Eleven years ago the circular DNA of a novel single-stranded virus has been cloned and partially characterized by Nishizawa and Okamoto and their colleagues. According to the initials of the patient from whom the isolate originated, the virus was named TT virus. This name has been subsequently changed by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) into Torque teno virus, permitting the further use of the abbreviation TTV. Although initially suspected to play a role in non A E hepatitis, subsequent studies failed to support this notion.

Within a remarkably short period of time it became clear that TT viruses are widely spread globally, infect a large proportion of all human populations studied thus far and represent an extremely heterogeneous group of viruses, now labelled as Anelloviruses. TT virus-like infections have also been noted in various animal species. The classification of this virus group turns out to be difficult, their DNA contains between 2200 and 3800 nucleotides, related so-called TT-mini-viruses and a substantial proportion of intragenomic recombinants further complicate attempts to combine these viruses into a unifying phylogenetic concept. "

The Advances in Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Public Health Series will provide microbiologists, hygienists, epidemiologists and infectious diseases specialists with well-chosen contributed volumes containing updated information in the areas of basic and applied microbiology involving relevant issues for public health, including bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections, zoonoses and anthropozoonoses, environmental and food microbiology. The increasing threat of the multidrug-resistant microorganisms and the related host immune response, the new strategies for the treatment of biofilm-based, acute and chronic microbial infections, as well as the development of new vaccines and more efficacious antimicrobial drugs to prevent and treat human and animal infections will be also reviewed in this series in the light of the most recent achievements in these fields. Special attention will be devoted to the fast diffusion worldwide of the new findings of the most advanced translational researches carried out in the different fields of microbiological sciences, with the aim to promote a prompt validation and transfer at clinical level of the most promising experimental results.

Understanding the diagnostic methods necessary to identify bloodstream infections. In the clinical microbiology laboratory, blood is a critical diagnostic sample that, in the majority of cases is sterile (or is it?). However, when microbes gain access to and multiply in the bloodstream, it can result in life-threatening illness including sepsis. Mortality rates from bloodstream infection and sepsis range from 25% to 80%, killing millions of people annually. Blood cultures are a vital technology used in the microbiology laboratory to isolate and identify microbes and predict their response to antimicrobial therapy. The Dark Art of Blood Cultures, edited by Wm. Michael Dunne, Jr., and Carey-Ann D. Burnham, surveys the entire field of blood culture technology, providing valuable information about every phase of the process, from drawing samples to culture methods to processing positive cultures. The Dark Art of Blood Cultures is organized around several major topics.

A collection of cutting-edge reviews of many of the key recent medical and legal advances in forensic science. These critical surveys concentrate on common pathological entities likely to be encountered in daily forensic routine, as well as on specific pathological conditions rarely seen in the autopsy room. Complementing rather than replacing the classic textbooks in forensic pathology, the authors explore new avenues for analyzing the pathology of burned bodies, traumatic brain injury, death by drug abuse, sudden cardiac death, sudden infant death and neonaticide, and fatalities resulting from kicking and trampling. Other areas of interest include accidental autoerotic deaths, hypothermia fatalities, injuries from resuscitation procedures, the interpretation of alcohol levels in different specimens, and the potential forensic differential diagnoses and interpretation of iliopsoas muscle hemorrhage in the light of autopsy.

Infection by flaviviruses such as dengue virus serotypes (DENV 1-4), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBE), yellow fever virus (YFV) and West Nile virus (WNV) impact millions of lives and cause tens of thousands of mortalities each year. Dengue is a global public health emergency especially since there is no preventative vaccine or antiviral treatment for dengue disease. Dengue: Methods and Protocols offers the increasing number of dengue researchers a one-stop protocol book with techniques compiled from the leading laboratories working on dengue. Chapters cover topics such as dengue virus isolation from clinical samples, quantification of human antibodies against the virus, assays to quantify the virus particles, the widely used mouse model to study dengue pathogenesis, vaccine and antiviral efficacies. Written in the 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 protocols and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easily accessible, Dengue: Methods and Protocols seeks to serve both professionals and novices with its well-honed methodologies on dengue research.

Cardiovascular Pathology, Fifth Edition provides a comprehensive treatise on the pathology of cardiovascular diseases, combining presentations of detailed pathology of cardiovascular diseases coupled with contemporary insights into etiology and pathogenesis. Twenty-two chapters cover general topics, including cardiovascular genetics, heart failure, and transplantation, and specific congenital and acquired cardiovascular diseases, therapeutic interventions, and forensic aspects. New chapters address the scope of practice and training in cardiovascular pathology, with a focus on major diagnostic approaches used in contemporary practice and research in cardiovascular pathology, and a perspective on the field of cardiovascular regenerative medicine linked to the basic pathobiology of cell-based therapy. The book provides a unique combination of details of pathological anatomy essential for pathologists involved in the evaluation of cardiovascular specimens and cardiovascular diseases, and is an excellent reference for anyone interested in the natural history and therapeutic advances in the cardiovascular field.

This book series focuses on current progress in the broad field of medical microbiology, and covers both basic and applied topics related to the study of microbes, their interactions with human and animals, and emerging issues relevant for public health. Original research and review articles present and discuss multidisciplinary findings and developments on various aspects of microbiology, infectious diseases, and their diagnosis, treatment and prevention. The book series publishes review and original research contributions, short reports as well as guest edited thematic book volumes. All contributions will be published online first and collected in book volumes. There are no publication costs. Advances in Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Public Health is a subseries of Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, which has been publishing significant contributions in the field for over 30 years and is indexed in Medline, Scopus, EMBASE, BIOSIS, Biological Abstracts, CSA, Biological Sciences and Living Resources (ASFA-1), and Biological Sciences. 2019 Impact Factor: 2.450. 5 Year Impact Factor: 2.324; Cite Score: 3.0; Eigenfactor Score: 0.03583; Article Influence Score: 0.603

This fourth edition presents an updated and expanded text and illustrations to reflect continued morphologic, immunophenotypic, and especially molecular advances in the field of neoplastic hematology, mostly due to the rapidly expanding application of next-generation sequencing. Those advances not only allow a more reliable diagnosis of the majority of tumors and identification of early changes such as monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis or clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), but also in many cases identify mutations or phenotypic changes in tumors that can be targeted by mutation-specific or antigen-specific drugs. This edition incorporates the updated WHO classification of hematopoietic tumors and new immunophenotypic and molecular markers to provide a thorough pathologic overview of hematologic neoplasms while focusing on flow cytometric features. Special emphasis has been put on hematological neoplasms with crucial clinical significance such as acute promyelocytic leukemia, other acute leukemias, and difficult areas in flow cytometry. Flow cytometric features in AML, MDS, CMML, CLL and measurable residual disease were significantly expanded. There are many new comparative tables, illustrations, and diagrams of algorithmic approaches.

This book ventures into a new and exciting area of discovery that directly ties our current knowledge of cancer to the discovery of microorganisms associated with different types of cancers. Recent studies demonstrate that microorganisms are directly linked to the establishment of cancers and that they can also contribute to the initiation, as well as persistence of, the cancers. Microbiome and Cancer covers the current knowledge of microbiome and its association with human cancers. It provides important reading for novices, senior undergraduates in cancer and microbiology, graduate students, junior investigators, residents, fellows and established investigators in the fields of cancer and microbiology. We cover areas related to known, broad concepts in microbiology and how they can relate to the ongoing discoveries of the micro-environment and the changes in the metabolic and physiologic states in that micro-environment, which are important for the ongoing nurturing and survival of the poly-microbial content that dictates activities in that micro-environment. We cover the interactions of microorganisms associated with gastric carcinomas, which are important for driving this particular cancer. Additional areas include oral cancers, skin cancers, ovarian cancers, breast cancers, nasopharyngeal cancers, lung cancers, mesotheliomas, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, glioblastoma multiforme, hepatocellular carcinomas, as well as the inflammatory response related to the infectious agents in cancers. This book covers the metabolic changes that occur because of infection and their support for development of cancers, chronic infection and development of therapeutic strategies for detection and control of the infection. The field of microbiome research has exploded over the last five years, and we are now understanding more and more about the context in which microorganisms can contribute to the onset of cancers in humans. The field of microbiome research has demonstrated that the human body has specific biomes for tissues and that changes in these biomes at the specific organ sites can result in disease. These changes can result in dramatic differences in metabolic shifts that, together with genetic mutations, will produce the perfect niche for establishment of the particular infection programmes in that organ site. We are just beginning to understand what those changes are and how they influence the disease state. Overall, we hope to bring together the varying degrees of fluctuations in the microbiome at the major organ sites and how these changes affect the normal cellular processes because of dysregulation, leading to proliferation of the associated tissues.

Presenting an area of research that intersects with and integrates diverse disciplines, including genomics, epigenetics, proteomics, and cellular biology, among others, Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Tissues: Methods and Protocols collects contributions from expert researchers in order to provide practical guidelines to this complex study. Compiled in order to provide researchers with up-to-date methodological information pertaining to the utilization of genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data in diagnosis, prognosis, and tailored therapy, the ultimate aim of this volume is to decipher diseases at a molecular level. Divided into multiple convenient chapters, this detailed book covers various techniques to construct and utilize tissue arrays, it also provides detailed protocols in immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, fluorescent and chromogenic in situ hybridization, and ultimately introduces protocols for FFPET microdissection and nucleic acids extraction for their utilization in advanced techniques such as microarray CGH, DNA methylation and pyrosequencing. The volume also discusses FFPET research from an ethical standpoint and concludes with a chapter on novel tissue fixative. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters contain introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and accessible, Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Tissues: Methods and Protocols serves as a practical guide for scientists of all backgrounds and aims to convey the appropriate sense of fascination associated with this vital field of research.

This guide to dermatopathology is a general overview helping readers review the histopathology of dermatological conditions. The book discusses superficial perivascular, interface, spongiotic, and psoriasis form dermatitis. It also examines lymphohistiocytic infiltrate, leukocytoclastic vasculitis, panniculitis, and folliculitis. Additional chapters cover nodular and diffuse dermatitis and bullous and vesicular dermatitis. The book describes the dermatopathology hierarchy infrastructure and provides a glossary of terms. Established practitioners as well as trainees will find this an ideal resource for revision and for recertification in the topic. Each entry follows a similar format with includes information on epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, special studies, and clinical variants, histological features, histological differential and Good Things to Know.

The author successfully developed novel anti-HIV PD 404182 derivatives that exhibited submicromolar inhibitory activity against both HIV-1 and HIV-2. His thesis is in three parts. The first part expounds efficient methods for the synthesis of tricyclic heterocycles related to PD 404182 based on the sp2-carbon heteroatom bond formations. Starting from arene or haloarene, C O, C N, or C S bonds were formed by simply changing the reactants. These synthetic methods provide powerful approaches for the divergent preparation of pyrimido-benzoxazine, -quinazoline, or -benzothiazine derivatives. The second part explains SAR studies of PD 404182 for the development of anti-HIV agents. Through optimization studies of the central 1,3-thiazin-2-imine core, the benzene and cyclic amidine ring parts, 3-fold more potent inhibitors were obtained compared with the lead compound. The author also reveals by a time-of-drug-addition experiment that PD 404182 derivatives impaired HIV replication at the binding or fusion stage. The third part of the thesis elucidates the development of photoaffinity probes for the target identification of PD 404182. By the photolabeling experiment of HIV-1-infected H9 cells using these probes, the author detected proteins specifically bound to PD 404182. These new anti-HIV agents may be promising agents for anti-HIV therapy because their mechanisms of action differ from those of the currently approved anti-HIV agents.

In recent years, plants have been increasingly explored for production of biomedicines and vaccine components. The two main advantages of plant systems are low cost and a greater potential for scalability as compared to microbial or animal systems. An additional advantage from the public health point of view is high safety compared to animal systems, which is important for vaccine production: there are no known plant pathogens capable of replicating in animals, and in humans in particular. A particular antigen or a protein has to be expressed in a plant using one of many available platforms; this antigen/protein subsequently needs to be purified or processed, and later formulated into a vaccine or a therapeutic; these need to be delivered to a human or animal body via an appropriate route. Naturally, all these vaccines and therapeutics must be subjected to regulatory approvals prior to their use. Thus, the challenge is to adapt plant-based platforms for production of cost-efficient biomedicals that can be approved by FDA for use as vaccine components or therapeutics which will be competitive against existing vaccines and drugs.

This volume attempts to address the entire spectrum of challenges facing the nascent field of plant-based biomedicals, from the selection of an appropriate production platform to specific methods of downstream processing and regulatory approval issues.

This fresh addition to the rapidly expanding Springer series on stem cells represents an additional forward step in our understanding of the causes, diagnosis, and cell-related therapies of major human diseases as well as debilitating injuries to human tissue and organs. Showcasing the work of more than 80 contributors from 13 nations, it offers an unrivalled breadth of differing perspectives on the subject, with dedicated sections covering umbilical cord, induced pluripotent, embryonic, and hematopoietic stem cells, in addition to stem cells in tumors and cancer, and the applications of stem cells in regenerative medicine. Enhanced by numerous color illustrations and tables that provide graphic clarification and summaries of key results, the volume succeeds in bringing together research results from oncologists, neurosurgeons, physicians, research scientists, and pathologists, whose accumulated wealth of practical experience will inform and inspire further developments in the vital and urgent work of cancer diagnosis, cure, and prevention.

Neurovirology is an interdisciplinary field representing a melding of virology, clinical neuroscience, molecular pathogenesis, diagnostic virology, molecular biology, and immunology. Neuroviral Infections: RNA Viruses and Retroviruses presents an up-to-date overview of the general principles of infections and major neuroviral infections caused by RNA viruses and retroviruses. It is designed for virologists, specialists in infectious diseases, teachers of virology, and postgraduate students of medicine, virology, neurosciences, and immunology.

Join research and be a celebrity: You are well aware about Galileo, Newton, Fleming, Edward Jenner, Charles Darwin, Ronald Rose etc who have born centuries ago but still remembered for their path breaking research. This is the power of research which is unparallel to any other profession. Sadly, our young generation is not well versed with research as career and have developed some wrong notions about it. If you are intelligent, diligent and wish to make some achievement in your life, why don't join a research career. Even richest persons of the world (Noble, Ruther Ford, Billgate, Narain Murthy etc.) are those who made some innovations in their life. Alternatively, if you consider to pass life as a mission, you may join research in parasitic diseases, a less travelled path, which will help you to serve the humanity by finding some new ideas which will help in eradicating diseases of humans and his animals. This is the book which will provide you some details how you may join research activities in Parasitology and carry over research work in your life.

This accessibly written, comprehensive summary of research findings on the gut microbiome and its implications for health and disease-a topic of growing interest and concern-serves as an essential resource for teachers and students. Most people know that the digestive tract contains billions of helpful gut bacteria, but how does the gut microbiome affect our health? What exactly do these bacteria do, and what are the negative effects when these microorganisms are harmed by what we eat and do? What impacts might they have on conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), obesity, and autism? This book provides an accessible, holistic introduction to the study of the human gut microbiome and its effects on digestion and disease-one of the newest and most rapidly expanding fields in medicine today. The gut microbiome is known as "the forgotten organ" because it is not identified as part of the human body per se, yet it has an immense influence on many systems in the body. The Gut Microbiome: Exploring the Connection between Microbes, Diet, and Health explains what the microbiome is, the many functions it serves, how it can be either harmed or supported by our actions, and the role it may play in various diseases and in determining our overall health. The book examines the various potential causes of imbalance in the microbiome, such as diet and other lifestyle factors, and then identifies strategies for improving human health by protecting the gut microbiota. The science-based information is detailed but accessible to general readers or students without extensive background knowledge. Presents the most recent gut microbiome research in a way that is accessible to students interested in biological sciences and nutrition studies Includes engaging sidebars and case studies that serve to better illustrate the connections between gut microbiota, human physiology, and chronic disease Provides insight into the role of nutrition in shaping the gut microbiota and suggestions for improving human health

Clinical and preclinical exploration of gene and cellular immunotherapy have seen rapid growth and interest with the development and approval of five Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) products for lymphoma and myeloma and one Bispecific T-Cell Engager (BiTE) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). These advances have dramatically improved the management of patients with relapsed refractory lymphoma, myeloma and leukemia. Gene and Cellular Immunotherapy for Cancer offers readers a comprehensive review of current cellular and gene-based immunotherapies. Divided into eighteen cohesive chapters, this book provides an in-depth and detailed look into cellular-based immunotherapies including CAR-T, TCR-T, TIL, Viral CTLs, NK cells in addition to T/NK cell engagers, focusing on their historical perspectives, biology, development and manufacturing, toxicities and more. Edited by two leading experts on gene and cellular immunotherapy, the book will feature chapters written by a diverse collection of recognized and up-and-coming experts and researchers in the field, providing oncologists, immunologists, researchers and clinical and basic science trainees with a bench to bedside view of the latest developments in the field.

The worldwide increasing age of populations brought the neurodegenerative diseases into the focus of interest. A number of the diverse human neurodegenerative diseases are now recognized as conformational diseases frequently caused by aggregations of unfolded or misfolded proteins. Knowledge on the intrinsically unstructured proteins, a new family of gene products as well as on the misfolded proteins produced by genetic mutation or environmental effects has been extensively accumulated in the past years. These proteins frequently cause proteolytic stress and/ or enter into aberrant, non-physiological protein-protein interactions leading to sequestration of protein aggregates which are assemblies of many not-yet-identified components in addition to the deposition of well-characterized misfolded peptides and proteins such as b-amyloid, tau, a-synuclein and polyglutamine containing proteins. These protein assemblies display diverse ultrastructures such aggresomes, fibers, oligomers or amorphous structures, however, the nature of these species concerning their cytoprotective or cytotoxic effects has not been clarified yet. The main focus of this volume is to review the molecular events initiated by unfolded or misfolded proteins leading to conformational human diseases, with special emphasis on the macromolecular homo- and heteroassociations of the malfolded proteins into characteristic ultrastructures found primarily in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. This book reviews the structural knowledge accumulated for well-studied and for newly discovered proteins involved in paradigmatic conformational disorders with the aim to broaden our understanding of the pathomechanisms of neurodegeneration, which is crucial for finding effective therapeutic interventions that could prevent or circumvent the development of neurodegenerative disorders in humans.

The importance of vaccines to combat bacterial diseases cannot be overstated. Methods used in the development and testing of these vaccines are evolving rapidly as a direct consequence of the availability of advanced technologies. This volume will cover methods developed in the last decade, the usage of which are enabling the development of cheaper, cost-effective and structurally stable vaccines for global use. Chapters cover in silico analytical methods such as reverse vaccinology and machine learning; low-energy electron irradiation for the generation of inactivated bacterial vaccines; methods for assessment of OMV/GMMA quality and stability; and controlled human infection models. 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. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Bacterial Vaccines: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for novice and expert researchers interested in learning more about this important and constantly evolving field.

This volume provides detailed descriptions on cutting-edge experimental methods to assess the multiple and complex interactions between T. cruzi and its host. Chapters detail a series of methods and protocols, ranging from rather classical biochemical/genetic approaches to modern, powerful and high-throughput '-omics' technologies, to tackle this issue, as well as novel techniques to improve treatment and clinical evaluation of Chagasic patients. Genome-wide mining strategies aimed at identifying potential parasite antigens and vaccine candidates and an overview on the challenges and milestones encountered during T. cruzi genome assembly are also included. 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, T. cruzi Infection: Methods and Protocols aims to provide students, researchers, and clinicians who are interested in the study of Chagas disease an indispensable source of information.

It has only recently been appreciated that the immune and skeletal systems have major interactions. It is now well documented that osteoclasts, which are important cellular mediators of skeletal homeostasis, are derived from hematopoietic precursors that also give rise to immune cells. In addition, numerous cytokines that were first shown to regulate immune cell function have also been demonstrated to regulate bone cells and influence skeletal health. Conversely, products of bone cells appear critical for the engraftment of marrow in bone, the normal development of the hematopoietic and immune systems and provide niche for long-term memory B and T cells.

In the past scientists involved in immune and bone cell investigations have rarely interacted in a significant way as these disciplines have developed independently and, for the most part, remain separate. The conference will bring together leading international scientists from both fields to interact so that new collaboration can develop and more rapid progress in understanding the relationships between these fields can be achieved. Short talks will be selected from abstracts from the international community. This conference will have a format to provide an environment of maximum interaction and interchange through lectures, posters, and open discussion.