These proceedings of the 2018 XIII International Symposium on Spermatology focus on comparative biology, and encourages discussion and the exchange of ideas. The aim of this Symposium was to provide a unique opportunity and bring together scientists from a wide spectrum of research fields - human, domestic animals and other mammals, vertebrates, insects, and plants. The underlying focus is on the function of the spermatozoon - a common feature for sexual reproduction, but extremely varied. By exploring the variability, a better understanding of male reproductive functions can develop. These proceedings address the mechanisms of physiology and pathophysiology, rather than diagnosis and treatment. The symposium featured keynote lectures by invited speakers, followed by presentations on specific aspects of the general topic of the session. Experimental studies are given priority over clinical studies of patient populations. The proceedings comprise both keynote speakers' texts and selected free communications. Posters were considered for publication in the proceedings, and the volume includes exhibited materials on the work of prominent spermatologists, highlighting their important past achievements in the field.

Volume62 in the internationally acclaimed "Advances in Clinical Chemistry" contains chapters authored by world renowned clinical laboratory scientists, physicians and research scientists.The serialprovides the latest and most up-to-date technologies related to the field of Clinical Chemistry andis the benchmark for novel analytical approaches in the clinical laboratory.
Expertise of international contributorsLatest cutting-edge technologiesComprehensive in scope"

Volume63 in the internationally acclaimed "Advances in Clinical Chemistry" contains chapters authored by world renowned clinical laboratory scientists, physicians and research scientists.The serialprovides the latest and most up-to-date technologies related to the field of Clinical Chemistry andis the benchmark for novel analytical approaches in the clinical laboratory.
Expertise of international contributorsLatest cutting-edge technologiesComprehensive in scope"

A two-in-one text providing teaching lab students with an overview of immunology as well as a lab manual complete with current standard exercises. Section I of this book provides an overview of the immune system and immunity, and includes review questions, problem sets, case studies, inquiry-based questions, and more to provide students with a strong foundation in the field. Section II consists of twenty-two lab exercises focused on key concepts in immunology, such as antibody production, cell separation, cell function, immunoassays, Th1/Th2 cytokine detection, cell and tissue culture methods, and cell and molecular biology techniques. Appendices include safety information, suggested links and readings, and standard discipline processes, protocols, and instructions.

A suitable drug delivery system is an essential element in achieving efficient therapeutic responses of drug molecules. With this desirability in mind, the book unites different techniques through which extremely small-sized particles can be utilized as a successful carrier for curing chronic as well as life-threatening diseased conditions. This is a highly informative and prudently organized book, providing scientific insight for readers with an interest in nanotechnology. Beginning with an overview of nanocarriers, the book impetuses on to explore other essential ways through which these carriers can be employed for drug delivery to varieties of administrative routes. This book discusses the functional and significant features of nanotechnology in terms of Lymphatic and other drug targeting deliveries. The book is presenting depth acquaintance for various vesicular and particulate nano-drug delivery carriers, utilized successfully in Pharmaceutical as well as in Cosmeceutical industries along with brief information on their related toxicities. In addition, the work also explores the potential applications of nanocarriers in biotechnology sciences for the prompt and safe delivery of nucleic acid, protein, and peptide-based drugs. An exclusive section in the book illuminates the prominence and competent applicability of nanotechnology in the treatment of oral cancer. The persistence of this book is to provide basic to advanced information for different novel carriers which are under scale-up consideration for the extensive commercialization. The book also includes recent discoveries and the latest patents of such nanocarriers. The cutting-edge evidence of these nanocarriers available in this book is beneficial to students, research scholars, and fellows for promoting their advanced research.

Blood transfusion is a field where there have been, and continues to be, significant advances in science, technology and most particularly governance. This book aims to provide you with a comprehensive overview of both the scientific and managerial aspects of blood transfusion medicine. The book is intended to equip biomedical, clinical and allied medical professionals with practical tools to allow for an informed practice in the field of blood transfusion science. Dr. Erhabor Osaro 2013

With its roots in the last century and currently exploiting the technology of today, the science of drug metabolism has made significant contributions to our understanding of chemico-biological interactions. This book reviews past successes and failures within the science and attempts to predict new directions. Each of the chapters of this book deals with an aspect of xenobiotic metabolism which has featured prominently in the development of the discipline. The volume is testimony to the breadth and depth of research into xenobiotic metabolism and covers the chemistry and enzymology of xenobiotic metabolism, enzyme modeling and structure activity relationships, pharmacokinetics, the use of recombinant gene technology, site directed mutagenesis, transgenic and gene knockout models, new analytical techniques including capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry, accelerator mass spectrometry, high throughput analysis toxicological assessment, pharmacogenetics, drug development and therapeutics. With new chemical entities constantly emerging and requiring evaluation, the concepts and techniques developed in this book will help focus future lines of investigation and help set priorities in the next millennium.

Saliva as a unique sample for health assessment is gaining attention among researchers of different fields in the last 20 years; being reflected in an impressive increase in the number of papers published studying saliva from different biological aspects in human and veterinary species. Once deemed merely a digestive juice is now considered a biological fluid capable of communicating information about physiopathological processes occurring in organisms, since saliva has been shown to contain molecular and bacterial compounds that can change in response to local and systemic pathologies. Furthermore, the interest of saliva as a diagnostic, prognostic and monitoring biofluid is forced by its non-invasive nature being of easy and inexpensive sampling, involving only minimal discomfort and allowing the collection of multiple/repeated specimens at anytime, anywhere and without need for specialized staff. In this contributed volume, the authors bring together, summarize and reflect the generated knowledge about saliva as a source of biomarkers for health and welfare evaluation in humans and animal models. This volume also highlights the importance of confounding factors, such as sampling methods, flow, total protein content, contamination, or storage. This book will serve as a manual for graduates, practitioners and researchers by providing general ideas about the possibilities and utilities of saliva in clinical practice or investigation, and indicating the main cautions each should have in mind before saliva usage.

This book provides systematic knowledge of basic principles in the design of fluorescence sensing and imaging techniques together with critical analysis of recent developments. Fluorescence is the most popular technique in chemical and biological sensing because of its ultimate sensitivity, high temporal and spatial resolution and versatility that enables imaging within the living cells. It develops rapidly in the directions of constructing new molecular recognition units, new fluorescence reporters and in improving sensitivity of response up to detection of single molecules. Its application areas range from control of industrial processes to environment monitoring and clinical diagnostics. Being a guide for students and young researchers, it also addresses professionals involved in active basic and applied research. Making a strong link between education, research and product development, this book discusses prospects for future progress.

For courses in Microbiology Lab and Nursing and Allied Health Microbiology Lab A Flexible Approach to the Modern Microbiology Lab Easy to adapt for almost any microbiology lab course, this versatile, comprehensive, and clearly written manual is competitively priced and can be paired with any undergraduate microbiology text. Known for its thorough coverage, straightforward procedures, and minimal equipment requirements, the Eleventh Edition incorporates current safety protocols from governing bodies such as the EPA, ASM, and AOAC. The new edition also includes alternate organisms for experiments for easy customisation in Biosafety Level 1 and 2 labs. New lab exercises have been added on Food Safety and revised experiments, and include options for alternate media, making the experiments affordable and accessible to all lab programs. Ample introductory material, engaging clinical applications, and laboratory safety instructions are provided for each experiment along with easy-to-follow procedures and flexible lab reports with review and critical thinking questions.

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 provides basic, simple, and logical explanations for choices to be made to run the best Elispot possible. It allows the newcomer to truly understand the best options for specific protocol steps, reagents and materials, and provides even the experienced Elispot user with insight into best practices. The techniques presented here are supported by the author's twenty-plus years of first-hand experience working with this assay, as well as the shared experiences of numerous colleagues and collaborators. The enzyme-linked immunospot (Elispot) assay is a widely used technique to monitor cells on the single cell level for the release of analytes like cytokines, chemokines or immunoglobulins (antibodies), in response to particular stimuli. The most important feature of Elispot is its outstanding sensitivity, allowing the detection of specific cells in very low frequencies. The advantages of Elispot have resulted in it being widely adapted for use in research and translational applications in numerous fields including cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmunity, and transplantation.

This thesis describes novel substrate embedded physical sensors that can be used to monitor different types of cell-based assays non-invasively and label-free. The sensors described provide integrative information of the cells under study with an adaptable time resolution (ranging from milliseconds to days). This information about the dynamic cell response to chemical, physical or biological stimuli defines a new paradigm in fundamental biomedical research. The author, Maximilian Oberleitner, describes approaches in which the cells are directly grown on different sensor surfaces (gold-film electrodes, shear wave resonators or dye-doped polymer films). This approach, with the reacting cells in particularly close proximity and contact with the sensor surface, is key to a remarkable sensitivity, opening the way for a variety of new applications. This thesis not only introduces the fundamentals of each approach, but it also describes in great detail the design principles and elucidates the boundary conditions of the new sensors.

The book provides a reference for years to come, written by world-renowned expert investigators studying sex differences, the role of sex hormones, the systems biology of sex, and the genetic contribution of sex chromosomes to metabolic homeostasis and diseases. In this volume, leaders of the pharmaceutical industry present their views on sex-specific drug discovery. Many of the authors presented at the Keystone Symposium on "Sex and gender factors affecting metabolic homeostasis, diabetes and obesity" to be held in March 2017 in Lake Tahoe, CA. This book will generate new knowledge and ideas on the importance of gender biology and medicine from a molecular standpoint to the population level and to provide the methods to study them. It is intended to be a catalyst leading to gender-specific treatments of metabolic diseases. There are fundamental aspects of metabolic homeostasis that are regulated differently in males and females, and influence both the development of diabetes and obesity and the response to pharmacological intervention. Still, most preclinical researchers avoid studying female rodents due to the added complexity of research plans. The consequence is a generation of data that risks being relevant to only half of the population. This is a timely moment to publish a book on sex differences in diseases as NIH leadership has asked scientists to consider sex as a biological variable in preclinical research, to ensure that women get the same benefit of medical research as men.

This expert volume covers an interdisciplinary and rapidly growing area of biomedical research comprising genetic, biochemical, pathological, and clinical studies aimed at the diagnosis and therapy of human diseases which are either caused by or associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. It dedicates itself to showcasing the tremendous efforts and the progress that has been made over the last decades in developing techniques and protocols for probing, imaging, and manipulating mitochondrial functions. Mitochondrial Medicine: Volume II, Manipulating Mitochondrial Function describes techniques developed for manipulating and assessing mitochondrial function under general pathological conditions and specific disease states. 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. Comprehensive and practical, Mitochondrial Medicine provides an essential source of know-how and inspiration to all researchers who are fascinated by this tiny organelle that seems so clearly to control the life and death of a single cell and whole organisms alike.

Plasmodium falciparum malaria is responsible for the deaths of nearly 500,000 people each year. Much attention has been paid to antibody and cellular mechanisms of immunity against this pathogen. By contrast, the role that the complement system plays in immunity and pathogenesis in this infection is not very well recognized or understood. Based on the work of a number of research groups, we know that complement plays an important role in these processes. In this book, some of the leading scientists in the field discuss the mechanisms of complement activation during malaria infection as well as the role of complement in the pathogenesis of key syndromes such as severe malarial anemia, cerebral malaria, and placental malaria. In addition, they review recently-identified complement evasion strategies of P. falciparum merozoites, and how these mechanisms may translate into paradoxical enhancement of infection rather than protection. Finally, they also discuss the role of the mosquito complement system on immunity against the parasite.

Biobanking, an emerging field supported by academia, industry and health administrators alike, is distinctly different today from the practice that once defined it. The science of Biobanking, which initially involved simply storing blood or tissue samples in a freezer, is now a highly sophisticated field of research, and expected to grow exponentially over the next decade or two. This book aims to serve the purpose of further enriching the available literature on Biobanking, by offering unique and more useful collection of ideas for the future. The book outlines the experiences of developing modern Biobanking repositories in different countries, whilst covering specific topics regarding the many aspects of Biobanking. This book will be of interest to a wide range of readers including: academics, students, volunteers and advocates of patients' rights.