“For weeks and weeks people from ethnic minority communities have been wanting to know how they can better protect themselves from coronavirus.” [BBC News June 13th 2020] We believe that during Covid-19, ethnic minority communities in the UK, the USA and elsewhere, and all others vulnerable to seasonal Vitamin D deficiency, have been seriously let down by politicians and medical-scientific officialdom. As a result they have been needlessly deprived of extensive biological knowledge that would have protected them against disease and death from a novel virus, for which adequate levels of Vitamin D are essential. We are two retired physicians of similar ages, who together bring a century of experience to many aspects of medical practice and medical education. This includes the endocrinology of vitamin D, the prevention and treatment of serious infections, experience of previous pandemics, and a sadly sceptical view of present medicoscientific politics. During the course of the Covid-19 disaster we both came up against the neglect of first-line immunity provided by adequate levels of Vitamin D, critically important for effective defence against invasion by all new viruses, and supported by science. This is explored from many aspects in this book, in which we identify important lessons for the future, including the folly of relying exclusively on Big-Pharma and the scientists it supports.

This volume brings together two areas of health that are among the foci of current development efforts, as articulated by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), namely sexual and reproductive health (MDG 5: improve maternal health, target 2: achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health); and Gender (MDG 3: promote gender equality and empower women). Few, if any, published books have dealt in a comprehensive way with public health aspects of these two strongly interrelated areas of health. Most published volumes devoted to sexual and reproductive health have a strong clinical focus, whereas books on gender tend to concentrate primarily on the socio-cultural and anthropological aspects of the subject.

Producing Safe Eggs: Microbial Ecology of Salmonella takes the unique approach of interfacing problems of Salmonella and microbial contamination with commercial egg production. It presents in-depth information on microbial contamination, safety and control, physiology, immunology, neurophysiology, and animal welfare, which makes this book a complete reference for anyone involved in the safe production of eggs and egg products in the food industry. This book discusses management and risk factors across the entire egg production process, including practical applications to decrease disease and contaminated food products in poultry houses, processing plants and retail businesses. It is an integral reference for food scientists, food safety and quality professionals, food processors, food production managers, and food business owners, as well as students in food science, safety, microbiology, and animal science.

Unmasked is the story of what happened in Okoboji, a small Iowan tourist town, when a collective turn from the coronavirus to the economy occurred in the COVID summer of 2020. State political failures, local negotiations among political and public health leaders, and community (dis)belief about the virus resulted in Okoboji being declared a hotspot just before the Independence Day weekend, when an influx of half a million people visit the town. The story is both personal and political. Author Emily Mendenhall, an anthropologist at Georgetown University, grew up in Okoboji, and her family still lives there. As the events unfolded, Mendenhall was in Okoboji, where she spoke formally with over 100 people and observed a community that rejected public health guidance, revealing deep-seated mistrust in outsiders and strong commitments to local thinking. Unmasked is a fascinating and heartbreaking account of where people put their trust, and how isolationist popular beliefs can be in America's small communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire world in an unprecedented way since 2019. However, novel and innovative applications of various omics, computational, and smart technologies have helped manage the pandemic of the 21st century in a very effective manner. Omics approaches and technologies in COVID-19 presents up-to-date knowledge on omics, genetic engineering, mathematical and computational approaches, and advanced technologies in the diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, and management of COVID-19. This book contains 26 chapters written by academic and industry experts from more than 15 countries. Split into three sections (Omics; Artificial Intelligence and Bioinformatics; and Smart and Emerging Technologies), it brings an overview of novel technologies under omics such as, genomic, metagenomic, pangenomic, metabolomics and proteomics in COVID-19. In addition, it discusses hostpathogen interactions and interactomics, management options, application of genetic engineering, mathematical modeling and simulations, systems biology, and bioinformatics approaches in COVID-19 drug discovery and vaccine development. This is a valuable resource for students, biotechnologists, bioinformaticians, virologists, clinicians, and pharmaceutical, biomedical, and healthcare industry people who want to understand the promising omics and other technologies used in combating COVID-19 from various aspects.

Regulating Safety of Traditional and Ethnic Foods, a compilation from a team of experts in food safety, nutrition, and regulatory affairs, examines a variety of traditional foods from around the world, their risks and benefits, and how regulatory steps may assist in establishing safe parameters for these foods without reducing their cultural or nutritive value. Many traditional foods provide excellent nutrition from sustainable resources, with some containing nutraceutical properties that make them not only a source of cultural and traditional value, but also valuable options for addressing the growing need for food resources. This book discusses these ideas and concepts in a comprehensive and scientific manner.