This volume provides a summary of the standard laboratory protocols and methodology commonly used in basic and translational studies in the field of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment. Chapters detail including basic RA models, evaluation of disease activity and immunological status, systemic drug delivery, and new research tools. 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. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Rheumatoid Arthritis: Methods and Protocols aims to be a basic manual for clinical researchers who are just getting started in the field of intervention study.

This volume covers classic and modern cell and molecular biology of prostate cancer, as well as novel biomarkers, inflammation, centrosome pathologies, microRNAs, cancer initiation novel biomarkers, inflammation, centrosome pathologies, microRNAs, cancer initiation and genetics, epigenetics, mitochondrial dysfunctions and apoptosis, cancer stem cells, angiogenesis and progression to metastasis, and treatment strategies including clinical trials related to prostate cancer. Cell & Molecular Biology of Prostate Cancer is one of two companion books comprehensively addressing the biology and clinical aspects of prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer: Molecular & Diagnostic Imaging and Treatment Stategies, the companion volume, discusses both classic and the most recent imaging approaches including analysis of needle biopsies, applications of nanoparticle probes and peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals for detection, early diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. Taken together, these volumes form one comprehensive and invaluable contribution to the literature.

The inflammasome is a protein complex composed of an intracellular sensor-typically a Nod-like receptor (NLR), the precursor procaspase-1, and the adaptor ASC. Inflammasome activation leads to the maturation of caspase-1 and the processing of its substrates, IL-1 and IL-18. The inflammasome has been implicated numerous diseases, and blockade of inflammasome-derived IL-1 has beneficial effects on several of these diseases. Different books have been edited about the biology of inflammasomes and about methods to study, however, the implication of this complex in the different diseases and pathological conditions show the need of a book about the clinical implications and therapeutic options. This project will show the context where inflammasomes are being studied and the molecular implications in the medical and clinical contexts. Other important topic of the inflammasomes will be the development of pharmacological inhibitors in order to improve new clinical applications. In this sense, we can find new drugs with inhibitory effects or old drugs with an inhibitory potential effect. There is a need for re-establishing the real benefits of the inflammasome inhibitions in pathological situations and the management of the differents diseases where inflammasomes are implicated.

The book contains the refereed contributions from the 45th Annual Meeting of the International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissue (ISOTT) 2017. This volume covers cross-disciplinary work on a broad range of topics related to the dynamics of oxygen transport: microcirculation and vascular medicine; O2 deficiency and its impact on molecular processes in cells and tissues; cellular metabolism and mitochondrial function; multimodal functional imaging; mathematical modeling; the clinical relevance of oxygen supply as well as therapeutic interventions (e.g. in oncology or critical care medicine). The annual meetings of ISOTT bring together scientists from diverse fields (medicine, physiology, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, etc.) in a unique international forum. The book includes sections on brain oxygenation and function, NIRS oxygenation measurements, tumor oxygenation, cell metabolism, tissue oxygenation and treatment, methodical aspects of O2 measurements and physicochemical aspects of oxygen diffusion. Chapters 3, 24, 49 and 51 of this book are open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.

This indispensable volume highlights recent studies identifying epigenetic mechanisms as essential regulators of skin development, stem cell activity and regeneration. Chapters are contributed by leading experts and promote the skin as an accessible model system for studying mechanisms that control organ development and regeneration. The timely discussions contained throughout are of broad relevance to other areas of biology and medicine and can help inform the development of novel therapeutics for skin disorders as well as new approaches to skin regeneration that target the epigenome. Part of the highly successful Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine series, Epigenetic Regulation of Skin Development and Regeneration uncovers the fundamental significance of epigenetic mechanisms in skin development and regeneration, and emphasizes the development of new therapies for a number of skin disorders, such as pathological conditions of epidermal differentiation, pigmentation and carcinogenesis. At least six categories of researchers will find this book essential, including stem cell, developmental, hair follicle or molecular biologists, and gerontologists or clinical dermatologists.

This book highlights the latest advances in functional micro/nano imaging probes and their applications for biomedical imaging and therapy. Given the rapid emergence of transdisciplinary research and applications in materials, chemical probes and translational medicine in recent years, scientists in these areas are expected to keep up to date on the latest technologies and advances to promote comprehensive innovations. Addressing this need, the book presents recently introduced features, emerging techniques, and new strategies, complemented by detailed illustrations. Covering the status quo and offering an outlook on the future, it benefits all readers with an interest in functional materials, especially micro/nano imaging materials for biomedical imaging applications, providing them with both vital updates and inspiration for their own research.

Randomised Response-Adaptive Designs in Clinical Trials presents methods for the randomised allocation of treatments to patients in sequential clinical trials. Emphasizing the practical application of clinical trial designs, the book is designed for medical and applied statisticians, clinicians, and statisticians in training. After introducing clinical trials in drug development, the authors assess a simple adaptive design for binary responses without covariates. They discuss randomisation and covariate balance in normally distributed responses and cover many important response-adaptive designs for binary responses. The book then develops response-adaptive designs for continuous and longitudinal responses, optimum designs with covariates, and response-adaptive designs with covariates. It also covers response-adaptive designs that are derived by optimising an objective function subject to constraints on the variance of estimated parametric functions. The concluding chapter explores future directions in the development of adaptive designs.

JIMD Reports publishes case and short research reports in the area of inherited metabolic disorders. Case reports highlight some unusual or previously unrecorded feature relevant to the disorder, or serve as an important reminder of clinical or biochemical features of a Mendelian disorder.

With the advances of medicine, questions of medical ethics have become more urgent and are now considered of great social and political significance. An innovatively designed, activity-based workbook, this text was prepared using papers and case studies collected from several countries in the European Union. It reflects the issues and concerns that confront clinical practitioners throughout Europe and elsewhere today and presents varying national responses in law and policy to these concerns, as identified by ethicists, lawyers, theologians and practitioners. The problems they examine include the relationship between medical research and medical practice, elementary regulations of medical research, the complexity of informed consent, and the role of the sponsor or scientific community.

This book explores the PhD experience as never before and provides a "survival guide" for current and prospective PhD students. The book investigates why mental health issues are so common among the postgraduate population, going beyond the statistics, looking at lived experience of both the author and as well as current PhD students, who have found balancing mental wellness with the PhD endeavour challenging. The author discusses tips and tricks she wished she had known at the start of her PhD process for managing mental health, such as managing imposter feelings, prioritising workload, and self-care strategies to help others throughout their own journey. The book goes beyond typical mental health discussions (where the focus for improving mental health is placed on PhD students to become "more resilient") and explores some of the often unspoken environmental factors that can impact mental health. These include the PhD student-supervisor relationship, the pressure to publish, and deep systemic problems in academia, such as racism, bullying and harassment. Finally, the book is a call to action, providing tangible improvements from the author's perspective that university institutions can make to ensure that academia is a place for all to thrive.

This detailed book explores methods to isolate, characterize, and investigate key lung innate immune cells. Beginning with an overview, the volume then continues with methods for creating in vitro and in vivo model systems to study inflammatory lung diseases. 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. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Lung Innate Immunity and Inflammation: Methods and Protocols aims to be a guidebook and will be of value and interest to researchers investigating innate immunity and inflammation in the lung as well as other organs and tissues.

This book looks at where stem cell technology is presently and how it is instrumental in advancing the field of disease modeling and cell transplantation. By focusing on major human disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and heart disorders, the book summarizes the major findings in the field of human stem cells and dissect the current limitations on our understanding of stem cells biology. The chapters focus on the genetics, genomics, epigenetics and physiology of stem cells models, together with technological advances on molecular biology such as CRISPR/Cas9 or epigenetic editing, that will be instrumental in the future of human disease modeling and treatment. In base of the limitations of current disease models and in front of the unmet necessity of finding therapeutical interventions for human disorders, the availability of stem cell technology has opened new doors for several fields. The unlimited self-renewal capacity and more extensive differentiation potential of stem cells offers a theoretically inexhaustible and replenishable source of any cell subtype. Since Professor Shinya Yamanaka described it, 10 years ago in his seminal paper, that somatic cells could be reprogrammed to inducible stem cells (iPSC) just by expressing four transcription factors, the field of has exploded, especially its applications in biomedical research.

JIMD Reports publishes case and short research reports in the area of inherited metabolic disorders. Case reports highlight some unusual or previously unrecorded feature relevant to the disorder, or serve as an important reminder of clinical or biochemical features of a Mendelian disorder.

Fully updated to reflect the latest developments, the third edition of Research Methods In Clinical Psychology offers a comprehensive introduction to the various methods, approaches, and strategies for conducting research in the clinical psychology field. * Represents the most accessible, user-friendly introduction to conducting and evaluating research for clinical psychologists and related professionals * Ideal for students and practitioners who wish to conduct their own research or gain a better understanding of published research * Addresses important issues such as philosophical underpinnings of various methodologies, along with socio-political issues that arise in clinical and community settings * Step-by-step guidance through all phases of a clinical psychology research project from initial concept and groundwork, through to measurement, design, analysis, and interpretation * Updates to this edition include new or expanded coverage of such topics as systematic review and literature searching methods, modern psychometric methods, guidance on choosing between different qualitative approaches, and conducting psychological research via the Internet

This book addresses electron spin-qubit based quantum computing and quantum information processing with a strong focus on the background and applications to EPR/ESR technique and spectroscopy. It explores a broad spectrum of topics including quantum computing, information processing, quantum effects in electron-nuclear coupled molecular spin systems, adiabatic quantum computing, heat bath algorithmic cooling with spins, and gateway schemes of quantum control for spin networks to NMR quantum information. The organization of the book places emphasis on relevant molecular qubit spectroscopy. These revolutionary concepts have never before been included in a comprehensive volume that covers theory, physical basis, technological basis, applications, and new advances in this emerging field. Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) Based Quantum Computing, co-edited by leading and renowned researchers Takeji Takui, Graeme Hanson and Lawrence J Berliner, is an ideal resource for students and researchers in the fields of EPR/ESR, NMR and quantum computing. This book also * Explores methods of harnessing quantum effects in electron-nuclear coupled molecular spin systems * Expertly discusses applications of optimal control theory in quantum computing * Broadens the readers' understanding of NMR quantum information processing

This volume aims to detail the advances in the field of Thyroid hormones (THs), namely T3 and T4, and their nuclear receptor TRs from a conceptual and methodological point of view. Chapters guide readers through a general introduction, TR's engineered mice, human genetics of TRs, control of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, the relevance of the local THs production and metabolism and pathological consequences of TH/TR alterations. Non-mammalian models are also presented and discussed. 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. Authoritative and practical, Thyroid Hormone Nuclear Receptor: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.

A Western-Based Approach to Analyzing TCMs In recent years, many pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations have been focusing on the development of traditional Chinese (herbal) medicines (TCMs) as alternatives to treating critical or life-threatening diseases and as pathways to personalized medicine. Quantitative Methods for Traditional Chinese Medicine Development is the first book entirely devoted to the design and analysis of TCM development from a Western perspective, i.e., evidence-based clinical research and development. The book provides not only a comprehensive summary of innovative quantitative methods for developing TCMs but also a useful desk reference for principal investigators involved in personalized medicine. Written by one of the world's most prominent biostatistics researchers, the book connects the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies, and academia. It presents a state-of-the-art examination of the subject for: Scientists and researchers who are engaged in pharmaceutical/clinical research and development of TCMs Those in regulatory agencies who make decisions in the review and approval process of TCM regulatory submissions Biostatisticians who provide statistical support to assess clinical safety and effectiveness of TCMs and related issues regarding quality control and assurance as well as to test for consistency in the manufacturing processes for TCMs This book covers all of the statistical issues encountered at various stages of pharmaceutical/clinical development of a TCM. It explains regulatory requirements; product specifications and standards; and various statistical techniques for evaluation of TCMs, validation of diagnostic procedures, and testing consistency. It also contains an entire chapter of case studies and addresses critical issues in TCM development and FAQs from a

This book addresses the most important aspects of how to plan and evaluate clinical trials with a composite primary endpoint to guarantee a clinically meaningful and valid interpretation of the results. Composite endpoints are often used as primary efficacy variables for clinical trials, particularly in the fields of oncology and cardiology. These endpoints combine several variables of interest within a single composite measure, and as a result, all variables that are of major clinical relevance can be considered in the primary analysis without the need to adjust for multiplicity. Moreover, composite endpoints are intended to increase the size of the expected effects thus making clinical trials more powerful. The book offers practical advice for statisticians and medical experts involved in the planning and analysis of clinical trials. For readers who are mainly interested in the application of the methods, all the approaches are illustrated with real-world clinical trial examples, and the software codes required for fast and easy implementation are provided. The book also discusses all the methods in the context of relevant guidelines related to the topic. To benefit most from the book, readers should be familiar with the principles of clinical trials and basic statistical methods.

Accelerated Path to Cures provides a transformative perspective on the power of combining advanced computational technologies, modeling, bioinformatics and machine learning approaches with nonclinical and clinical experimentation to accelerate drug development. This book discusses the application of advanced modeling technologies, from target identification and validation to nonclinical studies in animals to Phase 1-3 human clinical trials and post-approval monitoring, as alternative models of drug development. As a case of successful integration of computational modeling and drug development, we discuss the development of oral small molecule therapeutics for inflammatory bowel disease, from the application of docking studies to screening new chemical entities to the development of next-generation in silico human clinical trials from large-scale clinical data. Additionally, this book illustrates how modeling techniques, machine learning, and informatics can be utilized effectively at each stage of drug development to advance the progress towards predictive, preventive, personalized, precision medicine, and thus provide a successful framework for Path to Cures.

JIMD Reports publishes case and short research reports in the area of inherited metabolic disorders. Case reports highlight some unusual or previously unrecorded feature relevant to the disorder, or serve as an important reminder of clinical or biochemical features of a Mendelian disorder.

This book offers a compilation of papers on the role of melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) in sleep, sleep disorders and neuroendocrine functions. Leading experts in sleep medicine, psychiatry and neuroendocrinology provide a broad perspective on the field, from the anatomical structure and physiology of the MCH system to the connection with other systems influencing sleep and diseases like anxiety and depression. The potential of MCHR-1 antagonists as anxiolytic/antidepressant drugs is also reviewed. The book will represent an interdisciplinary guide for sleep disorder specialists, sleep researchers, psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, and behavioral sleep medicine specialists.

This book focuses on host-pathogen interactions at the metabolic level. It explores the metabolic requirements of the infectious agents, the microbial metabolic pathways that are dedicated to circumvent host immune mechanisms as well as the molecular mechanisms by which pathogens hijack host cell metabolism for their own benefit. Finally, it provides insights on the possible clinical and immunotherapeutic applications, as well as on the available experimental and analytical methods. The contributions break new ground in understanding the metabolic crosstalk between host and pathogen.

This volume comprehensively covers the multiplicity and diversity of mechanisms underlying patient resistance to currently approved anti-cancer drugs, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies, blockers of growth factor receptors and their downstream pathways, which play essential functions in cancer progression. Each chapter will cover a specific group of targets and the cognate drugs, along with molecular modes of innate and evolving resistance.

In the last decade, the literature on molecular mechanisms and activated pathways in the different lymphoma categories increased exponentially, which was followed by a more diffuse and successful use of targeted therapies. In this book, expert authors revisit the most relevant aspects of these therapies, with special emphasis on molecular mechanisms and clinical effects of resistance. The knowledge of the underlying mechanisms involved in tumor resistance to target therapies is of paramount importance because they will result in a better selection of patients with sensitive disease and the establishment of suitable combinations of drugs that target different molecules and could overcome the established resistance.

The aim of this volume is to provide a wide range of techniques and aspects of mouse retinal phenotyping and characterization. Chapters guide readers through morphological and functional properties of the mouse retina and techniques for the analysis of outer to mid-retina and mid- to inner retina. 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. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Mouse Retinal Phenotyping: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.