Volume 47 in the internationally acclaimed "Advances in Clinical Chemistry" contains chapters submitted from leading experts from academia and clinical laboratory science. Authors are from a diverse field of clinical chemistry disciplines and diagnostics, ranging from basic biochemical exploration to cutting-edge microarray technology.
Leading experts from academia and clinical laboratory science Volume emphasizes novel laboratory advances with application to clinical laboratory diagnostics and practical basic science studies

Volume 47 in the internationally acclaimed "Advances in Clinical Chemistry" contains chapters submitted from leading experts from academia and clinical laboratory science. Authors are from a diverse field of clinical chemistry disciplines and diagnostics, ranging from basic biochemical exploration to cutting-edge microarray technology.
Leading experts from academia and clinical laboratory science Volume emphasizes novel laboratory advances with application to clinical laboratory diagnostics and practical basic science studies

This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, Guest Edited by Mark Yazer, MD, on the topic of Blood Transfusion will include the following article topics: Xenotransfusion; FDA Perspective; Inflammatory Cytokines as Predictors of Alloimmunization; Cryopreservation of RBCs, PLT and Stem Cells; PLT Storage Lesion; Future of Blood Management; Future of Molecular Testing for RBC Antigens: ECO Cells; Farmed RBCs; Farming RBCs from Stem Cells; Politics and Blood Transfusion; and Fetal Blood Grouping from Maternal Plasma.

This issue presents topics of importance in current point-of-care testing for laboratory medicine professionals. Topics such as POCT: An overview and look to the future; Fine needle aspiration biopsy: POCT in cytopathology; Drugs of abuse; POCT and disaster response; POCT regulatory affairs; Fecal occult blood testing; Tight Glycemic control;Molecular POCT; Information management and connectivity; Alternate QC and EQC; Managing POCT; and Coagulation and D-dimer

Volume 47 in the internationally acclaimed Advances in Clinical Chemistry contains chapters submitted from leading experts from academia and clinical laboratory science. Authors are from a diverse field of clinical chemistry disciplines and diagnostics ranging from basic biochemical exploration to cutting-edge microarray technology.
Leading experts from academia and clinical laboratory science
Volume emphasizes novel laboratory advances with application to clinical laboratory diagnostics and practical basic science studies

Volume forty six in the internationally acclaimed Advances in Clinical Chemistry, contains chapters submitted from leading experts from academia and clinical laboratory science. Authors are from a diverse field of clinical chemistry disciplines and diagnostics ranging from basic biochemical exploration to cutting edge microarray technology.
* Leading experts from academia and clinical laboratory science
* Volume emphasizes novel laboratory advances with application not only to both clinical laboratory diagnostics, but as well as practical basic science studies

Micro and Nano Flow Systems for Bioanalysis addresses the latest developments in biomedical engineering at very small scales. It shows how organic systems require multi-scale understanding in the broadest sensewhether the approach is experimental or mathematical, and whether the physiological state is healthy or diseased. Micro-and nano-fluidics represent key areas of translational research in which state-of-the-art engineering processes and devices are applied to bedside monitoring and treatment. By applying conventional micro- and nano-engineering to complex organic solids, fluids, and their interactions, leading researchers from throughout the world describe methods and techniques with great potential for use in medicine and clinical practice. Coverage includes the seeming plethora of new, fine-scale optical methods for measuring blood flow as well as endothelial activation and interaction with tissue. Generic areas of modeling and bioelectronics are also considered. In keeping with the recurring theme of medicine and clinical practice, approximately half of the chapters focus on the specific application of micro- and nano- flow systems to the understanding and treatment of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This book developed from an Expert Overview Session on "Micro & Nano Flows in Medicine: the way ahead" at the 3rd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2011) held in Thessaloniki, Greece. Additional chapters were included to enhance the international, state-of-the-art coverage.

This updated volume explores a wide variety of clinical applications of PCR such as detecting DNA methylation, detection of viruses and protozoa in infectious diseases, estimation of gene copy number aberrations, primer extension coupled with mass spectroscopy, and high throughput NGS techniques. The application of PCR has shown incredible value in the study of genomics and transcriptomics, not only for discovery but also for routine clinical applications, and it forms the cornerstone of personalized medicine. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include brief 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. Thorough and authoritative, Clinical Applications of PCR, Third Edition serves as an ideal guide for researchers aiming to understand the principles behind each application and for their implementation in the laboratory.

The atlas of the Light and Specular Microscopy of the Cornea, particularly of the corneal endothelium presents photographs of healthy and pathological corneas, as well as corneas prepared for grafting. Photographs are taken from donor or patient's corneas. The first part section of the atlas shows healthy corneas and its particular layers: the epithelium (superficial and basal cells, subepithelial nerve plexus), stroma and keratocytes, and the endothelium. Blood vessels or palisades of Vogt in limbus are shown as well. The second part section that shows corneas processed for grafting is focused focuses on the endothelial layer. Main causes of exclusion of corneas from grafting, such as the presence of dead cells, polymeghatism, pleomorphism, cornea guttata or stromal scars have been shown. The third part section of the atlas shows corneas before and after storage in tissue cultures or hypothermic conditions with the aim to assess its suitability of for tissue for grafting. The last final section contains photographs of pathological corneal explants

This volume provides an overview of the cytoskeleton particularly on the fundamental role the cytoskeleton plays in the regulation of cell structure and function. This book represents new trends in cytoskeletal research that go beyond the traditional approach of identifying new proteins in the cytoskeleton, but actually define how these proteins interact with signaling pathways. While the major emphasis in this volume remains on the microfilament structure, some discussion has been included in this volume to illustrate the similarities and differences between the three cytoskeletal elements namely the actin microfilament, the intermediate filaments and the microtubules.

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) has developed rapidly in the last four decades. As a multidisciplinary area, PNI may provide a scientific basis for mind-body relationships toward the development of personalized and systems medicine. In Psychoneuroimmunology:Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail methods and protocols geared toward the development of integrative and individualized therapeutics in multiple dimensions from drugs to behaviors. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, the chapters include the kind of detailed description and implementation advice that is crucial for getting optimal results in the laboratory. Thorough and intuitive, Psychoneuroimmunology:Methods and Protocols aids scientists in continuing to study holistic views for the translation of psychoneuroimmunology into better preventive and personalized medical practice.

Therapeutic regimens for visceral leishmaniasis (also Kala-azar, Dum-dum fever or black fever), caused by parasitic protozoa of the Leishmania genus, evolve at a pace never seen before. Spread by tiny and abundant sand flies, the parasite infects internal organs and bone marrow and if left untreated will almost always result in the death of the host. In developing countries successful diagnosis and treatment are complicated by asymptomatic cases, undernutrition and Kala-azar/HIV co-infections.

This book brings together world-renown experts writing state-of-arts review on the progress in diagnosis and treatment of visceral leishmaniasis, ultimately leading to the complete elimination of this fatal disease from South Asia. The chapters provide valuable information for disease control as well as therapy and the diagnostic improvements necessary for early treatment, subclinical detection and drug-resistant cases. The presented methods allow for points-of-care testing in the endemic area, enabling rapid detection in resource-poor settings with easy handling and low costs.

This book provides essential information for scientists, medical practitioners and policy makers involved in the diagnosis, treatment and elimination of Kala-azar.

This book presents an overview of the most important current developments in the pre-analytical handling of tissue. It addresses in particular potential ways to improve the situation whereby methods employed in the pre-analytical phase - the period from surgical removal of tissue to the start of pathological processing - have remained essentially unchanged for decades with only modest standardization. It is examined how the pre-analytical period can be optimized, resulting not only in an increase in diagnostic quality but also in a reduction in processing time and costs. Among the key topics examined are the so-called cold ischemia time between tissue removal and fixation, the potential superiority of vacuum-based preservation over immediate formalin fixation, two-temperature fixation, molecular analysis methods, and the pre-analytics of specimens from particular tissues. Readers will find this book to be an important update that reveals the full importance of the pre-analytical phase for quality of pathological work-up.

The book reviews the main approaches for generation of differentiated cells from various types of stem cells, including embryonic, placental and cord blood stem cells through marrow, adipose tissue and dental pulp. The book starts with an overview of experimental protocols applied to generate insulin secreting cells, neural cells, heart cells, and other tissue specific cells ex vivo and in experimental animals. This is followed by exhaustive review of clinical trials in these pathologies. It continues with a comparison of the merits of successful transplantation in humans versus animal experimentation, and highlights the most promising clinical applications in the field. Special chapters are devoted to the topic of tissue engineering and modern synthetic and biological scaffolds. It is essential reading for scientists and researchers in tissue engineering and stem cell research as well as clinicians who are involved in developing or testing stem cell therapies.

The unexpected and premature passing away of Professor Ebrahim H. "Abe" Mamdani on January, 22, 2010, was a big shock to the scientific community, to all his friends and colleagues around the world, and to his close relatives. Professor Mamdani was a remarkable figure in the academic world, as he contributed to so many areas of science and technology. Of great relevance are his latest thoughts and ideas on the study of language and its handling by computers. The fuzzy logic community is particularly indebted to Abe Mamdani (1941-2010) who, in 1975, in his famous paper An Experiment in Linguistic Synthesis with a Fuzzy Logic Controller, jointly written with his student Sedrak Assilian, introduced the novel idea of fuzzy control. This was an elegant engineering approach to the modeling and control of complex processes for which mathematical models were unknown or too difficult to build, yet they could effectively and efficiently be controlled by human operators. This ground-breaking idea has found innumerable applications and can be considered as one of the main factors for the proliferation and adoption of fuzzy logic technology. Professor Mamdani's own life and vital experience are illustrative of his "never surrendering" attitude while facing adversaries, which is normal for a person proposing any novel solution, and represent a great example for everybody. His subtle sense of humor, his joy for life, and his will to critically help people, especially young people, were characteristics deeply appreciated by all the people who enjoyed and benefited from his friendship and advice. This book constitutes a posthumous homage to Abe Mamdani. It is a collection of original papers related in some way to his works, ideas and vision, and especially written by researchers directly acquainted with him or with his work. The underlying goal of this book will be fulfilled if, in the very spirit of Mamdani's legacy, the papers will trigger a scientific or philosophical debate on the issues covered, or contribute to a cross-fertilization of ideas in the various fields.

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.

* 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.

Here in a single source is a complete spectrum of ideas on the development of new anticancer drugs. Containing concise reviews of multidisciplinary fields of research, this book offers a wealth of ideas on current and future molecular targets for drug design, including signal transduction, the cell division cycle, and programmed cell death. Detailed descriptions of sources for new drugs and methods for testing and clinical trial design are also provided.
KEY FEATURES:
* One work that can be consulted for all aspects of anticancer drug development
* Concise reviews of research fields, combined with practical scientific detail, written by internationally respected experts
* A wealth of ideas on current and future molecular targets for drug design, including signal transduction, the cell division cycle, and programmed cell death
* Detailed descriptions of the sources of new anticancer drugs, including combinatorial chemistry, phage display, and natural products
* Discussion of how new drugs can be tested in preclinical systems, including the latest technology of robotic assay systems, cell culture, and experimental animal techniques
* Hundreds of references that allow the reader to access relevant scientific and medical literature
* Clear illustrations, some in color, that provide both understanding of the field and material for teaching

This volume not only discusses various common biobanking topics, it also delves into less-discussed subjects such as what is needed to start a biobank, training of new biobanking personnel, and ethnic representation in biospecimen research. Other chapters in this book span practical topics including: disaster prevention and recovery; information technology; flora and fauna preservation including zoological fluid specimen photography; surgical and autopsy biobanking; biobanking of bodily fluids; biosafety; cutting frozen sections; immunohistochemistry; nucleic acid extraction; and biospecimen shipping. 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. Unique and comprehensive, Biobanking: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for novice and practicing biobankers, and for end-user researchers. This book aims to bring new insight into the field and expand on current biomedical biobanking studies.

Clostridium difficile, a major nosocomial pathogen shown to be a primary cause of antibiotic-associated disease, has emerged as a highly transmissible and frequently antibiotic-resistant organism, causing a considerable burden on health care systems worldwide. In Clostridium difficile: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers bring together the most recently developed methods for studying the organism, including techniques involving isolation, molecular typing, genomics, genetic manipulation, and the use of animal models. 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 notes highlighting tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Clostridium difficile: Methods and Protocols serves as an ideal guide for scientists now in a position to gain an in-depth understanding of how this organism is transmitted and how it causes disease.

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 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.

About 8000 clinical trials are undertaken annually in all areas of medicine, from the treatment of acne to the prevention of cancer. Correct interpretation of the data from such trials depends largely on adequate design and on performing the appropriate statistical analyses. In this book, the statistical aspects of both the design and analysis of trials are described, with particular emphasis on recently developed methods of analysis.