The aim of this volume is to present current methodologies to predict and understand the pathogenesis of Type-1 Diabetes for clinical and non-clinical researchers. 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 key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Practical and reliable, Type-1 Diabetes: Methods and Protocols will aid researchers in using these methods to advance their own studies.

This book explores methods to study the complex and evolving interplay between a virus and its host that range from model systems to the detection of chemical molecules. The collection starts with the application of humanized mice and zebrafish as model organisms to study virus-host interactions and induction of innate immune responses. Subsequent chapters outline diverse methods to detect small interfering RNAs, microRNAs, and virus-derived dsRNA from a variety of cells, tissues, and organisms, as well as to interrogating the cytosolic RNA and DNA sensing pathways, including using RNA PAMPs as molecular tools, purification of cGAMP from virus particles and infected cells, and mechanisms to visualize the subcellular localization and activation of the adaptor proteins MAVS and STING. Cutting-edge methods, including high-throughput and genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screens, chromosome conformation capture, and whole-exome sequencing, are described to identify novel mediators, pathways, and variants underlying host susceptibility. Given the importance of studying these pathways and players under physiologic conditions, methods describing the isolation of primary mouse sensory neurons and group 2 innate lymphoid cells are also provided. Finally, this collection comes full circle back to the whole organism level and concludes with epidemiological methods to investigate virus-host interactions and the induction of innate immunity. Written for the Methods in Molecular Biology series, 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 practical, Innate Antiviral Immunity: Methods and Protocols spans a diverse array of approaches to study and elucidate the intricacies of this vital area of study. The chapter 'Morphological Separation of Clustered Nuclei in Histological Images' is published open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com.

Dr. Myrtle A. Davis has assembled a panel of cutting-edge scientists to describe their best methods for detecting, illuminating, and quantifying apoptotic mechanisms in a way that is useful for the design of toxicology and pharmacology studies. These state-of-the-art techniques include flow cytometric, fluorometric, and laser scanning methods for quantifying and characterizing apoptosis, as well as protocols for the use of DNA microarray technology, high throughput screens, and ELISA. Immunocytochemical methods for measuring biochemical and molecular endpoints in tissue sections will be highly useful for those carrying out studies in whole animal models as opposed to cell culture systems.

This book encompasses the exciting developments and challenges in the fast-moving and rapidly expanding research field of single-molecule kinetic analysis of cell signaling that promises to be one of the most significant and exciting areas of biological research for the foreseeable future. Cell signaling is carried out by complicated reaction networks of macromolecules, and single-molecule analyses has already demonstrated its power to unravel complex reaction dynamics in purified systems. To date, most of the published research in the field of single-molecule processes in cells, focus on the dynamic properties (translational movements of the centre of mass) of biological molecules. However, we hope that this book presents as many kinetic analyses of cell signaling as possible. Although single-molecule kinetic analysis of cellular systems is a relatively young field when compared with the analysis of single-molecule movements in cells, this type of analysis is highly important because it directly relates to the molecular functions that control cellular behavior and in the future, single-molecule kinetic analysis will be largely directed towards cellular systems. Thus, we hope that this book will be of interest to all those working in the fields of molecular and cell biology, as well as biophysics and biochemistry.

The placebo elicits more passionate debate, scepticism and personal belief than almostany other aspect of medicine. As yet there are no concrete answers - but many challenging observations and powerful effects occur daily in healthcare which need to be examined. This book will stimulate and inform every reader from the experienced practitioner to the new student who has ever asked, What is the placebo really, and why should it matter to me?Written in an accessible and engaging style with contributions from leading figures in healthcare, it tackles issues of the placebo effect in complementary medicine.A clear and engaging exploration of a highly topical subject A clinicians route map through the visible territory and the known research in this areaA fair and even analysis of the possibilities and implications of the topic in clinical practice

This book presents the timeline of immunodiagnostics evolution, including advancements in immunological/nucleic acid probes, assay design, labelling techniques, and devices for signal transduction and acquisition. In the past few years, enzyme and nanocatalyst-based immune assays have undergone numerous modifications to enhance their sensitivity and potential for automation. Further, to reduce production costs and the use of laboratory animals, engineering small antibodies and nucleic acid probes (aptamers) has become increasingly popular in the development of novel and powerful bioassays. In light of the notable advancements in immunodiagnostics, this book highlights the combined efforts of clinicians, biotechnologists, material scientists, nanotechnologists and basic scientists in a coherent and highly structured way. The book takes readers on the journey of immunodiagnostic technologies, from their introduction to the present.

This book highlights electromagnetic actuation (EMA) and sensing systems for a broad range of applications including targeted drug delivery, drug-release-rate control, catheterization, intravitreal needleless injections, wireless magnetic capsule endoscopy, and micromanipulations. It also reviews the state-of-the-art magnetic actuation and sensing technologies with remotely controlled targets used in biomedicine.

The over-arching goal of this volume is to help infertility practitioners evaluate and manage their patients with poor semen quality. The authors review the existing literature on the effects of medications on male fertility, and provide detailed information about what is known, giving the number of individuals and population characteristics for studies of medication effects on male fertility. Medications are designed to treat illness and reduce symptoms, but all have undesirable adverse effects such as headache or stomach upset. Some adverse reactions can even be life-threatening, so it is no surprise that some drugs have negative effects on male reproduction. Medical practitioners rarely consider a man's reproductive plans when prescribing medications. Men are routinely treated with drugs that can impair or abolish fertility. Although practitioners in the field of reproductive medicine generally realize that certain drugs impact negatively on reproductive health, there are limited resources providing evidence-based knowledge useful in counseling patients. Tables throughout this volume summarize the information for each drug, providing a handy reference for clinical use.

Computational Intelligence is comparatively a new field but it has made a tremendous progress in virtually every discipline right from engineering, science, business, m- agement, aviation to healthcare. Computational intelligence already has a solid track-record of applications to healthcare, of which this book is a continuation. We would like to refer the reader to the excellent previous volumes in this series on computational intelligence in heal- care [1-3]. This book is aimed at providing the most recent advances and state of the art in the practical applications of computational intelligence paradigms in healthcare. It - cludes nineteen chapters on using various computational intelligence methods in healthcare such as intelligent agents and case-based reasoning. A number of fielded applications and case studies are presented. Highlighted are in particular novel c- putational approaches to the semantic management of health information such as in the Web 2.0, mobile agents such as in portable devices, learning agents capable of adapting to diverse clinical settings through case-based reasoning, and statistical - proaches in computational intelligence. This book is targeted towards scientists, application engineers, professors, health professionals, professors, and students. Background information on computational intelligence has been provided whenever necessary to facilitate the comprehension of a broad audience including healthcare practitioners.

The generation of tridimensional tissues, assembled from scaffolding materials populated with biologically functional cells, is the great challenge and hope of tissue bioengineering and regenerative medicine. The generation of biomaterials capable of harnessing the immune system has been particularly successful. This book provides a comprehensive view of how immune cells can be manipulated to suppresses inflammation, deliver vaccines, fight cancer cells, promote tissue regeneration or inhibit blood clotting and bacterial infections by functionally engineered biomaterials. However, long-lived polymers, such as those employed in orthopedic surgery or vascular stents, can often induce an immune reaction to their basic components. As a result, this book is also an important step towards coming to understand how to manipulate biomaterials to optimize their beneficial effects and downplay detrimental immune responses.

The significant impact of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) on basic research and its clinical relevance are reflected by the flourishing publication of original and review research articles; by the appearance of whole issues of journals dedicated to the RAS; and by specialist books on the RAS. In such a rapidly evolving environment, publications that span the spectrum from basic research to the bedside, fill a particularly valuable niche for clinicians and researchers alike. The primary aim of this book is to provide a topical and timely forum for the critical appraisal of an area of RAS research that is expanding rapidly. In this respect, a collection of thirteen chapters from distinguished and world-class experts in the field has been presented on the contemporary research of the RAS and their implications in human disease.

This volume provides a general overview of the therapeutic potential of the essential oils in cancer and highlights some promising future directions. It integrates chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine while discussing bioactive essential oils in experimental models and clinical studies of cancer. The book is a valuable resource for all engaged in the study of natural products and their synthetic derivatives, particularly for those interested in academic research and pharmaceutical and food industries dedicated in the discovery of useful agents for the therapy or prevention of cancer.

Regulated turnover of extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important component of tissue homeostasis. In recent years, the enzymes that participate in, and control ECM turnover have been the focus of research that touches on development, tissue remodeling, inflammation and disease. This volume in the Biology of Extracellular Matrix series provides a review of the known classes of proteases that degrade ECM both outside and inside the cell. The specific EMC proteases that are discussed include cathepsins, bacterial collagenases, matrix metalloproteinases, meprins, serine proteases, and elastases. The volume also discusses the domains responsible for specific biochemical characteristics of the proteases and the physical interactions that occur when the protease interacts with substrate. The topics covered in this volume provide an important context for understanding the role that matrix-degrading proteases play in normal tissue remodeling and in diseases such as cancer and lung disease. The series Biology of Extracellular Matrix is published in collaboration with the American Society for Matrix Biology.

From humble beginnings over 25 years ago as a lipid kinase activity associated with certain oncoproteins, PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase) has been catapulted to the forefront of drug development in cancer, immunity and thrombosis, with the first clinical trials of PI3K pathway inhibitors now in progress. Here we give a brief overview of some key discoveries in the PI3K area and their impact, and include thoughts on the current state of the field, and where it could go from here

This book will provide latest insights in the functional potentials of ribonucleic acids in medine and the use of Spiegelmer and Spiegelzyme systems. It will also deal with a new type of delivery systems for cellular targeting.

Over the years of cancer investigation a lot of discoveries in this field were made, and many associations between various biological carcinogens and cancer were revealed. Some of them are credibly determined, thus these infectious agents (human papilloma virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, Epstein-Barr virus, human herpes virus 8, human T-cell lymphotropic virus 1, human immunodeficiency virus, Merkel cell polyomavirus, Helicobacter pylori, Opisthorchis viverrini, Clonorchis sinensis, Schistosoma haematobium) are recognized as carcinogens and probable carcinogens by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The problem is of large importance, since share of infectious agents-related cancer cases is steadily increasing, reaching 25% according to certain estimates. It is worth noting that many of cancer cases are caused by infectious agents other than -conventional ones- like HPV, EBV, HBV, HCV, H.pylori etc. In recent years, a number of significant breakthroughs in the field were performed, such as the discovery of the microbiota role in cancer causation."

During the last 20 years it has become increasingly clear that the tumor micro-environment, the tumor stroma with its cellular end extracellular components, plays an crucial role in regulating tumor growth and progression. This book on "Tumor-associated fibroblasts and their matrix" as part of the series on "Tumor-Microenvironment" is the first comprehensive discussion of these two main players of the tumor microenvironment. The best experts in this new area of tumor research and therapy review the role of these major components in the tumor stroma in the process of tumor development and progression. They discuss their interaction with other players such as blood vessels and immune cells, and show novel perspectives for tumor therapy. This compilation of excellent contributions of the best known experts in this important field in cancer research and therapy is a must for all scientists engaged in basic and clinical research. Increasing evidence of successful targeting of both cellular and matrix components in tumor therapy renders this book of particular interest for scientists engaged in pharmaceutical industry searching for new components for cancer therapy.

Hematopathology: Genomic Mechanisms of Neoplastic Diseases will keep physicians abreast of the rapid and complex changes in genomic medicine, as exemplified by the molecular pathology of hematologic malignancies. This timely volume will update physicians on the complexities of genomic lesions, as well as offer an integrated framework encompassing molecular diagnosis, the new WHO classification of hematologic neoplasms with focus on molecular pathology, prognostic value of molecular tests, and molecular monitoring of response to gene-targeted therapy. As such, it will be of great value to hematologists, oncologists, pathologists, internal medicine and pediatric specialists, as well as bioscientific staff and laboratorians in private hospitals and academic institutions.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is one of the most important molecular biological methods ever devised, with numerous applications to cli- cal molecular medicine. Since its description in 1985, PCR has undergone tremendous improvements, and many variations on the basic PCR theme have been published. With such a large volume of PCR-related literature, a clinical scientist wishing to use the technique will have a difficult task loc- ing the relevant information to implement it effectively. There is thus clearly a need for an up-to-date volume with detailed protocols to facilitate the setting up of those techniques most relevant to clinical applications. Unlike some other books on this topic, Clinical Applications of PCR includes only methods that are of direct relevance in clinical settings. The book is organized in three parts: an introductory section, a section on general methodology, and a final section with specific clinical applications. The first section covers the basic principles of PCR and is most useful to those new to molecular diagnosis. The next chapter includes useful tips for setting up a PCR laboratory. Section 2 then outlines some of the most commonly used PCR-based techniques in molecular diagnosis. Section 3 includes carefully chosen examples that represent typical applications of PCR in diverse clinical fields, encompassing hematology, oncology, genetics, and microbiology.

The field of microRNA biology is really emerging in the last couple of years. Several investigators highlighted the importance of miRNAs in cancer. Although there is so much literature on microRNAs exist, a comprehensive book is still not available. Thus this book will be a great use to the scientists in the field of cancer biology. In addition, this book will be a good source of information for undergraduate, graduate students who want to develop their research careers in cancer biology.

The ongoing process of bio-evolution has produced materials which are perfectly adapted to fulfil a specific functional role. The natural world provides us with a multitude of examples of materials with durability, strength, mechanisms of programmed self-assembly and biodegradability.

The materials industry has sought to observe and appreciate the relationship between structure, properties and function of these biological materials. A multidisciplinary approach, building on recent advances at the forefront of physics, chemistry and molecular biology, has been successful in producing many synthetic structures with interesting and useful properties.

"Structural Biological Materials: Design and Structure-Property Relationships" represents an invaluable reference in the field of biological materials science and provides an incisive view into this rapidly developing and increasingly important topic within materials science.

This book focuses on the study of three sub-groups of structural biological materials:

Hard tissue engineering, focussing on cortical bone
Soft tissue engineering
Fibrous materials, particularly engineering with silk fibers.

The fundamental relationship between structure and properties, and certain aspects of design and engineering, are explored in each of the sub-groups. The importance of these materials, both in their intrinsic properties and specific functions, are illustrated with relevant examples. These depict the successful integration of material properties, architecture and shape, providing a wide range of optimised designs, tailored to specific functions.

Edited by Manuel Elices of the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain, this book is Volume 4 in the Pergamon Material Series.

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Folding for the Synapse addresses the current view on how protein folding and misfolding, controlled by molecular chaperones, contribute to synapse function and dysfunction. Molecular chaperones have been studied in relation to de novo protein folding, but there is increasing awareness that chaperone function is required for the regulation of protein dynamics when functioning physiologically as an isolated moiety or part of a protein complex. This book will introduce both important concepts of folding machineries and give examples of the biological relevance of further chaperone functions.

Surgical Research: Basic Principles and Clinical Practice, Third Edition is an excellent source book for the young surgical investigator as well as the senior investigator in surgery. It is divided into nine sections: The Surgeon as Investigator, Reading and Writing, Speaking and Listening, Design and Methods, Funding, Implementation, Analyzing Outcomes, Ethical Issues and Perspectives. The Third Edition has been updated and added to with 43 new chapters. This book is of special interest to those surgeons interested in doing research. However, it also has many very interesting chapters that would help all surgeons in approaching their practice in a more scientific way. With many of the foremost surgical investigators contributing, this book is an excellent collection of chapters covering the entire gamut of surgical research.