The New England Journal of Medicine lauds Dr. W. Grant Thompson as "a gifted teacher and clinician with a talent for clear exposition". In the spirit of the highly acclaimed Gut Reactions, Dr. Thompson shares his expertise on how to cope with two widespread and debilitating diseases - colitis and Crohn's disease. These two chronic, nonfatal yet devastating ailments typically strike the young and may develop into a lifetime burden. Most patients are traumatized by their diagnosis and become frustrated and depressed by the recurring nature of these illnesses. As a result, caring and open communication between patient and doctor is essential. Perhaps more so than a physician in any other specialty, a gastroenterologist must be in tune with the mind and body of his patient. Dr. Thompson, an international expert and chief of a hospital gastroenterology unit, epitomizes this valuable quality and bestows the fruit of his knowledge and compassion on the reader. In addition to highlighting the significant similarities and differences of these two syndromes and stressing the importance of a correct diagnosis, Dr. Thompson broaches more sensitive topics that seem to be ignored by the medical profession. He explores the unique psychosocial and sexual concerns, as well as the effects of pregnancy on those women who suffer from these conditions. His gift for writing and warm, caring style make the daily struggles of these illnesses seem easier to bear. One of the worst consequences of these stubborn ailments is the accompanying reduction in the quality of life. Dr. Thompson addresses common worries about body image due to illness or surgery, loss of sexual drive or ability to perform, pain andsuffering, possible effects of medication, and concern over the ominous relationship between ulcerative colitis and cancer. In accessible and supportive prose, Dr. Thompson examines the pros and cons of all possible treatments including drug therapy, nutrition, and surgery. He outlines latest theories, attempting to pinpoint the still mysterious causes of these disorders. Take control of your disease under the authoritative guidance of Dr. Thompson and his dedicated, sensible approach. You will gain a new perspective on your "angry gut" and find the courage to thrive.

Understanding how digestive organs develop, their physiology and structure is important for determining new therapies to combat diseases of the digestive organs. This volume reviews the latest research and developments in this field.

* Discusses new discoveries, approaches, and ideas * Contributions from leading scholars and industry experts * Reference guide for researchers involved in molecular biology and related fields

In Right Hemisphere Stroke, Fred Johnson describes in vivid prose the onset of his devastating stroke and the obstacles he overcame during his therapy, giving a patient's view of a first-class rehabilitation institute. Johnson pays particular attention to the personality changes and the problems of disorientation he experienced. He poignantly captures the bewilderment and terror so often felt by stroke patients in the hospital and upon returning home. In telling his story, Johnson provides valuable insights about the effects of stroke and, along the way, calls into question some traditionally held conclusions about the functions of the brain's right hemisphere. The book is important in other ways. As Dr. John Gilroy states in his foreword, Fred Johnson's account moves us to realize that a "stroke affects the brain as a whole, and patients should be treated for brain dysfunction, not hemisphere deficits." Moreover, for Gilroy the book underscores the need for better communication with the patient. With most diseases, health care professionals freely discuss present or anticipated problems with patients and family. In cases of stroke, however, there is a great deal of resistance to sharing the complex problems that arise. Fred Johnson's book is valuable, then, not only as a testament to the courage and determination of one man but also for the lessons it provides for medical students and health care professionals.

DNA and RNA fractions can be isolated from a variety of body fluids including whole blood, serum, plasma, urine, saliva and cerebrospinal fluid from both patients and healthy individuals. Such isolates can be exploited in the early detection of clinical disorders, stratification of patients for treatment, treatment monitoring and clinical follow-up.In addition, the use in fetal medicine allows the early detection of fetal sex, Rh factor and aneuploid disorders as well as following both fetal and premature born infant development. This volume is intended as a primer for those who are interested in entering the field of circulating nucleic acids.

The areas covered in this volume include:

. Background and general biology of circulating nucleic acids

. Methodology

. Applications of circulating nucleic acids

. Quality Assurance

. Ethics"

This issue, guest edited by Alimuddin Zumla and H. Simon Schaaf, focuses on the topic of Tuberculosis. Articles include: Global Burden and Epidemiology of Tuberculosis; Multidrug-Resistant and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in the West. Europe and the United States: Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Control; Multidrug- and Extensively Drug-resistant Tuberculosis in Africa and South America: Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Management in Adults and Children; Antiretroviral Therapy for Control of the HIV-associated Tuberculosis Epidemic in Resource-Limited Settings; Novel and Improved Technologies for Tuberculosis Diagnosis: Progress and Challenges; Advances in Imaging Chest Tuberculosis: Blurring of Differences Between Children and Adults; Update on Tuberculosis of the Central Nervous System: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment; Advances in Immunotherapy for Tuberculosis Treatment, and more!

This book, together with its companion volume Pathogenic Fungi: Structural Biology and Taxonomy, brings together expert international authors who critically review current topics, and through the provision of extensive reference sections positively encourage readers to pursue the subject in greater detail. The book is divided into two sections: Fungal Interactions with the Host and Antifungal Antibiotics. The emphasis of the first section is focused on the two-way recognition systems that exist between the host and the fungus. Experts in fungal-host interactions discuss new initiatives for alternatives to drug therapy through the development of vaccines and passive antibody therapy. In the Antifungal Antibiotics section, new target development, molecular modeling, and drug resistance, both at the individual organism level, and in a biofilm, are featured.

Since Bailey and Cushing (1926), all brain tumor classifications have been called histogenetic. The nosographic position that the tumor types progressively acquired in the classification systems derived from the resemblance of tumor cells to those of the cytogenesis, modified whenever new information became available from different biological research fields and especially from molecular genetics. Classically, on the basis of the rough correspondence between the mature/immature aspect of tumor cells and the benign/malignant biological behavior of the tumors, the histological labels contained a prognostic significance. The supposed origin of the tumors was thus a factor for prognosis. Later on, with the concept of anaplasia (Cox, 1933; Kernohan et al., 1949) new criteria were introduced for establishing the malignancy grades of tumors. Immunohistochemistry and later molecular genetics further refined the prognostic diagnoses, substantially increasing the opportunities to recognize the cell origin of tumors, beside revealing the pathogenetic mechanisms. Prognoses became more accurate, as required by the greater and more targeted possibilities of therapy.

A concise clinical reference that facilitates the diagnosis of intrauterine and perinatally acquired infections was the goal in creating the Congenital and Perinatal Infections: A Concise Guide to Diagnosis. Information about the natural history, m- agement, and outcome of these infections is well detailed in many other sources and so has not been included. Rather, the focus of the book is diagnosis. The initial chapters provide general information about serological and nonserological assays that are used for the diagnosis of infections, and a chapter about the placenta includes details about histopathological findings that can be helpful with the diagnosis of congenital inf- tions. The remainder of the book is devoted to the diagnosis of specific congenital and/ or perinatal infections. As illustrated in the chapters about specific infections, the approach to diagnosis of a congenital or perinatally acquired infection in the neonate begins, when possible, with consideration and diagnosis of infection in the pregnant woman, knowledge of how the infection is transmitted, and the risk of that infection for the woman and her fetus or neonate. The possibility of congenital or perinatal infection in neonates is usually considered because of the diagnosis of, or concern about a s- cific infection in, a mother during pregnancy that can be transmitted to the neonate or because of clinical findings in the neonate at birth that suggest an infectious cause.

A modern definition of health goes beyond the biological dimension to encompass human functionality and well-being. Quality of life is one of the most popular health-related concepts and simultaneously reflects several dimensions of individual health. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is taken to include physical, psychological, and social aspects of positive well-being as well as negative effects of illness, treatment, and infirmity. Quality of life outcomes are now considered an important indicator of the success of both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In this book, recognized experts discuss the findings of various studies, including their own, regarding HRQoL in patients with cardiovascular diseases. The impact of the newest forms of medical treatment on well-being is considered in patients with arterial hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, and stroke as well as in patients who have undergone interventional procedures or have implantable cardiac devices. By summarizing established facts and presenting new data, this book will be an invaluable source of information for all practitioners in the field.

Hepatitis is a disease of the liver which affects millions of Americans each year. For most people, symptoms are mild and are resolved within a few weeks or months. For others, however, hepatitis is life-altering, becoming a chronic problem which causes irreparable internal damage. The diversity of causes - which range from bacteria and toxins to metabolic disorders - and their corresponding methods of transmission have made hepatitis a hard ailment to control. In recent years, vast progress has been made toward the identification, prevention and treatment of this disease. Combining scientific knowledge with practical concerns, this comprehensive guide provides a plethora of information on the broad class of diseases referred to by the collective term of hepatitis. With a view toward patient education, it discusses the history, symptoms, cause and disease course of hepatitis' various forms. Covering Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B as well as more recently discovered varieties, the text examines immune system response to the disease and its effect on liver function. Non-infectious causes such as metabolic disorders are also discussed. Practical information regarding diagnostic laboratory and imaging tests as well as conventional and alternative treatments is provided. The final chapter lists a variety of resources for anyone dealing with the reality of the disease including books, CDC publications, hepatitis organizations and foundations, drug treatment financial assistance and transplant information. An extensive glossary of medical terms and an index are also included.

During the past two decades, our understanding of the molecular genetics of inherited eye diseases, their classification, and management has undergone a huge expansion as the field of human genetics has benefited from technological advances and increased interest by physicians and scientists in all fields. As a result, the amount of clinical and basic-science information on inherited systemic and eye diseases has become so large that general ophthalmologists, ophthalmic subspecialists, and physicians in other fields have found it difficult to keep up. This volume will act as a guide because it catalogues all the latest information about genetic diseases that involve the eye and presents it in a practical and accessible format. After an introductory chapter that reviews basic clinical and molecular-genetic principles, individual diseases and groups of diseases are listed alphabetically in order to make it as easy as possible to search for an entry. The material in each entry is a synthesis of numerous articles and reviews on the topic, accompanied by at least one high-quality illustration, at least one webpage of a patient support group or other organization related to the disease, and references that provide the original description of the disease, an excellent review, or useful illustrations. There is also a companion website containing electronic copies of all the illustrations to make it easy to use them in lectures. Health-care professionals who need immediate access to clinical and basic-science information on inherited systemic and eye diseases will find this volume indispensable.

The prominence of dementia within the global aging population has undergone an increase in recent years. To improve the living conditions of patients, researchers must place more emphasis on early detection methods. Improving the Quality of Life for Dementia Patients through Progressive Detection, Treatment, and Care provides a thorough overview of emerging research on various neuroscience methods for the early diagnosis of dementia and focuses on the improvement of healthcare delivery to patients. Highlighting relevant issues on health information systems, behavioral indicators, and treatment methods, this book is a pivotal reference source for health professionals, neuroscientists, upper-level students, practitioners, and researchers interested in the latest developments within the field of dementia treatment.

- With a dramatic increase in knowledge of anorectal physiology and imaging over the last five years, this book provides a comprehensive study of anorectal assessment.

- Explores all the lastest techniques and treatments in the field

- Organized into two, easy to manage, sections

- First book to pull a diverse area together and includes 3-D ultrasound, transperineal ultrasonography and dynamic MRI not found in other texts on anorectal disorders