Cancer Cachexia is a concise, fully illustrated handbook written with the aim of increasing awareness of cancer cachexia and highlighting best practice diagnosis, treatment, and management options for this devastating disorder. This is another title in the ongoing Springer Healthcare Cancer Supportive Care Series.

Although a wealth of information can be found scattered throughout periodicals and research papers, tracking down the most effective treatment for a heterogeneous syndrome such as cachexia can be problematic. Edited by experts in the field, with contributions from a multidisciplinary panel, Pharmacotherapy of Cachexia is the first book devoted solely to the treatment of cachexia with a focus on pharmacotherapeutic aspects. The book discusses the various aspects of the syndrome and compares and contrasts its diverse treatment options. It explores the topic from a theoretical and practical perspective and provides an overview of currently available and future treatment. The first half of the book includes coverage of pathophysiology, associated diseases, and general therapeutic aspects. The subsequent sections devoted to pharmacotherapy cover drugs in clinical use, drugs in research and development, and the final section focuses on potential future advancements. Numerous internationally recognized specialists have contributed chapters on the various aspects of cachexia to this book. Their critical evaluation of pathophysiological mechanisms, clinical features, and therapeutic options make it a valuable source of information on all aspects of this serious and life-threatening condition. Expert editorial guidance ensures minimal repetition of information and uniform presentation. Addressing the multiple disease processes associated with cachexia in an organized and useful way, the book is a comprehensive reference for the management of this recalcitrant and hard-to-treat syndrome.

Cloning has the potential to be an extremely valuable tool across many fields. In agriculture, the reproductive cloning of farm animals could prove to be advantageous. In clinical medicine, the employment of therapeutic cloning for cell, tissue, and organ replacement appears to be imminent. However, as with any advancement that is poised to touch human lives, the process of cloning must be looked at through the lens of the medical community's obligation to "do no harm,"

Epigenetic Risks of Cloning includes contributions from 32 leading researchers who are intimately involved with various aspects of cloning. At the frontlines of this science, they are best positioned to explain what is really occurring. With chapters dedicated to each of the animal models being employed for experimentation, the text presents a detailed accounting of cloning methods, an objective review of current findings, and an even-handed discussion of potential concerns.

While procedures utilizing a variety of somatic cell types to create cloned animals have proven to be repeatable, efficient consistency has proven to be elusive at best. Less than four percent of reconstructed embryos typically develop to adulthood. This low success rate is the cumulative result of inefficiencies occurring at every stage of development.

Epigenetic Risks of Cloning considers the very real consequences of those inefficiencies. In addition to embryonic loss, cloning experiments have experienced very high rates of fetal, perinatal, and neonatal loss, as well as the production of abnormal offspring. At present, there is a legitimate concern that the propensity for epigenetic errors could be paralleled in human embryos. This bookoffers an excellent opportunity to become acquainted with the current state of cloning, both the methods being utilized, as well as the risks being realized.