This book offers a comprehensive overview of Alexander disease, a rare and devastating neurological disorder that often affects the white matter of the brain and spinal cord. Its distinctive neuropathology consists of abundant Rosenthal fibers within astrocytes (one of the four major cell types of the central nervous system). Nearly all cases are caused by variants in the gene encoding the intermediate filament protein GFAP, but how these changes in GFAP lead to the widespread manifestations of disease is poorly understood. Astrocytes, while discovered over a century ago, are themselves still much of a mystery. They exhibit considerable diversity, defy precise definition, and yet actively regulate many aspects of nervous system functioning. We also have incomplete understanding of Rosenthal fibers, odd structures that contain GFAP as just one of many components. Whether they are toxic or protective is unknown. Moreover, Rosenthal fibers are not absolutely unique to Alexander disease, and are seen sporadically in a wide variety of other conditions, including brain tumors and multiple sclerosis. GFAP is the third unknown. It is an ancient protein, arising early in the evolution of vertebrates, but its role in normal biology is still a matter of debate. Yet Alexander disease shows, without a doubt, that changing just a single of its 432 amino acids can lead to catastrophe, not just in the astrocytes where GFAP is produced but also in the other cells with which astrocytes interact. Despite all of the unknowns, much has been learned in the past 20 years, and it is time to share this knowledge. This book is intended for recently diagnosed patients and families, as well as non-specialist researchers interested in this neurological disease. It covers historical origins, the state of current knowledge, and prospects for what lies ahead, with citations to the primary literature given throughout.

Epidemiology of Brain and Spinal Tumors provides a single volume resource on imaging methods and neuroepidemiology of both brain and spinal tumors. The book covers a variety of imaging techniques, including computed tomography (CT), MRI, positron emission tomography (PET), and other laboratory tests used in diagnosis and treatment. Detailed epidemiology, various imaging methods, and clinical considerations of tumors of the CNS make this an ideal reference for users who will also find diverse information about structures and functions, cytology, epidemiology (including molecular epidemiology), diagnosis and treatment. This book is appropriate for neuroscience researchers, medical professionals and anyone interested in a complete guide to visualizing and understanding CNS tumors.

This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine titled, "Conceptual Advances in Pathology" addresses the key factors impacting pathology and details the technology surrounding the field. The Guest Editor, Zoltan Oltvai, MD., splits the issue into three sections; Technological Advances, Process Advances, Educational and Practice Needs, and the Business of Pathology.

This title highlights the current and topical areas of research in this rapidly growing field. Expert authors from around the world provide the latest insights into the mechanisms these fascinating organisms use to survive.

Extensively revised and updated, the new edition of this valuable reference work provides a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the current knowledge and new research in Bacillus molecular and cellular biology.

Guest edited by Dr. Justin Bishop, this issue of Surgical Pathology Clinics will cover several key areas of interest related to Head and Neck Pathology. This issue is one of four selected each year by our series Consulting Editor, Dr. Jason Hornick. Articles in this issue include but are not limited to: Intraductal Carcinomas of the Salivary Gland, Sclerosing polycystic adenoma,Basal Cell Adenoma and Basal Cell Adenocarcinoma, Sialadenoma papilliferum, Papillary Neoplasms of the Salivary Duct System: A review, Myoepithelial carcinoma, Lymphoepithelial carcinoma of salivary glands, Epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma, Salivary Duct Carcinoma: An aggressive salivary gland carcinoma with morphological variants, newly identified molecular characteristics, and emerging treatment modalities, Polymorphous adenocarcinoma, Emerging Entities in Salivary Pathology: A Practical Review of Sclerosing Microcystic Adenocarcinoma, Microsecretory Adenocarcinoma, and Secretory Myoepithelial Carcinoma,Genomic analysis of salivary gland cancer and treatment of salivary gland cancers, and more.

Busvine's introductory account of the evolutionary histories of insects and mites leads on to a fascinating study of human reactions to ectoparasites. It shows how the extent of man's curiosity about them and references to their prevalence provide a continuous commentary both on the history of biological science from Aristotle to the present day and on the modes and manners of ages past. Subjects of ribald verse, quack medicine and morbid imagination as well as literary symbols of piety, love and human insignificance, this is also the history of how medicine discovered that ectoparasites acted as transmitters for epidemic diseases.

An Issue of Emergency Medicine Clinics of North A An Issue of Emergency Medicine Clinics of North A

Flaviviruses are a diverse group of small RNA enveloped viruses, many of which are important human and animal pathogens. The best known include dengue virus, yellow fever virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, and West Nile virus. These viruses are endemic in many tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Dengue virus alone infects over 100 million people annually. In recent years, research on flaviviruses has progressed at a remarkable rate, leading to significant advances in our understanding of virus biology. This should ultimately lead to the development of better vaccine and antiviral strategies. This up-to-date and cutting-edge anthology contains contributions from the leading experts in the flavivirus field. Chapters are balanced by contributions from established investigators who have dedicated their careers to flavivirus research with those from newcomers who have recently made significant contributions to the flavivirus field. The book is divided into two sections: Molecular Virology and Virus Prevention. The first section on Molecular Virology covers: virion structure * virus replication * the NS1 glycoprotein * the NS3 protein * the NS5 protein * innate immunity and flavivirus infection * host responses to flavivirus infection * flavivirus fitness and transmission. The Virus Prevention section includes: vaccines * antibody therapy * small molecule antiviral development * flavivirus diagnostics * vector-virus interactions * vector control. The book represents an important update of flavivirus research and will serve as a reference to flavivirus researchers at the graduate level and beyond. It is a recommended text for all virology libraries.

This issue of Surgical Pathology Clinics, guest edited by Dr. Jessica Davis, is devoted to Challenges & Updates in Pediatric Pathology. Articles in this issue include: Advances and Pitfalls in the Diagnosis of Hirschsprungs Disease, Updates in Pediatric Enteropathies: Differential Diagnosis, Testing, and Genetics, Pediatric Liver Tumors: Updates in Classification, New Prognostic Indicators in Pediatric Adrenal Tumors: Neuroblastoma & Adrenal Cortical Tumors, Pediatric Cystic Lung Lesions, Strategies for the Neonatal Lung Biopsy: Histology to Genetics, Wilm's Tumor: Challenges and Newcomers in Prognosis, Pediatric Renal Tumors: Updates in the Molecular Era, Newcomers in Vascular Anomalies, Spindle Cell Rhabdomyosarcoma: Further Subcategorization, Pediatric & Infantile Fibroblastic/myofibroblastic Tumors in the Molecular Era, Round Cell Sarcomas: Newcomers and Diagnostic Approaches, CNS Embryonal Tumors: Testing Strategies for Integrated Diagnosis, Updates in Pediatric Gliomas, and more.

One of the greatest public health achievements during the 20th century was the dramatic reduction in the incidence of infectious diseases due to the development of improved hygiene, vaccines, and antimicrobial agents. However, new infectious diseases are emerging and bacteria-induced illnesses - such as tuberculosis, whooping cough, and typhoid fever - are still a major cause of global mortality. In recent decades, the development of molecular biology and genetic tools has led to extensive studies on the molecular and cellular aspects of the virulence properties of pathogenic bacteria. In this book, a group of distinguished scientists from eight different countries and three continents, under the expert guidance of the editors Camille Locht and Michel Simonet, overview the molecular and cellular mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis. The 15 chapters are organized into five sections: a) approaches to the study of bacterial pathogenesis; b) bacterial adhesion to the cell surface and extracellular matrix of host tissues; c) poisoning the host by toxins; d) cellular invasion by bacterial pathogens; and e) bacterial evasion of host defenses. The book comprehensively describe the most relevant and up-to-date information on pathogenic features across the bacterial world. Aimed at the entire scientific community from students to senior scientists and physicians, Bacterial Pathogenesis is relevant to a broad range of people interested in the mechanisms of bacterial infectious diseases and is a recommended text for all microbiology laboratories.

As bacterial antibiotic resistance continues to exhaust the supply of effective antibiotics, a global public health disaster appears likely. Poor financial investment in antibiotic research has exacerbated the situation. A call to arms - raised by several prestigious scientific organizations a few years ago - rallied the scientific community and now the scope of antibacterial research has broadened considerably. Multi-disciplinary approaches have yielded a wealth of new data on areas ranging from the identification of novel antibacterial targets to the use of biological agents for antibacterial therapy. In this book, respected international experts summarize the most important concepts and pioneering strategies currently being used to develop novel antibacterials. The book opens with chapters on cellular processes that could be used as novel antibacterial targets. Examples include cell division, efflux pumps, metabolite-sensing riboswitches, and bacterial secretion systems. These are followed by excellent chapters on the identification of new, naturally occurring antibacterial agents, including phage and biosynthetically engineered compounds. Understanding the host-microbe interaction and microbial communities and how they can be exploited to develop new antibacterial strategies is discussed in subsequent chapters. Other topics include antibacterial vaccines adjuvants, host defense peptides, antibodies, within-host models, and diagnostics.

Waterborne Pathogens: Detection Methods and Applications, Second Edition, gives an overview of advanced and emerging technologies in the detection of a range of waterborne pathogens. In addition, the book presents existing methodologies, highlights where improvements can be made, includes applications, and touches on the ways in which new technologies can be applied in water management. Finally, the book addresses issues of sample preparation (from sampling, to concentration and enrichment), a key stage in any detection protocol.

Paramyxoviruses are a diverse family of non-segmented negative strand RNA viruses that include many important human, animal, and zoonotic pathogens. Despite their enormous importance, the nature of the viral genome had proved an obstacle to research, with the result that paramyxoviral research had lagged behind that of other viruses. The advent of reverse genetics in recent years has changed this, enabling great strides in the understanding of the genomics, molecular biology, and viral pathogenesis. This book provides a timely and comprehensive review of current knowledge of all paramyxoviruses and is written by renowned scientists who have made seminal contributions in their respective paramyxovirus fields of expertise. Topics include: mumps virus * simian virus 5 * parainfluenza viruses * Newcastle disease and related avian paramyxoviruses * Sendai virus * Hendra virus * Nipah virus * measles virus * canine distemper virus * rinderpest virus * peste des petits ruminants virus * human respiratory syncytial virus * metapneumoviruses * new and emerging paramyxoviruses. Each chapter covers current knowledge on history, genome organization, viral proteins, reverse genetics, epidemiology, pathogenesis, immunity, diagnosis, prevention, and control and future challenges. This book is an invaluable reference source of timely information for virologists, microbiologists, immunologists, physicians, veterinarians, and scientists working on paramyxoviruses. It is also strongly recommended for all medical and veterinary school libraries.