Cell Culture Methods for in vitro Toxicology introduces the reader to a range of techniques involved in the use of in vitro cell culture in toxicological studies. It deals with major cell types studied in the field of toxicology and will be useful for anyone wishing to start work with animal cell cultures or to refresh their knowledge relating to in vitro cell models. Fundamental chapters deal with the general biology of cytotoxicity and cell immortalisation these are key issues for in vitro systems addressing the 3Rs' principle. Up-to-date overviews deal with the use of cells from liver, brain and intestine. In addition, biochemical analysis of cell responses, biotransformation pathways in cells and recombinant approaches to the early detection of cell stress are also covered in detail. Prominent features of in vitro technologies also include regulation, biosafety and standardisation. Dedicated chapters deal with these issues in a practical way in order to lead the reader to the right source of information. This book provides an up-to-date, informative and practical review of cell culture methods for in vitro toxicology. It will be of equal benefit to students and experienced toxicologists with little experience of in vitro cell culture.

This book describes some of the most exciting developments for the discovery of new drugs, such as Fragment-based methods. It contains the latest developments in technologies that can be used to obtain the 3-D structures. This book includes experimental approaches using X-ray crystallography and NMR for Fragment-based screening as well as other biophysical methods for studying protein/ligand interactions.

Nanobiotechnology is one of the key technologies of the 21st century. It is a combination of nanoscience and biotechnology and covers areas ranging from gene transfer and nanoencapsulation to food technology. Nanocarriers are a leading nanobiotechnology tool with the ability to provide protection, site-specific delivery, enhanced bioavailability and controlled release of pharmaceuticals, genetic material, imaging agents, nutraceuticals and cosmetics to name a few. For this reason, the study of nanocarriers, their properties and applications has attracted a great deal of interest over recent years. Designed as an advanced survey of the field, this book describes the key research parameters of nanocarrier technologies including their preparation methods, evaluation of their safety and efficiency, their interaction with biologicals and their application in biotechnology, drug delivery, gene therapy and food technology areas.

B. Basler, S. Brandes, A. Spiegel and T. Bach: Total Synthesis of Kalsoene and Preussin .- R. Bandichhor, B. Nosse and O. Reiser: Paraconic Acids- the Natural Products from Lichen Symbiont .- M. Hiersemann and H. Helmboldt: Recent Progress in the Total Synthesis of Dolabellane and Dolastane Diterpenes .- L. Wessjohann and E. Ruijter: Strategies for Total and Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Natural Product (-Like) Macrolides .- M. Sefkow: Enantioselective Synthesis of C(8)-Hydroxylated Lignans: Early Approaches and Recent Advances

This book on medicinal plant biotechnology covers recent developments in this field. It includes a comprehensive up-to-date survey on established medicinal plants and on molecules which gained importance in recent years. No recently published book has covered these carefully selected topics. The contributing scientists have been selected on the basis of their involvement in the related plant material as evident by their internationally recognised published work.

This book evolved from a graduate course on applications of statistical thermody- namics to biochemical systems. Most of the published papers and books on this subject used in the course were written by experimentalists who adopted the phenomenological approach to describe and interpret their results. Two outstanding papers that impressed me deeply were the c1assical papers by Monod, Changeux, and Jacob (1963) and Monod, Wyman, and Changeux (1965), where the allosteric model for regulatory enzymes was introduced. Reading through them I feIt as if they were revealing one of the c1everest and most intricate tricks of nature to regulate biochemical processes. In 1985 I was glad to see T. L. HilI's volume entitled Cooperativity Theory in Biochemistry, Steady State and Equilibrium Systems. This was the fIrst book to systematically develop the molecular or statistical mechanical approach to binding systems. HilI demonstrated how and why the molecular approach is so advanta- geous relative to the prevalent phenomenological approach of that time. On page 58 he wrote the following (my italics): The naturalness of Gibbs' grand partition function for binding problems in biology is evidenced by the rediscovery of what is essentially the grand partition function for this particular type of problem by various physical biochentists, including E. Q. Adams, G.

Resorcinol chemistry has been providing valuable properties and products in the development of advanced technologies in the areas of pharmaceuticals, rubber compounds, wood composites and plastics. Notable technologies include steel belted radial tires, resorcinol-formaldehyde-latex adhesives (RFL), a weather proof polycarbonate (Sollx), a super heat resistant polymer (PEN-RTM), the world's strongest fiber (Zylon), sun screens (UV absorbers), Intal (an asthma drug), Ostivone (an osteoporosis drug), Throat Plus (lozenges), Centron and Saheli (oral contraceptive pills), and many more. This new resorcinol book contains information on the chemistry and technologies developed for the usefulness of human needs. Scientists and researchers around the world working in the areas of pharmaceuticals, rubber compounds (tires, hoses, belts), polymers, polymer additives (UV absorbers, flame retardants), composites (polymers and wood), photoresists, or just simply organic chemistry will benefit from this key resorcinol reference.

Expert researchers and physician/clinicians describe in detail the newest and most commonly used technologies today in this rapidly advancing field. The authors provide readily reproducible methods for assessing the functional consequences of a certain polymorphism, evaluate the variety of genotyping platforms currently available, and discuss the management of pharmacogenomic information. Highlights include techniques for making a snapshot of the allele-specific variation in human gene expression, genome wide analysis of allele-specific expression using oligo microarrays, in vivo assays with HaploChIP, SNP genotyping in DNA pools, and PharmGKB, the pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics knowledge base. The methodologies for genotyping include denaturing high-performance liquid chromarography, pyrosequencing, kinetic-fluorescence detection, mass spectrometry, and TaqMan assay for insertion/deletions.

Leading experts survey the currently available technologies designed to improve the delivery of today's cancer chemotherapeutic agents. The authors review both the theoretical and practical considerations governing conventional and nonconventional methods of drug administration, and identify promising opportunities for product development. In their outline and discussion of the use of novel formulation technologies-including synthetic polymers and biomaterials for prolonged or sustained drug release to achieve potentially greater therapeutic effect-they profile those technologies that have resulted in a number of approved and late-stage clinical products.

MTDSC provides a step-change increase in the power of calorimetry to characterize virtually all polymer systems including curing systems, blends and semicrystalline polymers. It enables hidden transitions to be revealed, miscibility to be accurately assessed, and phases and interfaces in complex blends to be quantified. It also enables crystallinity in complex systems to be measured and provides new insights into melting behaviour. All of this is achieved by a simple modification of conventional DSC.

In 1992 a new calorimetric technique was introduced that superimposed a small modulation on top of the conventional linear temperature program typically used in differential scanning calorimetry. This was combined with a method of data analysis that enabled the sample s response to the linear component of the temperature program to be separated from its response to the periodic component. In this way, for the first time, a signal equivalent to that of conventional DSC was obtained simultaneously with a measure of the sample s heat capacity from the modulation. The new information this provided sparked a revolution in scanning calorimetry by enabling new insights to be gained into almost all aspects of polymer characteristics.

This book provides both a basic and advanced treatment of the theory of the technique followed by a detailed exposition of its application to reacting systems, blends and semicrystalline polymers by the leaders in all of these fields. It is an essential text for anybody interested in calorimetry or polymer characterization, especially if they have found that conventional DSC cannot help them with their problems.

An extraordinary compendium of information on herbal medicine, Medicinal Plants of the World, Volume 3 comprehensively documents the medicinal value of 16 major plant species widely used around the world in medical formulations. The book's exhaustive summary of available scientific data for the plants provides detailed information on how each plant is used in different countries, describing both traditional therapeutic applications and what is known from its use in clinical trials. A comprehensive bibliography of over 3000 references cites the literature available from a wide range of disciplines. This book offers an unprecedented collection of vital scientific information for pharmacologists, herbal medicine practitioners, drug developers, medicinal chemists, phytochemists, toxicologists, and researchers who want to explore the use of plant materials for medicinal and related purposes.

Drugs of Abuse: Neurological Reviews and Protocols is intended to provide insightful reviews of key current topics and, particularly, state-- the-art methods for examining drug actions in their various neuroanato- cal, neurochemical, neurophysiological, neuropharmacological, and molecular perspectives. The book should prove particularly useful to n- comers (graduate students and technicians) in this field, as well as to those established scientists (neuroscientists, biochemists, and molecular biologists) intending to pursue new careers or directions in the study of drugs. The book's protocols cover a wide variety of coherent methods for gathering inf- mation on quantitative changes in proteins and mRNAs at both tissue and cel- lar levels. Inducible gene expression in striatal neurons has been a hot topic over the last decade. Alterations in gene expression for a wide range of proteins in the striatum have been investigated in response to drug administration. Altered expression of given mRNAs and their product proteins constitutes essential molecular steps in the development of neuroplasticity related to long-term addictive properties of drugs of abuse. With the multiple labeling methods that are also described in the book, gene expression can be detected in a chemically identified cell phenotype; the expression of multiple genes of interest can be detected in a single cell simultaneously. Hundreds or thousands of gene expr- sion products can today be detected in one experimental setup using the pow- ful systematic cDNA macroarray or microarray screening technology. Moreover, protocols useful in analyzing the functional roles of genes and proteins (e. g.

Beginning with the Escherichia coli ? protein, or bacterial DNA topoisomerase I, an ever-increasing number of enzymes have been identified that catalyze changes in the linkage of DNA strands. DNA topoisomerases are ubiquitous in nature and have been shown to play critical roles in most p- cesses involving DNA, including DNA replication, transcription, and rec- bination. These enzymes further constitute the cellular targets of a number of clinically important antibacterial and anticancer agents. Thus, further studies of DNA topology and DNA topoisomerases are critical to advance our und- standing of the basic biological processes required for cell cycle progression, cell division, genomic stability, and development. In addition, these studies will continue to provide critical insights into the cytotoxic action of drugs that target DNA topoisomerases. Such mechanistic studies have already played an important role in the development and clinical application of antimicrobial and chemotherapeutic agents. The two volumes of DNA Topoisomerase Protocols are designed to help new and established researchers investigate all aspects of DNA topology and the function of these enzymes. The chapters are written by prominent investigators in the field and provide detailed background information and st- by-step experimental protocols. The topics covered in Part I: DNA Topology and Enzymes, range from detailed methods to analyze various aspects of DNA structure, from linking number, knotting/unknotting, site-specific recombi- tion, and decatenation to the overexpression and purification of bacterial and eukaryotic DNA topoisomerases from a variety of cell systems and tissues.

Drug Metabolism: Current Concepts provides a comprehensive understanding of the processes that take place following ingestion of a medicinal agent or xenobiotic, with an emphasis on the crucial role of metabolism (biotransformation). How a sound knowledge of these phenomena is incorporated into the design of effective new drug candidates is also explained. The user-friendly text focuses on concepts rather than extraneous details and is supported by many illustrated examples of biotransformations as well as frequent references to current critical reviews and articles highlighting the nature of research objectives in this vibrant area of medicinal development. The final topic on strategies for drug design relies on the background provided by the rest of the book. This book is ideally suited as an advanced text for courses in drug metabolism for students of medicine, pharmacy, pharmacology, biochemistry; and for courses in drug design and drug delivery for students of medicinal chemistry. It is also appropriate for professional seminars or courses that relate to the fate of a drug in the body, drug interactions, adverse reactions and drug design.

The application of molecular techniques to gastroenterology continues to yield important advances in the development of drugs to treat gastrointestinal disorders. Important new drugs have emerged through the collaborative and complementary efforts of basic scientists, clinicians, and clinical researchers in academia and the pharmaceutical industry. The challenge has been exciting, with a few surprises along the way. Consider peptic ulcer disease as an example. The discovery of H receptors and the availability of potent and 2 selective H-receptor antagonists signaled the beginning of a new era 2 in the treatment of gastric hypersecretory states and peptic ulcers. Introduction of proton pump inhibitors offered another therapeutic option. Though H-receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors 2 are important and useful drugs, the discovery of the link between H. pylori infection and peptic ulcer disease has led to even more effective pharmacotherapeutic regimens. Our intent in Drug Development: Molecular Targets for GI Diseases is to bring together hands-on experts to review promising areas of gastrointestinal pharmacology. The contemporary topics covered, from a mechanistic viewpoint, are relevant to gastrointestinal inflammation and motility disorders. Authoritative opinions are offered on both future research directions and potential applications for new therapies.

Novel drugs are being developed which interact with the programmed cell death (apoptotic) machinery in cancer cells, thereby causing these cells to commit suicide and to be removed from the body. Research is also directed to investigate why the cancer cells sometimes lose the ability to undergo apoptosis after a certain period of time and methods are being developed to reactivate this cell death process. This book is intended for workers in the field and clinicians as a useful guide of the state of affairs in this exciting field which may offer more effective possibilities for treatment of cancer patients.

Mels Sluyser is the Editor of the journals APOPTOSIS and ANTI-CANCER DRUGS. He brings together a collection of papers written by the world 's leading experts in these fields.

Ivan Ross takes advantage of the significant growth in the amount of new data available to update and expand his much acclaimed Medicinal Plants of the World: Chemical Constituents, Traditional and Modern Medicinal Uses. This second edition exhaustively compiles new clinical research and references twenty-six of the most widely used medicinal plants in the world, including Allium sativum, Mangifera indica, Punica granatum;, Momoridica charantia, Mucuna pruriens; Arbus precatorius; Moringa pterysgosperma, Phyllanthus niruri, and Jatrpha curcas.

Over the last several years it has become apparent to most researchers that interdisciplinary research is the key to success in the sciences' future. The present book exemplifies such interdisciplinary work. Thus, some new derivatives have been prepared by chemists and consecutively analyzed by physicists in order to better understand their physical-chemical properties for future tests to be performed by pharmacists. The book consists of an introductory section and other eight chapters. First, the fundamentals of infrared, Raman and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and those of the theoretical methods employed for the vibrational prediction modes are highlighted. The SERS investigations illustrated in the following chapters are focused on different kinds of drugs: tranquilizers and sedatives, anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins, drugs with anti-bacterial properties, etc. Since there is an increased interest in designing highly effective and controllable SERS-active substrates, a few newly developed substrates that could contribute to a deeper understanding and knowledge of the adsorption behavior of various types of molecules of pharmaceutical and medical interest are also presented.

Since Hermann Staudinger coined the concept of macromolecules as covalently linked very large molecular entities in 1922, the main focus of ongoing research has been on the synthesis of polymers and copolymers leading to a great variety of stable, structural, and functional materials. On the other hand, during the last 15 years the knowledge about supramolecular self-organization of polymers with low molecular-weight compounds by reversible non-covalent interactions gained increasing attention. In particular, the interactions of cyclic molecules, called hosts, with polymersbecame increasingly attractive, since the propertiesof polymerssuch assolubilityor crystallinitycanbe alteredwithoutthe needof chemicalreactions. In contrast to regular polymersor copolymers, supramolecularstructurescomprisedof polymers and ring-shaped hosts are not totally stable. Therefore they can show p- grammable lifetimes or adapt speci?cally to different environments. In this respect polymeric supramolecular structures resemble living systems more than regular polymers. This volume is mainly devoted to a very fascinating class of ring-shaped cyclic ?(1?4) linked oligo-glucans, named cyclodextrins. Cyclodextrins are industrially produced from the renewable resource starch. They are especially suitable for the self-assembly of water based supramolecular structures, and they are highly b- compatible. Cyclodextrinsare able to complexboth monomersand polymerswhich offer suitable hydrophobic binding sites. The driving forces are mainly van der Waals and hydrophobic interactions. This complexation process is called inc- sion and the resulting supramolecular structures inclusion compounds. In addition, Chapter 6 of this volume is devoted to another interesting host, a cyclic urea c- pound called cucurbituril, which is able to recognize cationic guest molecules in aqueous solution

"Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics Quick Guide" covers a number of aspects of drug assessment at drug discovery and development stages, topics such as pharmacokinetics, absorption, metabolism, enzyme kinetics, drug transporters, drug interactions, drug-like properties, assays and in silico calculations. It covers key concepts, with useful tables on physiological parameters (eg. blood flow to organs in x-species, expression and localization of enzymes and transporters), chemical structure, nomenclature, and moieties leading to bioactivation (with examples). Overall it includes a number of key topics useful at the drug discovery stage, which would serve as a quick reference with several examples from the literature to illustrate the concept.

Written by a group of multi-professional authors, this fully updated third edition builds on the success of this classic text. The book explores a number of key areas for prescribers, including prescribing within a multidisciplinary team context, consultation skills, ethical and legal issues surrounding prescribing, the psychology and sociology of prescribing, and applied pharmacology. Among the other topics featured are monitoring skills, medicines concordance, evidence based prescribing, prescribing within a public health perspective, calculation skills, prescribing in dermatology, and minimizing the risk of prescribing errors. Each chapter has been revised and additional chapters on antimicrobial prescribing, education and training to become a prescriber, and a new section on renal impairment have been added. This book is an essential resource for both new and experienced prescribers and anyone undertaking the non-medical prescribing (NMP) programme including nurses, pharmacists, allied health professionals and optometrists.

1 R. Satchi-Fainaro, R. Duncan, C.M. Barnes: Polymer Therapeutics for Cancer: Current Status and Future Challenges.- 2 N. Nishiyama, K. Kataoka: Nanostructured Devices Based on Block Copolymer Assemblies for Drug Delivery: Designing Structures for Enhanced Drug Function.- 3 H. Maeda, K. Greish, J. Fang: The EPR Effect and Polymeric Drugs: A Paradigm Shift for Cancer Chemotherapy in the 21st Century.- 4 J.S. Ellis, S. Allen, Y.T. A. Chim, C.J. Roberts, S.J.B. Tendler, M.C. Davies: Molecular-Scale Studies on Biopolymers Using Atomic Force Microscopy.- 5 A.V. Kabanov, E.V. Batrakova, S. Sherman, V.Y. Alakhov: Polymer Genomics.-

1 Duncan, H. Ringsdorf, R. Satchi-Fainaro: Polymer Therapeutics: Polymers as Drugs, Drug and Protein Conjugates and Gene Delivery Systems: Past, Present and Future Opportunities.- 2 P.K. Dhal, S.R. Holmes-Farley, C.C. Huval, T.H. Jozefiak: Polymers as Drugs.- 3 R.J. Amir, D. Shabat: Domino Dendrimers.- 4 G. Pasut, F.M. Veronese: PEGylation of Proteins as Tailored Chemistry for Optimized Bioconjugates.- E. Wagner, J. Kloeckner: Gene Delivery Using Polymer Therapeutics.-