The simple assessment of atherosclerotic risk factors is not an accurate tool to predict the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults without past history of atherosclerotic disease. Preclinical atherosclerotic increases the global cardiovascular risk and should be evaluated for a better risk stratification. Intima-media thickness (IMT), reduced ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) and impaired flow mediated dilatation (FMD) are independent markers of multifocal but subclinical atherosclerosis and result associated with an increased rate of cardiovascular events. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) may be a useful non-invasive technique to detect silent coronary disease (CAD) in patients with peripheral preclinical atherosclerosis. This ebook outlines “preclinical athersclerosis” and its markers in clinical practice. The ebook gives simple but clear information for a better stratification of global cardiovascular risk. The text serves as an important guide for medical professionals involved in the management of cardiovascular patients.

Antibodies Applications and New Developments is an overview of the current developments of techniques and methods relating to immunodiagnostics and immunoanalysis. This eBook also deals with specialties in the fields of drug, pesticide, antigen and food contaminant detection. The volume is useful for professional immunologists and biotechnologists interested in antibody research and development.

Since the last century, remarkable advances at both the basic and clinical levels have considerably improved our ability to evaluate and treat children with neurological disorders. Many cases seen by general pediatricians are primarily neurological accounting for up to 30% of all consultations to pediatrics with a high ratio of follow-up visits to new patients of about 3:1. This manual is a neurology reference for medical students and pediatric residents and is intended to supplement larger textbooks on pediatric neurology already available. Many of undergraduate medical students refer to deficient and oversimplified references that do not enable them to deal with pediatric neurology patients adequately. The manual presents a simplified, organized, and comprehensive problem based approach to common pediatric neurological disorders directed to the level of medical students, pediatric residents, general practitioners and general pediatricians. This e-book is thus a concise outline with practical tips to facilitate proper diagnosis and management of various neurological disorders.

Pluripotent stem cells have garnered tremendous interest in recent years, which is primarily driven by the hope of finding a cure for several debilitating human diseases. Cell transplantation (regeneratve medicine) offers considerable therapeutic potential. The procedure employs pluripotent stem cells as these have the inherent ability to reproduce indefinitely and have the ability to produce over 200 different types of cells constituting the human body. The isolation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) from embryos and their successful culture in a petri dish in 1998 has been considered as a major breakthrough that is set to shape stem cell research in the 21st century. This has been followed by another remarkable breakthrough in 2006 when scientists demonstrated for the first time that such pluripotent stem cells could be produced from adult somatic tissues without having to use human embryos. These pluripotent stem cells are called the induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Both hESCs and iPS cells - highly versatile cells – could pave the way for alleviating patients suffering from diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and many more. This eBook brings together the information from the last decade on stem cells, compiled by reputed research experts. Readers will learn all aspects of pluripotent stem cells from basic biology to their use in understanding disease process, toxicology, drug discovery and in developing therapeutic strategies. Research on these cells, including transitional and translational aspects, is explained with the aid of extensive figures, colour photographs, and tables. This eBook is a valuable resource for undergraduates, postgraduates, scientists, embryologists, tissue engineers, doctors and biomedical scientists interested in stem cell research and medicine.

The eBook discusses how the special physiology of the liver must be considered when applying functional molecular imaging in hepatology. The main topics of the eBook include the clinical and scientific use and possibilities of functional molecular imaging for investigations of hepatic blood perfusion, substrate metabolism, and biliary secretion as well as for cancer diagnostics (primary and secondary liver cancers). Functional imaging of changes in cerebral blood perfusion and metabolism in patients with liver diseases is also covered. The eBook is written by internationally renowned experts and is intended for everyone who is interested in hepatology or functional molecular imaging.

Pregnancy Disorders and Perinatal Outcomes offers readers insights into knowledge related to maternal habits or disorders that could affect fetal development and lead to disability later in childhood and adulthood. It contains chapters on the role of placenta, hormones, stress, nutrition, diabetes, hypertension, in vitro fertilization, obesity, immune systems and epigenetics in pregnancy well-being and perinatal outcomes. This ebook integrates both fundamental and clinical medicine and well as molecular and cell biology. It is written in a multidisciplinary context and would be a handy reference to a wide spectrum of readers including students, clinicians (obstetricians, neonatologists, pediatricians) and basic scientists in gynecology.

This e-book is a review on current understanding of the role of toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the lung in health and disease. Topics covered include 1) the expression, function and activation of TLRs during bacterial, viral and fungal infection of the airways, 2) the role of TLRs in the pathogenesis of genetic and environmental pulmonary disorders, and 3) TLR biology in lung transplantation. Each chapter highlights recent advances in a selected domain in lung disease research. This e-book serves as a comprehensive resource for both scientists and clinicians studying innate immune mechanisms in the lung and provides a single reference comprising both basic and specialized information.

Tumor development and progression are multi-factorial processes, in which genomic alterations and modifications in gene expression in pre-malignant cells are joined by deleterious microenvironmental factors. The tumor microenvironment contains stroma cells and leukocytes, soluble factors and matrix components. The intensive interplay that exists between the host factors and the tumor cells plays a major role in dictating the final outcome of the malignant process. Inflammatory mediators are pivotal microenvironmental factors present in the tumor milieu. These inflammatory components support cell growth and invasion, induce mutagenesis, increase angiogenicity, and suppress potential anti-tumor immune functions. The inflammatory constituents that prevail in tumors include leukocytes and soluble mediators - cytokines and chemokines. This e-book describes the roles played by these mediators in malignancy, and explains the basis for their consideration as therapeutic targets in cancer. The e-book is a timely overview of the roles played by inflammatory soluble mediators in neoplastic diseases. The topics addressed in this volume serve as a handy reference to investigators studying basic aspects of the malignant tumor growth, to clinicians who wish to better understand the processes involved in malignancy, and to pharmacological professionals seeking novel candidates for therapeutic intervention in cancer.

Various estimates suggest that between 30-40% of all human cancers are related to dietary patterns. Strong epidemiological evidence from population and twin studies points to dietary constituents that either contribute or protect against the development of various forms of cancer. This e-book reviews some traditional and relatively new areas of nutrition and cancer. Epidemiological data is combined with molecular biology research and, where available, clinical trial data. The emerging science of "Nutrigenomics" is discussed with chapters on the biological role of various nutrition components from red wine, peppers, green tea, fish oil, cruciferous vegetables, retinoids; and the intersection of nutrition and epigenetics in hematopoiesis. This e-book will be of interest to researchers in the nutrition and cancer field, physicians in family and community medicine, internal medicine and oncology, as well as dieticians providing counseling to cancer patients and cancer survivors.

Kidney transplantation is worldwide considered the best replacement therapy in patients with end-stage renal disease. However, although impressive improvements in surgical techniques and in the management of immunosuppression, long-term results have not significantly changed over the last decades. The purpose of this book is not to be a comprehensive review on kidney transplantation, but it would overview the recent acquisitions in the field of kidney transplantation, by offering to clinicians the future directions and the possible fields of research to improve the long term outcome. The book is divided into 27 chapters. The first part of the book is devoted to the basic principles of immunity and organ transplantation and the clinical evaluation of potential recipient. Moreover, in this section are discussed the most recent strategies to increase the donor pool trying to offer a kidney transplantation to a growing number of patients. The second part of the book is devoted to the immunosuppression. In these two chapters, the authors present an overview on the immunosuppressive management of kidney transplant recipients, with particular emphasis on the minimization of immunosuppression. The third part of the book is devoted to the complications of immunosuppression and to the psychological aspects of transplantation. This section is particularly detailed, and offers a complete point of view on the consequences and benefits of kidney transplantation. Last section is devoted to the future. The clinical tolerance and xenotransplantation are not still the present, but the authors illustrate the fields of application of these fundamental aspects of organ transplantation. The authors and editors have tried to select an appropriate mix of citations, but it has not been possible to cite all the relevant articles. Apologies are due to those authors whose works we have failed to cite. Our goal was to provide the most recent acquisitions in a practical manner. We hope that we have succeeded. Special thanks to all the authors for their excellent and enthusiastic collaboration and special thanks to our patients to whom are dedicated all our efforts.