Clinical laboratory directors and staff working with blood samples will benefit from the essential information in this hematology focused publication in Clinics in Laboratory Medicine. Leading a field of expert authors are two renown physicians in the field - Dr Carlo Brugnara and Dr Alexander Kratz. They present topics such as White Blood Cell Counts: Reference Methodology; Integration of Automated Heme and Bone Marrow Analysis; Red Cell Dynamics; Red Cell Diagnosis other than Anemia; Laboratory and Genetic Assessment of Iron Deficiency in Blood Donors; Body Fluid Cell Counting; Platelets: The Few, the Young, and the Active; Reticulocytes; Quality Control of Automated Cell Counters; Digital Image Analysis of Blood Cells; Blood Cell Counters in Urgent Care Settings; Novel Parameters in Blood Cell Counters; and the Development and Future of Automated Blood Cell Counters.

This book addresses the difficult task of integrating computational techniques with virtual reality and healthcare. It discusses the use of virtual reality in various areas, such as healthcare, cognitive and behavioural training, understanding mathematical graphs, human-computer interaction, fluid dynamics in healthcare industries, accurate real-time simulation, and healthcare diagnostics. Presenting the computational techniques for virtual reality in healthcare, it is a valuable reference resource for professionals at educational institutes as well as researchers, scientists, engineers and practitioners in industry.

At the age of eleven, Mark Greene nearly died. Neither he nor his parents knew that Mark suffered from end stage renal disease; he would need a kidney transplant to survive. Now, more than twenty-six years after his successful transplant operation, Greene tells the story of his survival following that operation.

Currently, there are approximately 170,000 organ transplant recipients in the United States, each with unique stories but sharing the commonality of improved quality of life. In "Life and Hope, " Greene discusses important principles that will not only contribute to the longevity of organ transplants, but also help recipients continue to improve their overall well-being. He blends personal experience and academic research to both teach and enlighten in a way that brings meaning to organ transplantation.

Greene shares a very personal story about his ordeal with a misdiagnosed illness that nearly took his life and nearly destroyed his family. His story is one of transformation, as he moves from the brink of death to a life full of meaning-a unique story and real-life experience that demonstrates how the organ transplant experience so eloquently contributes to the human experience.

Allergy is developing into one of the most prevalent diseases affecting individuals in the very early days of life. While the cause of this epidemic is still unclear, it appears that the westernized life style is playing an important role, which includes nutrition, possibly air pollution as well as hygienic conditions. While epidemiologic studies were able to narrow down these factors, basic research discovered novel mechanisms that control the organisms tolerance against allergens. Particularly interesting is the role of microorganisms that colonize or infect a host and thereby cause damage and immunological activation followed by sensitization or exacerbation of already existing sensitizations. However at the same time microbial activation of the immune system can help to generate a protective immunity that prevents allergen sensitization. The current book is collecting these evidences and connects epidemiologic and clinical mechanistic knowledge. Only the synthesis of this knowledge will help to find solutions to the ongoing allergy epidemic in terms of public health activities, prevention and therapy.

MILS-13 provides an up-to-date review on the relationships between essential metals and human diseases, covering 13 metals and 3 metalloids: The bulk metals sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, plus the trace elements manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, zinc, molybdenum, and selenium, all of which are essential for life. Also covered are chromium, vanadium, nickel, silicon, and arsenic, which have been proposed as being essential for humans in the 2nd half of the last century. However, if at all, they are needed only in ultra-trace amounts, and because of their prevalence in the environment, it has been difficult to prove whether or not they are required. In any case, all these elements are toxic in higher concentrations and therefore, transport and cellular concentrations of at least the essential ones, are tightly controlled; hence, their homeostasis and role for life, including deficiency or overload, and their links to illnesses, including cancer and neurological disorders, are thoroughly discussed. Indeed, it is an old wisdom that metals are indispensable for life. Therefore, Volume 13 provides in an authoritative and timely manner in 16 stimulating chapters, written by 29 internationally recognized experts from 7 nations, and supported by more than 2750 references, and over 20 tables and 80 illustrations, many in color, a most up-to-date view on the vibrant research area of the Interrelations between Essential Metal Ions and Human Diseases.

This book provides a clearly structured introduction to hydrogen biology and medicine. Hydrogen is the one of the most abundant elements in the universe and has the simplest structure. In 2007, Japanese researchers found that the selective oxidation of hydrogen has a therapeutic effect on various diseases and injuries, sparking widespread interest in the biomedical field. In recent years, hundreds of peer-reviewed papers have been published internationally reporting the positive effects of hydrogen on many human diseases, including strokes, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and sepsis. The authors provide readers with a comprehensive overview of this subject, from its physical and chemical properties to its biological effects, as well as the problems and obstacles that exist.

This book discusses the role of nutrients and vitamins in cancer prevention and treatment. Basic and clinical scientists from different regions of the world have contributed to this volume. The incidence of cancer is on the rise internationally and many of these cancers appear to be attributable to diet, lifestyle, and environmentally related factors. In recent years, many cancer causing substances and cancer protective agents which are associated with these factors have been identified and extensively tested in experimental models. This work also focuses on newer conceptual ideas that have emerged regarding the functions of nutrients on cellular and molecular levels.

The pharmaceutical industry is currently operating under a business model that is not sustainable for the future. Given the high costs associated with drug development, there is a vital need to reform this process in order to provide safe and effective drugs while still securing a profit. Re-Engineering Clinical Trials evaluates the trends and challenges associated with the current drug development process and presents solutions that integrate the use of modern communication technologies, innovations and novel enrichment designs. This book focuses on the need to simplify drug development and offers you well-established methodologies and best practices based on real-world experiences from expert authors across industry and academia. Written for all those involved in clinical research, development and clinical trial design, this book provides a unique and valuable resource for streamlining the process, containing costs and increasing drug safety and effectiveness.

Translational Regenerative Medicine is a reference book that outlines the life cycle for effective implementation of discoveries in the dynamic field of regenerative medicine. By addressing science, technology, development, regulatory, manufacturing, intellectual property, investment, financial, and clinical aspects of the field, this work takes a holistic look at the translation of science and disseminates knowledge for practical use of regenerative medicine tools, therapeutics, and diagnostics. Incorporating contributions from leaders in the fields of translational science across academia, industry, and government, this book establishes a more fluid transition for rapid translation of research to enhance human health and well-being.

Volume 67 in the internationally acclaimed Advances in Clinical Chemistry contains chapters authored by world renowned clinical laboratory scientists, physicians and research scientists. The serial provides the latest and most up-to-date technologies related to the field of Clinical Chemistry and is the benchmark for novel analytical approaches in the clinical laboratory.

This volume includes the information necessary to understand recent critical advances in the mechanisms of intestinal tumorigenesis and to comprehend the complexity of the process. The volume aims to entice new researchers to participate in relevant studies, and to provide a forum for discussion within the scientific community to shape future research in this field. Discoveries in intestinal tumorigenesis lead to further understanding of mechanisms involved in colon cancer. Additionally, advancements in techniques and methods open the doors for new approaches to better define the molecular and organismal mechanisms of intestinal tumorigenesis. Chapters are authored by widely published authorities in the field. Each year, there are close to 150,000 new cases of colorectal cancer, which results in approximately 50,000 deaths per year in the United States; these figures render colorectal cancer a significant health concern. Studies attempting to understand the mechanisms of development and progression of colorectal cancer have been ongoing for decades and each year brings new discoveries yielding a better comprehension of the underlying processes at work.

Despite advances in materials and sterilisation, patients who receive biomaterials of medical device implants are still at risk of developing an infection around the implantation site. This book reviews the fundamentals of biomaterials and medical device related infections and methods and materials for the treatment and prevention of infection. The first part of the book provides readers with an introduction to the topic including analyses of biofilms, diagnosis and treatment of infection, pathology and topography. The second part of the book discusses a range of established and novel technologies and materials which have been designed to prevent infection.

Pathophysiology and Analysis.- Lipid Peroxides and Related Radicals in Clinical Medicine.- Reactive Oxygen Species in Normal Physiology, Cell Injury and Phagocytosis.- Free Radical Mechanisms for Chromosomal Instability in Bloom's Syndrome.- The Analysis of Free Radicals, Lipid Peroxides, Antioxidant Enzymes and Compounds Related to Oxidative Stress as Applied to the Clinical Chemistry Laboratory.- Organ Specific Disorders.- Free Radicals and the Pathogenesis of Neuronal Death: Cooperative Role of Excitatory Amino Acids>.- Free Radicals and Ocular Disease.- Active Oxygen Mechanisms of UV Inflammation.- Oxygen-Free Radicals at Myocardial Level: Effects of Ischaemia and Reperfusion.- Mechanisms of Atherosclerosis: Role of LDL Oxidation.- Tissue Iron Overload and Mechanisms of Iron-Catalyzed Oxidative Injury.- Free Radicals in the Pathophysiology of Pulmonary Injury and Disease.- Lipid Peroxides in Hepatic, Gastrointestinal, and Pancreatic Diseases.- Reactive Oxygen Molecules in the Kidney.- Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Reproduction.- Systemic Involvement.- Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases.- Antioxidants and Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms.- New Directions for Free Radical Cancer Research and Medical Applications.- Shock and Multiple Organ Failure.- Role of Nutrients in the Cause and Prevention of Oxygen Radical Pathology.- Involvement of Free Radical Mechanism in the Toxic Effects of Alcohol: Implications for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.- Therapeutic Intervention.- 21-Aminosteroids ("Lazaroids").- The Potential of Gliclazide, a Sulphonylurea to Influence the Oxidative Processes within the Pathogenesis of Diabetic Vascular Disease.- Interactions between Vitamin E, Free Radicals, and Immunity During the Aging Process.- Vitamins and Carotenoids - A Promising Approach to Reducing the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease, Cancer and Eye Diseases.- Free Radical Scavenging and Antioxidant Activity of Plant Flavonoids.- Plasma Clearance and Immunologic Properties of Long-Acting Superoxide Dismutase Prepared Using 35,000 to 120,000 Dalton Poly-Ethylene Glycol.- Clinical Trials with Dismutec(TM) (Pegorgotein; Polyethylene Glycol-Conjugated Superoxide Dismutase; PEG-SOD) in the Treatment of Severe Closed Head Injury.- Poster Presentations.- A New Method for Detecting Lipid Peroxidation by Using Dye Sensitized Chemiluminescence.- Chemiluminescence and the Challenge to Attomole Detection.- Evidence Against Malondialdehyde Bound to Cellular Consituents in Phospholipid Peroxidation.- Evaluation of In Vivo Free Radical Activity During Endotoxic Schock Using Scavengers, Electron Microscopy, Spin Traps, and Electron Paramagnetic Spectroscopy.- Involvement of Hydroxyl Radicals in Endotoxin-Evoked Shock.- The Role of Nitric Oxide in Endotoxin-Elicited Hypodynamic Circulatory Failure.- In Vivo Evaluation of the Role of Neutrophil-Derived Free Radicals in the Development of Endotoxic Shock.- Photosensitized Formation of 8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine by A Cationic meso-Substituted Porphyrin.- Aging Associated Declines in the Antioxidant Enzymes of Human Testis.- Lipid Peroxidation in Normal Pregnancy and Preeclampsia.- Alkylation of Purine Bases By Carbon-Centered Radicals.- Cytochrome Biochemistry in Sheep Retina Following Exposure to Oxygen.- Cytochrome Oxidase Activity in the Fetal Sheep Retina.- Age-Related Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Levels in Gerbil Brain Measured by HPLC-Chemiluminescence Assay and Their Relation to Hydroxyl Radical Stress - Clinical Implications.- Lipid Peroxidation and Diabetic Complications: Effect of Antioxidant Vitamins C and E.- Vascular Complications of Patients in Kuwait with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) and Elevated Serum Lipid Peroxides.- Vascular and Cellular Protein Changes Precede Hippocampal Pyramidal Cell Loss Following Global Ischemia in the Rat.- Dietary Antioxidants and Breast Cancer Risk: Effect Modification by Family History.- Effect of MAK-4 and MAK-5 on Endothelial Cell- and Soyabean Lipoxygenase-Induced LDL Ox

This book presents a comprehensive and up-to-date treatise of a range of methodological and algorithmic issues. It also discusses implementations and case studies, identifies the best design practices, and assesses data analytics business models and practices in industry, health care, administration and business.Data science and big data go hand in hand and constitute a rapidly growing area of research and have attracted the attention of industry and business alike. The area itself has opened up promising new directions of fundamental and applied research and has led to interesting applications, especially those addressing the immediate need to deal with large repositories of data and building tangible, user-centric models of relationships in data. Data is the lifeblood of today's knowledge-driven economy.Numerous data science models are oriented towards end users and along with the regular requirements for accuracy (which are present in any modeling), come the requirements for ability to process huge and varying data sets as well as robustness, interpretability, and simplicity (transparency). Computational intelligence with its underlying methodologies and tools helps address data analytics needs.The book is of interest to those researchers and practitioners involved in data science, Internet engineering, computational intelligence, management, operations research, and knowledge-based systems.

This book offers a compilation of papers on the role of melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) in sleep, sleep disorders and neuroendocrine functions. Leading experts in sleep medicine, psychiatry and neuroendocrinology provide a broad perspective on the field, from the anatomical structure and physiology of the MCH system to the connection with other systems influencing sleep and diseases like anxiety and depression. The potential of MCHR-1 antagonists as anxiolytic/antidepressant drugs is also reviewed. The book will represent an interdisciplinary guide for sleep disorder specialists, sleep researchers, psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, and behavioral sleep medicine specialists.

Are we satisfied with the rate of drug development? Are we happy with the drugs that come to market? Are we getting our money's worth in spending for basic biomedical research? In Translational Systems Biology, Drs. Yoram Vodovotz and Gary An address these questions by providing a foundational description the barriers facing biomedical research today and the immediate future, and how these barriers could be overcome through the adoption of a robust and scalable approach that will form the underpinning of biomedical research for the future. By using a combination of essays providing the intellectual basis of the Translational Dilemma and reports of examples in the study of inflammation, the content of Translational Systems Biology will remain relevant as technology and knowledge advances bring broad translational applicability to other diseases. Translational systems biology is an integrated, multi-scale, evidence-based approach that combines laboratory, clinical and computational methods with an explicit goal of developing effective means of control of biological processes for improving human health and rapid clinical application. This comprehensive approach to date has been utilized for in silico studies of sepsis, trauma, hemorrhage, and traumatic brain injury, acute liver failure, wound healing, and inflammation.

Through case studies, theoretical research and interviews with leading players in science and governance, this book introduces a new understanding of change in governance of bioscience research. In particular it examines change as it is shaped by approaches developed by Science and Technology Studies and Sociology of Scientific Knowledge theorists.

The conquest of scurvy by James Cook during his three famous circumnavigations of 1768-1780 was a product of Cook's character, of his leadership, and of the wisdom of the naturalists who accompanied Cook; specialists who helped locate antiscorbutic plants during stopovers. In this book, Dr. Cuppage shows the importance of careful observation, and of controlled clinical trials. This is an account of the lasting medical effects of Cook's voyages as he tried to liberate mankind from the scourge of scurvy. Cuppage captures the sense of adventure that explorers and scientists share.

It is now well known that proteases are found everywhere, in viruses and bacteria as well as in all human, animal and plant cells, and play a role in a variety of biological functions ranging from digestion, fertilization, development to senescence and death. Under physiological conditions the ability of proteases is regulated by endogenous inhibitors. However, when the activity of proteases is not regulated appropriately, disease processes can result, as seen in Alzheimer s disease, cancer metastasis and tumor progression, inflammation and atherosclerosis. Thus it is evident that there is an absolute need for a tighter control of proteolytic activities in different cells and tissues.

Aimed at graduate students and researchers with an interest in cellular proteolytic events, "Role of Proteases in Cellular Dysfunctions" is the second book on Proteases in this series. The book consists of three parts in specified topics based on current literatures for a better understanding for the readers with respect to their subject-wise interests. The first section of this book covers a brief idea about the neuronal disorders and the involvement of proteases such as calpains, caspases and matrix metalloproteases (MMPs). The second section covers the deadly disease cancer and its relation to ubiquitin-proteasome system, MMPs and serine proteases. The last section is about the role of proteases such as calpains, MMPs and serine protease as well as urokinase type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) in causing cardiovascular defects. "

The whole field of drug research has become a minefield of sensitive issues with the opponents entrenched at opposite extremes taking pot shots at each other. The attacks made on drug research and the pharmaceutical industry in particular have become so venomous that an attempt needed to be made to provide a balanced ethical appraisal of the situation. Neither pro- nor antagonists are fully right, but some common grounds need to be found. The author believes that this commons grounds resides in the religious and philosophical foundations on which western industrial society has been built.

This volume provides an overview of RNA bioinformatics methodologies, including basic strategies to predict secondary and tertiary structures, and novel algorithms based on massive RNA sequencing. Interest in RNA bioinformatics has rapidly increased thanks to the recent high-throughput sequencing technologies allowing scientists to investigate complete transcriptomes at single nucleotide resolution. Adopting advanced computational technics, scientists are now able to conduct more in-depth studies and present them to you in this book. Written in the highly successful Methods of Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and equipment, step-by-step, readily reproducible bioinformatics protocols, and key tips to avoid known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, RNA Bioinformatics seeks to aid scientists in the further study of bioinformatics and computational biology of RNA.

This book addresses the background and significance of the factors potentially influencing the clinical and biological outcomes of metal-on-metal hip implants.Metal-on-metal bearings were introduced and evaluated as an alternative to other bearing couples, particularly metal-on-polyethylene, due to their enhanced wear resistance as determined in laboratory testing.Initially, reports of short-term clinical outcomes were favorable and an increasing number of metal-on-metal prostheses were implanted. Subsequently, isolated case findings describing adverse tissue responses around the articulation became the harbinger of an increasing number of reports describing pseudotumors and other significant lymphocytic-based responses associated with metal-on-metal prostheses. Questions have been raised as to whether this is an implant, design, or patient-specific response. The reasons why some patients have a negative biological response and pathology while others do not remain to be determined, but tens of thousands of patients in the US, the UK, and around the world are considered to be at risk. Leading researchers and clinicians describe the issues related to the nature of the biological and pathological responses and the protocols that should be followed to determine if an adverse response is occurring. This book is essential reading for researchers, engineers, and orthopaedic surgeons who are involved in the design, evaluation, and implantation of metal-on-metal prostheses."

The book covers novel strategies of state of the art in engineering and clinical analysis and approaches for analyzing abdominal imaging, including lung, mediastinum, pleura, liver, kidney and gallbladder. In the last years the imaging techniques have experienced a tremendous improvement in the diagnosis and characterization of the pathologies that affect abdominal organs. In particular, the introduction of extremely fast CT scanners and high Magnetic field MR Systems allow imaging with an exquisite level of detail the anatomy and pathology of liver, kidney, pancreas, gallbladder as well as lung and mediastinum. Moreover, thanks to the development of powerful computer hardware and advanced mathematical algorithms the quantitative and automated\semi automated diagnosis of the pathology is becoming a reality. Medical image analysis plays an essential role in the medical imaging field, including computer-aided diagnosis, organ/lesion segmentation, image registration, and image-guided therapy. This book will cover all the imaging techniques, potential for applying such imaging clinically, and offer present and future applications as applied to the abdomen and thoracic imaging with the most world renowned scientists in these fields. The main aim of this book is to help advance scientific research within the broad field of abdominal imaging. This book focuses on major trends and challenges in this area, and it presents work aimed to identify new techniques and their use in medical imaging analysis for abdominal imaging.