"BetaSys" uses the example of regulated exocytosis in pancreatic -cells, and its relevance to diabetes, to illustrate the major concepts of systems biology, its methods and applications.

The human brain contains more than a billion neurons which interconnect to form networks that process, store, and recall sensory information. These neuronal activities are supported by a group of accessory brain cells coll- tively known as neuroglia. Surprisingly, glial cells are ten times more - merous than neurons, and occupy more than half the brain volume (Hyden, 1961). Although long considered a passive, albeit necessary, component of the nervous system, many interesting and unusual functional properties of glial cells are only now being brought to light. As a result, the status of these cellular elements is approaching parity with nerve cells as a subject for experimental study. The term glia (or glue) seems today to be a misnomer in view of the diverse functions attributed to glial cells. Experimental studies in the last three decades have clearly established that the behavior of glial cells is far from passive, and that they are at least as complex as neurons with regard to their membrane properties. In addition, glial cells are of importance in signal processing, cellular metabolism, nervous system development, and the pathophysiology of neurological diseases. The Muller cell of the ver- brate retina provides a splendid example of an accessory cell that exhibits features illustrating every aspect of the complex behavior now associated with glial cells.

Experienced physicians concisely explain the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of endocrine disorders and survey all the latest laboratory diagnostics. Topics range widely from an overview of the diagnosis of diabetes and the long-term monitoring of its complications to the evaluation of menstrual dysfunction. Coverage is also given to the diagnosis of pituitary tumors, Cushing's syndrome, thyroid disease, and hypoglycemia; the evaluation of endocrine-induced hypertension; the assessment of dyslipidemia and obesity; and approaches to diagnosing hyper- and hypocalcemia. There are also discussions of osteoporosis, hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction, and hyperandrogenism in women. The authors each review the complex physiological basis of the relevant endocrine processes and provide richly instructive recommendations for followup and long-term management of patients.

Electrodermal activity is one of the most frequently used psychophysiological evaluations in psychology research. Based on the 1992 edition of this work Electrodermal Activity covers advances in the field since the first publication in 1992. The current volume includes updated information on brain imaging techniques such as PET and fMRI, which provide further insight into the brain mechanisms underlying EDA. In addition, this volume is able to describe more reliably hypotheses that have been successfully tested since the first publication.

Unique study of the human foot

Sole perspective on the human foot in the market

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.

A presentation of the most elementary form of pulsatile flow as an important prerequisite for the study of other flow applications in biological systems. The book provides in a single source a complete treatment of the fluid dynamics of flow with the required mathematics and emphasis on the basis mechanics. The style and level of this book make it accessible to students and researchers in biophysics, biology, medicine, bioengineering and applied mathematics working in theoretical and clinical work on the cardiovascular system, as well as in the design of new instrumentation, medical imaging systems, and artificial organs. With problems and exercises.

In Mecanisme de la Physionomie Humaine, the great nineteenth-century French neurologist Duchenne de Boulogne combined his intimate knowledge of facial anatomy with his skill in photography and expertise in using electricity to stimulate individual facial muscles to produce a fascinating interpretation of the ways in which the human face portrays emotions. This book was pivotal in the development of psychology and physiology as it marked the first time that photography had been used to illustrate, and therefore "prove," a series of experiments. Duchenne's book, which contained over 100 original photographic prints pasted into an accompanying Album, was rare, even when it first appeared in 1862. Duchenne was a superb clinical neurologist and in this study he applied his enormous experience in neurological research to the question of the mechanism of human facial expression. Duchenne has been little cited and little known in this century; his book has been virtually unobtainable, and copies are available in only a few libraries in the United States and Europe.

This book, the proceedings of the Falk Symposium No. 146 Gut-Liver Interactions: Basic and Clinical Concepts, held in Innsbruck, Austria, on March 11-12, 2005, brings together gastroenterologists and hepatologists both at a clinical and a basic scientific level. Topics have been structured in such a way to be of interest to both clinicians and basic scientists. The main focus of the book is to highlight the role of the immune system in gut and liver diseases and potential interactions of the gut and the liver respectively. Special emphasis is based on the importance of the gut flora in intestinal and also in liver diseases. The role of NOD2 is one of the very best examples demonstrating the importance, not only in inflammatory bowel diseases, but also diseases well beyond this barrier.

Such intense interactions between gastroenterologists and hepatologists, as shown through this book, might boost and stimulate scientific ideas and research in other unexpected areas.

The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is an invaluable diagnostic tool in clinical neurology, not only in the evaluation of inflammatory, degenerative, and malignant diseases of the nervous system, but also in the diagnosis of all forms of cerebral and subarachnoidal bleedings. The CSF can be easily obtained by lumbar puncture and a set of basic analyses can be conducted using relatively simple laboratory methods. By combining different CSF parameters, a wide range of diagnostic entities can be identified. However, properly interpreting the test results requires a high level of expertise and cannot be achieved by just reporting on individual analytic values. This book covers essential aspects of cerebrospinal fluid analysis and its use in the diagnosis of common neurological diseases. The first part addresses preclinical aspects such as the history of CSF, as well as the anatomical, physiological, and biological background of this valuable fluid. In addition, CSF collection, its preanalytical and methodological implications, and the increasing number of disease-specific markers in CSF are discussed in detail. Lastly, CSF analyses are put into context with clinical syndromes, demonstrating their diagnostic value in neurological clinical practice. Cerebrospinal Fluid in Clinical Neurology helps readers understand the preanalytical and analytical aspects of CSF diagnostics and offers a valuable reference guide for interpreting CSF results during the clinical work-up for neurological patients.

The adipokines (also called adipocytokines), are a group of peptides secreted by adipose tissue. They have diverse roles, from the cell to the whole body. The book is designed for health scientists, doctors, physiologists, immunologists, biochemists, college and university teachers and lecturers, undergraduates and graduates. The chapters are written either by experts or specialists in their field.

DHEA and the Brain reviews a range of existing studies regarding DHEA administration to animals and humans. Chapter authors evaluate DHEA metabolism in tissues and organs, explore DHEA effects in the liver that may be of importance to the brain, and discuss recent findings regarding how DHEA is made in the brain. New perspectives about the neuroprotective effects of DHEA are presented, as well as insight related to DHEA metabolism in the brain. A number of health benefits have been associated with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), including anti-cancer, anti-osteoporosis, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-diabetes, immuno-stimulating, and memory-enhancing effects. This has prompted millions of people to take this hormone as a daily nutritional supplement. However, there is some concern that prolonged self-administration may result in future health problems, as well as unease about potential side effects due to the production of steroid derivatives in the tissues. Featuring an esteemed panel of contributors, this volume provides an authoritative overview of the research concerning DHEA and the brain. It presents a variety of innovative approaches and ideas for future investigations into the physiological actions of this hormone.

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.

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 techno logy and its greatly significant applied implications in human body pr ocesses, the field of biomechanics is evolving as a broadly significan t area. Now in four volumes, Biomechanical Systems, Techniques, and Ap plications explores the many areas of significant advances, including dynamics of musculo-skeletal systems; mechanics of hard and soft tissu es, muscles, bone remodeling, hard and soft tissue interfaces, blood f low, air flow, flow-prosthesis interfaces, and impact; cardiovascular and respiratory biomechanics; and dynamics of many machine interaction s.

Systems Biology is a fast moving field. This accessible book uses the example of regulated exocytosis in pancreatic ss-cells, and its relevance to diabetes, to illustrate the major concepts of systems biology, its methods and applications.

Clinics in Developmental Medicine No. 147

The hand is a remarkable organ which is characteristic of primates and most highly developed in man. This book deals with the evolution and development of hand function, with the structure of the hand and with the hand as a perceptual system. Neurophysiology and psychology of hand function are included, as are problems of disability. With expert interdisciplinary contributions from around the world, this wide-ranging overview is sure to be of value to all those interested in hand function, development, pathology and therapy.

The intention of the VIIth International Symposium on the Facial Nerve was to create a platform for an extensive exchange of knowledge and scientific infor mation between clinicians and basic research workers. This aim could only be realized on the basis of a common interest in the facial nerve, which unites the interdisciplinary scientific efforts of otologists, neurosurgeons, facial plastic surgeons, neurologists, neurophysiologists, and neuroanatomists. Therefore, a meeting of this kind remains in its aim to exchange ideas over scientific disciplines which do not come unique together normal conditions. The symposium has been held every four years since 1966. The VIIth sym posium was preceded by symposia in Stockholm (1966), Osaka (1970), ZUrich (1976), Los Angeles (1980), Bordeaux (1984) and Rio de Janeiro (1988), and marked an important milestone in the continuously developing knowledge about the facial nerve, its physiology, disorders, diagnostics and treatment. In contrast to the previous meetings this symposium extended in vitations to both clinicians and basic research workers. More than 350 scientists from 25 different nations met in Cologne, Germany, in June 1992 and their high-level presentations contributed to the overwhelming success of this international meeting. The symposium took place in the vicinity of the old cllthedral of Cologne, itself a vivid symbol of never-ending efforts to create something perfect and lasting."

The progression of heart disease is associated with changes in the neurohumoral mechanisms that control cardiac function. The degree to which this neurohumoral remodelling occurs, even before overt signs of cardiac disease become manifest, is important for prognosis. To determine why some patients experience sudden death while others sustain life in the presence of severely compromised cardiac function, the neuronal control of cardiac electrical and mechanical events must be considered. Starting at the level of individual neurons and building upwards, this book describes the synergistic interactions that occur among intrathoracic and CNS feedback loops to permit precise control of regional cardiac behaviour. On this basic science foundation, subsequent clinical chapters explore the remodelling that occurs in this system with ageing, with the evolution of specific cardiac pathologies, and with the psychological concomitants of heart disease. Most importantly, these chapters provide unique insights into how specific therapies like beta-andrenergic receptor blockade not only affect cardiomyocytes directly but also mitigate the adverse neurohumoral changes that accompany disease processes, such as heart failure and essential hypertension. The paradigm advanced in this volume is that heart disease is a multifaceted phenomenon involving the interplay of neurohumoral, cardiomyocyte and structural elements, each of which depends on the other. With our cumulative understanding of these interdependent processes, new avenues for time-appropriate, targeted methods of treating heart diseases can be developed.

Movement disorders affect a growing patient population, but providing comprehensive care is extremely difficult. Several of these conditions are progressive and incurable; the basal ganglia has a complex role in movement control, with many potential malfunctions. This book focuses on rehabilitation approaches that have been developed and utilized internationally in an attempt to minimize impairment and maximize participation amongst these patients. Each chapter is written by movement disorder experts, rehabilitation specialists and health care professionals, giving a broad overview of current interventions and emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary management, focussing on deliverable outcomes. Common conditions such as Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, dystonia and Huntington's disease are comprehensively covered. This book gives neurologists, geriatricians and rehabilitation specialists an up-to-date, theoretically-based approach to managing movement disorders related to basal ganglia malfunction. Also valuable for physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, nurses and social workers seeking to develop and plan appropriate interventions.

This book presents the human hand from an overall perspective from the first appearance of hand-like structures in the fins of big fishes living millions of years ago to todays and the future s mind-controlled artificial hands.

Much focus is given to the extremely well-developed sensation of the hand, its importance and its linkage to brain plasticity mechanisms. How can active hands rapidly expand their representational area in the brain? How can the sense of touch substitute for other deficient senses, such as in Braille reading where hand sensation substitutes for missing vision? How can the mere observation of active hands, belonging to others, activate the hand area in the observer s own brain and what is the importance of this phenomenon for learning by imitation and the understanding of other peoples actions, gestures and body language?Why are some of us left-handed and what are the consequences from cultural and physiological viewpoints? Why does phantom sensation and phantom pain occur after hand amputation, and what can we do about it? Why can salamanders regenerate new extremities while humans can not? Is it possible to transplant a hand from a diseased individual to an amputee? Can artificial robotic hands be controlled by our mind, and can they ever gain the role of a normal hand?What role did the hand and the brain play during evolutionin toolconstruction and development of language and cognitive functions? The hand has a high symbolic value in religion, literature and art and our hands have a key role in gestures and body language.

"The Hand and the Brain" is aimed at anybody with interest in life sciences, in the medical field especially hand surgeons, orthopaedic specialists, neurologists and general practitioners, and those working in rehabilitation medicine and pain treatment. The original Swedish version of "The Hand and the Brain "has also become very popular among physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, and among a general population with an interest in science. "

Airway sensory nerve terminals are tailored to detect changes in the physical and chemical environment, thereby supplying local pulmonary information to the central nervous system. Since most intrapulmonary nerve terminals arise from fibres travelling in the vagal nerve, the classification of sensory airway receptors' is largely based on their action potential characteristics, electrophysiologically registered from the vagal nerve. However, the architecture of airways and lungs makes it nearly impossible to functionally locate the exact nerve terminals that are responsible for the transduction of a particular intrapulmonary stimulus. In this monograph we focus on three sensory receptor end organs in lungs that are currently morphologically well-characterised: smooth muscle-associated airway receptors (SMARs), neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs) and visceral pleura receptors (VPRs). Unravelling the main functional morphological and neurochemical characteristics of these sensory receptors using advanced immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy has already allowed us to draw important conclusions about their potential function(s). The current development of ex vivo lung models for the selective identification of SMARs, NEBs and VPRs using vital staining will certainly facilitate direct physiological studies of these morphologically well-characterised airway receptors, since these models allow direct live studies of their functional properties.

The past ten years have witnessed intense research on the function of orbitofrontal cortex. As a result, the orbitofrontal cortex has been assigned roles in a number of human behaviors and emotions, from tasks such as assessing economic value and making decisions to the emotional states of regret and uncertainty. Orbitofrontal dysfunction has also been implicated in a variety of human disease states, including addiction, depression and bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, and attention deficit disorders.

Despite an enormous increase in our knowledge about this region, we still do not have an account of the contributions that the orbitofrontal cortex makes across different circuits to support human behavior, nor do we understand how changes in this structure or its connectivity may contribute to disease states. This volume explores areas of research are critical to move the field beyond a circuit-centric view of the orbitofrontal cortex to define the roles this area plays in human behavior and mental health. NOTE: Annals volumes are available for sale as individual books or as a journal. For information on institutional journal subscriptions, please visit http: //ordering.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/subs.asp?ref=1749-6632&doi=10.1111/(ISSN)1749-6632.

ACADEMY MEMBERS: Please contact the New York Academy of Sciences directly to place your order (www.nyas.org). Members of the New York Academy of Science receive full-text access to "Annals" online and discounts on print volumes. Please visit http: //www.nyas.org/MemberCenter/Join.aspx for more information about becoming a member.

Leading neuroscientist Gordon M. Shepherd embarks on a paradigm-shifting trip through the "human brain flavor system," laying the foundations for a new scientific field: neurogastronomy. Challenging the belief that the sense of smell diminished during human evolution, Shepherd argues that this sense, which constitutes the main component of flavor, is far more powerful and essential than previously believed. Shepherd begins Neurogastronomy with the mechanics of smell, particularly the way it stimulates the nose from the back of the mouth. As we eat, the brain conceptualizes smells as spatial patterns, and from these and the other senses it constructs the perception of flavor. Shepherd then considers the impact of the flavor system on contemporary social, behavioral, and medical issues. He analyzes flavor's engagement with the brain regions that control emotion, food preferences, and cravings, and he even devotes a section to food's role in drug addiction and, building on Marcel Proust's iconic tale of the madeleine, its ability to evoke deep memories. Shepherd connects his research to trends in nutrition, dieting, and obesity, especially the challenges that many face in eating healthily. He concludes with human perceptions of smell and flavor and their relationship to the neural basis of consciousness. Everyone from casual diners and ardent foodies to wine critics, chefs, scholars, and researchers will delight in Shepherd's fascinating, scientific-gastronomic adventures.