A comprehensive collection of classic and innovative methodologies used in many laboratories for the investigation of multiple myeloma. These readily reproducible techniques range from the standard Plasma Cell Labeling Index methodology to a final chapter on making sense of microarrays, and include the full spectrum of cytogenetic and molecular diagnostic methods. The protocols follow the successful Methods in Molecular Medicine (TM) series format, each offering step-by-step laboratory instructions, an introduction outlining the principle behind the technique, lists of the necessary equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. These proven techniques are ideal for studying the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma and identifying new therapeutic targets.

12 The average human body has in the order of 10 circulating platelets. They are crucial for hemostasis, and yet excessive platelet activation is a major cause of m- bidity and mortality in western societies. It is therefore not surprising that platelets have become one of the most extensively investigated biological cell types. We are, however, far from understanding precisely how platelets become activated under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. In addition, there are large gaps in our knowledge of platelet production from their giant precursor cell, the megakar- cyte. Understanding megakaryocyte biology will be crucial for the development of platelet gene targeting. The aim of Platelets and Megakaryocytes is therefore to bring together established and recently developed techniques to provide a comprehensive guide to the study of both the platelet and the megakaryocyte. It consists of five s- tions split between two volumes. The more functional assays appear in Volume 1, whereas Volume 2 includes signaling techniques, postgenomic methods, and a n- ber of key perspectives chapters. Part I of Volume 1, Platelets and Megakaryocytes: Functional Assays, describes many well established approaches to the study of platelet function, including aggregometry, secretion, arachidonic acid metabolism, procoagulant responses, pla- let adhesion under static or flow conditions, flow cytometry, and production of microparticles. Although one would ideally wish to perform experiments with human platelets, studies within the circulation using intravital microscopy require the use of animal models, which are described in Chapter 16, vol. 1.

This volume is a compendium of cutting-edge molecular methods for the successful transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells. The contributors are world-renown leaders in the field. They describe promising tools for stem cell transplant research models, such as in vivo bioluminescence imaging. They discuss HLA typing, PCR-SSP typing, and HLA antigens. This volume is an invaluable source for biochemists, molecular biologists, and clinicians.

Building on the considerable expertise of the dysproteinemia unit at Mayo Clinic, this book spans the gamut from multiple myeloma, the most frequent and most serious of the monoclonal gammopathies, to the rarest related disorders. Laboratory evaluation, associations with nonhematologic disorders, monoclonal gammopathies of undetermined significance, the more obscure plasma cell dyscrasias, amyloidosis, other immunoglobulin deposition disorders, Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, and Fanconi anemia are among the topics covered. Naturally, particular attention is paid to multiple myeloma: history, pathogenesis, clinical and laboratory diagnosis, modern therapy, and prognosis. Subsets of multiple myeloma such as solitary plasmacytoma, extramedullary plasmacytoma, and plasma cell leukemia are reviewed. This volume is designed to serve as a long-lasting reference for clinicians and scientists involved in the management of multiple myeloma and associated disorders."

With this symposium the Red Cross Blood Bank Groningen-Drenthe affirms its well known reputation as an organizer of symposia of high standard and quality. Several important aspects of bloodbanking have been discussed in the past. The Blood Bank here is a specialist in its own field. Administrative processes in respect of the donor, information processes, the preparation of the blood and the laboratory process are automatized. New developments in these fields are undeway that you will certainly identify and investigate. I do hope that you will come to conclusions from which we can learn and get better results. As general manager of the Development and Investments Company for the Northern Netherlands - NOM - for several reasons I am very much interested in the outcome of this symposium. In the first place I am proud that the Red Cross Blood Bank Groningen Drenthe is doing its utmost to be excellent in regard of research, education and bloodprocessing. In being so, the Blood Bank can produce spinn-offs for healthservices and the related industry."

Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, with great pleasure I like to welcome you in the cityofGroningen and hope that you will have an enriching and enlighten ing discussion on the conference theme on risk management in blood trans fusion. The organisation of this symposium aims at scientific networking by discussing in an international forum the most important themes of current interest in relation to the state of the art in transfusion medicine. Dr. Cees Smit Sibinga took the initiative in 1976 to start organising the blood bank symposia as they were named in the beginning. Without doubt these symposia have contributed considerably to the development of transfusion medicine. To illustrate the fact that these symposia came to my attention I recollect that I have attended the symposium in 1978, chaired by Dr. Leo Vroman, in my capacity in those days of alderman deputy mayor of the city. So, it has been a long time since. After having been away from Groningen for 18 years I have been inaugurated last week as a mayor and it is a plcasure to be again in your midst. The scries of annual symposia on blood transfusion have contributed to mark the city of Groningen on the map of the international scientific world. A great number of prestigious institutes all over the world involved in the development of transfusion medicine have linked to Groningen and we are proud of that."

The first book to cover both basic science and clinical research, providing a comprehensive review of the current knowledge on cytokines and cancer. Written by leading figures in the field of cytokine biology and cytokine therapeutics.

Integrative medicine strives to incorporate the best of complementary and conventional modalities. This book details integrative oncology, a nascent field building a rigorous evidenced-based clinical medicine, research, and educational foundation. It examines five prestigious, comprehensive cancer centers based in the US, covering how these centers started their programs, what they are currently doing, and recommendations for starting integrative medicine clinics. The book also discusses the potential harm of alternative and complementary medicine, legal issues, and how to communicate with patients.

Active specific immunotherapy is a promising but investigational modality in the management of cancer patients. Currently, several different cancer vaccine formulations such as peptides, proteins, antigen-pulsed dendritic cells, whole tumor cells, etc. in combination with various adjuvants and carriers are being evaluated in clinical trials (1-3). To determine the optimal cancer vaccine strategy, a surrogate immunological end-point that correlates with clinical outcome needs to be defined, since it would facilitate the rapid comparison of these various formulations. Traditional immunological assays such as ELISA, proliferation and cytotoxicity assays can detect immune responses in vaccinated patients but are not quantitative. In contrast, novel assays such as enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay, intracellular cytokine assay and tetramer assay can quantitate the frequency of antigen-specific T cells. Of these, the ELISPOT assay has the 5 lowest detection limit with 1/10 peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and has been determined to be one of the most useful assays to evaluate immune response to cancer vaccines (4). However, the IFN-? ELISPOT assay is not an exclusive measure of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activity as non-cytotoxic cells can also secrete IFN-?. Additionally, CTL with lytic activity do not always secrete IFN-? (5). A more relevant approach to assess functional activity of cytotoxic lymphocytes would be to measure the secretion of molecules that are associated with lytic activity. One of the major mechanisms of cell-mediated cytotoxicity involves exocytosis of cytoplasmic granules from the effector toward the target cell.

In general, several mathematical models can be designed in order to describe a biological or medical process and there is no unique criterion which model gives the best description. This book presents several of these models and shows applications of them to different biological and medical problems. The book shows that operations research expertise is necessary in respect to modeling, analysis and optimization of biosystems.

What we now call 'deep venous thrombosis' (DVT) has been elucidated by a diversity of investigative approaches during the past four centuries. The authors of this book survey the history of the field and ask: why has one of these perspectives - the haematological/biochemical - come to dominate research into the causation of DVT during the past 50 years and to exclude alternatives? In answering this question, the authors show that the current consensus model is conceptually flawed.

Edited by two leading orthopedic surgeons who are specialists in the treatment of hemophilia, Orthopedic Surgery in Patients with Hemophilia shows all the surgical techniques needed for surgical treatment of musculoskeletal complications of hemophilia. A practical guide, designed for use on the ward or in the office, this book draws on the experience of numerous specialists worldwide, from developed and developing countries. As well as orthopedic surgery, it also covers research, hematology, and rehabilitation. Although of primary interest to the orthopedic surgeon, rheumatologist, and physiotherapist, this book will also be relevant to the hematologist responsible for the care of the hemophiliac patient.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common leukaemia in the Western world. It is also the prototype of B-cell chronic lymphoid malignancies and of their ramifications within the fields of hematology, immunology and oncology. For a long time the Cinderella of lymphoid malignancies CLL has now become the focus of major interest and an increasing number of investigators from different areas, including genetics, molecular biology, basic and applied immunology are becoming actively engaged in the investigation of CLL. Clinicians are considering CLL as a very interesting target of many projects which aim at translating the new and exciting developments of basic science into effective new approaches to the patient.

The aquaporin field has matured at an exceptionally fast pace and we are at the verge to develop serious strategies to therapeutically modulate aquaporin function directly or via regulatory networks. Key prerequisites are available today: i. a considerable (and growing) number of aquaporin crystal structures for the rational design of inhibitory molecules, ii. elaborate molecular dynamics simulation techniques for theoretical analyses of selectivity mechanisms and docking experiments, iii. comprehensive data on aquaporin immunohistochemistry, iv. aquaporin knockout animals for physiological studies, and v. assay systems for compound library screenings. The structure of this volume on aquaporins follows the points laid out above and thus covers the developments from basic research to potential pharmacological use. Situated between pharmacology textbooks and recent scientific papers this book provides a timely overview for readers from the fundamental as well as the applied disciplines.

Expert physicians and clinical researchers summarize and explain all the recent advances in the biology and treatment of bone marrow-based malignancy. On the biological side, the authors show the characteristics of the malignant cell and describe the significant roles played by oncogenic changes, chromosomal anomalies, Kaposi's sarcoma herpes virus, and cytokines. New epidemiological findings and prognostic factors are also analyzed. On the clinical side, the authors provide a comprehensive review of conventional treatment regimens, as well as a discussion of newer experimental approaches involving immunologic targeting, inhibitors of drug resistance, and antitumor agents.

Now more than ever, thrombotic and thromboembolic disorders as well as related diseases such as malignancies, arteriosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and obesity are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. They have become urgent medical problems with serious economic consequences in industrialized and devel- ing countries alike. At the same time, the impact of molecular biology and genetics on our understanding of thrombosis and hemostasis is rapidly growing stronger as well as our knowledge of regeneration and development of specific tissues, organs, and embryos. Researchers are also constantly learning more about cardiovascular diseases as well as regulatory mechanisms for various intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli in viable tissues. In this volume, our intention has been to present the latest relevant information in molecular biology and genetics as well as the clinical implications of a better understanding of pathophysiology, novel diagnostic methodologies, and therapeutic applications for new methods of prevention in thrombosis/hemostasis and related disorders, including atherosclerosis. The dramatic advances in knowledge of thrombosis/hemostasis and vascular biology since the first publication of Recent Advances in Thrombosis and Fibrinolysis, edited with Japanese colleagues, in 1991, have required extensive revision in order to highlight and review recent progress in the field. The editors also gratefully welcome the seven distinguished non Japanese authors, who, with their valuable contributions on subjects beyond the coverage by Japanese authors, have made this new edition truly international.

Developed by the Blood and Marrow Transplant team at Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute, this pocket guide provides management guidelines for hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients from the moment of their initial consultation throughout the transplant process. It includes indications for transplant, essential details for patient/donor evaluation, recommendations for management of complications during and after transplant, and guidelines for long-term follow up as well as step-by-step instructions for common procedures and documentation guidelines.

An essential tool for providers, this guide presents a multidisciplinary approach to information you will need to provide quality care for your patients.

MSC (mesenchymal stem cells) have been reported to initiate revascularization after injury, to facilitate engraftment of blood-forming stem cells, and to reduce the incidence of graft-vs. host disease through their immune-suppressive qualities. Finally, bone marrow-derived MSC have been reported to home to areas of solid tumor revascularization, and thus may be used as delivery vehicles to target ablative agents into dividing tumor cells. Recently the characteristics of human MSC from adipose (fat) tissue have also been identified. The possibility of repairing tissues, speeding stem cell engraftment, and targeting solid tumors for specific killing, using MSC easily harvested from bone marrow, or better yet, from unwanted fat tissue, holds broad appeal, and is an intriguing possibility that could have dramatic effect on health care.

This book has information on how to isolate, grow, and characterize MSC from marrow and fat, and gives important insight into how these cells may be used for gene delivery and cellular therapies in the future. Updates on emerging clinical trials are given.

For Blood and Money tells the little-known story of how an upstart biotechnology company created a one-in-a-million cancer drug, and how the core team-denied their share of the profits-went and did it again. In this epic saga of money and science, veteran financial journalist Nathan Vardi explains how the invention of two of the biggest cancer drugs in history became (for their backers) two of the greatest Wall Street bets of all time. In the multibillion-dollar business of biotech, where pharmaceutical companies, the government, hedge funds, and venture capitalists have spent billions on funding, experimentation, and treatments, a single molecule can stop cancer in its tracks-and make the people who find that rare molecule astonishingly rich. For Blood and Money follows a small team at a biotech start-up in California, who have found one of these rare molecules. Their compound, known as a BTK inhibitor, seems to work on a vicious type of leukemia. When patients start rising from their hospice beds, the team knows they're onto something big. What follows is a story of genius, pathos, and drama, in which vivid characters navigate a world of corporate intrigue and ambiguous morality. Vardi's narrative immerses readers in the recent explosion of biotech start-ups. He describes the scientists, doctors, and investors who are risking everything to develop new, life-saving treatments, and introduces suffering patients for whom the stakes are life-or-death. A gripping nonfiction read, For Blood and Money illustrates why it's so hard to bring new drugs to market, explains why they are so expensive, and examines how profit-driven venture capitalists are shaping the future of medicine.

This is a comprehensive textbook of Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas written by leaders in the field of childhood lymphomas. It includes clinical, pathologic and molecular biology of each subtype of lymphoma. The pathology chapters are comprehensive and include excellent photographs. The book is at the level of subspecialists in pediatric hematology and oncology, radiation oncology, pediatric surgery and hematopathology.

Atlas of Hematopathology: Morphology, Immunophenotype, Cytogenetics, and Molecular Approaches, Second Edition, will appeal to both a wide range of people undergoing training in a variety of medical fields and practicing non-hematopathologists. For clinicians, fellows and residents, correct diagnosis (and therefore correct treatment) of diseases depends on a strong understanding of the molecular basis for the disease, making this book a crucial resource. This atlas contains hundreds of high-quality color images that mirror the findings that fellows and clinicians encounter in practice. In addition, it provides information in a quick, simple and user-friendly manner, attracting both those in training and non- experts. Residents, fellows, practicing clinicians, and researchers in pathology, hematology and hematology/oncology will find this a useful resource.

In the era of personalized medicine, cancer treatment has become a model for the use of targeted therapeutics. Leaving behind the "one size fits all" approach to cancer care, this book provides the practicing oncologist with an overview of the advances in treatment and an understanding of the implementation of new therapeutic agents. Targeted Cancer Therapy is divided into twenty chapters covering specific hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, targeted and functional imaging, and combination therapies. Each disease specific chapter includes up-to-date information on investigational and FDA approved therapies which will enhance the reader s ability to prescribe effective drug regimens. This includes combinations of therapies and therapeutic modalities to overcome drug resistance.

In a rapidly changing field, this book will enable clinicians to improve their ability to practice personalized health planning, make early diagnoses, and select optimal drugs for each patient with predictable side effects and outcomes. Poised to change the landscape in oncology, Targeted Cancer Therapy is essential for practicing and academic physicians, fellows, and residents."

This issue of Hematology/Oncology Clinics, guest edited by Dr. Glenn J. Hanna, will focus on Head and Neck Cancer. This issue is one of six selected each year by our series consulting editors, Dr. George P. Canellos and Dr. Edward J. Benz. This issue addresses the evaluation and management of the complex head and neck cancer patient with articles focused on unique epidemiology and therapeutic principles by subsite of disease. Additional information relevant to rare head and neck malignancies is included. The issue further focuses on the evolving applications of minimally invasive surgery in oropharynx cancer and the role of immunotherapy in the management of advanced disease. Topics include: Radiologic Evaluation of the Head and Neck Cancer Patient, Robotic and Endoscopic Approaches to Head and Neck Surgery, Cancer of the Oral Cavity and Lip, Cancer of the Oropharynx and the Association with Human Papillomavirus, Cancer of the Larynx and Hypopharynx, Cancer of the Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinuses, Cancer of the Nasopharynx and the Association with Epstein-Barr Virus, Salivary Glands Cancers, Thyroid and Parathyroid Cancers, Cutaneous Malignancies of the Head and Neck, Managing Recurrent and Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer, and Immunotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer. Provides in-depth, clinical reviews on head and neck cancer, providing actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field; Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create these timely topic-based reviews.

Hematology is difficult to teach at the medical school level. The curriculum is necessarily fragmented across different years of study, and often separated considerably in time. Understanding hematology requires insight into several distinct aspects: applied physiology (generally taught early), an understanding of the essential pathological processes involving the blood are taught somewhat later (if at all), and the (necessarily) strong laboratory aspect is generally taught more or less concurrently with other clinical pathology topics, such as clinical chemistry and immunology. By the time the student is faced with blood diseases in the wards, the laboratory/pathological bias is well entrenched. It is thus difficult for the student to get an integrated view of the subject. The unspoken assumption, often reinforced by clinical tutors trained in the traditional perspective, is that blood tests are all that are required for a diagnosis in blood diseases.

The result has been that clinical expertise in blood diseases is generally poor. This is reflected in the importance given to the examination of the hematological system in most student primers. The hematological system, by and large, is almost completely neglected. Such relevant features such as pallor, jaundice, bleeding, splenomegaly and so on are dealt with either in passing or in relation first to another system or the general examination . It is almost as though it is taken for granted that the haematological system cannot be assessed clinically and yet, as demonstrated later in the book, it is in very many cases impossible to reach a complete haematological diagnosis without clinical assessment.

Effective, patient-centred care of hematological patients requires, as with all other patients, a comprehensive clinical insight into these disease processes, i.e. an integrated clinical and pathological approach. Added to these problems is the fact that the number of laboratory tests has increased explosively, and the laboratory simply does not have the time to attempt more than a brief, generalized, and increasingly, an automated interpretation of the results. Thus the onus of clinical interpretation necessarily falls more and more on the attending clinician, whose grounding in clinical haematology is too often inadequate, for the reasons mentioned.

Hematology is emerging as a clinical specialty in its own right. The training of hematology physicians today includes extensive clinical exposure (indeed they are expected to handle the clinical aspects themselves), while training of medical registrars requires considerable knowledge of haematology and its reports. Achieving an integrated approach would be made immeasurably easier by a book presenting the subject in a fully integrated, clinical way. This then has been the motivation for this book.

There is no shortage of hematological texts, some of them very good, and it would be presumptuous and self-indulgent to add to them without clear justification. However, practically all of the student-orientated texts tend still to teach hematology from a formal and largely static laboratory perspective, and the reports emanating from the laboratory tend to reinforce this. Many of the Crash Course types of hematology book on the market have (at least) two major weaknesses: they considerably oversimplify the subject, contributing to the very mechanistic and almost anti-intellectual approach to blood diseases and especially to the FBC and Hemostatic Screen; and they tend to concentrate on primary blood diseases, whereas in practice most abnormalities of the blood and in the FBC are secondary to disease outside the system that is to say, they work primarily from a pathological and not from a clinical viewpoint. The FBC is one of the most common and valuable tests in use; it is a relatively expensive test and generally speaking is poorly interpreted, and the potential wealth of information that can be gleaned is missed.

The approach described in this book is different from that in most student texts, and has been very successful in practice, starting almost from scratch, but omitting many of the basics such as the details of hematopoiesis, laboratory technology, and so on, which are hardly relevant to the practising clinician and student in the wards, and are primarily of interest to the hematologist and sometimes to the clinical specialist. Considerable emphasis is given to the clinical history and examination, and the interpretation of the clinical patterns thus exposed. Hopefully it will overcome many of the traditional problems experienced in practical diagnostic haematology.

All the practical essentials are covered, and effectively this book contains all the information the student will ever need, apart from details of therapy (until and unless they enter certain specialties).

The book is restricted to adult haematology, for practical reasons. While there are considerable areas of similarity between adult and paediatric haematology, there are also very significant differences. Thus, the only congenital diseases discussed in this book are those that can present after childhood and occasionally those that pose a significant problem in adult practice. Generally these are discussed only briefly. Often with these the assistance of a haematologist would have to be sought anyway. Sometimes even the haematologist may have to further consult someone sub-specializing in paediatric haematology."

This issue of Hematology/Oncology Clinics, guest edited by Dr. Jennifer R. Brown, will focus on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. This issue is one of six selected each year by our series consulting editors, Dr. George P. Canellos and Dr. Edward J. Benz. Topics discussed in this issue will include: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Do We Know the Cell of Origin Yet?; Significance of BCR Stereotypy; Prognostic and Predictive Implications of Cytogenetics and Genomics; Role of Epigenetics in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia; Genomics of Resistance to Targeted Therapies; First Line Therapy for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia; The Ongoing Unmet Needs in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Therapy; BTK Inhibitors; Minimal Residual Disease; Should Undetectable MRD Be the Goal of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Therapy?; Management of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia after Progression on BTK Inhibitors; Role of PI3K Inhibitors in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia; Can We Restore the Immunodeficiency of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia?; and Immune Therapy for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia