Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications is essential reading for medical and allied health practitioners who want to bring scientific insights of the importance of fascia to human health into their clinical practices. Fascia - the biodynamic tissue that connects every muscle, bone, organ, and nerve in the body - is fast becoming the latest trend in healthcare and allied health modalities. This book is edited by David Lesondak, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, author of the international bestseller Fascia: What it is and why it matters, and Angeli Maun Akey, MD, international physician educator and board certified in both internal and integrative medicine. It contains contributions from a team of top researchers and expert practitioners including physicians, clinicians, therapists, dissectors, and surgeons. Fully illustrated in color, this book presents the latest scientific knowledge of fascia and explains insights into problems like chronic pain and myriad musculoskeletal symptoms that may not respond to conventional treatments. It gives practitioners the information they need to make better decisions to improve the health of patients often without pharmaceuticals or surgeries. FEATURES * Provides comprehensive overview of how fascia, as a tissue and a system, affects various body functions and systems, from musculoskeletal disorders to nervous system, circulatory, and auto-immune function. * A section devoted to medical applications highlights a comprehensive and critical overview of various fascial therapies. * Gives practitioners the knowledge they need to refer or add as an adjunct therapy to their department or rehabilitation team. This is a cutting-edge, practical guide that will appeal to researchers, physicians, and clinicians alike.

Dopamine is a small molecule traditionally regarded as a brain-derived neuronal modulator implicated in many neurological and psychiatric disorders. Outside the brain, dopamine fulfills all the criteria of a circulating hormone which affects normal and abnormal functions of multiple organs and regulatory systems and is also involved in many aspects of cancer formation and progression. This book provides a much needed systematic account of dopamine as an endocrine and autocrine/paracrine hormone and fills a major gap in the overall understanding of the production, distribution and actions of this very important molecule. Key Features: Explores the many different faces of dopamine as autocrine, paracrine and endocrine molecule Documents the adverse effects of antipsychotics on dopamine functions Reviews the many ways dopamine affects the cardiovascular, renal and reproductive systems Provides updates on receptor oligomerization and signaling Examines the role of dopamine in tumorigenesis Related Titles Jones, S. ed. Dopamine - Glutamate Interactions in the Basal Ganglia (ISBN 978-0-3673-8197-4) Luo, L. Principles of Neurobiology (ISBN 978-0-8153-4494-0) Sidhu, A. et al., eds. Dopamine Receptors and Transporters (ISBN 978-0-8247-0854-2)

Summarizes signaling pathways regulated by redox reactions Reveals how redox pathways affect cancer and tumor cell metastasis Chapters by an internationals team of leading researchers Chapters describe redox regulation influences developmental processes and these processes originated even before there was much oxygen in the atmosphere

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. The field of clinical nutrition as a whole seeks to consider the nutrition of patients within the healthcare system, paying attention to the interactions between diet, nutrition, and disease. To that end, this book discusses nutrition as both a contributing and managing factor in relation to diseases such as obesity and diabetes. It also presents malnutrition as a contributing factor to such diseases and considers the efficacy of micronutrient supplementation. It ends by looking at some of the recent developments and future trends in the field of clinical nutrition.

This volume presents a thought-provoking state-of-the-art picture of how volatile compounds are used in metabolomics, currently a hot topic in the metabolomics field. It provides a thorough description of what volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are, why they are important in biomedicine, and what the analytical platforms are used. It also looks at multivariate analysis and databases needs. Because VOCs are end-up compounds of metabolic processes, volatiles can be linked to different diseases or pathologies for both diagnosis and prognosis. The authors provide authoritative information and guidance on the analytical and statistical techniques used and how to identify, and they review the main current areas of application, which include breath metabolomics, cancer diagnosis, and microbial volatiles. Key Features: Presents a thorough overview of volatile research in biomedical applications Examines both gold standard techniques (metabolomics based) and artificial olfactory systems Reviews all aspects of volatile metabolites in biomedicine research, from origin to detection platforms Describes relevant diseases diagnosis and prognosis achievements, including cancer

This book focuses on neuron signaling in the regulation of metabolism and body weight, and especially on methods used in these studies. Obesity and related metabolic syndromes have reached epidemic status, but still are no effective strategies for prevention and treatment. Body weight homeostasis is maintained by balanced food intake and energy expenditure, both of which are under the control of brain neurons. In the recent years, significant progress has been made in identifying specific neurons, neural pathways, and non-neuron cells in feeding regulation, as well as in delineating autonomic nervous systems targeting peripheral metabolic tissues in the regulation of energy expenditure and metabolism. This book reviews recent progress on important neuron signaling for body weight and metabolic regulation and the state-of-the-art methods that has been applied in this field, ranging from animal models with neuron-specific manipulations, pharmacology, optogenetics, in vivo Ca2+ imaging, and viral tracing. Readers will be exposed to latest research frontiers on neuron regulation of metabolism. Key Features Explores the role signaling between neurons plays with respect to metabolism Documents how neurotransmitters affect the regulation of feeding Describes various methods and technologies used to study the neuronal control of metabolism Includes contributions from an international team of leading researchers. Related Titles Lim, W. & B. Mayer. Cell Signaling: Principles and Mechanisms (ISBN 978-0-8153-4244-1) Feltz, A. Physiology of Neurons (ISBN 978-0-8153-4600-5) Zempleni, J. & K. Dakshinamurti, eds. Nutrients and Cell Signaling (ISBN 978-0367-39307-6)

Inspired by Carlos Beyer's 50 years of pioneering research and influence on his students and colleagues, Behavioral Neuroendocrinology builds upon Beyer's fundamental discoveries and concepts as well as their widespread implications. It presents original research and reviews on mechanisms - genomic and non-genomic - of steroid and protein hormone action; the role of steroid metabolism, especially aromatization, protein phosphorylation, and neurotransmitter action in mediating reproductive behavior and sexual differentiation; and brain and spinal cord mechanisms in sexual behavior and analgesia. This book presents a rich diversity of topics - lactation, maternal behavior, pheromone action, chronobiology, allodynia, angiogenesis, prostate physiology, sexual motivation, and specific brain systems, including vomeronasal system, cerebellum, preoptic area, hypothalamus, and spinal cord. This book brings together, in one source, an international "family" of researchers whose work has evolved in diverse but related ways from a seminal set of discoveries and concepts in behavioral neuroendocrinology.

Thoroughly updated to reflect today's recent advances in adult and pediatric endocrinology, DeGroot's Endocrinology, 8th Edition, remains the comprehensive, international reference of choice for today's endocrinologists and fellows. A full peer review of the previous edition, conducted by a largely new group of renowned editors, was used to update this trusted, two-volume resource. In-depth coverage of both basic and clinical aspects of endocrinology and up-to-date information on the treatment and management of endocrine disorders are provided by a diverse group of expert contributors from six continents. A full-color format and helpful algorithms summarize clinical decision-making and practical approaches to patient management. Organizes content by all the glands that regulate the endocrine system while integrating basic science and clinical presentations of disease. Includes new chapters: Anatomy and Physiology of the Hypothalmus and Pituitary, Differentiated Thyroid Cancer, Medullary Thyroid Cancer, Drugs that Affect Thyroid Function, Genetic Disorders of the Adrenal Cortex, Adrenal Pathology, Primary Aldosteronism, Transgender Healthcare, Erectile Dysfunction, Prevalence and Causes of Male Infertility, Sexual Dysfunction in the Female, Glucose Toxicity and Oxidative Stress. Emphasizes basic science and evidence-based practice throughout. Features extensive updates to content on thyroid and adrenal disfunction, endocrine-disrupting chemicals and human disease, clinical management of diabetes, and advances in genetics. Includes algorithms to outline effective treatment protocols. Contains new emphasis boxes that highlight key points in each chapter. Enhanced eBook version included with purchase. Your enhanced eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.

Highly Commended, BMA Medical Book Awards 2013 Sarcoidosis represents a major challenge for physicians-not just in respiratory medicine, but across a range of specialties. This book, with a multidisciplinary authorship of the highest standard, presents the most up-to-date thinking on all aspects of the condition, from epidemiology to clinical manifestations and treatment options. Full coverage is given to both respiratory and non-respiratory aspects. The basic science that underlies the disease and its progression is evaluated in detail, and placed into its correct clinical context. Possible future advances are covered in a concluding section. The editors-all leading figures in the field with international reputations-have compiled the definitive work on the subject in a single volume. The book is fully comprehensive and evidence based and will be an essential addition to the bookshelves of all whose practice involves the care and treatment of patients with sarcoidosis.

Different genetic diagnostic and treatment options are used worldwide to improve routine IVF procedures for the benefit of patients. This handbook updates the new genetic diagnostic technologies that have been translated to the clinic, aiming to improve outcomes in the clinic and result in a healthy baby in the home. Chapters cover the use of genetic technologies in a personalized manner to unravel the possible genetic risks for the couple wishing to conceive, in terms of sperm, the embryo, the endometrium, miscarriage, and finally the fetus. This expanded new edition covers the range of the latest genetic diagnostic technologies being translated into practice internationally to improve routine IVF procedures for the benefit of patients. Bringing together international experts to discuss their work, this text gives a context for the developments in this very fast-moving area of research and offers a comprehensive and rounded appraisal of hot topics.

New Techniques for Studying Biomembranes describes some of the latest methods used to investigate the dynamic distribution of specific lipids in membranes and their effects on other membrane components. The contributors present important discoveries with respect to lipid analysis and lipid interactions with membrane proteins. Various methods, which have been used to study lipid bilayer structure and lipid organization in membranes, include both in vitro and in vivo membrane systems, and study membrane proteins in various membrane systems. Key Features: Reviews both in vivo and in vitro analytical technologies and methods for studying membrane structure and function Explores how lipid bilayers and membrane proteins interact Includes contributions from an international team of researchers actively studying membrane structure and function Identifies various diseases whose causes are related to membrane proteins Related Titles: Christopher R. Jacobs, Hayden Huang, and Ronald Y. Kwon. Introduction to Cell Mechanics and Mechanobiology (ISBN 978-0-8153-4425-4) Wendell Lim and Bruce Mayer. Cell Signaling: Principles and Mechanisms (ISBN 978-0-8153-4244-1) Stephen Rothman. Proteins Crossing Membranes: A Scientist's Memoir (978-0-3670-7449-4)

Currently, there are a limited amount of guidelines to help clinicians manage patients with obesity and comorbid mental disorders. This expertly written source fills the gap in the literature by providing a clear overview of obesity and its relationship to mental illness while reviewing the most recent methods to manage and control the condition with diet, exercise, psychological treatments, pharmacotherapy, and surgery.

This book reviews the pathophysiology and physical manifestations of acromegaly and discusses the multiple treatment options now available for the management of the patient with acromegaly. The book contains an ample number of illustrations that help to emphasize points of particular interest, including radiological, histopathological, and physical diagnosis images. Sections are devoted to detailing important topics including determinants of pathological effects of disease activity in acromegaly, individual therapeutic choices and criteria for diagnosis, and disease control.

Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment, Second Edition summarizes the latest scientific knowledge on obesity in children. This edition focuses on the developmental aspects of obesity, especially on the influences and factors predisposing individuals to obesity from early periods of life. This new body of knowledge stems from both basic research and recent epidemiological and clinical studies. All chapters are updated and special attention is given to the prevention of obesity in the context of developmental physiology, lifestyle modification, and dietary and physical activity approaches. Highlighting the most recent research, this timely book covers a broad range of aspects related to the prevention and management of childhood obesity. It emphasizes early intervention and an integrated behavioral approach to overcome the ongoing challenge of this global epidemic. Features * Updates all chapters and includes new research on growing populations of obesity in the Third World * Provides information on promoting health as a means to reduce obesity * Focuses on the developmental aspects of obesity

Primarily intended for physicians and health care professionals who are treating obese patients, this book explores current and future options for drug treatment of obesity puts them into perspective against available alternative treatments. Distinguished scientists and clinical investigators provide reviews of each individual topic, covering a wide range of subjects from pathophysiology of obesity to the benefits of weight loss. The core sections on pharmacotherapy deal with currently available drugs and drugs in pre-clinical development, complemented with sections on non-drug treatment and general therapeutic aspects to provide an integrated view of therapeutic approaches to the treatment of obesity and its associated syndromes.

Focusing on prevention rather than treatment, Obesity: Dietary and Developmental Influences reviews and evaluates the determinants of obesity. The book uses evidence-based research as a basis to define foods and dietary behaviors that should be supported and encouraged as well as those that should be discouraged. This comprehensive review represents a critical step forward in the quest to identify actionable strategies to prevent obesity. The book describes the potential role of 26 different dietary factors and 8 developmental periods in the prevention of obesity among children and adults. The dietary factors examined include macronutrients, micronutrients, specific types of foods and beverages, snack and meal patterns, portion size, parenting practices, breastfeeding, and more. The factors from each developmental period in the life cycle are examined in the context of the likelihood of obesity development. For each dietary factor and developmental period, four lines of evidence are examined: secular trends, plausible mechanisms, observational studies, and prevention trials. Providing easy access to information, the book features 38 tables that summarize observational studies, 38 graphs depicting trends in dietary intake, and 9 tables that summarize prevention trials. It provides a synopsis of the latest research on obesity, investigating all major lines of evidence, and clarifies common misconceptions while identifying which behaviors to target and which dietary factors show the most promise for prevention.

Hormones as Tokens of Selection addresses deep questions in biology: How are biological systems controlled? How can one formulate general theories of homeostasis and control and instantiate such theories in mathematical models? How can one use evolutionary arguments to guide our answers to these questions, recognising that the control mechanisms themselves are a product of evolution? Biological systems are exceptionally varied and extremely difficult to understand, because they are complex and experimentation remains limited relative to the challenges at hand. Moreover, biological phenomena occur at a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Such a deeply convoluted subject calls for a unifying and coherent theoretical foundation - one which recognises and departs from the primary importance of mathematical modelling and key physicochemical principles to theory formation in the life sciences. This Focus monograph proposes and outlines such a foundation, departing from the deceptively simple proposition that hormones are tokens of evolutionary pressures. Features Provides a coherent and unified approach to a multifaceted problem Pays close attention to both the biological and mathematical modelling aspects of the subject matter, exploring the philosophical background where appropriate Written in a concise and innovative style

Volume I of this book provides a comprehensive discussion of the factors involved in regulation of the cell cycle, the general biological properties of growth factors, and the receptor and postreceptor mechanisms of action of these signaling agents. It evaluates the possible role of growth factors in the regulation of proto-oncogene and tumor suppressor gene expression, and the development of neoplastic processes is discussed in detail.

This volume presents a thought-provoking state-of-the-art picture of how volatile compounds are used in metabolomics, currently a hot topic in the metabolomics field. It provides a thorough description of what volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are, why they are important in biomedicine, and what the analytical platforms are used. It also looks at multivariate analysis and databases needs. Because VOCs are end-up compounds of metabolic processes, volatiles can be linked to different diseases or pathologies for both diagnosis and prognosis. The authors provide authoritative information and guidance on the analytical and statistical techniques used and how to identify, and they review the main current areas of application, which include breath metabolomics, cancer diagnosis, and microbial volatiles. Key Features: Presents a thorough overview of volatile research in biomedical applications Examines both gold standard techniques (metabolomics based) and artificial olfactory systems Reviews all aspects of volatile metabolites in biomedicine research, from origin to detection platforms Describes relevant diseases diagnosis and prognosis achievements, including cancer

The islets of Langerhans, the primary source of hormone production in the pancreas, have been the focus of research into the nature of diabetes for decades. In recent years, the molecular biology of this multiendocrine organ has been intensively investigated, with a corresponding increase in our understanding of the normal and pathological functioning of islet cells. Molecular Biology of the Islets of Langerhans provides a comprehensive treatment of molecular studies on the synthesis of insulin, glucagon, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide. In addition, this volume presents contemporary hypotheses and explanations, at the molecular level, of the defects in islet cells that may lead to diabetes. The material presented here will be essential reading for researchers in human endocrinology and, in particular, for those working in the area of diabetes research.

Thyroid problems affect an estimated one in three of the adult population, yet they are difficult to diagnose on the basis of blood tests and often go undiagnosed for many year. This is the second, greatly updated and revised, edition of Dr Durrant-Peatfield's practical guide to recognizing the signs and symptoms of thyroid disease and to treating the problem with diet and natural supplements, in conjunction with modern western drugs and surgery when really necessary.

In recent years, a considerable amount of effort has been devoted, both in industry and academia, towards the behavioral modeling, evaluation and prediction of the hypothalamus pituitary thyroid system. Thyroid Systems Engineering targets an optimal treatment of people suffering from thyroid hormone disorders. The content is motivated by in-depth observations of such patients whose rich data supported the theoretical framework arising from formal mathematical reasoning, guided by the nature of thyroid physiology. Leveraging on the insights emerging from the unique combination of an electrical engineer working with a clinical thyroidologist, and both being scientists skilled in mathematics, the authors introduce this new discipline and field of scientific investigation aptly designated as Thyroid Systems Engineering. Readers will discover that mathematics can indeed model the behavior of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. Focused on modeling, each of the eighteen chapters gives the reader a notion of the application of relevant mathematics to pertinent issues encountered in mainstream thyroidology. Many cellular processes resemble the flux of variables and states in a complex multi-parameter space through time analogous to current flow in electrical networks. It is then logical to apply the principles and physical laws of electrodynamics, electrical network theory, control systems theory and signal theory to many of the biological phenomena encountered in endocrinology. Such an approach is used liberally throughout the book and successfully yields elegant solutions to a number of models presented within. This book can serve as a reference to mathematical modeling in other aspects of endocrine physiology, and as the starting point for a fundamental course in medical modeling. It will appeal to postgraduates in electrical engineering, academic physicians and biomedical researchers. Further, readers equipped with advanced calculus, electrical network theory, control theory and signal theory should be able to follow the mathematical expositions that describe thyrotropic control. They represent a new discipline based on mathematical modeling in physiology applicable to medical diagnostics, measurement and treatment to cooperate in the clinical team and realize an optimized treatment for patients.

Designed for easy revision of the key points, key references, and key management stages, the two volumes in this set review the evidence for best practice, presenting the reader with the right information, in the right format, summarized in easy-to-use tables and algorithms. Each guideline is designed to "make it easy to do it right", with appropriate use of proven interventions. The quality of evidence available is graded so that a well-informed clinician can improve the health of mother and baby by providing quality care. *Offers an easy-to-assimilate guide to the key points in maternal-fetal and obstetric practice *Supplies an invaluable resource for those revising topics for professional or clinical requirements *Ensures providers of care can locate the best intervention quickly and confidently