covering topics such as biomedical signal processing, augmented reality for clinical investigation, and sleep disorder detection, this book is essential for sleep medicine practitioners, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, medical technologists, doctors, IT specialists, biomedical engineers, researchers, graduate students, and academicians.

"Kroll-Smith and Floyd have, with both clarity and sensitivity, provided considerable insight into an important arena of contemporary experience."
--"American Journal of Sociology"

"Elegantly written. . . . the book is built around the narratives of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) sufferers themselves. . . . Due to its relevant subject matter, its interdisciplinary approach, its readability, and its interesting theoretical arguments, "Bodies in Protest" should be appealing to a wide audience."
--"Organization and Environment"

"This engagingly written and thought-provoking book provides one of the first sustained sociological analyses of a baffling, controversial, and spectacular medical condition."
--"Social Forces"

Gulf War Syndrome: Is It a Real Disease? asks a recent headline in the "New York Times," This question--are certain diseases real?--lies at the heart of a simmering controversy in the United States, a debate that has raged, in different contexts, for centuries. In the early nineteenth century, the air of European cities, polluted by open sewers and industrial waste, was generally thought to be the source of infection and disease. Thus the term miasma--literally deathlike air--came into popular use, only to be later dismissed as medically unsound by Louis Pasteur.

While controversy has long swirled in the United States around such illnesses as chronic fatigue syndrome and Epstein-Barr virus, no disorder has been more aggressively contested than environmental illness, a disease whose symptoms are distinguished by an extreme, debilitating reaction to a seemingly ordinary environment. The environmentally ill range from those who have adverse reactionsto strong perfumes or colognes to others who are so sensitive to chemicals of any kind that they must retreat entirely from the modern world.

"Bodies in Protest" does not seek to answer the question of whether or not chemical sensitivity is physiological or psychological, rather, it reveals how ordinary people borrow the expert language of medicine to construct lay accounts of their misery. The environmentally ill are not only explaining their bodies to themselves, however, they are also influencing public policies and laws to accommodate the existence of these mysterious illnesses. They have created literally a new body that professional medicine refuses to acknowledge and one that is becoming a popular model for rethinking conventional boundaries between the safe and the dangerous.

Having interviewed dozens of the environmentally ill, the authors here recount how these people come to acknowledge and define their disease, and themselves, in a suddenly unlivable world that often stigmatizes them as psychologically unstable. "Bodies in Protest" is the dramatic story of human bodies that no longer behave in a manner modern medicine can predict and control.

This new book reviews the legal, ethical, risk management and safety issues facing today's radiological science professional. It discusses theories and their day-to-day application, guiding good decision making. Case studies and scenarios clearly illustrate concepts. Sample forms at the end of the text help readers prepare and draft forms, charts, procedures, and policies.Covers a full range of issues - decision making, malpractice, patients' rights, civil liability, record keeping, communication, education, and much more. Clarifies the importance of risk management and the need for developing a quality safety program to protect the patient, the practitioner, and the facility.Considers the practical applications of the Code of Ethics. Answers key questions about employment law.Presents specific plans for setting up education and evaluation programs. Includes sample forms for assessing competency. Provides an overview of the legal system and how it affects imaging and therapy.Offers two complete chapters that explain what and how to document. Includes sample forms for documentation and consent. Readers can simply review and adapt to their own health care settings.Features contributions by professionals with special expertise in law, risk management and education.

A detailed description of up-to-date methods used for computer processing and interpretation of medical images is given. The scope of the book include images acquisition, storing with compression, processing, analysis, recognition and also its automatic understanding In introduction general overview of the computer vision methods designed for medical images is presented. Next sources of medical images are presented with their general characteristics. Both traditional (like X-ray) and very modern (like PET) sources of medical images are presented. The main emphasis is placed on such properties of medical images given by particular medical imaging methods which are important form the point of view of its computer processing, analysis and recognition. The consecutive parts of the book describe compression and processing methods, including many methods developed by authors especially for medical images. After parts describing analysis and recognition of medical images come most important part, in which the new method of automatic understanding of medical images is given. This new method of image interpretation, described in previous works of the same authors with applications for simple 2D images now is generalized for 3D images and for complex medical images with many objects observed and with complicated relations between these objects.

In a unique way, the laboratory professionalist's knowledge about the molecular diagnostics of infectious diseases is connected with the clinician's practical experience. The increasing prevalence of infectious diseases makes correct diagnosis, ordering the right tests, quality control and correct interpretation of the results even more important. The possible pathogens are discussed in the second part according to the specific symptoms or to where the infection is located in the body.

Features:

* For clinicians and laboratory professionalists

* Up-to-date diagnostics of all infectious diseases

* Molecular diagnostics, diseases, choice of methods

* Specific pathogens in alphabetic order

* Tables and flow charts

This book provides a complete overview of all modalities used for hand and wrist imaging, along with a complete overview of the various disease entities that can be diagnosed. As a state-of-the-art overview of hand and wrist imaging it is a reference work for radiologists, hand surgeons, orthopedists, traumatologists, rheumatologists and internists and their residents in training. The chapters are written by experts in musculoskeletal radiology from various European countries and the USA.

This book introduces readers to the concept of 'frugal innovation' and describes novel low-cost technologies that aid in diagnosing infectious diseases. Rapidly deployable, portable, and affordable diagnostic tools have the potential to tremendously benefit populations in resource-limited settings and improve global health outcomes. Specifically, the book includes the following features: Cutting-Edge Research: Thorough coverage of scientific advances related to frugal bioengineering that have been developed within the last few years. A few examples of technologies covered in detail include low-cost paper-based and CD-based microfluidic diagnostic systems. Industry and Non-Profit Voices: Chapters written by scientists currently working in industry and philanthropic sectors.

This volume contains refereed papers submitted by participants of the third week of a six week workshop on Statistics in the Health Sciences held by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications in Minneapolis, Minnesota during July of 1997. This week was devoted to the closely related topics of Diagnosis and Prediction. Theoretical and applied statisticians from universities, medical and public health schools, government and private research institutions, and pharmaceutical companies involved in prediction problems in the life and social sciences and in diagnostic and screening tests were brought together to discuss and exchange new results and information on these important issues. A number of papers with applications were presented and especially lively discussions ensued involving the critical issues and difficulties in using and interpreting diagnostic tests and implementing mass screening programs. Both frequentist and Bayesian approaches were employed. The importance of predicting or controlling future events such as survival, comparative survival and survival post intervention for a disease or even for certain biological or natural events is growing rapidly. This area of concern was also represented by participants who presented work that devised predictive methodology for a variety of problems mainly from a Bayesian perspective.

Of the thousands of biomarkers that are currently being discovered, relatively few are being validated for further applications, and the potential of a biomarker can be quite difficult to evaluate. To aid in this imperative research, Dr. Kewal K. Jain's Handbook of Biomarkers thoroughly describes many different types of biomarkers and their discovery using various "-omics" technologies, such as proteomics and metabolomics, along with the background information needed for the evaluation of biomarkers as well as the essential procedures for their validation and use in clinical trials. With biomarkers described first according to technologies and then according to various diseases, this detailed book features the key correlations between diseases and classifications of biomarkers, which provides the reader with a guide to sort out current and future biomarkers.

Comprehensive and cutting-edge, The Handbook of Biomarkers serves as a vital guide to furthering our understanding of biomarkers, which, by facilitating the combination of therapeutics with diagnostics, promise to play an important role in the development of personalized medicine, one of the most important emerging trends in healthcare today.

This fourth edition volume expands on the previous editions by presenting readers with new and emerging methodologies in cytometry. The chapters in this book cover various topics such as quantifying surface and intracellular protein biomarkers, intracellular cytokine staining, apoptosis analysis, cell cycle analysis, tracking cell proliferation, and monitoring protein-protein interactions using FRET. Some developing methodologies that explored are mass cytometry, vesicle flow cytometry, time-resolved flow cytometry, and real-time label-free deformability cytometry. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Flow Cytometry Protocols, Fourth Edition researchers and scientists who are interested in continuing or expanding their knowledge of flow cytometry.

Written by a single author and authority in the field, "The Clinical Marker hCG" addresses several sensitive areas of clinical tests for the marker hCG: interpretation of results, different reference standards, application to pregnancy testing, early detection of hCG, differential of diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy, diagnostic potential in conjunction with ultrasound, use as a tumor marker, immunocytochemical applications, low-level hCG analysis, discordant results, and significance of subunits and their measurement. The evolution of hCG tests is thoroughly reviewed, with a clear description of the new generation immunoenzymetric tests and their advantages.

Leading academic and industrial investigators surveys the world of microarray technology, describing in step-by-step detail diverse DNA and protein assays in clinical laboratories using state-of-the-art technologies. The advanced tools and methods described are designed for mRNA expression analysis, SNP analysis, identification, and quantification of proteins, and for studies of protein-protein interactions. The protocols follow the successful Methods in Molecular Biology(TM) series format, each offering step-by-step laboratory instructions, an introduction outlining the principle behind the technique, lists of the necessary equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

A compendium of the latest published diagnostic criteria for a diverse group of neurological conditions. The criteria cover a wide spectrum of neurological conditions whose diagnosis does not depend solely on histopathology (e.g., brain tumors), including cerebrovascular diseases, dementias and behavioral disorders, demyelinating disorders, and disorders of consciousness and brain death. Standardized criteria are also provided for epilepsy, genetic syndromes, headache, immune-based disorders, infectious diseases, movement disorders, neuromuscular disorders, and sleep disorders. A dazzling array of tables summarizes useful information on both common and uncommon neurological conditions, including many genetic and pediatric neurological disorders. Innovative and authoritative, Diagnostic Criteria in Neurology begins to do for neurology what the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) did for psychiatry.

This book disseminates information on paper-based diagnostics devices and describes novel paper materials, fabrication techniques, and Basic Paper-based microfluidics/electronics theory. The section on sample preparation, paper-based electronics/sensors for developing paper-based point-of-care (POC) systems also contains detailed descriptions. In the application sections this book covers sensing technique for DNA/RNA, bacteria/virus and integration of lateral flow assay. The book provides deep understanding and knowledge of paper-based diagnostic device development in terms of concept, materials, fabrication and applications.

A detailed description of a new approach to perceptual analysis and processing of medical images is given. Instead of traditional pattern recognition a new method of image analysis is presented, based on a syntactic description of the shapes selected on the image and graph-grammar parsing algorithms. This method of "Image Understanding" can be found as a model of mans' cognitive image understanding processes. The usefulness for the automatic understanding of the merit of medical images is demonstrated as well as the ability for giving useful diagnostic descriptions of the illnesses. As an application, the production of a content-based, automatically generated index for arranging and for searching medical images in multimedia medical databases is presented.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is one of the most important molecular biological methods ever devised, with numerous applications to cli- cal molecular medicine. Since its description in 1985, PCR has undergone tremendous improvements, and many variations on the basic PCR theme have been published. With such a large volume of PCR-related literature, a clinical scientist wishing to use the technique will have a difficult task loc- ing the relevant information to implement it effectively. There is thus clearly a need for an up-to-date volume with detailed protocols to facilitate the setting up of those techniques most relevant to clinical applications. Unlike some other books on this topic, Clinical Applications of PCR includes only methods that are of direct relevance in clinical settings. The book is organized in three parts: an introductory section, a section on general methodology, and a final section with specific clinical applications. The first section covers the basic principles of PCR and is most useful to those new to molecular diagnosis. The next chapter includes useful tips for setting up a PCR laboratory. Section 2 then outlines some of the most commonly used PCR-based techniques in molecular diagnosis. Section 3 includes carefully chosen examples that represent typical applications of PCR in diverse clinical fields, encompassing hematology, oncology, genetics, and microbiology.

The enormous advances in molecular biology that have been witnessed in . Not recent years have had major impacts on many areas of the biological sciences least of these has been in the field of clinical bacteriology and infectious disease . Molecular Bacteriology: Protocols and ClinicalApplications aims to provide the reader with an insight into the role that molecular methodology has to play in modern medical bacteriology. The introductory chapter ofMolecular Bacteriology: ProtocolsandCli- cal Applications offers a personal overview by a Consultant Medical Microbio- gist of the impact and future potential offered by molecular methods. The next six chapters comprise detailed protocols for a range of such methods . We believe that the use of these protocols should allow the reader to establish the various methods described in his or her own laboratory. In selecting the methods to be included in this section, we have concentrated on those that, arguably, have greatest current relevance to reference clinical bacteriology laboratories; we have deliberately chosen not to give detailed protocols for certain methods, such as multilocus enzyme electrophoresis that, in our opinion, remain the preserve of specialist la- ratories and that are not currently suited for general use. We feel that the methods included in this section will find increasing use in diagnostic laboratories and that it is important that the concepts, advantages, and limitations of each are th- oughly understood by a wide range of workers in the field .

"The Physical Lincoln Complete" combines two groundbreaking books -- "The Physical Lincoln" and "The Physical Lincoln Sourcebook" -- into one handy volume. It is the ultimate guide to the startling health history of Abraham Lincoln and his family. The first book, "The Physical Lincoln," offers a solution to one of the most enduring mysteries in American history: What made Abraham Lincoln so tall, thin, and less than attractive? What gave him his long limbs, large feet, high voice, odd lips, sluggish bowels, and astonishing joint flexibility? The never-before-proposed solution points to Lincoln's DNA and the rare genetic disorder called MEN2B. In addition to producing Lincoln's remarkable body shape, MEN2B gave him a sad-looking face that, for more than 150 years, has been consistently misinterpreted as depression. It tragically took his mother and three of his sons at early ages (Eddie, Willie, and Tad), and it was killing Lincoln in his last years. "The Physical Lincoln" upends the myth of a physically vibrant President, showing that, had he not been shot, Lincoln would have died from advanced cancer in less than a year, the result of MEN2B. Written in clear, non-technical language for the general reader, and using more than 180 illustrations, "The Physical Lincoln" offers fundamental new insights into Lincoln, and is the perfect book to stimulate a young person's interest in science and medicine. The second book, "The Physical Lincoln Sourcebook," organizes more than 5900 fully-referenced historical facts and three family trees into the fullest possible medical record for Lincoln and his family members. Nine special topics explore major issues such as Lincoln's smallpox, his gait, hisshooting, the possibility that he had syphilis, and the innumerable medical complaints of Mary Lincoln, his wife. Heavily annotated throughout, with an extensive bibliography and an on-line full-text index of the main sections, "The Physical Lincoln Sourcebook" is the definitive, comprehensive reference to all facets of Lincoln's anatomy and physiology. Scholars, Lincoln presenters, and anyone truly wishing to understand Abraham Lincoln will find it indispensable. See www.physical-lincoln.com for more information.

Medical Image Databases covers the new technologies of biomedical imaging databases and their applications in clinical services, education, and research. Authors were selected because they are doing cutting-edge basic or technology work in relevant areas. This was done to infuse each chapter with ideas from people actively investigating and developing medical image databases rather than simply review the existing literature. The authors have analyzed the literature and have expanded on their own research. They have also addressed several common threads within their generic topics. These include system architecture, standards, information retrieval, data modeling, image visualizations, query languages, telematics, data mining, and decision supports. The new ideas and results reported in this volume suggest new and better ways to develop imaging databases and possibly lead us to the next information infrastructure in biomedicine. Medical Image Databases is suitable as a textbook for a graduate-level course on biomedical imaging or medical image databases, and as a reference for researchers and practitioners in industry.