This book deals with heart failure in all its aspects, in- cluding chapters relating to receptor physiology and patho- physiological mechanisms, ventricular function and its assessment and the clinical aspects of heart failure in ischemic heart failure, cardiomyopathy, rheumatic heart disease and the timing of valve replacement. The pharmaco- therapy of heart failure deals with inotropic drugs, ACE in- hibitors, nitrates and calcium antagonists. Extending into the newer interventional techniques and surgical techniques the book includes chapters on balloon valvuloplasty, the po- tential use of the laser, the Jarvik artificial heart, car- diomyoplasty, left ventriculoplasty and heart and heart/lung transplantation.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the cascade of events activated in the body following the implant of biomaterials and devices. It is one of the first books to shed light on the role of the host immune response on therapeutic efficacy, and reviews the state-of-the-art for both basic science and medical applications. The text examines advantages and disadvantages of the use of synthetic versus natural biomaterials. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of biomimicry in the development of smart strategies able to modulate infiltrating immune cells, thus reducing side effects (such as acute and chronic inflammation, fibrosis and/or implant rejection) and improving the therapeutic outcome (healing, tissue restoration). Current cutting-edge approaches in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and nanomedicine offer the latest insights into the role immunomodulation in improving tolerance during tissue transplant in the treatment of orthopaedic, pancreatic, and hepatic diseases. "Immune Response to Implanted Materials and Devices" is intended for an audience of graduate students and professional researchers in both academia and industry interested in the development of smart strategies, which are able to exploit the self-healing properties of the body and achieve functional tissue restoration.

This completely revised and enlarged 3rd edition continues the idea of the previous version to provide an up-to-date overview of blood and marrow transplantations. Indication to transplantation and pre-transplant considerations are discussed in detail before the transplant procedure with all acute and delayed procedure is described. An outlook on the latest developments and their future aspects is included, and problems and pre- and post-transplant complications are discussed. This book helps practising hematologists, oncologists,and other physicians as well as physicians in training and students to develop an idea as to when blood and marrow transplantation should be considered, what the costs are and how a donor can be selected.

Responding to the growing demand for minimally invasive procedures, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the current technological advances in image-guided surgery. It blends the expertise of both engineers and physicians, offering the latest findings and applications. Detailed color images guide readers through the latest techniques, including cranial, orthopedic, prostrate, and endovascular interventions.

Aimed at consultant colorectal surgeons and those in training who wish to expand their practice into pelvic floor pathology- a complex and developing area of surgery- Pelvic Floor Disorders for the Colorectal Surgeon provides a modern, thought-provoking approach to pelvic floor disorders written by emerging young leaders in the field. These conditions are of high importance and interest to colorectal surgeons, but also gynaecologists, gastroenterologists and general gastrointestinal surgeons.
The layout of the text book is in 3 sections. The first provides an organizational and diagnostic approach to pelvic floor problems that is conceptual in scope, the second details the patho-anatomical and physiological entities that this diagnostic approach will bring to light and describes their management, while the third is more technical, covering key new diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and their results. The textbook aims to encourage the reader to critically analyze some of their own cherished views, and those more widely established, on colorectal pelvic floor practice.

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. While the past 40 years have brought major progress in cardiac valve repair and replacement, there remain large patient populations that do not receive such therapies. This, in turn, implies a great need for future basic, applied, and clinical research and, ultimately, therapeutic developments. Heart Valves is a state-of-the-art handbook dedicated to: 1) cardiac valve anatomy, 2) models for testing and research methods; 3) clinical trials; and 4) clinical needs and applications.

With the growing incidence of fragility fractures in Europe and North America over the last three decades, bone loss and osteoporosis have become active areas of research in skeletal biology. Bone loss is associated with aging in both sexes and is accelerated in women with the onset of menopause. However, bone loss is related to a suite of complex and often synergistically related factors including genetics, pathology, nutrition, mechani cal usage, and lifestyle. It is not surprising that its incidence and severity vary among populations. There has been increasing interest to investigate bone loss and osteoporosis from an anthropological perspective that utilizes a biocultural approach. Biocultural approaches recognize the inter-relationship between biological, cultural, and environmental variables. Anthropological studies also highlight the value of evolutionary and population approaches to the study of bone loss. These approaches are particularly suited to elucidate the multifactorial etiology of bone loss. The idea for this volume came out of a symposium organized by the editors at the 70th annual meeting of The American Association of Physical Anthropologists in Kansas City, Missouri. Many of the symposium participants, along with several additional leading scientists involved in bone and osteoporosis research, are brought together in this volume. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of bone loss and fragility with a fresh and stimulating perspective."

Cataract Surgery: Maximizing Outcomes Through Research provides cataract surgeons with helpful information about cataract operations based on the latest fundamental and clinical research. This book comprehensively covers a wide range of topics from the basic principles of each treatment to today's hot topics such as femtosecond laser application, cataract surgery, and new intraocular lenses (IOLs) with accommodating or light-adjustable function. Detailed cutting-edge discussion is provided in each chapter with the addition of diagrams, photographs, and tables to help readers better understand the subject. Authored by leading international experts, the book covers topics from preoperative evaluations to postoperative care including evaluation of accommodation and pseudo-accommodation, glistening and visual function, the eye's image quality with a premium IOL, IOL power calculations, pupil size and postoperative visual function, posterior capsular opacity, corneal astigmatism, femtosecond laser techniques, and more. Cataract Surgery: Maximizing Outcomes Through Research is the perfect book for cataract surgeons and general ophthalmologists who wish to update their knowledge and make use of it in their everyday medical practice.

Connective tissue diseases demand study because of their frequency, morbidity and mortality. They present intriguing challenges in the fields of diagnosis, management and research. Their range has now expanded enormously so that no individual can master the whole subject, particularly as this relates to their immunological basis. Immunology of Connective Tissue Diseases has been written by experts who are either clinical or basic scientists. The book presents up-to-date reviews of the immunological basis of connective tissue diseases as it impacts on diagnosis, pathogenetic concepts, disease monitoring and management. The book is aimed at physicians interested in understanding the immunological basis of these diseases, and at immunologists who are either entering this field for the first time and would like to have a convenient state-of-the-art account of its status, or who are researching in one area and would like to acquaint themselves with the developments which have taken place in others.

Eye Plastic Surgery is a very unique and highly specialized field of medicine. This question and answer guide explores the problems frequently encountered by eyelid plastic surgeons in an easy to understand format. Multiple topics including cosmetic eyelid surgery (eyelid lift), growths of the eyelid (are they benign or cancerous?), tearing disorders, and thyroid associated eye disease are some of the topics discussed. This eyelid plastic surgery guide will allow anyone who suffers from an eyelid related problem to better understand their condition. In addition there is an extensive discussion on how to treat wrinkles around the eye. Eye Plastic Surgeons are trained initially as eye surgeons and then plastic surgeons. Therefore they are uniquely qualified to operate on the fine tissues of the eyelid and understand the eye anatomy. Who better to perform eyelid plastic surgery than an eye surgeon trained in plastic surgery? Part of maintaining healthy eyelid tissue is a healthy lifestyle. Anything you can do to maintain your overall general health has to be good for your eyes. In this book, Dr. Kristan also explores his common sense approach to achieving balance in your life through traditional and non-traditional means.

Despite many technological challenges faced by the xenotransplantation field, many major advances have been made in the last two decades. The field seeks to overcome the limitations and difficulties in organ procurement, which also apply to human cells and tissues, and facilitate the development of new therapies based on cell and engineered-tissue. Xenogeneic cells are simpler than solid organs and seem to pose less hurdles to attain long-term graft survival. In, Xenotransplantation: Methods and Protocols expert researchers study characterizations of xenogeneic interactions at the cellular and molecular levels and describe the use of relevant small-animal and pig-to-primate models. Related ethical and legal considerations are also covered. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, the chapters include the kind of detailed description and implementation advice that is crucial for getting optimal results in the laboratory. Thorough and intuitive, Xenotransplantation: Methods and Protocols aids scientists in continuing to study xenotransplantation and its multiple aspects.

Newly revised and updated, this book provides geriatricians and orthopedic surgeons with the most vital tools to treat elderly patients who sustain a variety of fractures. The text uniquely encompass the etiologies of fracture in the elderly, perioperative management, the surgical treatment of common fractures in the elderly, as well as rehabilitation and prevention in the older patient. It focuses on the most current data and opinions regarding assessment and management of geriatric conditions that predispose the elderly to fracture, perioperative complications and subsequent functional decline. Unlike any other text, experts in both orthopedics and geriatrics review the content of each chapter for readability and appeal to his/her respective discipline, making this the physician's ultimate guide to treating elderly patients with injuries. Fractures in the Elderly, Second Edition is a valuable resource for geriatricians, orthopedic surgeons, physiologists, and rehabilitation specialists.

This book, Recent Advances in Geriatrics, is based on the proceedings of the 8th Course of the School of Gerontology and Geriatrics held in Erice (Trapani, Italy) at the In ternational Centre for Scientific Culture "Ettore Majorana" on March 20-25, 1997. This international effort was organized jointly by professors from the University of Palermo (It aly) and from Wayne State University (Michigan, USA) as a result of a cross-cultural col laboration of several years. _ The increasing average age of the populations in industrialized countries has re sulted in increased interest in the different biological, medical, psychological, and eco nomic aspects related to the health and social care of the elderly. Physicians and health care practitioners are realizing the need for a revised approach to geriatric care. Comprising contributions of clinicians and scientists from Italy and North America, the present volume provides a multidisciplinary approach to many gerontological and geriatric problems, examined from a scientific and a practical point of view. Several of the most important aspects of the aging process - the genetics of aging, body composition modification, immunological, endocrinological, and renal physiology changes - have been addressed. Data from a multi-center Italian study on centenarians is reported, to gether with an update on clinical and pharmacological approaches to dementia syndromes and economic and social aspects related to the care of the elderly."

Among the readily available -emitting radionuclides, the nuclides of iodine have the greatest versatility in labeling both the hydrophilic and the lipophilic compounds that are used in biology and medicine. Biologically important micrmolecules, semimacromolecules, and macromolecules have been identified which, after iodination, almost maintain the same molecular configuration and similar biologic specificity as those of the parent molecules. The multiple techniques for iodination and the clinical use of iodinated products have made possible the present status of the development of diagnostic nuclear medicine. 125r, with a half-life of 60 days, has a crucial role in competitive protein-binding studies. 131r is useful for measuring thyroid uptake, for the diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma and metastasis, and for therapy. 1nr , with a reasonably shorter half-life, is almost ideal for thyroid workup and for a few useful labeled radiopharmaceutical. Although ~c is used more widely in diagnostic procedures, the radionuclides of iodine will always have a major role in biology and medicine. A considerable amount of information is scattered in the literature regarding the chemistry of radioiodination and the mechanism of tracer localization in cells and tissues. Labeled peptides, proteins, and antibodies are extensively used for protein turnover studies, receptor binding and tumor imaging studies, and radioimmunoassay. The general trend in the use of tracers in clinical nuclear medicine has been an evolution from 3H, 14C, 11C, and 13 to 125 , 131 and 123r to ~c and 111rn.

Infectious Complications in Transplant Patients has been uniquely designed and formatted to address issues and trends pertaining to pathogens deemed important in critically ill transplant patients. The chapters have been carefully selected so as to direct the focus of the book towards current approaches to controversial, emerging or topical problems in these patients. Each chapter has been authored by a North American and a European specialist. This format serves to impart an added dimension reflective of the diversity of opinions and practices pertaining to unresolved or controversial issues. The authors are recognized experts in their respective fields.

In the last decade, remarkable advances have been made in bone marrow transplantation (BMT), which is now becoming a powerful tool in the treatment of diseases such as leukemia, aplastic anemia, and congenital immunodeficiency. In animal experiments, it has been found that BMT can be used to treat not only systemic autoimmune diseases but also organ-specific autoimmune diseases. In humans, it has recently been shown that rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease can be successfully treated after BMT. This volume contains new information on how to prevent graft rejection, how T cell functions can be completely restored, and how concomitant BMT can prevent the rejection of organ allografts without the use of immunosuppressive agents. BMT will become an increasingly useful and powerful treatment for various currently intractable diseases, and this book will contribute by providing details of the latest research in the field.

This thesis addresses computation fluid dynamics modelling of aortic dissection (AD), in order to generate in silico diagnostic information and assess 'virtual surgery' outcomes. The thesis introduces several important advances in the modelling of aortic dissection and lays essential groundwork for further development of this technology. The work thesis represents a unique and major step forward in our understanding of AD using a patient-specific, systematic and coherent simulation approach, and is currently the most advanced work available on AD.

This book is based on the latest comprehensive data about molecular mechanism of acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The diagnostic techniques including histology, radiology, sonography etc. are based on the sensitivity and specificity of the respective methods. Special focus is given to the indication and contraindication to surgical techniques. The book contains specific treatment modality and results for the first time after long-term outcome evaluation. There is detailed description of diagnosis and treatment, and the book is abundantly illustrated with approximately 300 color illustrations.

Cryopreserved allograft tissues are now standard materials for the reconstructive cardiac surgeon. Since publication of the first edition ("Cardiac Reconstructions with Allograft Valves") in 1989, the field has progressed dramatically with increased clinical use of cardiovascular allograft tissues, with the development of new surgical techniques, and with advances in the understanding of the fundamentals of valve transplantation biology and cryopreservation. As a result, over two-thirds of the present volume represents new material. Fifty-six authors bring their expertise to thirteen comprehensive, lavishly illustrated sections which discuss the principles of the use of homograft valves, major clinical series of homograft valves for both left and right ventricular outflow tracts, cryopreserved allograft tissue for cardiac reconstruction, cell biology of heart valve leaflets, cryobiology of heart valve preservation, morphological, biochemical, and explant pathology studies of allograft heart valves, allograft valve banking, as well as detailed explanation of surgical techniques for valve and root methods for left and right ventricular outflow tract reconstructions, the Ross operation and variants, and complex reconstructions. A final section presents potential future directions for the field. Over 400 illustrations, created expressly for this book, depict the surgical techniques from the perspective of the surgeon standing at the operating table. All surgeons performing pediatric and/or adult valve replacements and reconstructive cardiac surgeries will benefit from the described methods. Cardiothoracic residents and cardiologists will also find the text useful. It will provide the surgeon with an enhanced understanding of the biological and material properties of allografts and increased familiarity with the range of surgical techniques applicable for the use of these valves, particularly in the successful management of challenging cardiac reconstructions.>

This series, sponsored by the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies, has already become a classic. In general, one volume is published per year. The Advances section presents fields of neurosurgery and related areas in which important recent progress has been made. The Technical Standards section features detailed description of standard procedures to assist young neurosurgeons in their post-graduate training. The contributions are written by experienced clinicians and are reviewed by all members of the Editorial Board.

Written by internationally acclaimed specialists, Pediatric Surgery provides pertinent and concise procedure descriptions spanning benign and malignant problems and minimally invasive procedures. Complications are reviewed when appropriate for the organ system and problem, creating a book that is both comprehensive and accessible. Stages of operative approaches with relevant technical considerations are outlined in an easily understandable manner. Forming part of the series, Surgery: Complications, Risks and Consequences, this volume Pediatric Surgery provides a valuable resource for all general surgeons and residents in training. Other healthcare providers will also find this a useful resource.

This thesis describes the design and fabrication of ultrasound probes for pedicle screw guidance. The author details the fabrication of a 2MHz radial array for a pedicle screw insertion eliminating the need for manual rotation of the transducer. He includes radial images obtained from successive groupings of array elements in various fluids. He also examines the manner in which it can affect ultrasound propagation.