In this issue of Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, guest editors Edward Schneider and Brandon K. Koretz bring their considerable expertise to the topic of polypharmacy. Provides in-depth reviews on the latest updates in polypharmacy, providing actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field; Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create these timely topic-based reviews.

The Genetics of Aging is divided into several sections in an attempt to provide a logical progression from the level of the genome to the realm of human genetics. The relationship between the genetic material and aging will be thoroughly explored in the initial chapters. These chapters discuss in depth the various theories that have been proposed for the mechanisms of aging at the molecular level and present data which either support or contradict these hypotheses. Subsequent chapters will deal with the genetics of aging in organisms ranging from paramecium to mammals. The largest section of this volume will be devoted to several important areas in human genetics: human genetic disorders which feature premature aging, the effect of human parental aging on the production of genetically abnor mal offspring, the genetics of human longevity, and a review of studies on aging human twins. Over the last few decades genetic technology has provided enormous insight into a number of disciplines. Therefore, in the last few chapters, several genetic approaches to the study of aging are discussed: somatic cell genetics, immunogenetics, and behavioral genetics. As the goal of this volume is to present a comprehensive examination of the genetics of aging, most chapters are oriented toward general review of their respective areas. It is my hope that this volume will encourage clinical, biological, and behavioral investigators to turn their attention to the genetic aspects of aging as well as to employ genetic technology to obtain further insight into aging processes."

Abramo Basevi published his study of Verdi's operas in Florence in 1859, in the middle of the composer's career. The first thorough, systematic examination of Verdi's operas, it covered the twenty works produced between 1842 and 1857 - from Nabucco and Macbeth to Il trovatore, La traviata, and Aroldo. But while Basevi's work is still widely cited and discussed - and nowhere more so than in the English-speaking world - no translation of the entire volume has previously been available. The Operas of Giuseppe Verdi fills this gap, at the same time providing an invaluable critical apparatus and commentary on Basevi's book. As a contemporary of Verdi and a trained musician, erudite scholar, and critic conversant with current and past operatic repertories, Basevi presented pointed discussion of the operas and their historical context, offering today's readers a unique window into many aspects of operatic culture, and culture in general, in Verdi's Italy. He wrote with precision on formal aspects, use of melody and orchestration, and other compositional features, which made his study an acknowledged model for the growing field of music criticism. Carefully annotated and with an engaging introduction and detailed glossary by editor Stefano Castelvecchi, this translation illuminates Basevi's musical and historical references as well as aspects of his language that remain difficult to grasp even for Italian readers. Making Basevi's important contribution to our understanding of Verdi and his operas available to a broad audience for the first time, The Operas of Giuseppe Verdi will delight scholars and opera enthusiasts alike.

Fear of mad cow disease, a lethal illness transmitted from infected beef to humans, has spread from Europe to the United States and around the world. Originally published to much acclaim in France, this scientific thriller, available in English for the first time and updated with a new chapter on developments in 2001, tells of the hunt for the cause of an enigmatic class of fatal brain infections, of which mad cow disease is the latest incarnation. In gripping, nontechnical prose, Maxime Schwartz details the deadly manifestations of these diseases throughout history, describes the major players and events that led to discoveries about their true nature, and outlines our current state of knowledge. The book concludes by addressing the question we all want answered: should we be afraid? The story begins in the eighteenth century with the identification of a mysterious illness called scrapie that was killing British sheep. It was not until the 1960s that scientists understood that several animal and human diseases, including scrapie, were identical, and together identified them as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). The various guises assumed throughout history by TSE include an illness called kuru in a cannibalistic tribe in Papua New Guinea, an infectious disease that killed a group of children who had been treated for growth hormone deficiencies, and mad cow disease. Revealing the fascinating process of scientific discovery that led to our knowledge of TSE, Schwartz relates pivotal events in the history of biology, including the Pasteurian revolution, the birth of genetics, the emergence of molecular biology, and the latest developments in biotechnology. He also explains the Nobel Prize-winning prion hypothesis, which has rewritten the rules of biological heredity and is a key link between the distinctive diseases of TSE. Up-to-date, informative, and thoroughly captivating, How the Cows Turned Mad tells the story of a disease that continues to elude on many levels. Yet science has come far in understanding its origins, incubation, and transmission. This authoritative book is a stunning case history that illuminates the remarkable progression of science.

Nervous And Mental Disease Monographs, No. 78.

A discerning guide to alternative therapies for common health problems.
Millions of Americans turn to alternative medicine to treat chronic health problems when conventional medicine fails. Yet few doctors-or health store clerks and alternative practitioners-know what treatments are safe and effective. In this book, Edward Schneider, a leading researcher and clinician at the University of Southern California, arms readers with an overview of the latest medical research, then offers a proven formula for the best integrative therapy available to treat the most common health issues. From supplements and herbs, to acupuncture and yoga, "What Your Doctor Hasn't Told You and the Health Store Clerk Doesn't Know" outlines the myriad therapies used for:
- sleep problems
- joint, back, and neck pain
- depression and anxiety
- PMS and menopause
- prostate health
- heart disease and cancer
- memory loss, and more
An authoritative yet friendly guide, complete with hard-to-find dosage guidelines and advice on what therapies are just not worth your money, and packed with the type of information readers can take to the health store aisles and to their doctor, this book is essential reading for anyone considering alternative remedies

The "keys" provided by Herve Lacombe in this richly informed book open the door to understanding the essence of nineteenth-century French lyric theater. Lacombe illuminates the diverse elements that constitute opera by focusing his investigation around three main categories: composition and production; words, music, and drama; and the interaction of society, genre, and aesthetics.
Lacombe chooses Bizet's "Pearl Fishers" (1863) as the exemplar of French opera that combines tradition and innovation. He uses "Pearl Fishers" as a paradigmatic point of reference for exploring questions of genesis, style, and aesthetic in other nineteenth-century French operatic works. French opera was a social art, he writes, and looping between past and future, between tradition and innovation, it achieved the seemingly impossible union of two antithetical aspects of Romanticism: the taste for theatricality and the desire for intimacy.
The voices of contemporary witnesses are heard throughout Lacombe's book. He makes abundant use of the writings of such musician-critics as Berlioz, Reyer, and Saint-Saens and also draws on the works of many French writers, including Stendhal, Balzac, Baudelaire, and Zola. Illustrations showing costume sketches, scenery, posters, paintings, photographs, and magazine articles are attractive complements to discussions of particular operas. Together with Edward Schneider's accessible translation, the illustrations make this well-rounded and original study a trove of information for both music scholars and French historians.