Specifically intended for lab-based biomedical researchers, this practical guide shows how to design experiments that are reproducible, with low bias, high precision, and widely applicable results. With specific examples from research using both cell cultures and model organisms, it explores key ideas in experimental design, assesses common designs, and shows how to plan a successful experiment. It demonstrates how to control biological and technical factors that can introduce bias or add noise, and covers rarely discussed topics such as graphical data exploration, choosing outcome variables, data quality control checks, and data pre-processing. It also shows how to use R for analysis, and is designed for those with no prior experience. An accompanying website (https://stanlazic.github.io/EDLB.html) includes all R code, data sets, and the labstats R package. This is an ideal guide for anyone conducting lab-based biological research, from students to principle investigators working in either academia or industry.

Initially genetic disorders were all considered as rare diseases. At present, in the mid of 2009, the OMIM catalogue contains information on more than 12 000 entries of which about 2500 are available for clinical testing based on the identification of the responsible gene defect. However, altogether it has been estimated that about 8 percent of a population in the economically developed countries will during their lifetime suffer from a disease mainly as the result of their genetic constitution. Adding to that, it is estimated that all diseases have a genetic component, which will determine who will be at a higher than average risk for a certain disorder. Further it is postulated that in the near future, this genetic profiling could become useful in selecting an appropriate therapy adapted to the genetic constitution of the person. Thus, genetic disorders are not rare.

Measuring quality of health care related processes became an issue in the 1990s, mainly in laboratory medicine, but also for hospitals and other health care systems. In many countries national authorities started to implement recommendations, guidelines or legal procedures regulating quality of health care delivery. In laboratory medicine, in parallel, the use of accreditation as a method assuring high quality standards in testing came in use. With the increasing possibilities of performing molecular genetic testing, genetic laboratories needed to become involved in this process.

As many genetic disorders are rare, most laboratories worldwide offered analysis for a specific set of disorders, and, therefore, very early on a transborder flow of samples occurred. While international quality criteria (ISO) have been in existence for a number of years, the regulation of quality issues still may differ between countries.

Based on their personal experience in the varying fields of quality research and clinical implementation of quality criteria in genetic services the authors of this book share their experience and give examples of the implementation of quality issues in national quality systems worldwide. This book, which is the result of the effort of many persons, is destined to aid laboratory managers and counsellors, health care managers and other stakeholders in national or international health care service to improve the services to the benefit of patients with suspected genetic disorders.

This book describes some of the key epidemiological principles, scientific approaches and quality assurance frameworks required to design and conduct biobank studies in various settings. Using examples from contemporary biobanks, the book addresses the design features and practical procedures needed in order to launch and manage biobank studies, including consent and regulatory approval, the organisation of field work, management of data and biological samples, follow-up and verification of disease outcomes, development of IT systems for data collection, quality assurance and study management. Over the last two decades, several large biobank studies have been initiated in different populations, intended to greatly enhance the development of precision medicine. Contemporary biobank studies are extremely large and complex, and involve several decades of follow-up. Such studies pose major challenges in terms of ensuring rapid recruitment, obtaining high-quality data, minimising loss to follow-up, reliably classifying disease outcomes, and optimising the use of the biological samples collected. In this regard, the key to success lies not in planning the perfect study, but in planning the most appropriate, reliable, sustainable and future-proof study given the practical constraints of available resources, time and capacity. The authors of this handbook are epidemiologists, clinicians, software engineers, and laboratory and data scientists with extensive experience in conducting large biobank studies. The eight chapters can be read separately or together, and provide readers with essential information on how to design, implement and manage these studies. The state-of-the-art, innovative and scalable approaches and methodologies presented here are intended to stimulate the development of further population-based and hospital-based biobank studies in diverse populations.

Human Cytogenetics: Constitutional Analysis covers all basic aspects of human cytogenetic study other than malignancies and abnormalities -these are covered in a separate volume. Since the publication of the 2nd edition in 1992, there have been major advances in technology and the emphasis of this new edition is on the spectrum of technologies available to conventional and molecular cytogenetics. However, the conventional techniques have not been forgotten, and chapters include chromosome staining and banding techniques and meiotic studies. This book will be invaluable to any scientists using basic cytogenetics, and along with its sister volume Human Cytogenetics: Malignancy and Acquired Abnormalities will be an essential purchase for any cytogenetics laboratory. Both volumes are available individually or as a set.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners need to have an understanding of Western medical testing to recognize when laboratory tests are required and to interpret test results that are brought to them by patients. This book is an essential reference for the TCM classroom and clinic that teaches how to use and understand conventional lab testing in the treatment and referral of patients. Focusing on symptoms that commonly present in TCM practices, the book groups the lab tests by diseases or systems. Within each chapter are TCM case studies and perspectives, as well as multiple choice quizzes that test the reader's knowledge. Co-written by a doctor of Western medicine and an acupuncture physician, the book aims to familiarize TCM practitioners with the terminology and methodology of lab tests, bridging the gap between Eastern and Western schools of medicine and promoting an integrative approach to improve the overall care of the patient.

The book is about the technology and application of Mixed-mode chromatography (MMC). Unlike conventional single-mode HPLC, which resolves the analytes primarily based on their ionic or hydrophobic properties, MMC employs multifunctional stationary phases to exploit at least two modes of interactions (i.e., ionic and hydrophobic) with the analytes and as such often provides resolution that far exceeds that observed with a single-mode process. Over the past two decades, MMC has developed into an important analytical and purification tool in a number of applications in pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The technique has been used widely for the analyses of nucleic acids, amino acids, peptides, proteins, glycoproteins, carbohydrates, antibiotics, vaccines, and other products. The purpose of this book is to present a comprehensive survey of mixed-mode chromatography and is intended as a reference guide for graduate students and experienced scientists in pharmaceutical and biotechnology disciplines wishing to gain a deep understanding of this continuously evolving technology.

Over the past 25 years, biobanks of human specimens have become a cornerstone for research on human health and have empowered the "omics "revolution that characterizes biomedical science in the XXIst Century. Today, biobanking of human specimens is a critical component of the interface between clinical practice and translational research, supporting the discovery and validation of new biomarkers of disease etiology, risk, early detection, diagnosis, prognosis, prediction and relapse. With the development of personalized medicine, biobanking of cryopreserved specimens has become standard practice in order to investigate genetic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomics and immunological biomarkers useful to inform caregivers for therapeutic decisions. Data generated from biobanked specimens represent a rapidly growing and highly valuable resource, participating in the emergence of Big Data Medicine. With the development of large computing capabilities and artificial intelligence, data associated with biobanked specimens constitute a unique resource for the discovery and validation of new biomarkers and therapeutically actionable targets. Interconnecting, interoperating and sharing this data have become major issues for national health systems, raising enormous stakes as well as major societal, legal and cybersecurity challenges in terms of compliance with the protection of personal sensitive information. This book project is the second part of an initiative launched in 2012 to produce a published corpus of knowledge encompassing all aspects of human biobanking as a central practice for research and medicine. The first volume, published in 2017, is entitled: Human Biobanking: Principles and Practice. This first volume compiled a series of high level contributions overseeing the main developments that carried the progression of human biobanking as a research and biotechnological field over the past two decades. This new book project will constitute de facto Volume 2 of the same initiative, under the title: Biobanking of Human Biospecimens: lessons from 25 years of biobanking experience. Hence, the two volumes will share the same generic title (Biobanking of Human Biospecimens), with different subtitles, making clear that the two volumes are interrelated while highlighting their specificities in terms of what they actually cover. As a result, the two books are "twins" but can also be used independently of each other. The overarching aim of the two volumes of Biobanking of Human Biospecimens is to provide a published "one-stop shop" for state-of-the-art information on what constitutes the field of human biobanking, from conception of a biobank, standard operating procedures, ethical and societal aspects, governance, networking, interoperability and economic sustainability. This inclusive publication concept meets the needs of a vast readership, including scientists, doctors and technical staffs who are directly involved in biobanking operations, scientists in other disciplines that heavily rely on biobanking (such as genomics or proteomics), stakeholders and policy makers, and of course students for whom biobanking is becoming an important part of the training curriculum. So far, there has been a lack of major textbooks on biobanking. Documentation for biobanking is widely available through numerous publications, regulatory documents published by International or Governmental Agencies, and sets of recommendations essentially accessible through the Internet. However, it is difficult to access a single, top-of-the shelf reference that provides at a glance a large coverage of all aspects of human biobanking. Fulfilling this need is the main origin of the concept for this back-to-back publication project. To our knowledge, there is currently no other publication project with the same breath and scope as this one in the field of biobanking.

This book provides a comprehensive discussion on the current information and evidence on the latest developments in the field of drugs resistance. Drug resistance is the reduction in effectiveness of a medication such as an antimicrobial or an antineoplastic in treating a disease or condition. This leads to negative outcomes at great risk of public health; therefore, increasing efforts are dedicated to the development of a new generation of medications that will help deal with this phenomenon. Decades of technological innovations in drug design have demonstrated the potential of resistance. Enormous information on various aspects of antibiotics resistance is available. However, literature on drug resistance specifically related to infectious and non-infectious diseases is rarely presented, particularly those focusing on the mechanisms, biochemistry, kinetics, dynamics, and management of drug resistance. Therefore, there is an immense need for a systematic compilation on the available information about this issue. All the chapters are logically selected and arranged to provide state-of-the-art information about all aspects of drugs resistance. After an introductory chapter, four chapters are dedicated to infectious microbial diseases, whereas two other chapters are complimenting this theme and focusing on drugs resistance in ear, nose and throat, and skin diseases. The recent advances in the understanding of drugs resistance in lung, neurological, kidney, heart, and liver diseases are also covered. Biochemistry of drugs resistance in cancer, HIV, ocular, reproductive, and diabetes diseases is also discussed. Finally, a chapter dedicated to the "management of drug resistance" has been included.

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.

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.

It has been 10 years since the first edition of 'Essentials of Tissue Banking' has been published. There is still relatively little published on the technical and scientific principles on routine tissue and cell banking based on scientific principles. The 1st edition was very successful and, after a 10 year gap, there is a need of an update and an expansion of the book's remit. The format of the book follows that of the previous edition- split into 5 sections. Management of donors and the banking of common tissues and cells; Principles of storage and processing of tissues and cells; Ensuring the safety of the products by testing the donor, the tissues and the environment, supported by a quality system and an IT infrastructure- all working within the constraints of current regulatory and ethical environments. This edition however provides a significant update. Many the chapters have been completely rewritten by different experts. Like the 1st edition, they were given a free hand in the way they wrote their chapter, with a guideline that they had to be concise, clear and up to date. The authors were also asked to provide the scientific and technical basis that provides the rationale of the processes they describe. Also, the scope of the book has been somewhat extended. In view of the fact that many cellular therapies are now routinely practiced, 2 new chapters have been added: one on the banking of haematopoietic stem cells and one on human embryonic stem cells. They have been deliberately chosen to illustrate the extreme spectrum of cellular therapies from one of the simplest to one of the most complex. The intention of the book has remained the same: to cover and update banking of current practices in essential tissue and cell banking. It is therefore hoped that by keeping the book as concise and up to date as possible, it will find a place on the shelves of many tissue establishments.

This book series consists of 3 volumes covering the basic science (Volume 1), clinical science (Volume 2) and the technology and methodology (Volume 3) of autophagy. Volume 3 focuses on the technical aspects of autophagy research. It is comprised of two parts. The first part discusses the basic process of autophagy, including its overall classification and individual stages in the life cycle of autophagosomes. The second part discusses the tools, strategies, and model systems in current autophagy research, including cell and animal models, detection and manipulation methods, as well as screening, genomic, proteomic and bioinformatic approaches. The book is written and edited by a team of active scientists. It is intended as a practical reference resource for interested researchers to get started on autophagy studies.

This book describes recent advances in translational research in breast cancer and presents emerging applications of this research that promise to have meaningful impacts on diagnosis and treatment. It introduces ideas and materials derived from the clinic that have been brought to "the bench" for basic research, as well as findings that have been applied back to "the bedside". Detailed attention is devoted to breast cancer biology and cell signaling pathways and to cancer stem cell and tumor heterogeneity in breast cancer. Various patient-derived research models are discussed, and a further focus is the role of biomarkers in precision medicine for breast cancer patients. Next-generation clinical research receives detailed attention, addressing the increasingly important role of big data in breast cancer research and a wide range of other emerging developments. An entire section is also devoted to the management of women with high-risk breast cancer. Translational Research in Breast Cancer will help clinicians and scientists to optimize their collaboration in order to achieve the common goal of conquering breast cancer.

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.

This practical manual to the diagnostic characteristics of the bacteria likely to be encountered in public health laboratories and medical and veterinary practice has been extensively revised. It is suitable for all bacteriological laboratories using traditional diagnostic methods. This edition contains up-to-date contributions and key references by experts. Included are new sections on rapid and mechanized test methods, and on the laboratory applications of computer theory and practice to the identification of bacteria. The importance of laboratory control and proficiency procedures are emphasized. The Appendices give details of the laboratory methods and media for all the recommended diagnostic tests, and provide abstracts of the official guidelines for bacterial nomenclature and names.

Implementing safety practices in healthcare saves lives and improves the quality of care: it is therefore vital to apply good clinical practices, such as the WHO surgical checklist, to adopt the most appropriate measures for the prevention of assistance-related risks, and to identify the potential ones using tools such as reporting & learning systems. The culture of safety in the care environment and of human factors influencing it should be developed from the beginning of medical studies and in the first years of professional practice, in order to have the maximum impact on clinicians' and nurses' behavior. Medical errors tend to vary with the level of proficiency and experience, and this must be taken into account in adverse events prevention. Human factors assume a decisive importance in resilient organizations, and an understanding of risk control and containment is fundamental for all medical and surgical specialties. This open access book offers recommendations and examples of how to improve patient safety by changing practices, introducing organizational and technological innovations, and creating effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable care systems, in order to spread the quality and patient safety culture among the new generation of healthcare professionals, and is intended for residents and young professionals in different clinical specialties.

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.

This book discusses in detail various serological tests that are used to identify medical conditions and diseases, from a general overview of each test to the equipment and steps needed to carry them out. The book is aimed specifically at immunology students and professionals who may occasionally need to use these tests, and thus lack training and experience in performing them. The book provides a brief overview of the immune system, including antibodies, antigens, and their interactions. The bulk of the book is comprised of 16 chapters that each explain different serological tests. These chapters start with a general introduction of the test or disease being detected, followed by the test principle, reagents required for the test, procedures and steps to perform the test, and, finally, result interpretation. Both test principles and result interpretation segments include illustrations to aid comprehension. In addition, the book also enables the reader to distinguish between positive and negative results in serological testing.

This book provides an introduction to the principles of pharmacogenomics and precision medicine, followed by the pharmacogenomics aspects of major therapeutic areas such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, organ transplantation, psychiatry, infection, antithrombotic drugs. It also includes genotyping technology and therapeutic drug monitoring in Pharmacogenomics; ethical, Legal and Regulatory Issues; cost-effectiveness of pharmacogenetics-guided treatment; application of pharmacogenomics in drug discovery and development and clinical Implementation of Pharmacogenomics for Personalized Precision Medicine. The contributors of Pharmacogenomics in Precision Medicine come from a team of experts, including professors from academic institutions and practitioner from hospital. It will give an in-depth overview of the current state of pharmacogenomics in drug therapy for all health care professionals and graduate students in the era of precision medicine.

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 presents the latest data from basic research and clinical trials supporting the effectiveness of ketamine as a treatment for depression, bipolar disorder, and suicidal behavior, setting these positive findings within the context of the serious problem of ketamine abuse. The first part of the book focuses on the evidence regarding ketamine abuse, with specific reference to Asian countries, and discusses countermeasures and complication management. It then addresses the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant and side effects of ketamine, which have remained elusive, describing and discussing important new research findings. Further, it explains insights gained from whole brain imaging in rodents and from behavioral pharmacology, and presents evidence regarding the role of gut microbiota, the NMDA receptor GluN2D subunit, and the lateral habenula in the actions of ketamine. These advances form the basis for the safer use of ketamine in patients with treatment-resistant depression and are expected to lead to the development of new antidepressants.

This book is dedicated to label-free, non-invasive monitoring of cell-based assays and it comprises the most widely applied techniques. Each approach is described and critically evaluated by an expert in the field such that researchers get an overview on what is possible and where the limitations are. The book provides the theoretical basis for each technique as well as the most successful and exciting applications. Label-free bioanalytical techniques have been known for a long time as valuable tools to monitor adsorption processes at the solid-liquid interface in general - and biomolecular interaction analysis (BIA) in particular. The underlying concepts have been progressively transferred to the analysis of cell-based assays. The strength of these approaches is implicitly given with the name 'label-free': the readout is independent of any label, reagent or additive that contaminates the system under study and potentially affects its properties. Thus, label-free techniques provide an unbiased analytical perspective in the sense that the sample is not manipulated by additives but pure. They are commonly based on physical principles and read changes in integral physical properties of the sample like refractive index, conductivity, capacitance or elastic modulus to mention just a few. Even though it is not implied in the name, label-free approaches usually monitor the cells under study non-invasively meaning that the amplitude of the signal (e.g. electric field strength, mechanical elongation) that is used for the measurement is too low to interfere or affect. In contrast to label-based analytical techniques that are commonly restricted to a single reading at a predefined time point, label-free approaches allow for a continuous observation so that the dynamics of the biological system or reaction become accessible.

This book demonstrates the potential of urine as a biomarker resource for early disease detection, covering the related theory, strategies, tools and findings. Biomarkers are measurable changes associated with diseases. Blood, as a critical part of its internal environment, is closely monitored and controlled by the body to maintain homeostasis, especially in the early stages of diseases. In contrast, urine, as a form of waste excreted by the body, collects a variety of substance changes. Accordingly, urine can offer an ideal resource for early biomarker discovery. In addition, urine is more stable than blood in vitro, and is easy to store and analyze. The book discusses exciting preliminary applications of urine biomarkers for diseases affecting major biological systems. Its main goal is to make scientists, clinicians and medical companies aware of this important, exciting, undeveloped, and profitable field.

This book presents an overview of up-converting phosphor (UCP), including UCP preparation, development of the rapid detection strips and UCP industrialization. It also discusses the wide clinical applications of this technology, such as in food poisoning, infectious diseases, drug-abuse and disaster rescue, where rapid point-of-care testing is often critical. Conventional testing methods are mainly based on gold immunochromatography, which relies heavily on results being read with the naked eye. However, up-converting phosphor technology (UPT) employs UCP particles as labels for rapid target detection. Unlike other conventional fluorescence techniques, UCP is excited by infrared light and emitted visible light. This anti-stokes phenomenon provides this special label with significant advantages, including zero background detection, high resistance to environmental influences (e.g. pH, salts, sample contamination), high sensitivity and quantitative detection. Systematically summarizing UCP technology and its wide applications, this book is a valuable resource for researchers and technicians in the field.

For over thirty years, rodents have been used in the study of many human and animal diseases. The rat in particular continues to serve as an experimental model for drug safety and efficacy tests for the treatment of neurological disorders, heart disease, diabetes, breast, liver and other cancers. With the more recent advent of transgenic technology, an impressive amount of new knowledge about transmissible spongiform encephalopathies has been accumulated. It is likely that the principles learned from the study of these prion diseases will be applicable to elucidating the causes of more common neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. As a result of this and, more importantly, because of increasingly complicated legislation governing the use of animals in regulated procedures, there is a need for experimenters (both experienced and those new to the laboratory) to improve their skills continuously and to become au fait with all aspects of preparatory techniques. The Rat Nervous System provides an accessible guide to the dissection and perfusion of rats, placing particular emphasis on the preparation of nervous tissue for further study in the laboratory including biochemical analysis and microscopic study. Logically structured with highly illustrated chapters covering gross anatomy, anatomy of the nervous system, anaesthesia, biological fixation and tissue extraction, the book provides a comprehensive introduction to those techniques required to provide consistent, high-quality tissues for subsequent investigation. Animal husbandry of a high standard, together with minimisation of discomfort, is essential if the information sought by the investigator is to be valid and reproducible; an overview of these topics is therefore also incorporated in this volume.