The pancreas is about the size and shape of the hand; the tail points to the spleen, and the head is nestled in a loop of the duodenum. Loss of the exocrine (digestive) func tions commonly leads to severe gastrointestinal disturbances, malabsorption, a cata bolic state, and weight loss in the face of an adequate diet. Loss of endocrine pancreatic function leads to a large spectrum of disorders associated with the loss of hormone secretions; the most common and most severe is diabetes mellitus. Loss of the entire pancreas owing to trauma, surgery, atherosclerosis, or other medical problems leaves the patient in a digestive and metabolic crisis. The correct diagnosis of pancreatic disorders remains a challenge given the multi faceted function of the pancreas. The clinical laboratory plays an important role, and other tools such as CAT scans, ultrasound, radiographs, biopsies, and even surgery are used to make a diagnosis. The emphasis of Clinical Pathology of Pancreatic Disorders is on the clinical laboratory definition of pancreatic pathology. Disorders of the endocrine pancreas can be highly complex, and sophisticated tests are needed to determine the nature of the disease, its prognosis, and its optimal treat ment. Diabetes is the most common of the endocrine diseases; it presents in many ways, and has varied etiologies. We now know that the diabetes of childhood is usually an autoimmune disease, and this has a major effect on the treatment of these individuals."

In this comprehensive reference, leading researchers examine the biology, molecular biology, and diseases of the Bunyaviridae, and provide up-to-date information on the genetic characterization and variations of this virus group. The chapters deal with the molecular biology of five genera: Bunyavirus, Hantavirus, Nairovirus, Phlebovirus, and Tospovirus. The chapters examine Bunyaviridae assembly and intracelluar protein transport as well as Bunyaviridae genetics. The contributors discuss the Bunyaviridae diseases, including the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

Antimicrobial peptides have been the subject of intense research in the past decades, and are now considered as an essential part of the defense system in bacteria, plants, animals and humans. This book provides an update on these effector molecules of the innate immune system both for researchers who are already actively involved in the area, and for those with a general interest in the topic. The book starts with an overview of the evolution of cysteine- containing antimicrobial peptides (including defensins), and the role of these peptides in host defense in plants and micro- organisms. The realization that antimicrobial peptides also display functions distinct from their direct antimicrobial action is the focus of the next chapters, and puts these peptides center stage in immunity and wound repair. Further chapters discuss the role of antimicrobial peptides in disease, by providing an overview of mechanisms in bacterial resistance to antimicrobial peptides and a discussion of their role in inflammatory bowel disease, cystic fibrosis lung disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Finally, the book shows how knowledge of the function of antimicrobial peptides and their regulation can be used to design new therapies for inflammatory and infectious disorders. This is a very important area of research because of the increase in resistance of micro-organisms to conventional antibiotics. Therefore the use of synthetic or recombinant peptides, or agents that stimulate the endogenous production of antimicrobial peptides, provides an attractive alternative for conventional antibiotics.

Since the discovery of Australia antigen and its association with type B hepatitis, molecular characterization of the components making up hepatitis B virus (RBV) have been pursued with worldwide interest. Over the past two decades, such characterization has led to the development of sensitive assays to screen and exclude contaminated units from blood banks and has recently resulted in the licensing of several RBV vaccines. That more than 200 million people worldwide are chronically infected with RBV, and that they are at a high risk for the development of chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma, still represent formidable problems in our understanding of host-virus relationships on the molecular level. In the absence of a suitable tissue culture system, and with a very limited host range of infection, characterization of RBV on the molecular level has made remarkable progress recently with the advent of genome cloning, sequencing and expression of individual virus genes by recombinant DNA technology. The presence of hepatitis B-like viruses in an expanding number of animal hosts, and the possibility of virus replication in cells other than hepatocytes, provide great promise that future work will elucidate the molecular mechanisms operative in the various outcomes of RBV infection.

Streptococci are Gram-positive bacteria that cause a wide spectrum of diseases, such as pharyngitis, necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, as well as rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease as sequelae. Antibiotics alone have not been able to control the disease and in spite of many efforts an effective vaccine is not yet available. A prerequisite for novel and successful strategies for combating these bacteria is a complete understanding of the highly complex pathogenic mechanisms involved, which are analyzed in this volume. In ten chapters, prominent authors cover various aspects including streptococcal diseases and global burden, epidemiology, adaptation and transmission, and molecular mechanisms of different diseases, as well as sequelae, vaccine development and clinical management. This book will serve as a valuable reference work for scientists, students, clinicians and public health workers and provide new approaches to meeting the challenge of streptococcal diseases.

Leishmania is a vector-borne pathogenic parasite found in 88 countries worldwide and is the causative agent of leishmaniasis. The different Leishmania species infect macrophages and dendritic cells of the host immune system, causing symptoms that range from disfiguring cutaneous and mucocutaneous lesions, widespread destruction of mucous membranes, or visceral disease affecting the haemopoetic organs. The recent publication of the complete genome sequences of three different Leishmania species provides new insights into this leading pathogen and presents scientists with an exciting resource to improve the understanding of its complex molecular and cellular biology. In this book, internationally recognized Leishmania experts critically review the most important aspects of current Leishmania research, providing the first coherent picture of the organism's molecular and cellular biology since the publication of the genome sequence. Chapters are written from a molecular and genomic perspective and discuss in depth Leishmania-specific aspects of trypanosomatid biology and pathology. Topics include: diagnosis and epidemiology, genome structure and content, regulation of gene expression, the Leishmania proteome, the Leishmania metabolome, Leishmania differentiation, interaction with the sand fly vector, drug discovery, drug resistance, and much more. This will be essential reading for all researchers working with Leishmania, trypanosomes, and protozoa; and is recommended for all biology and medical libraries.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a distinctive abnormality of small cerebral blood vessels, one that has intrigued neuroscientists for decades. The time seems right for a book which examines the phenomenon of CAA using a multifaceted approach: What does it produce clinically? How might CAA be imaged? What are the crucial biochemical/cellular events within cerebral vessel walls that lead to CAA? How can in vitro or transgenic experimental systems be used to understand the etiology of, or even potential treatments for, CAA? The editors have assembled key figures in the field of CAA research to examine these (and other) questions in a series of focused chapters that address specific issues of importance in understanding CAA and its clinical manifestations. Comprehending the biology and pathogenesis of this fascinating vascular lesion may even provide clues to less common forms of cerebral microvascular disease that have been recognized for decades (hypertensive microangiopathy) or more recently (CADASIL).

Our gut is colonized by numerous bacteria throughout our life, and the gut epithelium is constantly exposed to foreign microbes and dietary antigens. Thus, the gut epithelium acts as a barrier against microbial invaders and is equipped with various innate defense systems. Resident commensal and foreign invading bacteria interact intimately with the gut epithelium and can impact host cellular and innate immune responses. From the perspective of many pathogenic bacteria, the gut epithelium serves as an infectious foothold and port of entry for disseminate into deeper tissues. In some instances when the intestinal defense activity and host immune system become compromised, even commensal and opportunistic pathogenic bacteria can cross the barrier and initiate local and systematic infectious diseases. Conversely, some highly pathogenic bacteria, such as those highlighted in this book, are able to colonize or invade the intestinal epithelium despite the gut barrier function is intact. Therefore, the relationship between the defensive activity of the intestinal epithelium against microbes and the pathogenesis of infective microbes becomes the basis for maintaining a healthy life.

The authors offer an overview of the current topics related to major gastric and enteric pathogens, while highlighting their highly evolved host (human)-adapted infectious processes. Clearly, an in-depth study of bacterial infectious strategies, as well as the host cellular and immune responses, presented in each chapter of this book will provide further insight into the critical roles of the host innate and adaptive immune systems and their importance in determining the severity or completely preventing infectious diseases. Furthermore, under the continuous threat of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, the topic of gut-bacteria molecular interactions will provide various clues and ideas for the development of new therapeutic strategies.

Malaria remains an alarming emergency in developing countries. It is thus urgent to identify any parasite or host molecules that can serve as new affordable markers for early diagnosis of disease complications or as new targets for vector control. In this context, human and mosquito lysozymes are good candidate molecules, as their involvement in malaria has been recently reported by several independent groups. This book reviews the grounded knowledge on malaria etiology and physiopathology, as well as the current approaches for diagnosis, therapy, and vector control. In addition, the emerging evidence on the involvement of human and mosquito lysozymes in malaria from available experimental models and clinical studies is thoroughly discussed, as is the potential use of other antimicrobial peptides against malaria. Intriguingly, the contributors propose that old well-known molecules such as lysozymes might be used as new targets for cost-effective strategies to fight malaria.

According to the author, the book addresses to all the scientists and not only to immunologists or biologists of European countries who are engaged in developing a vaccine, or a diagnostic kit or a new drug against the infection or on schistosome evolution. Even these scientists have to visit endemic countries for field trials or ask their counterparts to collect field data (which this book addresses ). Thus this book is not on molecular fundamentals but on the infection itself; how schistosome species are responding to the drug ; sensitivity and specificity of immunodiagnostic kits, antigen molecules; snail compatibility, production losses; schistosome evolution; schistosome outbreaks; complexities where more than two schistosome species are existing; problem of human schistosomiasis in South Asia etc In fact , all the topics of great interest to international scientists and scientists of endemic countries.

This examinational prep manual for undergraduates covers everything students need to know to pass their microbiology exams. Includes a large number of diagrams and flowcharts. Appendices at the end of book include additional topics. Separate sections for vaccines and staining methods helpful for practical examinations.

In susceptible individuals, malignant hyperthermia (MH) can be triggered by various anesthetics during surgery. First described in 1960, research since then has concentrated on reducing the very high mortality rate associated with MH. Although significant progress in treatment has been made with the introduction of dantrolene sodium in 1979, many questions remain unanswered. Following on the results of more than 30 years of investigative efforts, the Third International Symposium on MH was held in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1994, immediately before the Seventh International Workshop on MH. Specialists in the field discussed the most up-to-date findings from the point of view of clinical classification, history, and incidence based on the evidence of epidemiology, diagnostic muscle testing, genetics, and biochemistry. These proceedings of the symposium present important keys to understanding the mechanism of MH and related syndromes at the genetic level and include procedures for the monitoring and care of patients. This volume will be invaluable not only for surgeons and anesthesiologists but also for physiologists and researchers.

Quantitative Real-Time PCR: Methods and Protocols focuses on different applications of qPCR ranging from microbiological detections (both viral and bacterial) to pathological applications. Several chapters deal with quality issues which regard the quality of starting material, the knowledge of the minimal information required to both perform an assay and to set the experimental plan, while the others focus on translational medicine applications that are ordered following an approximate logical order of their medical application. The last part of the book gives you an idea of an emerging digital PCR technique that is a unique qPCR approach for measuring nucleic acid, particularly suited for low level detection and to develop non-invasive diagnosis. Written for the Methods in Molecular Biology series, most chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, laboratory protocols and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Practical and authoritative, Quantitative Real-Time PCR: Methods and Protocols aims to aid researchers seeking to devise new qPCR-based approaches related to his or her area of investigation.

The stages of Blastocystis have been known for 101 years. However, many facts are still disputed, e.g. even the question whether it is a true pathogen or a commensal present in sometimes life- threatening diarrheas. The present book evaluates in chapters contributed by renowned researchers the latest findings on: * Landmarks in the discovery of Blastocystis * Epidemiology, transmission and zoonotic potential * Morphology of human and animal Blastocystis isolates * Clinical aspects of Blastocystis infections * Behavioral decision analysis: what makes us sick? * Blastocystis-host interactions * Molecular approaches on the systematical position * Genetic polymorphism * Blastocystis from a statistical point of view * Diarrheas due to different agents of disease * Zoonotic diseases in comparison As such, this book provides a broad range of information for people working in this field, for physicians and veterinarians who are confronted with clinical cases, teachers, students and technical staff members in the fields of microbiology, parasitology and diagnostic methods.

Coronaviruses were recognized as a group of enveloped, RNA viruses in 1968 and accepted by the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses as a separate family, the Coronaviridae, in 1975. By 1978, it had become evident that the coronavirus genomic RNA was infectious (i. e., positive strand), and by 1983, at least the framework of the coronavirus replication strategy had been per ceived. Subsequently, with the application of recombinant DNA techniques, there have been remarkable advances in our understanding of the molecular biology of coronaviruses, and a mass of structural data concerning coronavirus genomes, mRNAs, and pro teins now exists. More recently, attention has been focused on the role of essential and accessory gene products in the coronavirus replication cyde and a molecular analysis of the structure-function relation ships of coronavirus proteins. Nevertheless, there are still large gaps in our knowledge, for instance, in areas such as the genesis of coronavirus subgenomic mRNAs or the function of the coronavirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The diseases caused by coronaviruses have been known for much longer than the agents themselves. Possibly the first coronavirus-related disease to be recorded was feline infectious peritonitis, as early as 1912. The diseases associ ated with infectious bronchitis virus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus, and murine hepatitis virus were all well known before 1950."

The last decade has seen an explosive increase in the volume of research on and knowledge of lactic acid bacteria, organisms of prime importance for the production of dairy products and the fermentation of various vegetables. This issue of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, written by international experts in the field, documents these recent exciting developments with respect to genetics, metabolism and application of lactic acid bacteria for industrial and potential medical applications. This book is essential for all researchers with an interest in the fundamental biology of Gram-positive bacteria, in particular in lactic acid bacteria and their applications, not only as a source of reference but also as an indispensable source of information for further development and exploration of this field.

Infectious diseases caused by bacteria remain a leading cause of death worldwide. Many of the antibiotics developed to combat bacterial infections have been rendered almost impotent due to the rapid evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance. A common and major resistance mechanism, the efflux system, enables bacteria to extrude structurally divers antimicrobials, facilitating survival in toxic environments. This book reviews the most important current research and summarizes the most spectacular discoveries in the field.

Adhesion plays a major role in the bacterial lifestyle. Bacteria can adhere to organic and inorganic surfaces, to each other, and of course to host cells during pathogenesis. The focus of this book is: how are such adhesion phenomena best studied? Microbial genetics experiments have greatly enhanced our knowledge of what bacterial factors are involved in adhesion. For numerous reasons, though, biochemical and structural biology knowledge of the molecular interactions involved in adhesion are limited. One major problem has been a lack of interdisciplinary research and understanding in the field. On the one hand, the microbiologists lack detailed knowledge of the biophysical possibilities and have limited access to the frequently expensive instrumentation involved while on the other hand, the experts in these methods frequently do not have access to the biological materials, nor do they necessarily understand the biological questions to be answered. The purpose of this book is thus to overcome this gap in communication between researchers in biology, chemistry and physics and to display the many ways and means to investigate bacterial adhesion. We hope to stimulate new and ground-breaking research.

The World Health Organization has identified chronic alcohol consumption as one of the top ten risk factors for worldwide burden of disease. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has identified alcohol as carcinogenic to humans, including cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract, colon, liver and breast. Alcohol's actions may be direct e.g. effects on retinoic acid and one-carbon metabolism, or indirect, through metabolites such as acetaldehyde and reactive oxygen species or through various signaling pathways that influence cell cycle and apoptosis that may contribute to carcinogenesis. This report reviews the state of the art in alcohol-related cancer research in ten chapters.

"HPV and Cancer" is a concise read that covers all aspects of the Human Papilloma Virus as it relates to human cancers. While written by professionals, it design to be understandable by those that are not in the field, yet it has the technical details that professionals want to stay abreast of this changing field. The book starts out the history of HPV and progresses into the molecular biology of the virus and our current understand of the structure and functions of the proteins and genes it encodes. We then look at the dynamic trends of this infectious agent in the human population, how it interacts with human cells, and the role it plays with other organisms to produce both benign and malignant tumors. Lastly, there is a discussion about a new vaccine for HPV and the hopes that are held by many to change the trends with this virus and the associated cancers it produces.

Biosynthesis of cellular and viral DNA and RNA has been a major topic in molecular biology and biochemistry. The studies by Arthur Kornberg and his colleagues on the in-vitro synthesis of DNA have opened new avenues to understanding the processes controlling the duplication of the genetic information encoded in the DNA and RNA of bacterial and mammalian cells. Viral nucleic acids are replicated in infected cells (bacterial, plant, and animal) by virus coded enzymes with or without the involvement of proteins and enzymes coded by the host cells. The ability of the virus to replicate its genome within a relatively short period in the infected cell makes it an excellent biological tool for studying the molecular events in nucleic acid replication. Indeed, the identification of a number of virus-coded proteins that participate in the biosynthesis of X174 and SV40 DNA has led to the construction of in-vitro systems for the study of nucleic acid biosynthesis. Similarly, studies on the replication of other phage, animal and plant viruses have provided an insight into the nucleic acid sequences from which DNA synthesis is initiated, as well as the proteins and enzymes that regulate the catalyse biosynthetic processes. Investi gation of the molecular processes involved in the replication of cellular and mitochondrial genomes has gained momentum from the rapid developments in the analyses of viral nucleic acid biosynthesis."

It has been known for over 150 years that hallmarks of inflammation can be observed in the wall of atherosclerotic vessels. It was, however, not clear if this inflammation is the cause or the consequence of atherogenesis. More recently, it has become evident that inflammation mediated both by innate and adaptive immunity is instrumental even in the earliest stages of the development of atherosclerotic lesions, i.e., that it plays an important pathogenetic role. In this volume, international experts in the field discuss the pathogenetic, diagnostic, preventive and possible therapeutic relevance of inflammation in atherogenesis. This book is intended for researchers and physicians in the fields of vascular biology, immunology and atherosclerosis.

"Nuclear envelope (NE) defects have been linked to cancer biology since the mid-1800s, but it was not until the last few years that we have begun to understand these historical links and to realize that there are myriad ways that the NE impacts on tumorigenesis. The NE is a complex double membrane system that encloses the genome while providing structural support through the intermediate filament lamin polymer and regulating protein/ mRNA trafficking and signaling between the nucleus and cytoplasm via the nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). These functions already provide some mechanisms for NE influences on cancer biology but work in the past few years has elucidated many others. Lamins and many recently identified NE transmembrane proteins (NETs) have been now shown to function in DNA repair, regulation of cell cycle and signaling, apoptosis, cell migration in metastasis and nuclear architecture and morphology. This volume presents a comprehensive overview of the wide range of functions recently identified for NE proteins and their relevance in cancer biology, providing molecular mechanisms and evidence of their value as prognostic and diagnostic markers and suggesting new avenues for the treatment of cancer. Indeed some of these recent links are already yielding promising therapies, such as the current clinical trial of selective inhibitors of the nuclear export factor exportin in certain types of leukemia, melanoma and kidney cancer."

Volume 12 in this series explores the latest experimental and clinical uses of stem cells in the treatment of disease and of injuries and reviews methods for isolating multipotent endothelial-like cells from human adipose tissue and discusses clinical applications in cell therapy and regenerative medicine.

The book is organized in five parts: Cancer Stem Cells, Pluripotent Stem Cells, Dendritic Stem Cells, Regenerative Medicine and General Applications. The first section includes chapters on histamine in the neural and cancer stem cell niches and emerging concepts of stem cell organization in the normal lung and in lung cancer. The section on Pluripotent Stem Cells includes discussion of the differentiation of dendritic cells from human induced pluripotent stem cell and the molecular mechanisms involved in reprogramming human somatic cells to generate induced pluripotent stem cells. Additional chapters cover the differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells into functional cardiomyocytes, characteristics of satellite cells and multipotent adult stem cells in the skeletal muscle. The section on Dendritic Stem Cells explores the critical role of notch signaling in the differentiation and function of dendrite. Other chapters cover hypertensive emergencies in children after stem cell transplantation and overcoming the radio resistance of lung cancer stem cells. The section on Regenerative Medicine reports on experiments on improved renal revascularization in pigs using stem cells and phenotypic correction of murine Hemophilia A using cell-based therapy. The concluding section, General Applications, discusses such topics as methods in mathematical modeling for stem cells, as well as molecular and functional characterization of human adipocytes.

Like its eleven predecessors in the series," " this volume stands out for its comprehensive approach, its roster of some 51 expert contributors representing a dozen different countries and its up-to-date review of leading-edge technology and methods.

Because of the increasing burden of hepatitis C and fatty liver disease, there is an explosion in the prevalence of chronic liver failure and hence its complications. The onset of Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE) in these patients has a significant impact on the quality of life, morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, the approach observed by most clinicians to this complex disorder is minimalistic. Hepatic Encephalopathy provides a comprehensive review on pathophysiology and clinically important aspects in HE. Topics in basic physiology, nitrogen metabolism, new insights into pathogenesis and brain edema are covered in great detail. The authors have made a special effort by simplifying the complex aspects of pathogenesis and diagnosis so that it can be easily understood and applied clinically. This volume also focuses on recent developments regarding diagnoses of subtle forms of HE, also known as minimal or covert HE as well as on new treatments. Hepatic Encephalopathy will be of great value to gastroenterologists, hepatologists, pathologists, medical residents, fellows, internists, and general practitioners who treat patients with hepatic encephalopathy.