100 Cases in Clinical Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Prescribing explores scenarios commonly seen by medical students and junior doctors in the ward, emergency department, outpatient clinic or in general practice in which an understanding of pharmacology and sound prescribing practice is central to successful clinical management and safe patient care. A succinct summary of the patient's history, examination and any initial investigations is followed by questions on the diagnosis and management of the case. The answer includes a detailed discussion on each topic, providing practical advice on how to deal with the challenges that occur when prescribing, including planning, drug calculations, prescription review and adverse drug reactions. The book will be invaluable during clinical placements and is an ideal companion during preparation for the Prescribing Safety Assessment examination. Making speedy and appropriate clinical decisions, and choosing the best course of action to take as a result, is one of the most important and challenging parts of training to become a doctor. These true-to-life cases will teach students and junior doctors to prescribe appropriately, and to hone their diagnostic and management skills.

The kidney plays a vital role in certain endocrine functions. Abnormalities caused by toxic chemicals or other interventions can have profound effects on these functions and consequently, on total functions. Toxicology of the Kidney, Third Edition is updated to reflect the latest research in this field and focuses on the correlation between anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology of the kidney. The text explains how these factors are related to concepts of clinical nephrotoxicity and renal failure in humans, and how animal models can be used to understand the mechanisms of human renal disease. In addition to updating many of the key elements of previous editions, such as in vitro models for studying renal function and toxicity and classic nephrotoxicants, it also incorporates cutting edge information on newly emerging areas of renal research. These include mechanisms of cell injury, signaling pathways, biomarkers of renal disease and the interface between basic renal science and clinical outcomes. This book includes current reviews of unpublished and recently published information which allows it to serve as a concise compendium of many key topics that will continue to play a central role in our understanding and treatment of nephrotoxicity for decades to come.

Nowadays the term dose-response is used in many different contexts and many different scientific disciplines including agriculture, biochemistry, chemistry, environmental sciences, genetics, pharmacology, plant sciences, toxicology, and zoology. In the 1940 and 1950s, dose-response analysis was intimately linked to evaluation of toxicity in terms of binary responses, such as immobility and mortality, with a limited number of doses of a toxic compound being compared to a control group (dose 0). Later, dose-response analysis has been extended to other types of data and to more complex experimental designs. Moreover, estimation of model parameters has undergone a dramatic change, from struggling with cumbersome manual operations and transformations with pen and paper to rapid calculations on any laptop. Advances in statistical software have fueled this development. Key Features: Provides a practical and comprehensive overview of dose-response analysis. Includes numerous real data examples to illustrate the methodology. R code is integrated into the text to give guidance on applying the methods. Written with minimal mathematics to be suitable for practitioners. Includes code and datasets on the book's GitHub: https://github.com/DoseResponse. This book focuses on estimation and interpretation of entirely parametric nonlinear dose-response models using the powerful statistical environment R. Specifically, this book introduces dose-response analysis of continuous, binomial, count, multinomial, and event-time dose-response data. The statistical models used are partly special cases, partly extensions of nonlinear regression models, generalized linear and nonlinear regression models, and nonlinear mixed-effects models (for hierarchical dose-response data). Both simple and complex dose-response experiments will be analyzed.

Toxic injury to the skin in the general population, and particularly in western populations, is on the increase. This is partly due to the expanding number of natural and man-made chemicals present in our everyday environment. The need for a thorough understanding of the skin, and the mechanisms of toxicity therein, has never been more pressing. This benchmark volume provides the latest findings in skin toxicology in one definitive source, and it could not be more timely. Toxicology of the Skin is part of the highly acclaimed Target Organ Toxicology Series-a leading series of reviews written and edited by a panel of internationally renowned experts in their respective fields. Dermatologists and toxicology specialists will find this text indispensable.

Environmental pollution is one of the most serious threats to the future health of our planet. A wide and ever increasing range of chemicals from industry, agriculture, medicine and a host of other sources continue to contribute to the earth's chemical load. Governments have encountered great difficulties responding to the crucial and immediate need for effective management.

As a result, the new science of ecotoxicology has developed, which provides a broad conceptual framework for evaluating the effects of chemicals in natural ecosystems.

This book is aimed principally at undergraduate students who have completed basic courses in both chemistry and biology. It takes a broad view of ecotoxicology starting with the nature, properties and behaviour of environmental toxicants, and extends to dose/response relationships and effects on organisms, populations, communities and ecosystems. Importantly, it also addresses environmental management areas such as biomarkers, biomonitoring, ecological risk assessment and the ecotoxicology and management of chemicals.

"Introduction to Ecotoxicology" provides an invaluable overview of the subject for students taking courses in ecotoxicology and environmental pollution, as well as wider degree programmes in biology, ecology, wildlife management, environmental science, environmental impact assessment, toxicology, pollution, chemical engineering, civil engineering, sanitation engineering and related subjects.

Hazardous agents are an ongoing concern in the modern workplace, with many examples of workers being severely affected by chemicals as a result of both acute and chronic exposure. Occupational Toxicology, 2nd Edition introduces the basics of toxicology that underpin the application of toxicological information to the workplace environment. The book contains chapters on the most important workplace exposures such as metals, pesticides, solvents, plastics, gases, and particulate matter, as well as the organs likely to be affected. The lungs and the skin are given individual consideration as common sites of injury and disease caused by exposure to chemicals. Genotoxicity and cancer are also singled out for particular attention due to ongoing concern about cancer-related effects of chemicals. Important fields interfacing with occupational toxicology - hygiene, epidemiology, and occupational medicine - are also covered to assist the reader in understanding the necessity of cross-discipline considerations in dealing with workplace exposures. This practical approach makes this book particularly valuable to students of toxicology as well as to occupational health and safety professionals at all levels.

This book is a well organised treatise on identification and measurement of dioxins and furan in the environment. It focuses on their source, fate, behaviour, analytical techniques for measurement, and removal/control methods. Although there are numerous publications that address this subject, rarely are prevention and control concepts considered together in a single volume. This book provides a tool for today's environmental researchers by focusing on an integrated approach to managing environmental pollution problems due to dioxins and furans. The overall objective of this book is not simply to provide a general reference, but to serve as a resource for developing approaches to managing environmental pollution problems due to dioxins and furans.

This book presents an integrated discussion on ecotoxicology, containing both general concepts and specific ecotoxicological issues of major biological groups, extending beyond conventional systems. It explores worldwide, regional, and biocompartmentalized topics, bringing forth new points of view on global issues and addressing the increasing diversity and complexity of the ecotoxicological field. It also contains novel information on emerging contaminants, presents bioaccumulation effects on different levels of ecological organization and risk analyses, and discusses novel fields of methodological applications, including key aspects in ecotoxicological and environmental monitoring studies.

Practical Toxicology: Evaluation, Prediction, and Risk, Third Edition shows how to conduct a program of safety evaluation and testing and then to interpret and apply the resulting data and information in the real world, beginning with the basic concepts in toxicology and progressing to the interpretation of the resulting data. Revised and updated chapters on risk assessment guide the reader to setting the foundations necessary for submission to regulatory authorities. In addition, a new chapter in the book reviews the errors in toxicology, mistakes, misuse, mismanagement, and misunderstanding with a view to avoiding these in the future.

New Chapters in the Third Edition:

Toxicology in silico

Errors in Toxicology

Safety Assessment of Extractables and Leachables.

This new edition follows a practical sequence from introducing the basics of toxicology (including the vital concept of normality in controls) to describing a test program and then interpreting the data and translating that to risk assessment that can be used in a number of real world situations where safety and secure risk assessment are essential. Although written primarily from the perspective of pharmaceutical development, the test designs and toxicological problems encountered in that field are entirely relevant to those with other classes of chemicals, the only difference being the regulatory context. Toxicology is an international discipline and the book has been written to take into account some of the differences in regulatory nuance between the main regions of the world.

Completely revised and written in an easily accessible style, the text address several audiences—from students and post-graduates coming to the subject for the first time to established professionals who find themselves needing to learn about toxicology, toxicity testing, interpretation of the results, and risk assessment. It is intended primarily as a textbook, with case studies and information on where to go to ask questions, but can also be used as a practical reference book. It covers all the basics of toxicology and the main aspects of safety evaluation testing and risk assessment while reviewing critically the current state of the discipline. It also provides a foundation for those seeking registration or certification.

Table of Contents

Introduction to Toxicology: The Necessity of Measurement

Introduction

The Beginnings Of Toxicological Measurement

Toxicology And Toxicity Defined

It Is Natural So It Must Be Safe—Everyday Toxicological Conundrums

General Objectives Of Toxicological Study

Biology And Outcome Of Toxic Reactions

Cellular Basis And Consequences Of Toxic Change

Expression Of Toxicity

Target Organ Expression Of Toxicity

Ethics Of Toxicological Assessment

The Three Rs: Reduce, Refine, And Replace

References　

Normality: Definition and Maintenance

Introduction

What Is Normality?

Normality As A Range

Experimental Normality

Control Groups As Normality

Establishing And Maintaining Normality In Experimental Groups

Baseline Data And Historical Controls

Summary

References

Determination of Toxicity: The Basic Principles

Introduction

Circumstances Of Toxicity Testing

Effects Sought In Toxicity Studies

Basic Principles Of Toxicological Investigation

Toxicokinetic Design

Regulatory Framework And Influences

Regulation Of Study Conduct—Good Laboratory Practice

Summary

References

Determination of Toxicity: In Vitro and Alternatives

Introduction

Rationale For In Vitro Toxicology

How And When To Use In Vitro Or Alternative Techniques

Considerations In Screening Program Design

Areas Of Use Of In Vitro Toxicology

Considerations In The Development Of In Vitro Tests

Validation Of In Vitro Methods

Test Systems And Endpoints

Target Organ Toxicity

Functional Toxicity Testing

Pharmacology And Safety Pharmacology In Vitro

Metabolism

Kinetics

Toxicity Testing

Carcinogenicity

Reproductive Toxicity

Sensitization

Irritation And Corrosion

Phototoxicity

Ecotoxicology

Pitfalls In In Vitro Toxicology

Omics

Future Utility

Summary

Toxicology in silico

Introduction

(Q)SAR Methodologies

Model validity

Regulations, QSARs And Experts

Case Study: ICH M7

Choosing A (Q)SAR

Commercial vs non-commercial

Pitfalls In In Silico Toxicology

Summary

Safety Pharmacology

Introduction

General Principles

Tests To Be Conducted

What To Test?

Design

Test Systems For Safety Pharmacology

Safety Pharmacology In Toxicity Studies

Tests And Their Conduct

Central Nervous System—Modified Irwin Screen

Cardiovascular System

Respiratory System

Gastrointestinal (Gi) Tract

Renal Function

Pitfalls Of Safety Pharmacology Studies

Summary

References

Determination: General and Reproductive Toxicology

General toxicology

Test systems for general toxicology

Study designs in general toxicology

Examinations for specific toxicities

Pitfalls in general toxicology

Reproductive and developmental toxicology

Study designs for reproductive toxicology

Pitfalls in reproductive toxicology

Summary

Determination: Genotoxicity and Carcinogenicity

Genotoxicity

General Principles in Genotoxicity

Test Battery and Study Design

Test Systems and Tests

Pitfalls in Genotoxicity

Genotoxicity Testing In Vitro—Sensitivity and Specificity

Carcinogenicity

General Principles In Carcinogenicity

Test Systems for Carcinogenicity

Study Design and Methods of Assessment

Choice of Dose Levels

Parameters Measured

Other Systems for Carcinogenicity Assessment

Pitfalls In Carcinogenicity Studies

Overview of the Future of Carcinogenicity Assessment

Summary

Determination: Dermal Toxicity—Sensitization, Irritation, and Corrosion

Introduction

General principles of dermal toxicology

Factors in dermal toxicity

Test systems

Study design and parameters measured

Dermal Irritation and Corrosion

Ocular Irritation

Irritation by Other Routes

Sensitization

Allergic Sensitization in Guinea Pigs

Allergic Sensitization in Mice (Local Lymph Node Assay)

Pitfalls in irritation and sensitization

Summary

Determination: Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology

Introduction

Relevance of environmental assessment to chemical development

General principles of environmental toxicology and ecotoxicology

Pollution, routes of entry, and environmental ADME

Factors in testing for environmental effect

Test systems and study types for ecotoxicology

Ecotoxicology In Vitro

Invertebrates

Mesocosms and Field Tests and Studies

Environmental assessment of agrochemicals

Environmental assessment of pharmaceuticals

Pitfalls in environmental toxicology

Summary

References

Interpretation: Basic Principles

Introduction

The Interpretation Challenge

The Scope of Interpretation

Interpretation as a Dynamic Process

Steps In Interpretation

Study Design

Controls and Expectation

Use of Background Data in Interpretation

Statistics and Significance in Toxicology

Statistical Process

Data Treatment and Transformation

Assessing Exposure

Integration of Exposure Information

Toxicokinetics

The Reality of Difference—the interpretation of small differences

The Reproducibility of Difference

Summary

Interpretation: Different Data Types

Individual Data Sets

Safety Pharmacology

General Toxicology

Toxicokinetics

Clinical Pathology

Morphological Pathology

The Cell

Subcellular Organelles

Composition Of The Cytoplasm Or Cell Contents

Plasma Membrane Changes

Hypertrophy And Atrophy

Hyperplasia And Metaplasia

Changes To Whole Tissues Or Organs

Inflammation

Changes In Blood Supply

Repair And Reversibility

Neoplasia

Overview Of Interpretation In General Toxicology

Reproductive Toxicology

Genotoxicity

Carcinogenicity

Environmental Toxicology And Ecotoxicology

Epidemiology And Occupational Toxicology

Epidemiology

Occupational Toxicology

Case Study: Ciprofibrate

Summary

References

Prediction of Hazard

Introduction

Principles of prediction

Steps in the prediction process

Prediction from minimal databases

Pediction for individuals

Summary

Background to Risk Due to Toxicity

Introduction

Overview of risk analysis

Levels of risk and factors that affect risk

Risk perception

Acceptability and tolerability of risk

Comparative risk

Synthetic versus natural

Risk expression and quantification

Summary

References

Risk Assessment in Practice and Setting Exposure Limits

Introduction

Risk Assessment As A Process

Data Quality

Data Selection For Risk Assessment

Single Effect Versus General Risk Assessment

Tools And Models In Risk Assessment

Pbpk Models And Scaling

Models For Rodent Bioassay Data

Target Population, Dose, And Exposure

Prediction Of Exposure

Measurement Of Exposure

Process And Factors In Risk Assessment

Physical Form And Formulation

Route Of Exposure

Bioavailability

Dose Response

Safety Evaluation And Human Data

Purpose And Target Population

Setting Safety Factors And Margins

Hazard Weighting And Safety Factors

Safety Factor Rationale

Exposure Limits

Dose Level Selection For Starting Risk Assessment

Noel And Noael

The Benchmark Dose

Setting Exposure Limits

Use Of The Therapeutic Dose For Setting Wels/Oels For Pharmaceuticals

Thresholds Of Toxicological Concern

Summary

References

Safety Assessment of Extractables, Leachables and Impurities

Introduction

Definitions

Regulatory background

Toxicological assessment

Risk assessment

impurities in practice

Summary

References

Risk Assessment and Management in the Workplace

Introduction

Factors In Workplace Risk Assessment

Workplace Risk Assessment

Workplace Exposure Assessment

Risk Management In The Workplace

Summary

Risk Assessment: Carcinogenicity, the Environment, Evolution, and Overview of Risk Assessment

Introduction

Risk Assessment And Carcinogenicity

Risk Assessment And The Environment

International Management Of Environmental Risks

The Evolution Of Risk Assessment

Summary

Evaluation of Specific Classes of Chemical

Introduction

Regulatory Influences

The Basic Toxicity Test Package

Human Pharmaceuticals

Veterinary Pharmaceuticals

Medical Devices

Agrochemicals/Plant Protection Products

Biocides

Cosmetics

General And Industrial Chemicals—Reach

Tobacco Products

Summary

References

Errors in toxicology

Introduction

Errors through the ages

A brief history of early regulations

Modern mistakes and mismanagement

Clinical trials with new medicinal products

Contamination

Misunderstanding

The public and toxicology

Summary

References

The Future of Toxicity Testing and Risk Assessment

Introduction

Challenges For Toxicology

Evolution Of Toxicity Testing

Development Of New Test Methods And Models

The Future Of Toxicity Testing

A New Paradigm For Safety Evaluation

What Will The Future Of Testing Look Like?

Challenges For Risk Assessment And Management

Evolution Of Risk Assessment

Summary

References

Ecotoxicology and Chemistry Applications in Environmental Management describes how to set up an integrated, holistic approach to addressing ecotoxicological problems. It provides detailed explanations in answer to questions like "Why is it necessary to apply an integrated approach?" and "How does one apply an integrated environmental management approach?" Highlighted topics of the book include Environmental chemical calculations QSAR estimation methods Toxic substance interference with other environmental problems Using diagnostic ecological subdisciplines for solutions Cleaner production methods and technologies Environmental risk assessment Addressing one of the most difficult tasks today, this book provides a much-needed holistic view for translating scientific knowledge and research results into effective environmental management measures. Rooted in a seven-step method, it integrates examination and quantification of an environmental problem and describes the use of ecological diagnostic tools to develop a diagnosis for ecosystem health. It also presents methods for choosing and using solutions or combinations of solutions to tackle problems.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Climate change threatens our planet's future. Since it's too late to prevent climate change, we must find ways to prepare for it, while doing all we can to slow down the processes that are causing it. The editor of this compendium, an experienced and respected scientist in the field, has collected research vital to the challenges we are facing. The book offers a multi-perspective look at ways to reduce greenhouse gases and find fossil fuel alternatives from a truly international roster of researchers and scientists.

The IACUC Administrator's Guide to Animal Program Management supports IACUC administrators who assist with developing, managing, and overseeing a program of animal care and animal use. It provides many options and possibilities for specific operational practices (e.g., how to build a well-functioning IACUC, what a functional protocol template looks like) to satisfy regulatory requirements. The material provided is a compilation of several years of Best Practices (BP) meetings among IACUC administrators across the country. The BP meetings included representatives from the NIH/OLAW, AAALAC, and the USDA, whose presence and dialogue assured the BP discussion met or exceeded all regulatory or accreditation minimum standards. BP meeting attendees from private, public, governmental, and academic organizations have helped to shape and develop the information offered herein. It is through the insight of several hundred colleagues-their successes as well as their failures-that the authors have distilled suggestions and considerations for your local animal care and use program. This handbook complements other useful references and manuals regarding programmatic function-it is not intended to replace them. The primary difference you will find is the transparent and open nature of describing processes that have been time tested and proven to help you and your organization satisfy the regulatory requirements.

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

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 book discusses basic principles of pharmacology and toxicology and their application to environmental problems. Topics covered include air pollution, alteration of the earth's atmosphere, water and land pollution, health and environmental effects of ionizing radiation, and the environmental and social impact of rapidly growing population. It concludes with a chapter on environmental regulatory policy.

Industrial, agricultural, residential land uses and the connected discharge of chemical substances cause environmental problems world-wide: contaminated air, water and soil, dead rivers, polluted sites, abandoned areas, derelict land, degraded soil, and endangered ecosystem and humans. This volume provides an overview on the behavior and function of the healthy environment, the capacity of the ecosystem to serve humanity and compensate for adverse changes. The prime contributors to these changes such as production and use of chemical substances, abandoned and contaminated land, chemical agriculture, mining and the complex waste problem are introduced. Medication for environmental health problems is environmental risk management, which has two compartments: risk assessment and risk reduction. The target is an acceptable risk level. Environmental risk management can be structured horizontally and vertically. The horizontal structure of the management includes environmental compartments such as air, surface water, groundwater, soil and sediments; contaminating chemical substances or wastes as well as the land uses and the exposed receptors.The vertical structure includes the management tools, the environmental assessment and monitoring tools; preventive, protective and remedial technologies; evaluation and interpretation and decision making. The horizontal and vertical structures result in several combinations, most of which are reviewed in the book. Knowledge is the basis of decision making. Good management practice should be based on high-quality information. Information comes from proper data evaluation and interpretation. Data collection, structuring and selection and their conversion to information provide an information system which is vital for the management of environment. The sustainable future requires from us to adopt a humble attitude toward nature by integrating ethics with scientific and engineering knowledge. Otherwise humans will put themselves in jeopardy by inflicting damage to the environment. In addition to the right attitude, efficient and innovative engineering tools are necessary for the long-term management of the environment.Even current best management practices are insufficient to achieve the goals of holistic environmental protection and land use - we need innovative technologies, integrated evaluation and a holistic approach. The focus of this book is environmental knowledge and its conscious and structured application in environmental management and decision making.

Throughout human history, we have long encountered the combination of promise, risk, and uncertainty that accompanies emerging technologies. Nanotechnology is a recent example of an emerging technology that promises to drastically improve existing products as well as allow for creative development of new goods and services. This new technology also has its potential downsides. Industry, academia, and regulatory agencies are all working overtime to assess risks accurately while keeping up with the pace of development. Subtle changes in the physicochemical properties of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) can influence their toxicity and behavior in the environment and so can be used to help control potential ENM risks. This book attempts to encompass the state of the science regarding physicochemical characterization of ENMs. It illuminates the effort to understand these properties and how they may be used to ensure safe ENM deployment in existing or future materials and products.

Over the last three decades a lot of research on the role of metals in biochemistry and medicine has been done. As a result many structures of biomolecules with metals have been characterized and medicinal chemistry studied the effects of metal containing drugs. This new book (from the EIBC Book Series) covers recent advances made by top researchers in the field of metals in cells [the metallome ] and include: regulated metal ion uptake and trafficking, sensing of metals within cells and across tissues, and identification of the vast cellular factors designed to orchestrate assembly of metal cofactor sites while minimizing toxic side reactions of metals. In addition, it features aspects of metals in disease, including the role of metals in neuro-degeneration, liver disease, and inflammation, as a way to highlight the detrimental effects of mishandling of metal trafficking and response to "foreign" metals. With the breadth of our recently acquired understanding of metals in cells, a book that features key aspects of cellular handling of inorganic elements is both timely and important. At this point in our understanding, it is worthwhile to step back and take an expansive view of how far our understanding has come, while also highlighting how much we still do not know. The content from this book will publish online, as part of EIBC in December 2013, find out more about the Encyclopedia of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry, the essential online resource for researchers and students working in all areas of inorganic and bioinorganic chemistry.

The discussion on arsenic in the environment is complex and must grasp the importance of very many, mostly unrelated works on individual aspects. This volume represents one of the first comprehensive and interdisciplinary examinations into arsenic's behaviour in air, water, soils, sediments, plants and the human body. Based on state-of-the-art investigations into the global arsenic cycle, the related human toxicology and available remediation technologies, arsenic is assessed holistically in all the environmental compartments. Using the results of primary research, the authors offer concrete suggestions for risk reduction and management of environmental pollution that allow the reader to successfully tackle similar problems and find sustainable solutions. The book consists of three essential parts: Review of the current knowledge of arsenic behaviour in the environment (global biogeochemical cycles), toxicology, remediation techniques, immobilization technologies and environmental legislation Case studies for mining-related arsenic problems Discussion of mitigation and remediation technologies and approaches such as environmental education, hygiene training, backed by real experience and successful implementation in the study area In a highly coherent manner, the book makes use of 120 tables and figures, a large number of literature citations, and very detailed subject index (that encompasses references) to provide rapid and up-to-date access to all relevant information. Cross-references provide a great manoeuvrability between the chapters. The book delivers very insightful and hands-on approaches for graduate students and professionals working on arsenic questions not only in environmental science, but also in the fields of environmental engineering, medicine and social science.

This is a pioneering cognitive psychological study of Ayahuasca, a plant-based Amazonian psychotropic brew. Benny Shanon presents a comprehensive charting of the various facets of the special state of mind induced by Ayahuasca, and analyzes them from a cognitive psychological perspective. He also presents some philosophical reflections. Empirically, the research presented in this book is based on the systematic recording of the author's extensive experiences with the brew and on the interviewing of a large number of informants: indigenous people, shamans, members of different religious sects using Ayahuasca, and travellers. In addition to its being the most thorough study of the Ayahuasca experience to date, the book lays the theoretical foundations for the psychological study of non-ordinary states of consciousness in general.

The tools for detecting false positives, false negatives, and interference in interactions when testing and monitoring therapeutic drug use For physicians monitoring a patient's progress, efficacy of treatment is often linked to a patient's response to medication. Determining whether a patient is taking the prescribed amount, the drug or dosage is effective, or the prescribed medication is interacting with other drugs can be determined through drug testing. Written as a guide for toxicologists, chemists, and health professionals involved in patient care, Resolving Erroneous Reports in Toxicology and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring provides an up-to-date introduction to the tests and methodologies used in a toxicology lab as well as the sources of testing error that can lead to false positives, false negatives, and unreliable conclusions of drug abuse or under use. Covering a host of common therapeutic drugs as well as specific types of interference in immunoassays used in drug testing, the book details a number of possible testing scenarios and problems as well as solutions: * False positive results in immunoassays for drugs in abuse testing * Interferences in immunoassays used for monitoring anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, and digoxin * False positive alcohol tests using breath analyzers and automated analyzers * When a toxicology report is negative in a suspected overdose patient: the world of designer drugs * Effects of drug-herb interactions on therapeutic drug monitoring * Pharmacogenomics and the general principles of genetic analysis * Approaches for eliminating interference/discordant specimen in therapeutic drug monitoring and drugs in abuse testing * What to do in case there is no readily available method for testing Complete with easy-to-read tables and flowcharts, this book helps toxicologists, clinical chemists, clinical pathologists, and forensic pathologists develop accurate, unbiased drug monitoring and toxicology reports. Health care professionals involved in patient care, especially of critically ill patients, will find this guide indispensable in making sure lab tests are reliable enough to provide high-quality care. An indispensable handbook to the entire suite of toxicology lab tests, as well as all the possible sources of testing error, Resolving Erroneous Reports in Toxicology and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring offers clear remedies for eliminating and preventing testing error.

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 quality of agricultural soils are always under threat from chemical contaminants, which ultimately affect the productivity and safety of crops. Besides agrochemicals, a new generation of substances invades the soil through irrigation with reclaimed wastewater and pollutants of organic origin such as sewage sludge or cattle manure. Emerging pollutants such as pharmaceuticals, nanomaterials and microplastics are now present in agricultural soils, but the understanding of their impact on soil quality is still limited. With focus on in situ bioremediation, this book provides an exhaustive analysis of the current biological methodologies for recovering polluted agricultural soils as well as monitoring the effectiveness of bioremediation.