In excess of 7 million people worldwide die of coronary heart disease each year. Only one-third of these heart attack victims recover completely. The remainder suffer the consequences of myocardial infarction and its ill fated remodeling process, resulting in chronic congestive heart failure. This malady alone is the leading cause of hospital admissions in the United States.

New breakthroughs in stem cell therapy and tissue engineering have promised to reverse this dismal outcome by cardiovascular repair. World authorities, including scientists and regulatory authorities, have joined in a collaborative effort to present for the reader the first collective review of stem cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. These contributions in basic science, pre-clinical and clinical experience guided by the regulatory pathways, assure a rapid course of translational research and clinical trials.

The contents of this publication will become a prerequisite for those preparing to meet the challenges of this exciting and potentially rewarding field of stem cell research.

Pattern Formation in Morphogenesis is a rich source of interesting and challenging mathematical problems. The volume aims at showing how a combination of new discoveries in developmental biology and associated modelling and computational techniques has stimulated or may stimulate relevant advances in the field. Finally it aims at facilitating the process of unfolding a mutual recognition between Biologists and Mathematicians of their complementary skills, to the point where the resulting synergy generates new and novel discoveries. It offers an interdisciplinary interaction space between biologists from embryology, genetics and molecular biology who present their own work in the perspective of the advancement of their specific fields, and mathematicians who propose solutions based on the knowledge grasped from biologists.

An outstanding practical guide to the most common chemometric methods in use today

Chemometrics explains how to apply the most widely used pattern recognition and multivariate calibration techniques to solve data analysis problems. This practical guide describes all key methods in terms of processes and applications in order to help the reader easily identify the best technique for a given situation.

Drawing on years of industrial experience with chemometric tools, the authors share their six basic steps, or "habits," for achieving reliable chemometric results, and cover key areas such as:

• Defining and understanding the problem
• Experimental planning and design
• Preprocessing of samples and variables
• Supervised and unsupervised pattern recognition
• Classical and inverse methods of multivariate calibration

Complete with helpful chapter-end summaries, technical references, and more, this book is an invaluable hands-on resource for analytical chemists and laboratory scientists who use chemometrics in their work.

This volume contains information on the diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of spinal tumors. Various aspects of different major types of spinal tumors (astrocytomas, ependymomas, and oligodendroglioma) are discussed. Insights into the understanding of molecular pathways involved in tumor biology are explained. Classification of intradural spinal tumors, including the percentages of each of the three major types, is detailed. Symptoms, radiological features, and clinicopathological parameters of spinal cord tumors are explained. Diagnosis, outcome, and prognosis of primary spinal cord and oligodendroglioma are discussed. Diagnosis of some other spinal tumors (e.g., pilomyxoid and chordomas) is also explained. The useful role of neuroimaging in diagnosing spinal teratoid/rhabdoid and gangliogliomas is included. A wide variety of treatments of a number of spinal cord tumor types are presented in detail. Therapies discussed include chemotherapy, surgery, radiosurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, Cyberknife stereotactic radiotherapy, standard radiation alone, and rhenium-186 intracavity radiation. Also are duiscussed embolozation and spondylectomy. The usefulness of transplantation of human embryonic stem cells-derived oligodendrocyte progenitors and motoneuron progenitors in the repair of injured spinal cord is emphasized. Symptoms of the advent of spinal tumors are pointed out. Introduction to new technologies and their applications to spinal cord tumor diagnosis, treatment, and therapy assessment are explained.

Since its early days in the 1990s, the Quorum Sensing (QS) field has grown from a few dozen laboratories, investigating the pathways, proteins, and chemicals that facilitate signaling in bacteria, to hundreds of groups that have integrated evolutionary biology, computer science, mathematics, engineering, and metagenomics to create an ever-expanding and dynamic field. In Quorum Sensing: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers provide an in-depth set of diverse protocols that span this broad area of study. Broken into three detailed sections, the volume covers the detection, isolation, and characterization of the QS signals made by both Gram- and Gram+ bacteria, determination of the function of QS signals in vivo, and the development of QS disruption strategies. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include brief introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and expert tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known experimental pitfalls. Comprehensive and cutting-edge, Quorum Sensing: Methods and Protocols serves as an invaluable collection of easily accessible techniques for scientists seeking to further our knowledge about bacterial communication and its relation to humanity.

Cognitive Intelligence with Neutrosophic Statistics in Bioinformatics investigates and presents the many applications that have arisen in the last ten years using neutrosophic statistics in bioinformatics, medicine, agriculture and cognitive science. This book will be very useful to the scientific community, appealing to audiences interested in fuzzy, vague concepts from which uncertain data are collected, including academic researchers, practicing engineers and graduate students. Neutrosophic statistics is a generalization of classical statistics. In classical statistics, the data is known, formed by crisp numbers. In comparison, data in neutrosophic statistics has some indeterminacy. This data may be ambiguous, vague, imprecise, incomplete, and even unknown. Neutrosophic statistics refers to a set of data, such that the data or a part of it are indeterminate in some degree, and to methods used to analyze the data.

Developments in the areas of biology and bioinformatics are continuously evolving and creating a plethora of data that needs to be analyzed and decrypted. Since it can be difficult to decipher the multitudes of data within these areas, new computational techniques and tools are being employed to assist researchers in their findings. The Handbook of Research on Computational Intelligence Applications in Bioinformatics examines emergent research in handling real-world problems through the application of various computation technologies and techniques. Featuring theoretical concepts and best practices in the areas of computational intelligence, artificial intelligence, big data, and bio-inspired computing, this publication is a critical reference source for graduate students, professionals, academics, and researchers.

The Advances in Cancer Research series provides invaluable information on the exciting and fast-moving field of cancer research. This volume presents outstanding and original reviews on a variety of topics including

This book offers an overview of our current understanding of host defense peptides and their potential for clinical applications as well as some of the obstacles to this. The chapters, written by leading experts in the field, detail the number and diversity of host defense peptides, and discuss the therapeutic potential not only of antibacterial, but also of antifungal, antiviral, plant antimicrobial and anticancer host defense peptides. The authors provide new insights into their mechanisms of action and their immunomodulatory properties, and review recent advances in the design of novel therapeutic molecules. Lastly, their potential to prevent preterm births and Staphylococcus aureus infections is highlighted. The book is of interest to researchers, industry and clinicians alike.

Human cell culture is not a new topic, but the development of new molecular techniques and reagents which can be used to investigate cell function and the responsible intracellular mechanisms make it a continuing requirement. This third edition of Human Cell Culture Protocols expands upon the previous editions with current, detailed protocols for the isolation and culture of a range of primary cells from human tissues. With new chapters on pancreatic cells needed for basic studies on the pathogenesis of diabetes and for their application for islet transplantation, the book also delves into protocols for hepatocytes, skin cells, lung cells, parathyroid cells, gastric cells, renal cells, adipocytes, ovarian cells, bone cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, vascular endothelial cells, regulatory T cells, blood mononuclear cells, as well as new techniques being applied to human cell culture, particularly the use of biocompatible scaffolds to grow cells, the in vitro use of laser microdissection to isolate cells from culture, and automated cell culture. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) 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. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Human Cell Culture Protocols, Third Edition makes it possible for a worker with basic cell culture training, whether in the fields of cell biology, gene therapy, and cell transplantation, to prepare cell cultures of the specific cell type necessary to forward their vital research.

This book is a collection of articles written by prominent scientists who gathered in the city of Recife, Brazil, 23-27 October 2010, celebrating the 10th International Symposium on Yersinia. The event is held every four years in a different country and for the Yersinia 2010, an interesting and updated program covering advances in research in Yersiniae was organized. The major advances achieved over the past four years since the last symposium held in Lexington, USA in 2006 were divided into eight chapters: Epidemiology, Clinical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic aspects; Ecology and Modeling; Genomic/Transcriptomics and Large Scale Population; Immune Response and Vaccine; Pathogenesis and Pathogenicity Factors; Cellular Yersiniology; Bacterial Structure and Metabolism: Roles in Pathogenesis and Bacterial Life Style. The purpose of the book is to extend cutting edge knowledge on Yersinia discussed during the 10th International Symposium.

Springer Handbook of Enzymes provides data on enzymes sufficiently well characterized. It offers concise and complete descriptions of some 5,000 enzymes and their application areas. Data sheets are arranged in their EC-Number sequence and the volumes themselves are arranged according to enzyme classes.

This new, second edition reflects considerable progress in enzymology: many enzymes are newly classified or reclassified. Each entry is correlated with references and one or more source organisms. New datafields are created: application and engineering (for the properties of enzymes where the sequence has been changed). The total amount of material contained in the Handbook has more than doubled so that the complete second edition consists of 39 volumes as well as a Synonym Index. In addition, starting in 2009, all newly classified enzymes are treated in Supplement Volumes.

Springer Handbook of Enzymes is an ideal source of information for researchers in biochemistry, biotechnology, organic and analytical chemistry, and food sciences, as well as for medicinal applications.

* Discusses cancer cell biology in relation to Genome stability and Cell cycle regulation Unique assembly of experts in these fields who wrote a comprehensive and deep up-to-date overview Discusses models for the understanding of DNA damage-dependent signal transduction and regulation in human cells Since the establishment of the DNA structure researchers have been highly interested in the molecular basis of the inheritance of genes and of genetic disorders. Scientific investigations of the last two decades have shown that, in addition to oncogenic viruses and signalling pathways alterations, genomic instability is important in the development of cancer. This view is supported by the findings that aneuploidy, which results from chromosome instability, is one of the hallmarks of cancer cells. Chromosomal instability also underpins our fundamental principles of understanding tumourigenesis: It thought that cancer arises from the sequential acquisition of genetic alterations in specific genes. In this hypothesis, these rare genetic events represent rate-limiting bottlenecks' in the clonal evolution of a cancer, and pre-cancerous cells can evolve into neoplastic cells through the acquisition of somatic mutations. This book is written by international leading scientists in the field of genome stability. Chapters are devoted to genome stability and anti-cancer drug targets, histone modifications, chromatin factors, DNA repair, apoptosis and many other key areas of research. The chapters give insights into the newest development of the genome stability and human diseases and bring the current understanding of the mechanisms leading to chromosome instability and their potential for clinical impact to the reader.

Featuring 26 chapters by doctors and other researchers, this handbook reviews the basic information and offers specific instructions concerning: informed consent, conscious sedation and monitoring, antibiotic prophylaxis, endoscopic electrosurgery, the benign esophagus, esophageal manometry, pH test

Since the discovery of X-rays and radioactivity, ionizing radiations have been widely applied in medicine both for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. The risks associated with radiation exposure and handling led to the parallel development of the field of radiation protection.
Pioneering experiments done by Sanche and co-workers in 2000 showed that low-energy secondary electrons, which are abundantly generated along radiation tracks, are primarily responsible for radiation damage through successive interactions with the molecular constituents of the medium. Apart from ionizing processes, which are usually related to radiation damage, below the ionization level low-energy electrons can induce molecular fragmentation via dissociative processes such as internal excitation and electron attachment. This prompted collaborative projects between different research groups from European countries together with other specialists from Canada, the USA and Australia.
This booksummarizes the advances achieved by these research groups after more than ten years of studies on radiation damage in biomolecular systems.

An extensive Part I deals with recent experimental and theoretical findings on radiation induced damage at the molecular level. It includes many contributions on electron and positroncollisions with biologically relevant molecules. X-ray and ion interactions are also covered. Part II addresses different approaches to radiation damage modelling. In Part III biomedical aspects of radiation effects are treated on different scales. After the physics-oriented focus of the previous parts, there is a gradual transition to biology and medicine with the increasing size of the object studied. Finally, Part IV is dedicated to current trends and novel techniques in radiation reserach and the applications hence arising. It includes new developments in radiotherapy and related cancer therapies, as well as technical optimizations of accelerators and totally new equipment designs, giving a glimpse of the near future of radiation-based medical treatments."

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally and presents a major challenge to policy makers and clinicians alike. Recent research has suggested that obesity has its origins in early life and that early diet can programme a developing fetus and young infant s future susceptibility to obesity. This volume contains recent findings presented at the International Conference on Early Nutrition Programming and Health Outcomes in Later Life: Obesity and Beyond - a satellite meeting of the 15th European Congress on Obesity, held in Budapest in April 2007. Basic scientific research, data from epidemiological studies and clinical trial results were all presented during the programme.

This volume includes articles discussing the evidence for an effect of early nutrition programming on later obesity and cardiovascular risk; the growing evidence for an intergenerational cycle of obesity; the role of maternal leptin in programming appetite; possible cellular mechanisms for altered energy balance, including mitochondrial programming and the effects of regulators of metabolism; and how epigenetic changes might be the fundamental underlying mechanism explaining programming effects. Consumer understanding of the concept of early nutrition programming and the extent to which early nutrition programming is taken into account in infant feeding policies are also discussed.

Information Communication Technologies (ICT) have become an increasingly prevalent part of everyday life. Today, there are many cases in which ICT assist the elderly and people with disabilities to complete tasks once thought impossible. Enhancing the Human Experience through Assistive Technologies and E-Accessibility discusses trends in ICT in relation to assistive technologies and their impact on everyday tasks for those with disabilities. This reference work provides different perspectives on upcoming technologies and their impact on e-accessibility and e-inclusion, essential topics for researchers, businesses, and ICT product developers in the field of assistive technologies.

The book focuses on the aqueous interface of biomolecules, a vital yet overlooked area of biophysical research. Most biological phenomena cannot be fully understood at the molecular level without considering interfacial behavior. The author presents conceptual advances in molecular biophysics that herald the advent of a new discipline, epistructural biology, centered on the interactions of water and bio molecular structures across the interface. The author introduces powerful theoretical and computational resources in order to address fundamental topics such as protein folding, the physico-chemical basis of enzyme catalysis and protein associations. On the basis of this information, a multi-disciplinary approach is used to engineer therapeutic drugs and to allow substantive advances in targeted molecular medicine. This book will be of interest to scientists, students and practitioners in the fields of chemistry, biophysics and biomedical engineering.

The advancements of medical technology, improvements in medical care, and increased patients' life span make pain research and related drug development high priorities for both the research community and pharmaceutical companies. Rapid development of basic science research tools, such as techniques of flurometric labeling, genomic and proteomic high throughput screening, and genetically modified animals, promotes the swift acceleration of pain research to a stage allowing integrated investigations of pain processing mechanisms at the single cell and/or molecule level, and in a spatially and temporally controlled manner. Using multidisciplinary approaches, we can dissect the complicity of the sensory circuits connecting peripheral stimulation to maladaptive changes in the sensory pathways as well as pain perceptions at the central nervous system. Pain Research: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition provides advanced techniques and animal models that are critical for integrated pain research. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters contain introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and accessible, Pain Research: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition serves as an ideal guide to novice pain researchers who may not have extensive experiences in the field, or to experienced pain researchers who would like to expand their research in new directions and/or to new mechanisms in different models.

Accelerated Path to Cures provides a transformative perspective on the power of combining advanced computational technologies, modeling, bioinformatics and machine learning approaches with nonclinical and clinical experimentation to accelerate drug development. This book discusses the application of advanced modeling technologies, from target identification and validation to nonclinical studies in animals to Phase 1-3 human clinical trials and post-approval monitoring, as alternative models of drug development. As a case of successful integration of computational modeling and drug development, we discuss the development of oral small molecule therapeutics for inflammatory bowel disease, from the application of docking studies to screening new chemical entities to the development of next-generation in silico human clinical trials from large-scale clinical data. Additionally, this book illustrates how modeling techniques, machine learning, and informatics can be utilized effectively at each stage of drug development to advance the progress towards predictive, preventive, personalized, precision medicine, and thus provide a successful framework for Path to Cures.

RNA technologies are the driving forces of modern medicine and biotechnology. They combine the fields of biochemistry, chemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, physics, nanotechnology and bioinformatics. The combination of these topics is set to revolutionize the medicine of tomorrow. After more than 15 years of extensive research in the field of RNA technologies, the first therapeutics are ready to reach the first patients. Thus we are witnessing the birth of a very exciting time in the development of molecular medicine, which will be based on the methods of RNA technologies. This volume is the first of a series. It covers various aspects of RNA interference and microRNAs, although antisense RNA applications, hammerhead ribozyme structure and function as well as non-coding RNAs are also discussed. The authors are internationally highly respected experts in the field of RNA technologies.

This book introduces a new cyberphysical system that combines clinical and basic neuroscience research with advanced data analysis and medical management tools for developing novel applications for the management of epilepsy. The authors describe the algorithms and architectures needed to provide ambulatory, diagnostic and long-term monitoring services, through multi parametric data collection. Readers will see how to achieve in-hospital quality standards, addressing conventional "routine" clinic-based service purposes, at reduced cost, enhanced capability and increased geographical availability. The cyberphysical system described in this book is flexible, can be optimized for each patient and is demonstrated in several case studies.

This book explores Dental Stem Cell (DSC) biology, from a review of basic concepts for cell culture, to isolation, self-renewal, multipotency and differentiation, regulation by molecular medicine, and prospective research areas for regenerative medicine. The first seven chapters delve into basic DSC properties, vital signaling pathways involved in differentiation, pluripotency, iPS cell development from DSCs, and genetic engineering approaches of DSCs in accordance with the current literature. A comprehensive review of possible clinical applications and in vitro/in vivo studies follows, illustrating the future of DSC research for in the tissue engineering field. The text also discusses the political, ethical, social, and legal ramifications of the use of dental stem cells. Expertly authored and drawing from a multitude of international perspectives, Dental Stem Cells is an invaluable addition to Springer's Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine series. It is essential reading for advanced graduate students, basic researchers, and clinical investigators in the fields of stem cell therapy, biological sciences of dentistry, and regenerative medicine.

Apoptosis: Involvement of Oxidative Stress and Intracellular Ca2+ Homeostasis, presents a concise synthesis of the current knowledge and recent advances in the mechanisms of apoptosis in different cells and the role of oxidative stress and Ca2+ signalling. Particular attention is given to the different features of apoptosis in distinct cell types, ranging from hepatocytes to cardiovascular and blood cells, nervous cells or spermatozoa.

Cutting-edge and user-friendly, this volume serves as a comprehensive resource for those interested in the fascinating biological processes associated to programmed cell death or apoptosis. The book is divided in two major chapter sections: general mechanisms of the apoptotic pathways and the role of oxidative stress and intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis and a more specific section dedicated to the specificities of apoptosis in a number of excitable and non-excitable cells.

All of the contributions are from specialists in the field and the reviews presented, systemically examine the most exciting and innovative aspects of the apoptotic pathways in their particular areas of expertise.