The inflammasome is a protein complex composed of an intracellular sensor-typically a Nod-like receptor (NLR), the precursor procaspase-1, and the adaptor ASC. Inflammasome activation leads to the maturation of caspase-1 and the processing of its substrates, IL-1 and IL-18. The inflammasome has been implicated numerous diseases, and blockade of inflammasome-derived IL-1 has beneficial effects on several of these diseases. Different books have been edited about the biology of inflammasomes and about methods to study, however, the implication of this complex in the different diseases and pathological conditions show the need of a book about the clinical implications and therapeutic options. This project will show the context where inflammasomes are being studied and the molecular implications in the medical and clinical contexts. Other important topic of the inflammasomes will be the development of pharmacological inhibitors in order to improve new clinical applications. In this sense, we can find new drugs with inhibitory effects or old drugs with an inhibitory potential effect. There is a need for re-establishing the real benefits of the inflammasome inhibitions in pathological situations and the management of the differents diseases where inflammasomes are implicated.

A single trial is complex, with numerous regulations, administrative processes, medical procedures, deadlines and specific protocol instructions to follow. And yet, there has existed no single-volume, comprehensive clinical research reference manual for investigators, medical institutions, and national and international research personnel to keep on the shelf as a ready reference to navigate through trial complexities and ensure compliance with U.S. Federal Regulations and ICH GCP until The Sourcebook for Clinical Research. An actionable, step-by-step guide through beginning to advanced topics in clinical research with forms, templates and checklists to download from a companion website, so that study teams will be compliant and will find all the necessary tools within this book. Additionally, the authors developed Display Posters for Adverse Events Plus Reporting and Medicare Coverage Analysis that can be purchased separately here: https://www.elsevier.com/books-and-journals/book-companion/9780128162422/order-display-posters. Moreover, The Sourcebook for Clinical Research contains clear information and guidance on the newest changes in the industry to keep seasoned investigators and staff current and compliant, in addition to providing detailed information regarding the most complex topics. This book serves as a quick, actionable, off-the-shelf resource to keep by your side at the medical clinic.

This book highlights the latest research presented at the International Conference on Translational Medicine and Imaging (ICTMI) 2017. This event brought together the world's leading scientists, engineers and clinicians from a wide range of disciplines in the field of medical imaging. Bioimaging has continued to evolve across a wide spectrum of applications from diagnostics and personalized therapy to the mechanistic understanding of biological processes, and as a result there is ever-increasing demand for more robust methods and their integration with clinical and molecular data. This book presents a number of these methods.

Biomedical Texture Analysis: Fundamentals, Applications, Tools and Challenges describes the fundamentals and applications of biomedical texture analysis (BTA) for precision medicine. It defines what biomedical textures (BTs) are and why they require specific image analysis design approaches when compared to more classical computer vision applications. The fundamental properties of BTs are given to highlight key aspects of texture operator design, providing a foundation for biomedical engineers to build the next generation of biomedical texture operators. Examples of novel texture operators are described and their ability to characterize BTs are demonstrated in a variety of applications in radiology and digital histopathology. Recent open-source software frameworks which enable the extraction, exploration and analysis of 2D and 3D texture-based imaging biomarkers are also presented. This book provides a thorough background on texture analysis for graduate students and biomedical engineers from both industry and academia who have basic image processing knowledge. Medical doctors and biologists with no background in image processing will also find available methods and software tools for analyzing textures in medical images.

Temporal Sampling and Representation Updating, Volume 236, addresses the gap between laboratory studies using static or predictable stimuli and the more complex change that is a characteristic of the real world. Topics in this new volume include a section on Unfolding the time course of emotion perception, Temporal sampling and representation updating for action in interception and grasping tasks, The influence of Cognitive Control and Attention on Temporal Sampling: Lessons from the Attentional Blink, Synchronizing tracking eye movements with the motion of a visual target, and Sampling feature distributions with visual search in heterogeneous displays.

Microdialysis is currently one of the most important in vivo sampling methods in physiology and pharmacology. It is used to determine the chemical components of the fluid in the extracellular space of tissues. The technique is now well established in neuroscience research and is used excessively in behavioral neuroscience to determine the concentrations and identities of molecules in brain tissues, and their change due to behavior, hormonal and transmitter changes in the nervous system. The book provides a detailed comprehensive overview of the technology and its applications, including application in pathology, drug development, and the application in the clinic. The authors are all well known researchers in Neuroscience and experts in the use of Microdialysis.
Organized into two parts of seven sections, the Handbook of Microdialysis critically examines recent developments in the field through a variety of chapters written by an internationally acclaimed group of authors. It is the first comprehensive handbook covering the technology of Microdialysis and its applications in Neuroscience.
* Presents microdialysis methods and interpretation including the technical aspects of microdialysis as a sampling technique followed by the analytical chemical methods
* Discusses the role of microdialysis in pharmacology, drug development and models of CNS
pathology
* Includes clinical applications of microdialysis

The healthcare industry is starting to adopt digital twins to improve personalized medicine, healthcare organization performance, and new medicine and devices. These digital twins can create useful models based on information from wearable devices, omics, and patient records to connect the dots across processes that span patients, doctors, and healthcare organizations as well as drug and device manufacturers. Digital twins are digital representations of human physiology built on computer models. The use of digital twins in healthcare is revolutionizing clinical processes and hospital management by enhancing medical care with digital tracking and advancing modelling of the human body. These tools are of great help to researchers in studying diseases, new drugs, and medical devices. Digital Twins and Healthcare: Trends, Techniques, and Challenges facilitates the advancement and knowledge dissemination in methodologies and applications of digital twins in the healthcare and medicine fields. This book raises interest and awareness of the uses of digital twins in healthcare in the research community. Covering topics such as deep neural network, edge computing, and transfer learning method, this premier reference source is an essential resource for hospital administrators, pharmacists, medical professionals, IT consultants, students and educators of higher education, librarians, and researchers.

This second edition volume expands on the first edition with more detailed methodologies on prenatal testing and diagnosis, and also covers next-generation sequencing techniques. The chapters in this book are divided into three sections: preimplantation genetic testing, traditional prenatal testing, and non-invasive prenatal testing. This book covers topics such as molecular testing for preimplantation genetic diagnosis of single gene disorders; DNA extraction from various types of prenatal specimens; prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis and Tay-Sachs disease; chromosomal SNP microarrays; and isolation of cell-free DNA from maternal plasma. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Practical and thorough, Prenatal Diagnosis, Second Edition is a valuable resource for any researcher interested in reproducing these techniques in their clinical laboratories.

Advances in Clinical Chemistry, Volume 81, the latest installment in this internationally acclaimed series, contains chapters authored by world-renowned clinical laboratory scientists, physicians and research scientists. New to this latest release are chapters that cover Microparticles in Chronic Heart Failure, Peptide Antibodies in Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics, Measurement and Clinical Utility of ssCTX in Serum and Plasma, Human Papillomavirus and its Testing Assays, Cervical Cancer Screening, and Vaccination, and Physical Exercise and DNA Injury: Good or Evil? The serial presents the latest technologies related to the field of clinical chemistry, and is the benchmark for novel analytical approaches in the clinical laboratory.

This unifying volume offers a clear theoretical framework for the research shaping the emerging direction of informatics in health care. Contributors ground the reader in the basics of informatics methodology and design, including creating salient research questions, and explore the human dimensions of informatics in studies detailing how patients perceive, respond to, and use health data. Real-world examples bridge the theoretical and the practical as knowledge management-based solutions are applied to pervasive issues in information technologies and service delivery. Together, these articles illustrate the scope of health possibilities for informatics, from patient care management to hospital administration, from improving patient satisfaction to expanding the parameters of practice. Highlights of the coverage:* Design science research opportunities in health care * IS/IT governance in health care: an integrative model * Persuasive technologies and behavior modification through technology: design of a mobile application for behavior change * The development of a hospital secure messaging and communication platform: a conceptualization * The development of intelligent patient-centric systems for health care * An investigation on integrating Eastern and Western medicine with informatics Interest in Theories to Inform Superior Health Informatics Research and Practice cuts across academia and the healthcare industry. Its audience includes healthcare professionals, physicians and other clinicians, practicing informaticians, hospital administrators, IT departments, managers, and management consultants, as well as scholars, researchers, and students in health informatics and public health.

This book is specifically designed to serve the community of postgraduates and researchers in the fields of epidemiology, health GIS, medical geography, and health management. It starts with the basic concepts and role of remote sensing, GIS in Kala-azar diseases. The book gives an exhaustive coverage of Satellite data, GPS, GIS, spatial and attribute data modeling, and geospatial analysis of Kala-azar diseases. It also presents the modern trends of remote sensing and GIS in health risk assessment with an illustrated discussion on its numerous applications.

This book provides a pioneering approach to modeling the human diabetic patient using a software agent. It is based on two MASc (Master of Applied Science) theses: one looking at the evolution of the patient agent in time, and another looking the interaction of the patient agent with the healthcare system. It shows that the software agent evolves in a manner analogous to the human patient and exhibits typical attributes of the illness such as reacting to food consumption, medications, and activity. This agent model can be used in a number of different ways, including as a prototype for a specific human patient with the purpose of helping to identify when that patient's condition deviates from normal variations. The software agent can also be used to study the interaction between the human patient and the health care system. This book is of interest to anyone involved in the management of diabetic patients or in societal research into the management of diabetes. The diabetic patient agent was developed using the Ackerman model for diabetes, but this model can be easily adapted for any other model subject with the necessary physiological data to support that model.

In this book, renowned scientists describe the role of steroid chirality and modification of lipid membrane physical properties in the modulation of G protein-coupled receptors and ion channels. The application of commonly-used technical approaches such as mass spectrometry and nucleic magnetic resonance transfer spectroscopy for studies on cholesterol distribution and alteration of lipid bilayer characteristics is also discussed. This book offers comprehensive insights into the current understanding of cholesterol-driven modulation of protein function via mechanisms that extend beyond lipid-protein direct interactions. In the first part, the chapters introduce the reader to the use of the chemical derivatives of cholesterol as a valuable laboratory tool in the studies of cholesterol-driven modulation of protein function. In the second part, examples of cholesterol-induced changes in membrane physical characteristics are presented and discussed in light of their multifaceted contribution to the effect of cholesterol on protein function. The book will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students as well as basic science and medical researchers with a keen interest in the biophysical properties of cholesterol and physiological consequences of cholesterol presence in biological systems.

This volume will outline how to recreate the tumor microenvironment, to culture primary tumors without the need for developmental priming factors, and to deliver targeted therapeutics in a manner that recapitulates pharmacokinetics in vivo. Much of what may be learned from this volume will aid in understanding many aspects of the enhanced study of tumor cell biology in a physiologic context, open new avenues for drug screening and biomarker development, and accelerate the preclinical evaluation of novel personalized medicine strategies for patients in real time.

The set of techniques known collectively as real-time data capture (RTDC) is becoming increasingly important in medical research. Based on the collection of data in people's typical environments, RTDC is primarily used with self-reported data, such as medical symptoms and psychological states. Now, its guiding principles and supporting technologies also provide a framework for scientists to monitor physiological information such as heart rate, blood pressure, and skin conductance. This volume gives the most complete view yet of the state of RTDC science and its potential for use across the health and behavioural sciences.

The clinical laboratory is often known as a "black box" to nurses, physicians, and surgeons, but this concise book removes the veil by covering all the pertinent aspects of the clinical laboratory. This book bridges between medicine and chemistry by offering an overview to a clinical laboratory's structure and function, the importance of laboratory utilization and test ordering, as well as pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical issues of importance to recognize in any clinical laboratory. An interactive FAQ and a detailed index are also available.

This book collects and reviews, for the first time, a wide range of advances in the area of human aging biomarkers. This accumulated data allows researchers to assess the rate of aging processes in various organs and systems, and to individually monitor the effectiveness of therapies intended to slow aging. In an introductory chapter, the editor defines biomarkers of aging as molecular, cellular and physiological parameters that demonstrate reproducible changes - quantitative or qualitative - with age. The introduction recounts a study which aimed to create a universal model of biological age, whose most predictive parameters were albumin and alkaline phosphatase (indication liver function), glucose (metabolic syndrome), erythrocytes (respiratory function) and urea (renal function). The book goes on to describe DNA methylation, known as the "epigenetic clock," as currently the most comprehensive predictor of total mortality. It is also useful for predicting mortality from cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and for analyzing the effects of lifestyle factors including diet, exercise, and education. Individual contributions draw additional insight from research on genetics and epigenetic aging markers, and immunosenescence and inflammaging markers. A concluding chapter outlines the challenge of integrating of biological and clinical markers of aging. Biomarkers of Human Aging is written for professionals and practitioners engaged in the study of aging, and will be useful to both advanced students and researchers.

The book covers all important topics in the area of Survival Analysis. Each topic has been covered by one or more chapters written by internationally renowned experts. Each chapter provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the topic. Several new illustrative examples have been used to demonstrate the methodologies developed. The book also includes an exhaustive list of important references in the area of Survival Analysis.
.Includes up-to-date reviews on many important topics.
.Chapters written by many internationally renowned experts.
.Some Chapters provide completely new methodologies and analyses.
.Includes some new data and methods of analyzing them.

This volume will describe recent progress and future directions in radiation oncology and biology research, focusing on strategies designed to improve disease control and reduce the risk of long-term adverse effects on patients. As more and more patients are becoming long-term survivors, this strategy will become increasingly important--in radiation oncology and throughout the field of oncology.

A thought-provoking series that chronicles the discussions, disputes, and debates that have divided scientists and advanced science through the ages. The origins of humanity? The causes of homosexuality? Experimentation on humans and animals? In both theory and practice, science is riven by controversy. Always has been, always will be. Controversies in Science reveals the history of humanity's disputatious pursuit of truth-the passions, the polemics, and the partisanship. ABC-CLIO's Controversies in Science series examines some of the greatest debates in the history of science's quest for truth. Edited by top scientists, philosophers, and historians, the titles explore fields as diverse as cosmology, genetics, evolution, psychiatry, and the fascinating and speculative study of extraterrestrial biology. Who are we? Where do we come from? And what limits should we place on the pursuit of answers to these questions? The truth is out there. But what routes have we taken? What routes should we take? Controversies in Science offers a road map.

This book focuses on the state-of-the-art of biosensor research and development for specialists and non-specialists. It introduces the fundamentals of the subject with relevant characteristics of transducer elements, as well as biochemical recognition molecules. This book is ideal for researchers of nanotechnology, materials science and biophysics.

In the last decade, the literature on molecular mechanisms and activated pathways in the different lymphoma categories increased exponentially, which was followed by a more diffuse and successful use of targeted therapies. In this book, expert authors revisit the most relevant aspects of these therapies, with special emphasis on molecular mechanisms and clinical effects of resistance. The knowledge of the underlying mechanisms involved in tumor resistance to target therapies is of paramount importance because they will result in a better selection of patients with sensitive disease and the establishment of suitable combinations of drugs that target different molecules and could overcome the established resistance.