The complement system is a group of proteins which plays a major role in the processing and removal of microorganisms and tissue breakdown products from the circulation and extracellular spaces. The system is activated by a wide range of targets, and activation leads to the production of opsonins, chemotaxis of granulocytes, cell lysis and other biological activities. Inappropriate overactivation of the system contributes to inflammatory tissue damage in the host, while inadequate activation leads to accumulation of immune complexes and other debris in the circulation, and susceptibility to infection. The biology and biochemistry of the system is now adequately understood, and attempts can be made to manipulate the activation and activities of the system for potential therapeutic purposes. The reviews in this volume summarise what is known of the ways in which the complement system can be activated, by interaction with antibodies, microorganisms, cell debris, and complex carbohydrates and how the activities and activation of the system have been modified, accidentally or by design, in vitro or in vivo by drugs, venoms, particulate carbohydrates, specific antibodies, synthetic peptides and other reagents.

This book compiles the latest research on the multifarious roles of microbial enzymes, and provides an overview of microbial enzymes and biotechnologies. It discusses the use of microbial enzymes in innovative areas like nanomedicine and synthetic biotechnology, as well as the use of starch digesting enzymes and bioactive proteins as biotherapeutics, all of which have applications in modern drug discovery processes. The book also examines the concept of microbial biotransformation and protein engineering, and covers topics such as the immobilization of therapeutic enzymes, bioengineering of enzymes for bioactive compounds, the production of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes from plant raw materials, and prebiotics and probiotics. Given its multidisciplinary scope, this book will appeal to researchers and industry experts in the fields of microbiology, biotechnology and molecular medicine.

This book targets new advances in areas of treatment and drug delivery sciences for Malaria. This is the only published book which compiles the complete road map of malarial drug delivery systems along with an overview on the pathology, current state of malaria across the globe, new clinical trials, emerging drugs and evolving novel drug delivery platforms. A wide variety of novel micro-and nano-formulations using promising technologies are being explored to deliver the malarial drug via different administration routes. This book addresses the gap between new approaches and old treatment modalities and how the former is superior in pharmacological performance when tested in in-vitro and in-vivo. Audience from wide range group like from researchers to regulatory bodies can benefit from the compiled information to find out patient needs and addresses a much-needed update to the existing malaria drug delivery research.

Darwinian medicine looks at the ecological and evolutionary roots of disease. A disease is an interaction between a genome and its biotic or abiotic environment and therefore a disease is essentially an ecological process. Good understanding of ecology and a Darwinian way of thinking can give us novel and useful perspectives on health and disease. If we understand the disease process better, we can certainly prevent, control as well as treat diseases in a better way. Although the thought that the origins of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) might lie in our hunter gatherer adaptations is not new, research over the last decade makes us rethink many of the classical concepts. Brain and behavior is increasingly being recognized as central to all the endocrine, metabolic and immunological changes that earmark type 2 diabetes and other metabolic syndrome disorders. A major change in paradigm appears to be on the horizon and the proposed book intends to speed up the paradigm shift by raising important questions, pointing out flaws and inadequacies in the prevalent paradigm and stimulating radical rethinking which would redirect and refine the line of research as well as bring some fundamental changes in drug discovery and clinical practice.

The books Molecular Diagnostics Part 1 and 2 provide a comprehensive and practical overview of the state-of-the-art molecular biological diagnostic strategies that are being used in a wide variety of disciplines. The editors and experts in their respective fields have combined their knowledge to write these two books. Many years of experience in the development, application and quality control of molecular diagnostic methods is reflected herewith. Molecular Diagnostics Part 1 is dedicated to the theoretical backgrounds of the technologies often applied in molecular diagnostics, in which nucleic acid amplification methods (such as real-time PCR), sequencing and bioinformatics are the basic tools. The assay design and -development, combined with items of trouble-shooting are described in detail. As a foundation of reliable molecular diagnostic assays, the quality control required for validation, implementation and performance of molecular diagnostic assays is thoroughly discussed. This book also provides extensive information for those working with molecular techniques in a wide variety of research applications using conventional and real-time PCR technology, Sanger and high throughput sequencing techniques, and bioinformatics. Molecular Diagnostics Part 2 highlights the applications of the molecular diagnostic methods in the various diagnostic laboratories, comprising: - Clinical microbiology - Clinical chemistry - Clinical genetics - Clinical pathology - Molecular hematopathology - Veterinary health - Plant health - Food safety Both full-colour and well-illustrated books are particularly valuable for students, clinicians, scientists and other professionals who are interested in (designing) molecular diagnostic methods and for those who wish to broaden their knowledge on the current molecular biological revolution. The information in the books highlights the trend of the integration of multiple (clinical) disciplines into one universal molecular laboratory.

This book discusses recent developments in several laboratories studying leishmaniasis. Sequencing of the human genome, as well as of the leishmania genome, has led to significant advances in our understanding of host-immune responses against leishmania, and mechanisms of infection-induced pathology, which is responsible for morbidity and mortality. Pathogenesis of Leishmaniasis focuses on the latest basic research into leishmaniasis, but also addresses how advances in understanding can be applied to prevention, control and treatment of what the WHO has classified a neglected tropical disease.

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and infects approximately 75 million individuals worldwide. It is also one of the major causes of liver cancer and liver transplants. The elucidation of the HCV genome, and the development of a whole cell system to study the virus spurred the search for novel direct acting antiviral drugs to cure this disease. This global effort culminated in the development of direct acting antiviral drugs that led to cure rates approaching 100% in all patient populations after only 8-12 weeks of therapy. These efforts resulted in one of the greatest achievements in public health and provides the potential for eliminating HCV as a major disease worldwide. This volume is aimed at a broad audience of academic and industrial scientists interested in the discovery and development of drugs to treat viral diseases and those interested in reading about one of the most unique accomplishments in biomedical research. The volume will provide a one of a kind reference work that highlights the many efforts, from the discovery of the HCV virus, to the invention of breakthrough medicines and their use in the real world to cure patients. It is the companion book to the volume "HCV: The Journey from Discovery to a Cure - Volume I".

The shift of weather patterns has affected the incidence and prevalence of infectious diseases, including mycoses. Mycoses have remained neglected due to a lack of training and recognition within the medical community. Nonetheless, these diseases remain common worldwide while frequently being underdiagnosed. Climate change affects the distribution of fungal communities, provoking outbreaks in locations where these mycoses were absent or in low frequencies. Moreover, the reports of clinical cases related to new fungal pathogens have increased due to the description of new fungal species or due to the ability of some species to shift to new hosts. Thus, this book, The Impact of Climate Change on Fungal Diseases, is a contribution to the knowledge of a global environmental phenomenon and its relation to these diseases, and it serves as a guide for health professionals to dive deep into the repercussions of climate change and how they can implement measures for the prevention and control of fungal infections.

Rabies is one of the oldest known pathogens, is incurable, and has the highest fatality rate of all infectious diseases. The Americas is the only region with bat rabies virus, including vampire bat rabies. The region is rich in cultural references and notable for many discoveries in the field, including the current vaccine potency test, diagnostic assay, conception of oral vaccines for wildlife, the first human survivor and the first successful canine rabies program executed at a broad level. Rabies remains the most important viral zoonosis, with tens of thousands of human fatalities and tens of millions of exposures annually, which can be used to model for other pathogens, such as COVID-19. There is an international effort to eliminate human rabies caused by dogs over the next decade, and the Americas represent the primary region with the greatest proof-of-concept evidence to accomplish this goal.  This two-volume set addresses the medical history and modern results of rabies in countries throughout the Americas, including the implications of and on cultural, economic, sociological, and research developments in the region. Volume I presents an overview of concepts critical to the study of rabies in the region, including evolutionary aspects, reservoir ecology and control, elimination efforts, vaccine development, and disease hallmarks and progression. It also analyzes the long-term cultural, social, and economic impacts of the disease in the Americas. 

This edited volume explores Campylobacter species, which are some of the most important foodborne pathogens. Above all, contaminated poultry meat can cause human gastroenteritis in both developed and developing countries. The respective contributions reveal how these infections can also increase the risk of generalized paralytic diseases such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, Miller-Fisher syndrome, and Chinese paralytic syndrome. Due to their influence on the nervous system, circulatory system, and various organs, Campylobacter infections represent a serious public health concern. Campylobacter can be effectively combated by addressing the hygienic conditions in both food production and human lifestyles. Accordingly, the authors put forward a One Health perspective, which provides readers with essential insights into the basic biology of Campylobacter, as well as practical guidance on aspects ranging from food production to the clinical treatment of infections. Chapters 'Population Biology and Comparative Genomics of Campylobacter Species' and 'Natural Competence and Horizontal Gene Transfer in Campylobacter' are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This book highlights different natural products that are derived from the plants and microbes that have shown potential as the lead compounds against infectious diseases and cancer. Natural products represent an untapped source of strikingly diverse chemotypes with novel mechanisms of action and the potential to serve as anticancer and anti-infective agents. The book discusses a range of biotechnologically valuable bioactive compounds and secondary metabolites that have been derived from plant and microorganisms from various ecological niches. It also reviews the latest developments in the field of genomics, bioinformatics and industrial fermentation for harnessing the microbial products for commercial applications. In turn, the book's closing section reviews important biotechnological applications of various natural products. Combining the expertise of specialists in this field, the book's goal is to promote the further investigation of natural sources for the development of standardized, safe and effective therapies.

The definitive interdisciplinary reference work for wound ballistics Basics The book begins by providing the necessary basic knowledge about physics, ballistics and ammunition and weapons. Then it describes the behaviour of projectiles in humans and animals (the physics of gunshot injuries) and introduces the experimental simulation of gunshot wounds, including the materials suitable for this purpose. Applications These basic principles can be applied in forensic medicine and criminalistics. The gunshot wound provides some forensic traces and the experimental reconstruction helps to understand the dynamic crime process. The wounding potential of non-lethal weapons can be determined. In emergency and war surgery, injuries caused by small arms bullets and fragments as well as by gas jets (of gas weapons) can be assessed. International conventions could be freed from undefined terms (such as "unnecessary suffering") with the help of physical quantities. Reference work Detailed tables as e. g. ballistic data of numerous cartridge types, also older ones, material properties, as well as many otherwise difficult to access data and a trilingual glossary of ballistic and technical terms in the languages German, English and French. NEW Wound Ballistics of European Police ammunition References to recent research results Partly coloured illustrations Due to the increase in terrorist and criminal activities worldwide, it is not only members of the armed forces who are affected. Surgeons, forensic doctors, police officers and criminalists also need to know and be able to assess the specifics of gunshot wounds.

In an age of antibiotic resistant infections, the study of biofilms is increasingly important. Microbes more than often exist in complex multi-species or polymicrobial communities, making infections difficult to detect, diagnose and treat. Given the increased focus on studying biofilms in research and laboratory settings, particularly under conditions that closely mimic the clinical state, it is important to get an overview of the recent methods, model systems and tools being developed and employed in this context. This book offers readers the opportunity to learn more about current methods being used in the investigation of multi-species biofilms, both in vivo and in vitro. For this, the book highlights new technologies built and designed for the study of multiple species within biofilm communities, including those that can be leveraged for the evaluation of antimicrobial treatment approaches. The application of these state-of-the-art techniques to further our understanding of multi-species biofilms will be discussed and the reader will learn how the clinical microenvironment and the development of biofilm communities are considered when developing such tools. With cutting-edge contributions from experts in the respective domains, this book will benefit translational and basic research scientists, as well as clinicians, and is an informative resource for educators and their students.

It goes almost without saying that there has been a marked increase in the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases throughout the world in the past two to three decades. Indeed, despite the progress that has been made in methods of diagnosis and treatment, the sexually transmitted diseases as a whole are the most common communicable diseases and as such constitute an important health problem. The increase in incidence may be accounted for by changes in sexual behaviour, the introduction of contraceptives and the increasing mobility of the population. In addition, during the same time period, the number of infectious agents recognized as being sexually transmitted has increased considerably. These include Chlamydia trachomatis, herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus and hepatitis B virus. Indeed, some are as dependent on sexual transmission as the agents which cause the traditional venereal diseases and collectively they cause morbidity which has out-stripped that caused by gonorrhoea and syphilis. It could almost be said that to know the sexually transmitted diseases is to know micro biology. However, the approach taken in this book has not been to consider individual infectious agents and evaluate what they do and do not cause but to consider clinical conditions and what might be responsible for them. To cover the complete spectrum of the sexually transmitted diseases in a comprehensive way now takes a text book of massive proportion."

This second edition provides state-of-the-art and novel methods on antibiotic isolation and purification, identification of antimicrobial killing mechanisms, as well as methods for the analysis and detection of microbial responses and adaptation strategies. Antibiotics: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition, guides readers through updated and entirely new chapters on production and design, mode of action, and response and resistance. 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, Antibiotics: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition aims to inspire scientific work in the exciting field of antibiotic research.

A volume in the popular Pattern Recognition Series, Practical Hepatic Pathology: A Diagnostic Approach features completely updated and reorganized content, resulting in a truly practical guide to understanding liver pathology. Dr. Romil Saxena presents interpretation of liver biopsies according to a pattern-based approach that begins with recognition of the predominant histological pattern of injury, followed by identification of secondary features and appropriate work-up that lead you away from pitfalls to the best diagnosis. Unique "visual index" at the beginning of the book references the exact chapter and specific page needed for in-depth diagnostic guidance. Superb, high-quality, full-color images illustrate pathognomonic features and common variations. Features comprehensive information on major adult and childhood liver diseases, hepatic neoplasms and pre-neoplastic nodules, including clinical features, laboratory tests, imaging findings and differential diagnosis. Coverage of the clinical aspects of liver transplantation allows you to understand the pathology and practice of this procedure. Virtual Microscope provides your own personal set of over 300 liver slides accessible anywhere, any time on your favorite digital device. Navigate around and zoom in and out to savor these exceptionally high quality whole slide images covering everything from the normal liver to rare challenging cases. New section on Evolving Concepts keeps you abreast of new paradigms in liver diseases such as reversal of fibrosis, heterogeneity of cirrhosis, and biphenotypic primary liver cell carcinoma. Reorganized Table of Contents is even more intuitive. Expert Consult eBook version is included with purchase. This enhanced eBook experience allows you to search all of the text, figures, images, and references from the book across digital platforms.

This thoroughly revised second edition is an up-to-date overview of the new advances in the knowledge of the basic science in sarcoma and osteosarcoma. It features detailed, in-depth discussions of microRNAs in osteosarcoma, historical perspectives of chemotherapy in the treatment of the disease, tumor targeted IL12 therapy and HER2 targeted therapy, the role of enhancer elements in regulating the prometastatic transcriptional program and more. Further, this essential volume also includes new insights on Wnt signaling in osteosarcoma, the role of genomics, genetically modified T-cell therapy, liquid biopsy, oncolytic viruses, immunophenotyping, receptor tyrosine kinases and epigenetic-focused approaches for treatment of osteosarcoma metastases, as well as thoughts on the current standard of treatment for patients suffering from these cancers. In the years since the previous edition, there have been numerous new developments in this rapidly changing field; this new edition is both timely and urgently needed. When taken together these companion volumes, Current Clinical (Book 1) and Scientific (Book 2) Advances in Osteosarcoma, are a timely and urgently needed guide for laboratory investigators and clinical oncologists.

This book brings together in a review manner a comprehensive summary of high-quality research contributions from the different research teams and their collaborators, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health (CIISA). The topics span from animal behaviour and welfare over biotechnology to clinical veterinary medicine. Thus, the book is of interest for researchers and students working in the diverse fields of veterinary medicine and science. The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health (CIISA), the Research Centre of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Lisbon, commemorated its 25th-year jubilee in 2018. Throughout its history, CIISA has been consolidating as the top-ranking Portuguese Animal and Veterinary Sciences research unit. More recently, CIISA has taken a leading role in the coordination of national and international research networks and consortiums. This conveyed a highly interdisciplinary nature to CIISA's research, encompassing animal, veterinary and biomedical sciences. This multi- and interdisciplinary nature is reflected on the broad scientific background of the team.

Expert authors from around the world comprehensively review the current advances in plasmodium comparative genomics, highlighting the fascinating new insights into parasite evolution and molecular biology that have ensued.

This book introduces nanoparticles as a powerful platform for vaccine design. Current challenges in vaccine development are discussed and the unique advantages nanoparticles provide in overcoming these challenges are explored. The authors offer fascinating insights into the immunological assets of using nanoparticles as delivery vehicles or adjuvants and present different materials that are being used in nanoparticle-based vaccine development, covering peptides, proteins, polymers, virus-like particles, and liposomes. Its contemporary research insights and practical examples for applications make this volume an inspiring read for researchers and clinicians in vaccinology and immunology. Chapter "Liposome Formulations as Adjuvants for Vaccines" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This volume reviews the unique and common features of rhabdoviruses, which have a very wide host range and are associated with human diseases and also infect domestic livestock and agricultural plants, causing enormous economic loss.

In light of the novel corona virus outbreak in December 2019 and its subsequent impact on entire world as a global pandemic, the book attempts to provide integrated risk assessment on Covid -19 like pandemics, as well as to understand the societal, environment and economic impact of the outbreak in various sectors of development. It covers fundamental factors of global disease outbreaks and its coverage as major disaster through the complexity and severity of consequences, illustrating the dimensions of low frequency high intensity disasters. It brings together broad range of topics including basic concepts, isolation measure, role of governance and key technical advancements for containing the diseases. In addition, it also covers resilience analysis towards the impacts such outbreaks have on bio-diversity, ecosystem services and agricultural food production. It defines key exit strategies from the lessons learned and success stories of historical disease outbreaks. The book is presented in four parts, where part 1 familiarizes with fundamentals; part 2 focuses on integrated risk assessments; part 3 focuses on various measures and strategies of resilience; and part 4 suggests key lessons and recommendations. The book is a useful reading reference for scientific community, policy makers and professionals across the domains of health, environment, disasters and sustainable development. Book is specifically beneficial for postgraduate students, researchers, planners and field professionals.

The book is an update on contentious or unsettled issues concerning invasive diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in cancer and related disorders, focusing on the surgical approach. Topics include recommendations for the best practice in using the surgery safety checklist, surgical strategies in a variety of thoracic cancers, renal cell carcinoma, tumors of parathyroid glands, mesothelioma, and bariatric surgeries. The focus is on the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of aggressive cancerous entities, choosing the most beneficial modes for optimal outcomes and patient survival. Chapters also address radioimaging and therapy outcomes in different intracranial lesions leading to severe neurological disabilities. The areas of medical practice addressed are still veiled in uncertainty, yet-unresolved pathogenetic background, and have a substantial component of empirical rather than evidence-based clinical approach. Pursuing and sharing new ideas and innovations is essential for improving the management and outcome. The book endeavors to disseminate and deliberate on the latest medical knowledge, studies, and advancements in surgical and diagnostic dealing with cancer. The book is addressed to physicians and surgeons, and all allied health care professionals engaged in patient care and therapy.