Discusses environmental toxicology facets and their effects on the ecosystem Provide an introduction of environmental toxicology keeping in view the paradigm shift on entry of novel materials in the environment Includes bioavailability, bioconcentration, biomagnification of trophic transfer of pollutants Covers high throughput approaches for ecotoxicity assessment Explores roadmaps for environmental protection and sustainable development

While not all metals in Soil----plant systems are inherently toxic, particularly in low concentrations, there is an increasing incidence of metal pollution from aerial fallout, spoils, wastes and agricultural amendments including sewage sludge. Toxic Metals in Soil----Plant Systems discusses the processes of trace--metal cycling in contaminated ecosystems under conditions where their concentrations become toxic through high loading rates, long--term exposure or altered environmental conditions. Other environmental and pedological concentration mechanisms are discussed, including cation exchange and anion adsorption onto different soil materials. The book is divided into two sections; the first part discusses the sources and fates of metals in ecosystems, with an up--to--date review of the processes which control metal speciation in soils, metal uptake mechanisms, and plant responses to toxic metal concentrations in soils. A clear understanding of these processes and their interactions in soil is necessary before it is possible to instigate amelioration and restoration programmes for metal--contaminated land. In the second part of the book, a selection of case studies are presented which discuss metal toxicities and metal cycling in a range of different ecosystems, including managed agricultural systems, deciduous woodland, upland heather moorland, and tropical wetlands. In these studies a number of current issues are addressed, including the setting of toxicity thresholds for safe sewage sludge application to agricultural land, the accumulation of soil metals over time in aerially impacted systems, and metal transfers between ecosystem compartments, which are of particular concern in food crops. Providing an integrated view of toxic metals both in the soil and associated growing plants, this book covers a wide range of topics including agriculture, soil science, ecology and forestry and will be of use to researchers and environmental consultants working in these fields.

Discusses the importance, threats, and management of biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems Provides detailed coverage of modern and updated techniques used in the evaluation and conservation of freshwater biodiversity Looks at the impact of pesticides pollution on freshwater environs on aquatic and terrestrial life Reviews how global climate change affects freshwater biodiversity

This leading textbook in the field examines the mechanisms underlying toxicity, particularly the events at the molecular level and the factors that determine and affect toxicity. The new edition is updated to reflect the latest research into the biochemical basis of toxicology and the growing concerns over the adverse effects of drugs, environmental pollution, and occupational hazards.

Principles of Biochemical Toxicology, Fourth Edition thoroughly explains dose-response relationships, disposition and metabolism, and toxic responses to foreign compounds, and presents detailed examples to make the mechanisms of toxicity more accessible to students encountering the subject for the first time. Comprehensive in scope with a clear and concise approach, the text includes summary sections, questions and model answers, and thoroughly revised artwork that serves as an essential aid to learning and teaching.

New to the Fourth Edition

• reorganized sections that cover basic principles followed by sections on different types of toxicity
• extensive use of examples throughout and numerous explanatory diagrams
• new material on risk assessment, export systems, oxidative stress, Thalidomide, Tamoxifen and asbestos proliferators, domoic acid, bone marrow (benzene), heart (adriamycin), blood (primaquine), biomarkers, cytochrome P450 and other enzymes, receptor mediated effects, endocrine disruption, ethanol, botox, arsenic, and more
• questions with answers for each chapter for review and self-checking
• expanded and updated chapter bibliographies

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.

Innate immunity is a new branch of immunology, confirmed by three Nobel Prize winners in 2011. It is the first line of defense against pathogens and is in a way the preliminary step of adaptive immunity which occurs later, and only present in vertebrates. This book examines the way in which innate immunity was discovered in invertebrates. As a starting point, it looks at the work of Louis Pasteur on silkworm disease and the findings of Ilya Metchnikov, discoverer of phagocytosis. It also investigates Andre Paillot, who in 1920 demonstrated the existence of humoral immunity in insects, unrelated to the type of immunity that was initially thought to be present in all vertebrates. Finally, Innate Immunity shows how the group directed by Jules Hoffmann found strong similarities between the innate immunity response of insects and mammals. The discovery of a receptor protein in Drosophila, which is also found in humans, was what led to Jules Hoffmann being awarded the Nobel Prize in 2011.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.

A mycotoxin is a toxin produced by a fungus under special conditions of moisture and temperature. These fungi are aerobic and microscopic and, moreover, may colonize many kinds of food from the field to the table. Mycotoxins are not only a spoilage issue for food, but in high doses can be a serious health threat for humans. The book will be similar to Weidenborner's previous two books - "Mycotoxins in Feedstuffs" and "Mycotoxins in Foodstuffs" - in that it will be a review of the literature to create a comprehensive reference for mycotoxin levels. It will be his third (and last) book on the topic, this time focusing on the incidence of a mycotoxin in humans and/or animals (natural or artificial incidence). Each entry will include contamination, concentration rate, mean concentration of organs (humans and animals) with a mycotoxin, as well as sample constitution (where possible) and country of origin of the sample.

Mycotoxins are made by different biosynthetic pathways, and they have an extremely wide range of pharmacological effects. This book will update readers on several cutting-edge aspects of mycotoxin research, including topics such as: new analytical methods for detection; the adoption of an ancient Mexican process for detoxification of aflatoxins; mycotoxin management in Ireland, Lithuania and South America; mycotoxin reduction through plant breeding and integrated management practices; and natural aflatoxin inhibitors from medicinal plants. Further contributions examine ochratoxins, selected trichothecenes, zearalenone, and aflatoxin-like gene clusters, as well as sclerotial development in Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Of particular interest are the chapters on the potential use of mycotoxins as bioweapons. This book will stimulate new thinking on the need to develop therapeutic as well as preventative interventions to reduce the toxicological threat of mycotoxins.

This book provides an overview of Asphyxial Deaths which includes hanging, strangulation, choking, smothering, gagging, drowning, aspiration, mechanical and chemical asphyxiants, etc. Postmortem examination often leads to doubts as a clear distinction between the different type of asphyxia cannot be made easily. Forensic and physiological aspects are discussed with the help of illustrative cases. The author discusses the different aspects of asphyxia deaths and substantiates multiple case studies to establish a scientific approach that can act as a guideline to the autopsy surgeon in providing a precise opinion and clarify doubts for the judiciary involved in such criminal justice cases. Key Features * Presents individual case studies of Asphyxial deaths. * Covers the guidelines to be followed by the autopsy surgeons in different cases. * Discusses the physiological aspects of Asphyxial deaths in detail. * Illustrates the cases in a stepwise manner with more than 350 colored photographs of postmortem examination.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.

Rapid progress has been made in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cell growth and oncogenesis during the past decade. Special attention has been given to the presentation of the frequently neglected close correlation between changes in signal transduction and metabolic pathways during oncogenesis. This book advances the knowledge of mechanisms regulating metabolism and functioning of vitamin A and offers the most recent results of research on the clinical efficiency of retinoids in skin disorders and cancer. The book presents recent findings on the regulation of cell growth in normal and neoplastic tissues by growth factors including hormones, and by the activation and inactivation of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, respectively. It also offers a survey of the molecular and cell biochemistry of retinoids. Basic researchers in biochemistry, pharmacology and cell biology as well as clinicians will find this book very informative and up-to-date. This book advances the knowledge of mechanisms regulating metabolism and functioning of vitamin A and offers the most recent results of research on clinical efficiency of retinoids in skin disorders and cancer. Basic researchers in biochemistry, pharmacology, cell biology, and clinicians will find this book very informative and up-to-date. The chapters, organized in six sections, are contributed by leading scientists who have been working in the retinoid field for decades. Their experience and competence is aknowledged worldwide.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.

This title focuses on the many aspects of the interaction between plants and heavy metals. Not only it describes the effects of heavy metal toxicity on the plant cell and its organs but it also examines the mechanisms that plants adopt to scavenge heavy metals at cellular, physiological, and metabolic level. Plants and Heavy Metals also analyses Hyperaccumulator plants and shows their potential role in phytoremediation technologies in light of the recent research results.

Chemical defence by means of toxins poisonous to other organisms, be they animals or plants, is widespread amongst the plant kingdom - including microorganisms as well. This book embraces the analysis of a wide range of plant toxins and this fills a gap in the plant pathology and ecological biochemistry fields. The topics covered include toxic extracellular enzymes, host selective toxins, elicitors, phototoxins, aflatoxins, mycotoxins, and ecotoxic substance tests by pollen germination and growth. The analytical procedures, which are used to evaluate the toxins, are covered in such a way that the reader is able to carry them out mostly solely by following the detailed descriptions.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.

Ecotoxicology Modeling is a comprehensive and well-documented text providing a collection of computational methods to the ecotoxicologists primarily interested in the study of the adverse effects of chemicals, their mechanisms of action and/or their environmental fate and behavior. Avoiding mathematical jargon, the book presents numerous case studies to enable the reader to understand the interest but also the limitations of linear and nonlinear models in ecotoxicology.

Written by an international team of scientists, Ecotoxicology Modeling is of primary interest to those whose research or professional activity is directly concerned with the development and application of models in ecotoxicology. It is also intended to provide the graduate and post-graduate students with a clear and accessible text covering the main types of modeling approaches used in environmental sciences.

Since the 1930s and the work of Hale and Warkany on birth defects produced by variations in dietary vitamin A, it has been recognised that the developing fetus is particularly vulnerable to adverse influences in the environment. . Studies of malformations at birth remained largely in the hands of paediatricians who, for instance, quickly established the con nection between rubella infection in early pregnancy and the birth of severely affected infants. However, it was through the tragic events of 1962, when dramatic increases in the incidence of phocomelia in newborn infants in Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, and other countries were traced to the use of the apparently non-toxic sedative thalidomide by pregnant women, that toxicologists were brought face to face with the devastating possibility of chemically-induced developmental abnormalities. It had been shown earlier that chemotherapeutic agents could cause damage to the developing organism, but the absence of any known examples of drug-induced birth defects had produced an air of complacency which was reinforced by the lack of any specific regulatory requirements for safety evaluation in this area. The magnitude of the thalidomide tragedy, affecting some 10000 malformed children, was sufficient to cause an immediate, and some would say hasty, reaction by government drug regulatory agencies throughout the world to construct a test protocol which would detect potential teratogenic substances that might give rise to anatomical malformations.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology publishes authoritative reviews on the occurrence, effects, and fate of pesticide residues and other environmental contaminants. It will keep you informed of the latest significant issues by providing in-depth information in the areas of analytical chemistry, agricultural microbiology, biochemistry, human and veterinary medicine, toxicology, and food technology.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology provides detailed review articles concerned with aspects of chemical contaminants, including pesticides, in the total environment with toxicological considerations and consequences.

Concern over the effects of chemicals in the environment has been increasing for many years. Environmental contamination by DDT, Aldrin, Dieldrin, mercury, PCBs, organotins and many other sub stances are all part of the public consciousness and have led to widespread attention to this topic. Some of the concerns have arisen because human health has been affected when contaminants have been consumed via the food chain-for instance in the case of 'Minimata disease' in Japan. In other cases, direct effects on other components of ecosystems have given cause for alarm. The toxic effects which any chemical can cause are a function of exposure and innate toxicity, i.e. of the ability to reach in sufficient quantity a site where a biological process can be disrupted and of the tendency to cause disruption when it gets there. The processes by which chemicals reach sites of toxic action are the subject of this book, and are a fundamental consideration in ecotoxi cology. When a chemical enters the environment e.g. via a spillage or in an effluent, it is potentially subject to a wide variety of processes which may eliminate it from the environment completely, modify it into a more or less harmful substance, or transfer it to another part of the environment. The processes involved are complex and highly variable, but it is essential to increase our understanding of them."

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.

The scope of nanotechnology in medical applications has expanded fast in the last two decades. With their unprecedented material properties, nanoscale materials present with unorthodox opportunities in a wide range of domains, including drug delivery and medical imaging. This book assembles the various facets of nanomedicine while discussing key issues such as physicochemical properties that enhance the appeal of nanomedicine. The book is an excellent resource for physicians, PhDs, and postdocs involved in nanomedicine research to learn and understand the scope and complexity of the subject. It begins with a short history of nanotechnology, followed by a discussion on the fundamental concepts and extraordinary properties of nanoscale materials, and then slowly unfolds into multiple chapters illustrating the uses of various nanomaterials in drug delivery, sensing, and imaging.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology publishes authoritative reviews on the occurrence, effects, and fate of pesticide residues and other environmental contaminants. It will keep you informed of the latest significant issues by providing in-depth information in the areas of analytical chemistry, agricultural microbiology, biochemistry, human and veterinary medicine, toxicology, and food technology.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology provides detailed review articles concerned with aspects of chemical contaminants, including pesticides, in the total environment with toxicological considerations and consequences.