The pancreas is about the size and shape of the hand; the tail points to the spleen, and the head is nestled in a loop of the duodenum. Loss of the exocrine (digestive) func tions commonly leads to severe gastrointestinal disturbances, malabsorption, a cata bolic state, and weight loss in the face of an adequate diet. Loss of endocrine pancreatic function leads to a large spectrum of disorders associated with the loss of hormone secretions; the most common and most severe is diabetes mellitus. Loss of the entire pancreas owing to trauma, surgery, atherosclerosis, or other medical problems leaves the patient in a digestive and metabolic crisis. The correct diagnosis of pancreatic disorders remains a challenge given the multi faceted function of the pancreas. The clinical laboratory plays an important role, and other tools such as CAT scans, ultrasound, radiographs, biopsies, and even surgery are used to make a diagnosis. The emphasis of Clinical Pathology of Pancreatic Disorders is on the clinical laboratory definition of pancreatic pathology. Disorders of the endocrine pancreas can be highly complex, and sophisticated tests are needed to determine the nature of the disease, its prognosis, and its optimal treat ment. Diabetes is the most common of the endocrine diseases; it presents in many ways, and has varied etiologies. We now know that the diabetes of childhood is usually an autoimmune disease, and this has a major effect on the treatment of these individuals."

Hardly any other part of the human body is of such interdisciplinary interest as the anal, perianal and rectal region. Gastroenterologists, dermatologists, urologists, general practitioners and surgeons specialising in proctology, phlebology, and coloproctological surgery are involved in this region between the ectoderm, transitional zone, and entoderm. Diagnostic procedures, such as endoscopy, radiology, sonography, manometry, electromyography, and histopathology are even more diverse, in particular where the differential diagnosis of non-neoplastic conditions of the anorectal region is concerned. The Falk Symposium No. 118, held in Freiburg, Germany, on October 1-2, 2000, focused on the morphology and function of the pelvic floor and its dysfunction, radiation damage in proctology, haemorrhoidal complaints, and chronic inflammatory rectal diseases, as well as conditions of the anal and perianal region. These proceedings will be of interest to all research physicians and colleagues working in hospitals or in their own practice who are involved in the diagnosis and treatment of anorectal pathologies.

Infectious diseases once thought to be controlled (such as malaria and tuberculosis) are now spreading rapidly across the globe, and lethal new disease agents (HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and BSE) continue to emerge at an ominous pace. Policymakers must consider the implications of disease proliferation for economic prosperity, general well-being, and national security in affected societies. This work represents a collection of articles from the premier authors in the field on the ramifications of disease emergence for international development, international law, and nation security.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS or ME) is a problematic diagnosis which can be interpreted in conflicting ways by doctors, patients and others. Meanings of ME signals a paradigm shift in thinking about the illness by providing fresh perspectives from doctors, clinicians and those who have personal knowledge of CFS/ME.

Chronic inflammatory bowel disease still represents a major gastroenterological challenge, in view of the unclear aetiology and unsatisfactory therapy. This book, the proceedings of a Falk Symposium held in L beck, Germany on 4--5 March 1994, will act as a vehicle for our current knowledge, and promote the dialogue between clinicians and those involved with the associated sciences. The book begins with international experts discussing the more recent theories concerning the aetiology and pathogenesis. Later on, the discussion turns to questions of diagnosis, and the conservative and surgical treatment of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are dealt with in detail. This volume in the Falk Symposium both represents a forum of experts for discussion of the most recent findings, and provides clinical gastroenterologists with an opportunity to inform themselves of the state of the art in the field of inflammatory bowel disease.

Section I. Basic Bacteriology of H. pylori.- 1. In vivo models of gastric Helicobacter infections.- 2 H. pylori species heterogenicity.- 3 H. pylori urease.- 4 Basic bacteriology of H. pylori: H. pylori colonization factors.- Section II. Prevalence and Mechanisms of Spread of H. pylori.- 5 Epidemiology of H. pylori in Western countries.- 6 H. pylori in developing countries.- 7 Prevalence/disease correlates of H. pylori.- 8 Reinfection with H. pylori.- Section III. Mechanisms of H. pylori Induced Damage.- 9 Breakdown of the mucus layer by H. pylori.- 10 Decreased hydrophobicity of gastroduodenal mucosa due to H. pylori infection in man.- 11 Adherence and internalization of H. pylori by epithelial cells.- 12 Mechanisms of ammonia-induced gastric mucosal injury: role of glutathione and cysteine proteases.- 13 Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-related damage by H. pylori.- 14 The cpn60 heat shock protein homologue of H. pylori.- 15 Gastric mucosal injury: interactions of mast cells, cytokines and nitric oxide.- 16 H. pylori supernatant contains a novel chemotactic factor for monocytes different from FMLP.- 17 H. pylori-induced neutrophil activation and production of toxic oxygen radicals.- 18 Polymorphonuclear leukocytes traffic into the gastric mucosa and through the gastric mucosal barrier in H. pylori infection: is that bad?.- 19 H. pylori vacuolating toxin.- 20 H. pylori alcohol dehydrogenase.- Section IV. Hormonal Disturbances in H. pylori Infection.- 21 Effect of H. pylori infection on gastrin and gastric acid secretion.- 22 H. pylori, gastrin and somatostatin.- 23 Parietal cell responsiveness in H. pylori infections.- 24 Role of bacterial amines in H. pylori-associated hypergastrinaemia.- 25 Do gastric mucosal nerves remodel in H. pylori gastritis?.- Section V. Immunological Response to H. pylori.- 26 Overview of the immune response to H. pylori.- 27 Specific H. pylori immune response.- 28 B cell responses in H. pylori infection.- 29 T cell subsets in H. pylori-associated gastritis.- 30 Down-regulation of the immune response to H. pylori.- 31 The clinical value of a saliva diagnostic assay for antibody to H. pylori.- Section VI. Gastroduodenal Inflammation in H. pylori Infection.- 32 Spectrum and implications of inflammation with H. pylori.- 33 'Hypertrophic' gastritis in H. pylori infection.- 34 Long-term consequences of H. pylori infection: time trends in H. pylori gastritis, gastric cancer and peptic ulcer disease.- 35 Determinants of gastritis phenotype in H. pylori infection.- 36 The ulcer-associated cell lineage (UACL): a newly-recognised pathway of gastrointestinal differentiation of importance in the natural healing of peptic ulcer disease.- Section VII. Determinants of Clinical Outcome of H. pylori Infection.- 37 Acute infection with H. pylori.- 38 H. pylori in asymptomatic people.- 39 Determinants of clinical outcome of H. pylori infection: duodenal ulcer.- 40 H. pylori and gastric ulcer disease.- 41 Functional dyspepsia and H. pylori: a controversial link.- 42 H. pylori and NSAIDs: a meta-analysis on interactions of acute gastroduodenal injury, gastric and duodenal ulcers and upper gastrointestinal symptoms.- Section VIII. Relationship of H. pylori Gastric Carcinogenesis and Lymphoma.- 43 H. pylori and gastric cancer: the significance of the problem.- 44 The ascorbic acid story.- 45 Role of bacterial overgrowth in gastric carcinogenesis.- 46 The role of PCR techniques in the epidemiology of H. pylori infections.- 47 Role of H. pylori in atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia.- 48 H. pylori-associated gastric lymphoma.- 49 Animal models for Helicobacter-induced gastric and hepatic cancer.- 50 Flaws in H. pylori-related carcinogenesis hypothesis.- Section IX. Therapy of H. pylori Infection.- 51 Determinants of antimicrobial effectiveness in H. pylori gastritis.- 52 Mucosal antibiotic levels.- 53 H. pylori eradication.- 54 H. pylori resistance to antibiotics.- 55 The role of acid suppression in the treatment of H. p...

This Trends in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapy Symposium was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 27 29 August 1999. This is the seventh international symposium, sponsored by Axcan Pharma Canada Inc., since the first symposium in 1986. The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology has co-sponsored these symposia since 1990. Each symposium has been published, and reflects and updates the extensive research and education, and the understanding of the mechanisms and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. From the beginning, Canadian and international experts have been involved, maintaining a consistently high quality, both in their presentations, during discussions, and the subsequent publication of their work. There have been major advances since the symposium held two years ago, and these are presented in this book. In keeping with modern educational practice, objectives are provided, and all presentations were subject to written independent evalu ation. All participants are asked to declare any conflicts of interest. MOCOMP and educational credits are available."

Recent work in quantitative biology has shown theoretically why Fisher's Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection does not preclude genetic influences on fertility, sexuality, and related processes. Genetic Influences on Human Fertility and Sexuality takes the next step, and presents a number of successful empirical searches for such genetic influence on a broad range of processes, such as puberty, marriage, sexual behavior, and twinning. Employing a broad range of methodological approaches, including molecular and behavioral genetics, this book weaves a new theoretical framework that shows how genes can help relate fertility planning to fertility outcome, and how puberty, sexuality, marriage, and reproduction can be conceptually linked through the genes that contribute to individual differences in the human process.

Legionellosis is a disease of significant medical and public interest. Legionella is commonly found in aquatic habitats where its ability to survive and to multiply within different protozoa equips the bacterium to be transmissible and pathogenic to humans. In addition, Legionella has become a favored model system to analyze the mechanisms of bacterial survival, acquisition of nutrients, and intracellular replication. Following the recent publication of the genome sequences of four L. pneumophila strains, it is now feasible to investigate the whole genome in silico, the transcriptome via micro arrays, and the proteome by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Research in the fields of clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and epidemiology continues to generate new data. The topics covered by this volume range from the history of the identification of Legionella and clinical disease treatment, to the microbe's gene expression and secretion systems, as well as its strategies for intracellular multiplication and nutrient acquisition. The main focus of the book is the current state of many of the most critical features of Legionella. Internationally renowned authors have contributed chapters describing and discussing the latest research findings with an emphasis on molecular aspects. The editors and authors have produced an excellent book that will be an extremely useful reference source. This comprehensive publication is aimed at readers with teaching or research interests in microbiology, genetics, genomics, infectious diseases, or clinical research.

Although the first description of patients with what we now call Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis was published well before 1900, both disorders seem to be diseases of the twentieth century. At the very start of the twenty-first century, it therefore seems appropriate to look back and at the same time look forward and to assess what knowledge has been gained during the last 100 years and in what direction research and thereby clinical practice will go in the future. This book, the proceedings of Falk Symposium No. 111 held in Freiburg, Germany, on June 19-20 1999, contains contributions from experienced senior scientists on the state of the art in pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment, together with unpublished and new findings from young researchers. Basic scientists and clinicians are thereby involved in an exchange of information which will lead to new directions for future research and clinical management of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Proceedings of the FEMS Symposium on Genes and Proteins Underlying Microbial Urinary Tract Virulence: Basic Aspects and Applications, held September 16-19, 1999, in Pecs, Hungary. Urinary tract infections are among the most frequent diseases caused by microbial pathogens. In this volume, researchers, clinical microbiologists and clinicians exchange the latest ideas covering four major aspects of this important topic: Genetic information, synthesis and assembly of virulence factors in urinary pathogens; Regulation of genes involved in the phenotypic appearance of virulence; Host-parasite interactions determining the process and outcome of the infection; Possible applications of the above aspects in diagnosis, therapy and prevention. "

This book is concerned with driver fatigue across all transport modes. Most research into the effects of fatigue has been restricted to studies of road users but with new estimates showing more crashes can be attributed to fatigue than previously thought, fatigue is increasingly being seen as a significant public health problem. Drawing together research into fatigue and its management in all transport modes, this book shows that much can be learned from approaching the phenomenon in an integrative way. Exposing common misconceptions and exploring key research findings, the book presents the true complexity of the problem by bringing together up-to-date review contributions from experts on the causes and countermeasures to fatigues. The work will give policy makers a sound basis for formulating changes in regulatory frameworks as well as providing the research community and the concerned public with a complete picture of this complex problem and its solutions.

For undergraduates taking introduction courses in communication sciences and disorders. This leading introductory book on communication disorders uses student-friendly content to explore current research, central theories, and the nuts and bolts of clinical therapy. Updated with the most current research and information, the newly revised eighth edition of Human Communication Disorders continues to cover a broad range of topics including speech and language development, genetics, the biology and physics of communication, and an overview of cultural and linguistic diversity. With an emphasis on evidence-based practice, experts in speech-language pathology and audiology place communication processes and communication disorders in perspective, define basic theories of causation, introduce identifying characteristics, and present an overview of procedures for evaluation and treatment - while at the same time focusing on the real people who both have communication disorders and the real people who study them. The new eighth edition has been rewritten with a more contemporary, student-friendly approach and style that makes the content more engaging and easier to process.

This book contains the extended abstracts of 90 papers and posters presented at the 2nd Biannual meeting of the International Research Society of Spinal Deformities, which was concerned with fundamental issues relating to the detection, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of spinal deformities, especially in children. It provides readers with the latest information and scientific ideas with an emphasis on three-dimensional and morphological aspects of spine and trunk asymmetry, improved understanding of mechanisms underlying the etiology, pathomechanism, and treatment of spinal deformity. The International Research Society of Spinal Deformities (IRSSD) was established in 1994 to advance the study and research into Spinal Deformities by providing a forum for the presentation and encouragement of research relating to spinal deformity and to disseminate the results of such research.

Advances in technology now offer promising solutions to deal with the chronological aging of the cell, tissue or organ to synchronize its existence and its use. This book covers the developments in and benefits of the latest vitrification technology and its extensive applications in reproductive medicine. Protocols of gametes (oocyte and sperm), embryos, blastocysts and ovarian tissue cryopreservation have been reviewed by leaders in the field. In order to address the escalation in cross-border reproductive tourism entailing the transfer of reproductive cells and tissues rather than the patient, the challenges, caution and emerging possibilities of nitrogen vapor shipment of vitrified cells have been discussed. Current perspectives on oocyte banking present the reader with options and solutions to effectively utilize these gametes despite the physiological deterrents.The versatile applications and potential of vitrification of human embryonic stem cells, discussed in the concluding chapter, is an exciting reality offered by vitrification to help overcome numerous stumbling blocks in the management of various disorders.

These proceedings of Falk Symposium 110 on `Intestinal Mucosa and its Diseases - Pathophysiology and Clinics' held at Titisee/Black Forest, Germany, 16-17 October 1998, comprehensively review salient clinical as well as scientific aspects - pending or settled - of the main intestinal diseases. In particular, chapters deal with infectious and neuroendocrine diarrhoeas, coeliac sprue, allergic enteropathy, intestinal lymphomas, colorectal carcinomas, and chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, in terms of clinical presentation as well as underlying mechanisms. This book therefore aims to bridge the gaps between basic science and clinics for the eventual treatment of patients afflicted with these diseases.

Research into gluten sensitivity has never been more popular nor more exciting. Thus a call for a new book, Celiac Disease: Methods and Protocols, devoted entirely to techniques and technology seemed a most appropriate undertaking. I am therefore grateful to Professor J. M. Walker for inviting me to complete this task for Humana Press. To do this would have been imp- sible without the contributions of friends and colleagues from around the world who have devoted so much interest to the project. It has also been necessary for them to master the unique chapter-writing skills required of every ma- script published in this series of laboratory monographs. With regard to gluten sensitivity we are in a period of great change, occasioned by the introduction of reproducible methods for cloning lymp- cytes, the application of physical methods to identify gluten sequences as T-cell antigens, the study of peptide responses in vitro and in vivo by either jejunal or rectal challenge, elucidating the locations of other genes concerned in pathogenesis, or the use of elegant immunohistocytochemical and mRNA probing techniques for analyzing the finer points of the mucosal inflam- tory response to gluten.

In recent years, knowledge about the cell biology of the cholangiocytes and the function of the bile ducts has increased considerably. Their role in liver diseases is increasingly recognized. As a consequence, important progress has been made not only in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology but also in the diagnosis and treatment of biliary liver diseases. This book, the proceedings of the Falk Symposium 107 on Diseases of the Liver and the Bile Ducts - New Aspects and Clinical Implications', held in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 30-May 2, 1998, brings together scientists and clinicians to highlight the most recent advances in molecular biology, physiology, diagnosis and therapy of diseases of the biliary system. World experts cover a broad spectrum of topics from genetic tests to endoscopy and from medical treatment to liver transplantation.

The preparation of Aging, Immunity, and Infection has been a "labor of labor. " When we began, there existed a huge literature-but manage able, we thought, given our years of experience in the area often referred to as immunogerontology. However, in the time that we have been at work, the new relevant literature has increased at a prodigious rate. The more we read and tried to assimilate, the farther we fell behind. In order to have any hope of completing a book on this rapidly evolving topic, we have been forced to become increasingly selective in covering new and re cent publications. We dare to hope that many read ers will find the book useful and only a few will dweIl on the inevitable inadequacies. We consider the book a work in progress, and welcome suggestions for future editions. Five chapters cover several aspects of infection and the decline of immunity with age. The first chapter "Human Aging: Present and Future," is devoted to demographics and theories of senescence. Chap ter 2 outlines the gradual breakdown of resistance to infection in the aged individual. Chapters 3 and 4 cover changes in innate and acquired immunity. The final chapter, "Nutrition, Longevity, and Integrity of the Immune System," discusses such provocative ideas as life-span exten sion and nutritional intervention for the delay of immunosenescence."