Because of developments in powerful computer technology, computational techniques, advances in a wide spectrum of diverse technologies, and other advances coupled with cross disciplinary pursuits between technology and its greatly significant applied implications in human body processes, the field of biomechanics is evolving as a broadly significant area. The four volumes of Biomechanical Systems: Techniques and Applications presents the advances in widely diverse areas with significant implications for human betterment that occur continuously at a high rate. These include dynamics of musculo-skeletal systems; mechanics of hard and soft tissues; mechanics of muscle; mechanics of bone remodeling; mechanics of implant-tissue interfaces; cardiovascular and respiratory biomechanics; mechanics of blood flow, air flow, flow-prosthesis interfaces; mechanics of impact; dynamics of man machine interaction; and numerous other areas. The great breadth and depth of the field of biomechanics on the international scene requires at least four volumes for adequate treatment. These four volumes constitute a well integrated set that can be utilized as individual volumes. They provide a substantively significant and rather comprehensive, in-depth treatment of biomechanic systems and techniques that is most surely unique on the international scene.

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), known as prion diseases, have been recognized for nearly 300 years in animals and almost 100 years in humans. Modern studies, including the protein-misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA), have greatly advanced our understanding of the pathogenesis of prion diseases and facilitated the identification of new prion diseases in animals and humans. In the second edition of Prions and Diseases, more than 60 leading researchers and clinicians worldwide provide an up-to-date discussion of these unique infectious pathogens and their associated diseases. The book provides up-to-date knowledge about the etiology, pathogenesis, classification, histopathological, and clinical aspects of the full range of animal and human prion diseases. As a result, the book contains by far the most authoritative views about the past, present, and future of prions and prion diseases. The new second edition covers such important emerging topics such as inherited human prion disease, stem-cell models in prion research, human prion disease surveillance, and gene therapy strategies.

Twenty years after its discovery, recombinant human leptin has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with lipodystrophy. Beginning with a synthesis of the vast body of work on its discovery, dissection of mechanisms, and effects in experimental models , the focus of this book shifts to a consideration of the regulation and role of leptin in humans. The emphasis on human-level data is a unique feature of this book. The results of numerous studies indicate that leptin is indeed a regulated human hormone. Leptin provides a detailed account of the myriad physiological, hormonal, metabolic, immunological, mitogenic and inflammatory modulators and targets of leptin in a single volume. Next follows a comprehensive presentation of the therapeutic trials of recombinant leptin in patients with congenital leptin deficiency, lipodystrophy, hypothalamic amenorrhea, and other emerging areas, including leptin supplementation in leptin-replete subjects, leptin substitution for insulin in diabetic models, and novel combination regimens of leptin and other biogenic peptides. Unanswered questions and future directions in leptin research are highlighted in the Foreword by Dr. Jeffrey Friedman and throughout the volume. Identifying such questions helps direct research that could deepen understanding of the complex regulation of leptin under physiological and pathological conditions, a critical prerequisite to its rational deployment in the treatment of human disorders.

Recent Advances in Prolactin Research summarizes the current knowledge of prolactin (PRL), PRL receptor, PRL-dependent signaling pathways, the role of PRL in oncogenesis and PRL crosstalk with other oncogenic factors. The chapters are written by experts in these fields and focus on identifying and reviewing timely experimental findings that provide new insights into the expanding role of PRL in the pathophysiology associated with a variety of human conditions. Prolactin is a peptide hormone that is best known for its role in lactation. Prolactin also has an influence on hematopoiesis and angiogenesis, and is involved in the regulation of blood clotting through several pathways. Although PRL was discovered more than 80 years ago, the understanding of PRL signaling and its relationship to various pathologies is still very incomplete. PRL is not only a pituitary hormone with an important role in reproduction, but PRL also acts as a cytokine, modulating a wide variety of physiological processes. For example, data gathered during the last decade have demonstrated that locally produced PRL acts as the autocrine/paracrine factor and plays a contributory role during breast oncogenesis. In fact, the scientific and clinical communities have suggested that the manipulation of the PRL axis may lead to the successful treatment of breast cancer. However, recent work has demonstrated that the role of the PRL axis is much more complex than first envisaged.

The popularity of distance running as a sport, and a recreational activity, is at an all-time high. Motivated by the desire to achieve a personal best, remain healthy, or simply complete an event, distance runners of all ages and abilities actively seek out advice from experienced coaches and sport scientists. This is also reflected in the growth of programmes of education for young coaches and aspiring sport scientists in recent years. There are a multitude of different approaches to training distance runners; however, the basic principles and ingredients required for success are applicable to any distance runner. The science that underpins the training and physical preparation of distance runners has developed considerably in recent years. The most experienced and successful coaches in the distance running community rarely have the opportunity to share their tried and tested methods of training. Similarly, the novel work of sport scientists is often only accessible to elite runners, their support teams and academia. The Science and Practice of Middle and Long Distance Running links together the science and coaching artistry associated with preparing distance runners for events ranging from 800 m up to ultra-marathon distances. It combines the latest scientific evidence, published by world-leading sport scientists, with the sound training principles and strategies adopted by experienced coaches. The book translates cutting-edge scientific research from the fields of physiology, biomechanics, psychology and nutrition into practical suggestions for achieving success. Important topical issues and contemporary practices related to health and performance are also addressed. This book is an essential addition to the library of any distance runner, coach or sport scientist.

The bright colour of haemoglobin has, from the very beginning, played a significant role in both the investigation of this compound as well as in the study of blood oxygen transport. Numerous optical methods have been developed for measuring haemoglobin concentration, oxygen saturation, and the principal dyshaemoglobins in vitro as well as in vivo. Modern applications include pulse oximeters, fibre optic oximeters, multiwavelength haemoglobin photometers ('co-oximeters') and instruments for near infrared spectroscopy in vivo. Knowledge of the light absorption spectra of the common haemoglobin derivatives is a prerequisite for the development and understanding of these techniques.
In the 1960s a reference method based on the absorptivity of a single derivative (haemiglobincyanide; HiCN) at a single wavelength (540 nm) was established for measuring the total haemoglobin concentration. Thus an anchor value was provided on which the absorptivity spectra of all other haemoglobin derivatives could be based.
This monograph presents absorption spectra and absorptivity data in the wavelength range of 480 to 1000 nm of the major haemoglobin derivatives for human adult and foetal haemoglobin and for haemoglobin of several animals (cow, dog, horse, pig, rat, and adult and foetal sheep). A detailed description of the methods used to acquire these data has been included to allow future investigators to reproduce and expand on the data.
The second part of the monograph includes chapters on the principles and development, in historical perspective, of the principal methods for measuring total haemoglobin concentration for two, three, and multi-component analysis of haemoglobin derivatives, and for blood oxygen saturation measurement. Accurate quantitative data pertaining to haemoglobin in human blood are presented, together with a description of methods for measuring haemoglobin oxygen capacity and oxygen affinity. These chapters have been written with a view to foster knowledge and insight concerning the principles, purposes, and limitations of the various methods of all who use these methods in research and patient care.

Gastric acid plays a primary role in digestion as well as in the sterilization of food and water. Gastric juice contains the most concentrated physiological acid solution (pH~1) as a result + - of H and Cl ion secretion [hydrochloric acid (HCl) production] by parietal cells in the oxyntic mucosa of the stomach. The combined output of the parietal cells leads to the sec- tion of 1-2 l of HCl at a concentration of 150-160 mmol/l into the interior of the stomach. In order to facilitate the production of acid, the parietal cell relies on the generation of a high + concentration of H ions that are transported into the lumen of the gland. This process is fa- + + cilitated by activation of the gastric H ,K -ATPase, which translocates to the apical pole of + - the parietal cell. K as well as ATP hydrolysis and Cl all play critical roles in the activation + + of gastric H ,K -ATPase and are essential for the functioning of the enzyme (Reenstra and Forte 1990). This review will examine the classical proteins that have been linked to acid secretion as well as some recently identi?ed proteins that may modulate gastric acid secretion, in - dition we discuss the known secretagogues, and their receptors including a new receptor, which upon stimulation can lead to acid secretion.

Free radicals and oxidative damage in biology and medicine: An introduction.- Oxidative metabolism in skeletal muscle.- Strategies to assess oxidative stress.- The course of exercise-induced skeletal muscle fibre injury.- Free radical mechanisms in exercise-related muscle damage.- The effects of exercise, ageing and caloric restriction on protein oxidation and DNA damage in skeletal muscle.- Antioxidant enzyme response to exercise and training in the skeletal muscle.- Glutathione: A key role in skeletal muscle metabolism.- Vitamin E and its effect on skeletal muscle.- Differential susceptibility of skeletal muscle proteins to free radical-induced oxidative damage in vitro.- Oxidative stress and Ca2+ transport in skeletal and cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum.- Oxidative stress in skeletal muscle atrophy induced by immobilization.- Effect of growth hormone on oxidative stress in immobilized muscles of old animals.- The diaphragm and oxidative stress.- Oxidative damage after ischemia/reperfusion in skeletal muscle.- Oxidative damage in rat skeletal muscle after excessive L-tryptophan and atherogenic diets.- Oxidative stress and muscle wasting of cachexia.- Free radicals and antioxidants in the pathogenesis of alcoholic myopathy.- Drug-induced muscle damage.- Free radicals and diseases of animal muscle.- Therapeutic trials of antioxidants in muscle diseases.

Advances in cellular physiology and molecular biology have now disclosed the metabolic changes and adaptational responses of the heart to various kinds of stresses. Topics covered in this volume include the regulation of myocardial proteins in mechanical overload, the alteration of adrenoceptors in the stressed heart, metabolic adaptation in cardiac hypertrophy, intracellular calcium metabolism in the ischemia-reperfused myocardium, calcium overload as a cause of myocardial stunning, acquisition of ischemic tolerance by ischemic preconditioning, factors that accelerate myocardial injury, and ventricular remodeling in the ischemic heart. As an update of the latest findings in basic cardiology, this book will benefit both researchers and clinical practitioners.

The VIth World Symposium on Cardiac Pacing in Montreal 1979 opened with a course, meant to be an introduction for newcomers and an updating re fresher and link between the various fields of knowledge needed by experienced persons for cardiac pacing. Invited guest lecturers were selected for their world recognized expertise in the individual subjects. This book is a collection of the various presentations on historical, clinical, electrophysiological and technical aspects of cardiac pacing. Together they cover the fundamentals of cardiac stimulation. We hope that this book may become an introductory guide to the field of cardiac pacing and that it may contribute to a better understanding of the pacemaker system and a better treatment of the pacemaker patient. Claude C. Meere Hilbert J. Th. Thalen ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The editors of 'Fundamentals on Cardiac Pacing' acknowledge the under standing and support of their families, during the long nocturnal hours and weekends during which this book was prepared. A special note of appreciation is extended to our secretaries, especially Mrs. Carolyn Gaarenstroom-Arriens and Miss Katrien Schuurman for their 'emergency typing' and Miss Lynn Bacon and Mr. Boudewijn Commandeur from Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, who succeeded in completing the book in time for the Montreal meeting. Only those involved are able to realize the importance of their contribution. CONTRIBUTORS David L. Bowers, B.S.E.E., Vitarel Inc. San Diego, California, U.S.A. Guy Fontaine, M.D., Groupe Hospitalier, Pitie-Salpetriere, Paris, France."

The Sapporo International Symposium on "Recent Advances in Nitric Oxide Research" was held in Sapporo, Japan, in 1997, following the Fifth International Meeting on the Biology of Nitric Oxide in Kyoto, Japan, organized by Dr. Salvador Moncada, Dr. Noboru Toda, and Dr. Hiroshi Maeda. The field of nitric oxide research continues to expand rapidly, and our understanding of the physiological and pathophysiological roles of NO has increased greatly. The Kyoto Meeting was stimulating and informative, providing impetus for the Sapporo Symposium, which I had the great honor to organize. To communicate the information from these events, Dr. Ichiro Sakuma and I decided to publish this book. The contents of its chapters were contributed by the participants who were active at the Sapporo symposium and cover the majority of the presentations made during that symposium. Dr. Csaba Szabo of Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati (U. S. A. ) reviews the roles of peroxynitrite and poly(ADP-ribose)synthetase in shock, inflammation, and reperfusion injury, and Dr. David A. Geller and his colleagues of the University of Pittsburgh (U. S. A. ) review the regulation and function of NO in the liver. As contributions from the Hokkaido University School of Medicine (Sapporo), Dr. Hiroko Togashi and colleagues present their data on transient cerebral ischemia and NO production, Dr.

This contributed volume presents the current state of research on regenerative rehabilitation across a broad range of neuro- and musculoskeletal tissues. At its core, the primary goal of regenerative rehabilitation is to restore function after damage to bones, skeletal muscles, cartilage, ligaments/tendons, or tissues of the central and peripheral nervous systems. The authors describe the physiology of these neuro- and musculoskeletal tissue types and their inherent plasticity. The latter quality is what enables these tissues to adapt to mechanical and/or chemical cues to improve functional capacity. As a result, readers will learn how regenerative rehabilitation exploits that quality, to trigger positive changes in tissue function. Combining basic, translational, and clinical aspects of the topic, the book offers a valuable resource for both scientists and clinicians in the regenerative rehabilitation field.

Those grieving the loss of a loved one who has died under traumatic circumstances form a special group of mourners. Separate from those going through "simple bereavement", these mourners must cope with a double-edged sword: the grief of the loss and the trauma of the knowledge of how the loved one may have had to endure traumatic stress during their final minutes of life. This addition to the "Series in Trauma and Loss" should enable mental health professionals to distinguish between those who are going through the "normal" grieving process in the aftermath of a traumatic event, and those who are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. A byproduct of years of research and experience, this book helps buttress the theoretical bridge between thanatology and traumatology. It focuses on the unique features of death-related PTSD, its assessment, and treatment. With case examples that draw upon consistent concepts and definitions, and equal attention to scholarly and practical concerns, the book argues that traumatic elements must be worked through first before grief and loss accommodations are achieved. More importantly, the research and treatment methods presented by experts in t

The collection of chapters in this proceeding volume reflects the latest research presented at the Aegean meeting on Tumor Microenvironment and Cellular Stress held in Crete in Fall of 2012. The book provides critical insight to how the tumor microenvironment affects tumor metabolism, cell stemness, cell viability, genomic instability and more. Additional topics include identifying common pathways that are potential candidates for therapeutic intervention, which will stimulate collaboration between groups that are more focused on elucidation of biochemical aspects of stress biology and groups that study the pathophysiological aspects of stress pathways or engaged in drug discovery.

T-type calcium channels are prevalent in every organ of the body, and are believed to play a part in a variety of physiological processes, including contraction, shape change, secretion, endo- and exocytosis, cell proliferation and differentiation, modulation of enzyme function, and cell cycle progression. As such, research on the roles of these channels in a wide range of diseases has attracted increasing attention in recent years. The purpose of this book is to present a series of unique and comprehensive reviews of our current understanding of T-type calcium channels at the level of the basic sciences as well as the clinical sciences. For key organ systems, information is provided on the correlation between the molecular, biophysical and pharmacological properties of the channels, their cellular mechanisms, and their potential roles in the pathogenesis of various diseases. The compilation presents both commonplace and less well-known findings on these channels in a format designed to appeal to both casual readers and specialists in basic and clinical research on these transporters.

Builds on the growing Talent Development literature through application and consideration with the Paralympic context. Provides important translational support to help academics and practitioners bridge the theory to practice divide. Establishes a truly international view through engagement with academic across the globe Provides a holistic consideration of Talent Development - cultural, organisational, physical, psychological, coaching, decision-making It presents a comprehensive scope. Covering courses such as Human Movement, Sports Science, Sports Coaching, Physical Education, Human Kinetics, Kinesiology, Sports Management, Adapted Sports); and covering disciplines such as Sport Psychology, Sport Engineering, Skill Acquisition, Adapted Sport, Motor Learning, and Motor Behaviour. Practical contributions as the chapters will focus on providing practical information to coaches, parents, athletes, students, trainers, and applied sport scientists

Despite the gains of the women's movement, women are still judged by what they look like--and men, by what they do. Fat--A Fate Worse Than Death? offers hardy resistance to the narrow, random, and irrational appearance standards set for American women through an approach that is personal, eclectic, courageous, and funny. If you are interested in giving up your diet, throwing out your scales, and concentrating on who you are on a deeper level, this book will show you how to accept, appreciate, and even love your body Using statistics, research, anecdotes, and personal experiences, Fat--A Fate Worse Than Death? explores how appearance standards have built a prison for women. With the book's helpful advice, reading suggestions, and list of more than 100 ways to fight looksism, sexism, ageism, and racism, you will learn to express your rights and needs, regardless of your shape or size, and tear down those prison walls. Designed to transcend the boundaries between the personal and the political, Fat--A Fate Worse Than Death? discusses: examples of how weight and size constitute the last socially accepted prejudice the national "War on Fat" counteracting societal influences that support weight preoccupation connection between appearance standards for older women and large women nurturing your body resisting male-defined standards of beauty for women the myth of diets and dieting how the body resists weight loss how women are disempowered by concentration on weight and appearance how concentrating on appearance leaves real-life issues unaddressed how feeling bad about yourself can turn you into a willing consumerFeminists, faculty and students of women's studies programs, aging women, women of radical politics, and other concerned women and men will find that Fat--A Fate Worse Than Death? states explicitly how women are kept powerless by subscribing to cultural and social edicts on physical appearance. Don?t live silently in a society that degrades and discounts women because of their physical stature and don?t let obsession with thinness keep you passive, docile, and unable to give your energy to things that really need your passion and intelligence. Read this book and learn to not only value yourself for who you are, but also to counteract American culture's equality-denying prejudices and practices.

A Photographic Atlas for Anatomy & Physiology is a new visual lab study tool that helps students learn and identify key anatomical structures. Featuring photos from Practice Anatomy Lab (TM) 3.0 and other sources, the Atlas includes over 250 cadaver dissection photos, histology photomicrographs, and cat dissection photos plus over 50 photos of anatomical models from leading manufacturers such as 3B Scientific (R), SOMSO (R), and Denoyer-Geppert Science Company. The Atlas is composed of 13 chapters, organized by body system, and includes a final chapter with cat dissection photos. In each chapter, students will first explore gross anatomy, as seen on cadavers and anatomical models, and then conclude with relevant histological images.

Rapid regeneration of city areas has placed the quality of urban design high on public and policy agendas worldwide. This work examines the achievement of quality in the urban environment, in a planning context. Tracing urban design from its roots, the authors draw on both historical and current practices to examine the key physical, political and economic forces at play and the social pressures and impacts brought about by both failures and achievements in urban design. This illustrated critique of towns and cities draws on examples from across Western Europe, South Africa and USA to examine both public and private sector development practices, controls and fiscal policies within a diverse range of localities. The authors indicate the need for a reinstitution of region-provincial approaches, for closer co-ordination bewteen sectors, and revised fiscal policies in planning and development in order to enhance the quality of urban social experience and environments.

Subcellular: Response-Field Dynamics in the Auditory Pathway; D.A. Depireux, et al. Rapid Categorization of Extrafoveal Natural Images: Implications for Biological Models;M. Fabre-Thorpe, et al. Cortical Activity Pattern in Complex Tasks; F. Frisone, et al. Cellular: Resolving the Paradoxical Effect of Activity on Synapse Elimination; M.J. Barber, J.W. Lichtman. Cellular Mechanisms of Calcium Elevation Involved in Long Term Memory; K.T. Blackwell, et al. Temporal Characteristics of V1 Cells Arising from Synaptic Depression; F.S. Chance, et al. Network: An Oscillating Cortical Network Model of Sensory-Motor Timing and Coordination; B. Baird. Pattern-Generator-Driven Development in Self-Organizing Models; J.A. Bednar, R. Miikkulainen. Systems: Finite Element Decomposition of Human Neocortex; D.A. Batte, et al. Path Integration in the Rat Head-Direction Circuit; H.T. Blair, et al. Methodology: The Paperless Laboratory: An Integrated Environment for Data Acquisition, Analysis, Archiving, and Collaboration; T.D. Coates, Jr. The Qualitative Reasoning Neuron: A New Approach to Modeling in Computational Neuroscience; J.L. Krichmar, et al. 93 Additional Articles. Index.

With the use of crack on the rise in American cities, there is more need than ever to understand the biological, environmental, and social factors behind cocaine addiction, as well as the pharmacological properties of cocaine that make it such an addictive drug. The Neurobiology of Cocaine Addiction helps clinicians and researchers analyze research findings and their relevance to the clinical treatment of cocaine dependency. To do this, it looks at the whole spectrum of cocaine use, from trends in cocaine-involved deaths, hospital emergencies, arrests, and treatment admissions to the specific impact the drug has on brain function. The book reports on important findings from positron emission tomography (PET) and a "binge" pattern cocaine administration mode. This will enable you to improve your understanding of how cocaine alters the pleasure/reward system of the brain and creates new instinctual needs that displace the inherent instinctual needs of hunger and sex.By reading The Neurobiology of Cocaine Addiction, you will sharpen your knowledge of the basic actions of cocaine, the factors related to daily cocaine use, the neurobiological basis of addictive diseases, and drug-induced alterations in normal physiology. You will also learn about: the coexistence of cocaine and heroin addiction cocaine's disruption of the endogenous opioid system QEEG and how it can play a potentially useful role in drug development and planning hypotheses of sensitization in the pathophysiology of cocaine dependence factors that predict daily cocaine use among patients in a methadone maintenance program abnormalities in brain function that persist for up to six months after last cocaine use patterns of cocaine use the importance of prospective data analysis and the limitations of a self-selective study groupClinicians, researchers, psychiatrists, and other professionals in chemical dependency and narcotics rehabilitation will turn the last page of The Neurobiology of Cocaine Addiction with a better understanding of cocaine's addictive qualities and the characteristics of the individuals who become addicted to it. You will see what headway has been made in research at some of the nation's top laboratories, but you will also see what remains to be done. Hopefully, you will find where you can make a contribution either at the practical level, the research level, or both.

This book for the first time comprehensively surveys the research investigating the Jak-Stat pathway and its role in normal blood development as well as its perturbation in disease. It draws on the expertise of world-renowned medical researchers to take the reader from basic biology through to recent therapeutic advances.

Despite the many milestones in cystic fibrosis (CF) research, progress towards curing the disease has been slow, and it is increasingly difficult to grasp and use the already wide and still growing range of diverse methods currently employed to study CF so as to understand it in its multidisciplinary nature. Cystic Fibrosis: Diagnosis and Protocols aims to provide the CF research community and related researchers with a very wide range of high-quality experimental tools, as an easy way to grasp and use classical and novel methods applied to cystic fibrosis. Volume I: Approaches to Study and Correct CFTR Defects focuses on the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and its expression, biogenesis, structure, and function in terms of the defects causing CF. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) 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. Comprehensive and practical, Cystic Fibrosis: Diagnosis and Protocols will provide readers with optimal working tools to address pressing questions in the best technical way, while helping all of us, as a research and clinical community, to move faster hand-in-hand toward unravelling the secrets of this challenging disorder and cure it.

Carefully delineating each step in the formation of the lung, Lung Growth and Development examines prenatal and postnatal lung development...the regulation of surfactant protein gene expression and models for the analysis of epithelial gene transcription and function...cellular differentiation and the role of mesenchymal cells...airway gland growth and differentiation...growth regulation in the tracheobronchial epithelium and mucociliary differentiation...embryonic precursors of the pulmonary nervous system and the development of lung innervation...Clara cells, airway smooth muscle development, cell interactions in vessel formation, and the surfactant system...respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and compensatory lung growth...and more. Written by over 30 international experts, Lung Growth and Development is a practical guide for pulmonologists and pulmonary disease specialists, physiologists, molecular and cellular biologists, pathologists, neonatalogists and pediatricians, anatomists, pathologists, and graduate-level and medical school students in these disciplines.