Dynamic Treatment Regimes: Statistical Methods for Precision Medicine provides a comprehensive introduction to statistical methodology for the evaluation and discovery of dynamic treatment regimes from data. Researchers and graduate students in statistics, data science, and related quantitative disciplines with a background in probability and statistical inference and popular statistical modeling techniques will be prepared for further study of this rapidly evolving field. A dynamic treatment regime is a set of sequential decision rules, each corresponding to a key decision point in a disease or disorder process, where each rule takes as input patient information and returns the treatment option he or she should receive. Thus, a treatment regime formalizes how a clinician synthesizes patient information and selects treatments in practice. Treatment regimes are of obvious relevance to precision medicine, which involves tailoring treatment selection to patient characteristics in an evidence-based way. Of critical importance to precision medicine is estimation of an optimal treatment regime, one that, if used to select treatments for the patient population, would lead to the most beneficial outcome on average. Key methods for estimation of an optimal treatment regime from data are motivated and described in detail. A dedicated companion website presents full accounts of application of the methods using a comprehensive R package developed by the authors. The authors' website www.dtr-book.com includes updates, corrections, new papers, and links to useful websites.

Clinical and Translational Science: Principles of Human Research, Second Edition, is the most authoritative and timely resource for the broad range of investigators taking on the challenge of clinical and translational science, a field that is devoted to investigating human health and disease, interventions, and outcomes for the purposes of developing new treatment approaches, devices, and modalities to improve health. This updated second edition has been prepared with an international perspective, beginning with fundamental principles, experimental design, epidemiology, traditional and new biostatistical approaches, and investigative tools. It presents complete instruction and guidance from fundamental principles, approaches, and infrastructure, especially for human genetics and genomics, human pharmacology, research in special populations, the societal context of human research, and the future of human research. The book moves on to discuss legal, social, and ethical issues, and concludes with a discussion of future prospects, providing readers with a comprehensive view of this rapidly developing area of science.

Introduction to Cancer Metastasis provides, in one place, an overview of organ-specific cancer metastasis and the most common sites of cancer metastasis. Through specific chapters on individual primary cancers, their metastasis, and chapters on common metastatic sites, this volume comprehensively informs readers about the broader knowledge base in cancer metastasis. The process of metastasis is particularly responsible for making cancer so lethal. This volume explores both metastasis from sites of origin and common metastatic sites, thus increasing understanding of both perspectives.

Now in its 7th edition this textbook is a must have for any health professional student. It provides a comprehensive overview of health research, in a concise and easy to read format using examples directly related to the health sciences. It helps students understand health research models, and how research goes on to inform and improve evidence-based clinical practice. For practitioners it provides guidance on published research in journals, providing an essential tool to keep their practice evidence based. Uses simple language and demystifies research jargon Covers both quantitative and qualitative research methodology, taking a very practical approach Provides an extensive glossary for better understanding of the language of research Fully updated online interactive self-assessment tests including MCQs, true or false questions and short answer questions.

Getting involved in medical and biomedical research through necessity or personal choice can be a testing experience. Each step of the process throws up its own challenges, from liaising with supervisors, to the lack of opportunities to promote completed research. This brand new How to provides a complete guide to the process: from the planning stages, to execution, write-up, preparation for the viva examination, and how to maximise the impact of your research. It ensures you get the most out of the experience, both in terms of personal development and academic achievement, and even provides guidance on what to do when things don't quite go to plan. An ideal companion, written by an experienced postgraduate tutor, this concise and user-friendly manual is full of practical exercises, key points, and hints and tips, which will give you the edge when dealing with the more elusive realities of medical and healthcare research.

This book will explore the great opportunities and challenges which exist in conducting clinical trials in developing countries. By exploring the various regulations specific to the major players and providing insight into the logistical challenges including language barriers, this book provides a working tool for clinical researchers and administrators to navigate the intricacies of clinical trials in developing countries. Important topics such as ethical issues will be handled very carefully to highlight the significant differences of conducting this work in various jurisdictions. Overall, it will present a clear and comprehensive guide to the ins-and-outs of clinical trials in various countries to assist in design, development, and effectiveness of these trials.

Advances in Immunology, a long-established and highly respected publication, presents current developments as well as comprehensive reviews in immunology. Articles address the wide range of topics that comprise immunology, including molecular and cellular activation mechanisms, phylogeny and molecular evolution, and clinical modalities. Edited and authored by the foremost scientists in the field, each volume provides up-to-date information and directions for the future.

First published in 1953, the Advances in Virus Research series covers a diverse range of in-depth reviews, providing a valuable overview of the current field of virology.

Animal Models for Medications Screening to Treat Addiction, the latest volume in the International Review of Neurobiology series, provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art research on the topic. It reviews the current knowledge and understanding in the field, presenting a starting point for researchers and practitioners entering the field.

Epi-Informatics: Discovery and Development of Small Molecule Epigenetic Drugs and Probes features multidisciplinary strategies with strong computational approaches that have led to the successful discovery and/or optimization of compounds that act as modulators of epigenetic targets. This book is intended for all those using or wanting to learn more about computational methodologies in epigenetic drug discovery, including molecular modelers, informaticians, pharmaceutical scientists, and medicinal chemists. With a better understanding of different molecular modeling and cheminformatic approaches, readers can incorporate these techniques into their own drug discovery projects that may involve chemical synthesis and medium- or high-throughput screening. In addition, this book highlights the significance of epigenetic targets to the public health for molecular modelers and chemoinformatians. The goal of this reference is to stimulate ongoing multidisciplinary research and to further improve current computational methodologies and workflows in order to accelerate the discovery and development of epi-drugs and epi-probes.

Advances in Cancer Research provides invaluable information on the exciting and fast-moving field of cancer research, presenting outstanding and original reviews on a variety of topics.

The orthodontic literature includes many articles on basic science and engineering research techniques, but clinicians are typically unfamiliar with the principles underlying these techniques and may also lack the background knowledge required for a full appreciation of their role. This book comprehensively reviews a wide array of the research methods most frequently encountered in the literature, encompassing the areas of materials science and clinical and biological research. The various methods and techniques are carefully described, and their indications and limitations are explained. All of the information is up to date, reflecting latest developments. For practicing professionals, Research Methods in Orthodontics will be an ideal introduction to instrumental analysis and basic science research methods in the field. It will also serve as an excellent reference guide for researchers. By familiarizing orthodontists with the basics of research methods, the book will boost their ability to keep pace with developments in treatment approaches, materials, and techniques and assist in the transfer of relevant future findings into practice.

The Advances in Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology series is an essential resource for protein chemists. Each volume brings forth new information about protocols and analysis of proteins, with each thematically organized volume guest edited by leading experts in a broad range of protein-related topics.

Striking a balance between theory, application, and programming, Biostatistics in Public Health Using STATA is a user-friendly guide to applied statistical analysis in public health using STATA version 14. The book supplies public health practitioners and students with the opportunity to gain expertise in the application of statistics in epidemiologic studies. The book shares the authors' insights gathered through decades of collective experience teaching in the academic programs of biostatistics and epidemiology. Maintaining a focus on the application of statistics in public health, it facilitates a clear understanding of the basic commands of STATA for reading and saving databases. The book includes coverage of data description, graph construction, significance tests, linear regression models, analysis of variance, categorical data analysis, logistic regression model, poisson regression model, survival analysis, analysis of correlated data, and advanced programming in STATA. Each chapter is based on one or more research problems linked to public health. Additionally, every chapter includes exercise sets for practicing concepts and exercise solutions for self or group study. Several examples are presented that illustrate the applications of the statistical method in the health sciences using epidemiologic study designs. Presenting high-level statistics in an accessible manner across research fields in public health, this book is suitable for use as a textbook for biostatistics and epidemiology courses or for consulting the statistical applications in public health. For readers new to STATA, the first three chapters should be read sequentially, as they form the basis of an introductory course to this software.

Published since 1953, Advances in Virus Research covers a diverse range of in-depth reviews, providing a valuable overview of the current field of virology.

Advances in Cancer Research provides invaluable information on the exciting and fast-moving field of cancer research. Here, once again, outstanding and original reviews are presented on a variety of topics, including taxane-anti-androgens cross-resistance in advanced prostate cancer and proteasome inhibitors in the treatment of multiple myeloma.

Offers the first comprehensive resource to document the particular needs of a given species in captivity. Each species is dealt with by specialists who are fully familiar with their animals, writing to a consistent template to facilitate easy navigation. Each chapter in Part 2 addresses specific species-typical behaviours associated with pain and distress. The third section contains a series of easy reference ethograms that will aid understanding, and potentially quantification of i.e., baboon, bird, or bovine behavior. The book will be useful not only in laboratory settings, but any situation where an animal is kept in captivity, from veterinary clinics to zoos and sanctuaries. Edited by internationally recognized experts in animal behaviour and behavioural management.

Membrane Proteins - Production and Function Characterization a volume of Methods in Enzymology, encompasses chapters from the leading experts in the area of membrane protein biology. The chapters provide a brief overview of the topics covered and also outline step-by-step protocol. Illustrations and case example images are included wherever appropriate to help the readers understand the schematics and general experimental outlines.

Precision Medicine in Neurodegenerative Disorders, Part One, Volume 192 deals with the "Why" in the approach to slow the progression of those suffering from diseases of accelerated brain aging. Matching a biology-correcting therapy with those biologically suitable to benefit from such therapy represents the vision and mission of precision medicine, the highest level of personalized medicine. This first Handbook of Clinical Neurology volume is intended to provide a scholarly background on the framework, basic science, and conceptual pitfalls related to disease-modifying efforts in Parkinson, Alzheimer, and other neurodegenerative disorders. Among the topics covered are the different models of precision medicine, the lumping-versus-splitting tension in biomarker development and therapeutics, and the rationale for replacing the convergence of the prevailing autopsy-based nosology of neurodegenerative diseases with the divergence of a systems biology approach to human diseases. Specific chapters are dedicated to the promise of genetic subtypes and the lessons in disease modification offered by the fields of oncology and cystic fibrosis that can be adapted to the field of neurodegeneration.

Advances in Cancer Research provides invaluable information on the exciting and fast-moving field of cancer research. Here, once again, outstanding and original reviews are presented on a variety of topics.

Poor clinical trial designs result in failed studies wasting research funds and limiting the advancement of cures for disorders. Clinical Trial Design Challenges in Mood Disorders outlines classic problems researchers face in designing clinical trials and discusses how best to address them for the most definitive and generalizable results. Traditional trial designs are included as well as novel analytic techniques. The book examines information on high placebo response, the generalizability of studies conducted in the developing world, the duration of maintenance studies, and the application of findings into clinical practice. With representation from contributors throughout the world and from academia, industry, regulatory agencies, and advocacy groups, this book will contribute toward improved clinical trial design and valid, precise, and reliable answers about what works better and faster for patients.

A complete guide to understanding cluster randomised trials Written by two researchers with extensive experience in the field, this book presents a complete guide to the design, analysis and reporting of cluster randomised trials. It spans a wide range of applications: trials in developing countries, trials in primary care, trials in the health services. A key feature is the use of R code and code from other popular packages to plan and analyse cluster trials, using data from actual trials. The book contains clear technical descriptions of the models used, and considers in detail the ethics involved in such trials and the problems in planning them. For readers and students who do not intend to run a trial but wish to be a critical reader of the literature, there are sections on the CONSORT statement, and exercises in reading published trials. * Written in a clear, accessible style * Features real examples taken from the authors extensive practitioner experience of designing and analysing clinical trials * Demonstrates the use of R, Stata and SPSS for statistical analysis * Includes computer code so the reader can replicate all the analyses * Discusses neglected areas such as ethics and practical issues in running cluster randomised trials How to Design, Analyse and Report Cluster Randomised Trials in Medicine and Health Related Research provides an excellent reference tool and can be read with profit by statisticians, health services researchers, systematic reviewers and critical readers of cluster randomised trials.

The bite of the tsetse fly - a burning sting into the skin - causes a descent into violent fever and aching pains. Severe bouts of insomnia are followed by mental deterioration, disruption of the nervous system, coma and ultimately death. Sleeping sickness, also known as Human African trypanosomiasis, is one of Africa's major killers. It puts 60 million people at risk of infection, occurs in 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and claims the lives of many thousands of people every year. Transmitted by the tsetse fly, trypanosomiasis affects both humans and cattle. The animal form of the disease severely limits livestock production and farming, and in people the toxic effects of the treatment for the brain disease can be as painful and dangerous as the disease itself. Existing in the shadow of malaria and AIDS, it is an overlooked disease, ignored by pharmaceutical companies and largely neglected by the western world. Peter Kennedy has devoted much of his working life to researching sleeping sickness in Africa, and his autobiographical account shares not only his trials and experiences, evoking our empathy with the affected patients, but an explanation of the disease, including its history and its future. Interwoven with African geography, his compassionate story reveals what it is like to be a young doctor falling in love with Africa, and tells of his building of a vocation in the search for a cure for this cruel disease.

In spite of intensive investments and investigations carried out in the last decade, many aspects of the stem cell physiology, technology and regulation remain to be fully defined. After the enthusiasm that characterized the first decade of the discovery that when given the right cue, stem cells could repair all the different tissues in the body; it is now time to start a serious and coordinated action to define how to govern the stem cell potential and to exploit it for clinical applications. This can be achieved only with shared research programs involving investigators from all over the world and making the results available to all. The Disputationes Workshop series (http://disputationes.info) is an international initiative aimed at disseminating stem cell related cutting edge knowledge among scientists, healthcare workers, students and policy makers. The present book gathers together some of the ideas discussed during the third and fourth Disputationes Workshops held in Florence (Italy) and Aalborg (Denmark), respectively. The aim of this book is to preserve those ideas in order to contribute to the general discussion on organ repair and to bolster a fundamental scientific and technological leap forwards the treatment of otherwise incurable diseases.

Research in pharmacy practice and medicines use is an important component of many postgraduate and undergraduate pharmacy programmes. It is seen as invaluable in informing professional practice and service development. This clear and concise handbook considers the stages of the research process in logical order, from planning of the project through to dissemination of the findings. Divided into three comprehensive sections, contents include: i) preparation, planning and management; ii) scientific enquiry and research methodology; iii) writing up and dissemination of the findings. This third edition of Conducting Your Pharmacy Practice Research Project has been restructured to aid navigation and comprehensively revised and expanded in recognition of the increased diversity of projects undertaken by students. This systematic guide will be of use to undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy students and their supervisors. It will also appeal to researchers unfamiliar with health services research methods and to practising pharmacists new to conducting a research project.