The international advanced research workshop funded by NATO and entitled "impact of pollutions on animal and animal products" was organized at Almaty (Kazakhstan) on 27-30 September 2007. Thirty-one scientists from 12 countries (Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Russia, France, Great Britain, Italy, Belgium, Romania and Morocco) presented conferences at this meeting to share their experience and results. The programme included three main aspects: (i) generality on the pollution situation in Central Asia and former Soviet Union republics, (ii) the pollution area and pollution origin in Central Asia and Western countries in relation with animal health, and (iii) the relationships between soil contamination, plant contamination and animal products status. The present workshop contributed highly to the exchange between scientists giving the opportunity for researchers from Central Asia to access to new scientific approaches and methodologies, and for European scientists to assess the extent of the environmental problems in this part of the world. No doubt that these exchanges were the main success of the workshop marked by very stimulating discussions. Such meeting was also the opportunity to put on the first stone of a scientific network focused on the subject of the workshop. The importance of pollution in Central Asia in general and in Kazakhstan in p- ticular is a well-known feature and several references are available on the source and localization of pollution problems in those countries. The references are also abundant on the impact of the environmental failures on human health.

In recent years, there has been a rise in the demand of alternative agricultural commodities, specifically camel milk-based products. Camel products have become highly coveted items in today's commercial market due to their environmental and health advantages. However, there is a lack of research and literature on camel milk and related camel goods. Up-to-date information is needed to give researchers a better understanding of the compositional and functional properties of camel milk production. Health and Environmental Benefits of Camel Products is an essential reference source that discusses the nutritional, physical, and chemical factors of camel milk in comparison to other animal and plant-based milks and introduces benefits attributed to camel meat. The up-to-date potential health benefits of fresh and fermented camel milk in vitro and in vivo will be also covered in addition to the link between functional constituents and the functional properties of milk. The authors will review the recent research on the functional properties of camel milk such as the angiotensin converting enzyme, antimicrobial, anticancer, and hypocholesterolimic effects. Featuring research on topics such as colostrum composition, meat production, and nutritional value, this book is ideally designed for health professionals, environmentalists, dieticians, food industry professionals, researchers, academicians, and students seeking coverage on the compositional and physiological aspects of camel products.

This work brings together a wealth of data regarding the reference values and factors of variation in biochemical parameters used by camel veterinarians and scientists to determine these animals' nutritional and clinical status. It also explores several technical aspects involved in determining these parameters, sampling procedures, and essential elements in the interpretation of the results. Though many texts are available on small and large ruminants, much less is known about species confined to the marginal zones of tropical and Mediterranean countries, such as camels. This book addresses precisely this research gap, on the one hand by presenting an extensive review of the literature, and on the other by synthesizing the outcomes of the authors' numerous previous works. In veterinary medicine, blood tests to help diagnose diseases in cattle were first proposed nearly a century ago, but were mainly developed in the 1960s, initially at specialized research or veterinary services laboratories, and eventually, with the advent of new equipment and the miniaturization of the analyzers, finding their way into veterinarians' cabinets. Beyond their diagnostic value, veterinary surgeons and zootechnicians also speculated on the potential use of blood tests to evaluate animals' nutritional status. Thus, a whole range of analyses are now proposed to the stakeholders responsible for animal health. Such analyses could help to define a metabolic profile, which would offer a valuable decision-making tool for experts and researchers alike.

The international advanced research workshop funded by NATO and entitled "impact of pollutions on animal and animal products" was organized at Almaty (Kazakhstan) on 27-30 September 2007. Thirty-one scientists from 12 countries (Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Russia, France, Great Britain, Italy, Belgium, Romania and Morocco) presented conferences at this meeting to share their experience and results. The programme included three main aspects: (i) generality on the pollution situation in Central Asia and former Soviet Union republics, (ii) the pollution area and pollution origin in Central Asia and Western countries in relation with animal health, and (iii) the relationships between soil contamination, plant contamination and animal products status. The present workshop contributed highly to the exchange between scientists giving the opportunity for researchers from Central Asia to access to new scientific approaches and methodologies, and for European scientists to assess the extent of the environmental problems in this part of the world. No doubt that these exchanges were the main success of the workshop marked by very stimulating discussions. Such meeting was also the opportunity to put on the first stone of a scientific network focused on the subject of the workshop. The importance of pollution in Central Asia in general and in Kazakhstan in p- ticular is a well-known feature and several references are available on the source and localization of pollution problems in those countries. The references are also abundant on the impact of the environmental failures on human health.

This work brings together a wealth of data regarding the reference values and factors of variation in biochemical parameters used by camel veterinarians and scientists to determine these animals' nutritional and clinical status. It also explores several technical aspects involved in determining these parameters, sampling procedures, and essential elements in the interpretation of the results. Though many texts are available on small and large ruminants, much less is known about species confined to the marginal zones of tropical and Mediterranean countries, such as camels. This book addresses precisely this research gap, on the one hand by presenting an extensive review of the literature, and on the other by synthesizing the outcomes of the authors' numerous previous works. In veterinary medicine, blood tests to help diagnose diseases in cattle were first proposed nearly a century ago, but were mainly developed in the 1960s, initially at specialized research or veterinary services laboratories, and eventually, with the advent of new equipment and the miniaturization of the analyzers, finding their way into veterinarians' cabinets. Beyond their diagnostic value, veterinary surgeons and zootechnicians also speculated on the potential use of blood tests to evaluate animals' nutritional status. Thus, a whole range of analyses are now proposed to the stakeholders responsible for animal health. Such analyses could help to define a metabolic profile, which would offer a valuable decision-making tool for experts and researchers alike.