What causes chronic and persistent fatigue in so many people? How is it best prevented and treated? What can patients and physicians do to better understand this common medical issue? Fatigue is an extremely common component of many physical and mental disorders, from anxiety and depression to heart disease and hypertension. Many patients even find themselves suffering from persistent fatigue with little understanding of how to safely and effectively treat the issue, especially if their symptoms don’t qualify for diagnosis as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which can make them “fall through the cracks� of the medical system.   But now, with Fatigue and Dysautonomia: Chronic or Persistent, What’s the Difference?, physicians Joseph Colombo and Nicholas L. DePace aim to close those cracks, offering a simplified analysis and discussion focusing on this common patient complaint and how best to treat it. Topics covered include: ​ Parasympathetic and Sympathetic (P&S) causes of both chronic and “persistent� fatigue Natural therapies to help relieve fatigue and promote wellness.  Concepts of fatigue, the six-pronged Mind-Body Wellness Program, and the P&S nervous systems.  Causal relationships between fatigue and P&S dysfunction (a more specific description of autonomic dysfunction or dysautonomia) How to treat fatigue with supplements and lifestyle modifications that have been documented to work without the added side-effects of most pharmaceutical therapies.  Presenting discussions with patients and doctors side-by-side to help physicians see how to present information to their patients and patients to learn what physicians need to know to tailor therapy to their individual needs, Fatigue and Dysautonomia is an essential resource for anyone concerned with fatigue, from medical professionals to patients to family and friends.

This Brief provides a concise review of chaperonopathies, i.e., diseases in which molecular chaperones play an etiologic-pathogenic role. Introductory chapters deal with the chaperoning system and chaperoning teams and networks, HSP-chaperone subpopulations, the locations and functions of chaperones, and chaperone genes in humans. Other chapters present the chaperonopathies in general, including their molecular features and mechanistic classification into by defect, excess, or mistake. Subsequent chapters discuss the chaperonopathies in more detail, focusing on their distinctive characteristics: primary or secondary; quantitative and/or qualitative; structural and hereditary or acquired; genetic polymorphisms; gene dysregulation; age-related; associated with cancer, chronic inflammatory conditions, and autoimmune diseases. The interconnections between the chaperoning and the immune systems in cancer development, chronic inflammation, autoimmunity, and ageing are outlined, which leads to a discussion on the future prospects of chaperonotherapy. The latter may consist of chaperone gene and protein replacement/supplementation in cases of deficiency and of gene or protein blocking when the chaperone actively promotes disease. The last chapter presents the extracellular chaperones and details on how the chaperone Hsp60 is secreted into the extracellular space and, thus, appears in the blood of cancer patients with potential to participate in carcinogenesis and chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. Chaperones as clinically useful biomarkers are mentioned when pertinent. Likewise, guidelines for clinical evaluation of chaperonopathies and for their histopathological and molecular identification are provided throughout. The book also provides extensive bibliography organized by chapter and topic with comments. "

Since the cloning of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance re- lator (CFTR) nearly a decade ago, cystic fibrosis (CF) research has witnessed a dramatic expansion into new scientific areas. Basic researchers, clinicians, and patients increasingly rely on fundamental techniques of genetics, molecular biology, electrophysiology, biochemistry, cell biology, microbiology, and immunology to understand the molecular basis of this complex disease. Research into the pathophysiology of CF has established numerous paradigms of ion channel dysfunction that extend from inflammation and infection in the airways of patients to basic mechanisms of protein processing and regulation in intracellular components. With these rapid advances has come an increasing need for research scientists to understand and utilize a growing array of basic laboratory tools. This volume of Methods in Molecular Medicine, Cystic Fibrosis Methods and Protocols satisfies that need by providing detailed protocols for the laboratory techniques used throughout CF research. From electrophysiology and cell biology, to animal models and gene therapy, the comprehensive set of methods covered here provide step-by-step instructions needed for investigators to incorporate new approaches into their research programs. Contributions have been chosen to reflect the rich diversity of techniques and to provide a cohesive framework for understanding challenges that are currently at the forefront of CF research. It is hoped that this volume will serve as a valuable reference that will not only foster interdisciplinary investigations into current problems encountered in CF, but also facilitate the translation of new scientific discoveries into clinical solutions.