Liver cancer, cirrhosis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease are observed predominately in men. Being male or female is believed to be an important human variable that affects health and liver disease throughout the life span. However, few works have been published on the biological mechanisms underlying gender specific differences in liver disease. Several mechanisms underlying sex-associated differences of progression of liver disease are demonstrated in this e-book based on biological factors as estrogen and hepatic iron stores. Readers will gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of these sex-associated differences in liver disease and on how to design healthcare for liver disease more effectively for individuals belonging to both genders. The e-book should be a useful reference on gender specific medicine for counselors and clinicians as well as for patients with chronic liver disease.

Body contouring is a rapidly growing field within plastic surgery. Safe and effective techniques have been developed in recent times with increased patient satisfaction indicated by visual analogue scores. This book brings together contributions from leading experts in bariatric surgery from all across the globe. The body contouring techniques and procedures described in the book have been developed specifically to treat massive weight loss patients in contrast to traditional methods that are normally unsuitable for such patients. These procedures focus on maximizing the removal of excess and unwanted skin whilst preserving volume and restoring contour. The key issue of patient safety is also addressed in the book. Body Contouring Following Bariatric Surgery and Massive Weight Loss should be a useful resource for surgeons and clinicians interested in massive weight loss surgery and satisfactory visual analogue scores.

This e-book discusses the molecular relationship between biological systems and risk factors for in-utero oxidative insults, maternal health and the impact on fetus at different critical developmental time windows (prenatal or even postnatal). Plausibly, prenatal and early postnatal periods are the most critical “windows” to oxidative stress programming insults. Pro-oxidative stress is a common feature of many conditions associated with adverse fetal growth and/or preterm birth, such as pre-eclampsia, diabetes, smoking, malnutrition or excessive nutrition, infection or inflammation. Oxidative stress insults may be directly linked to or associated with many genetic, nutritional and environmental risk factors that contribute to risks of adverse fetal growth or preterm birth. This e-book should be a valuable reference for medical researchers and working professionals interested in congenital defects.

Multiple Myeloma (MM), the second most common blood cancer in adults, is a clonal plasma cell malignancy within the bone marrow characterized by osteolytic bone lesions, renal disease, and immunodeficiency. It is now well established that MM cell- induced disruption of the bone marrow homeostasis between the highly organized cellular and extracellular compartments supports MM cell proliferation, survival, migration, and drug resistance via activation of various signaling pathways. Based on this knowledge, the prototypic drugs thalidomide, bortezomib, and lenalidomide, which target both MM cells and the bone marrow microenvironment, have already fundamentally changed treatment options of this disease. Indeed, their benefit is now not only shown in relapsed and refractory disease but they also improve overall response, duration of response, and progression-free and overall survival when used as part of first-line regimens. However, despite new insights into MM pathogenesis and exciting derived therapeutic advances, MM still remains incurable. Ongoing studies are therefore aiming to further delineate mechanisms of MM pathogenesis within the bone marrow to identify novel agents with enhanced cytotoxicity and decreased drug resistance to improve patient outcome. Multiple Myeloma - A New Era of Treatment Strategies is devoted to contributions from eminent scientists providing readers with comprehensive accounts of the most recent developments in the field of MM research. It addresses the interests of scientists and clinical investigators in MM research as well as other fields of oncology, in which the microenvironment is believed to play an important role.

The book focuses on a global problem challenging the health systems. Trypanosoma cruzi infections are transmitted by cone-nosed triatomine bugs, by blood transfusion and congenitally from mothers to their offspring. The American Trypanosomiasis affects 20 million people; among them a significant parcel (< 1/3) will develop Chagas disease in the heart and digestive tract, where the immune system effector cells destroy target host cells. Genotype modifications resulting from transfer of minicircle sequence kDNA from the parasite into the host´s genome may explain the autoimmune pathogenesis of the disease. The book discusses various aspects of this disease and should be of interest to readers who wish to keep abreast of the developments in this field.

This book covers novel approaches using networks and oscillations and it will serve as a catalyst for translating these exciting advancements into the clinical arena. This collection of articles aims to accelerate the widespread clinical translation of network approaches by providing practical information accessible to clinicians in neurology and psychiatry - fields that are uniquely poised to implement these developments in clinical treatment of brain diseases. It should be a useful resource for researchers and working professionals in neurological and psychiatric academic centers.

This Ebook covers the emerging and most important theories underlying artificial intelligence applications in a variety of medical problems. It is written for physicians, researchers, engineers, statisticians and advanced students who wish to increase their familiarity with different topics of modern mathematics related to predictive medicine. Both theoretical and applied aspects are presented in this book. Many illustrative mathematical explanations and worked-out examples are given. This book features contributions by nine noted experts from leading medical centers worldwide, which should prove to be of considerable interest to the readers.

Contemporary Sleep Medicine should be of interest to a large number of readers interested in sleep medicine. It is divided into two parts – one for patients or simple readers and another for physicians or advanced readers. The Ebook explores new research grounds for sleep disorders. These include novel methodologies for epidemiological research and strategies for curing individuals who suffer from sleep disorders. The volumes seek to update interested readers on the latest advances in the uncharted territory of sleep medicine.

Language is the most versatile and fascinating of all human cognitive functions, constituting a field of interest in very different areas, from Linguistics to Speech Therapy, from Philosophy to Computational Sciences, including Psychology, Neurology, Biology, and Social Sciences. The scope of this E-book is to provide the reader with an update on topics relevant to neurolinguistics such as new cognitive models of comprehension and production of normal language, new perspectives on the understanding of aphasic symptoms and the interface between language and other cognitive functions – functional neuroimaging and language. This E-book will be of interest both for teachers and researchers in Neurosciences and Linguistics as well as for professionals who treat patients with disorders of language and communication, such as Neurologists, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Neuropsychologists, Speech Therapists, and Occupational Therapists, among many others.

Hypercalcemia is a relatively common disorder, which requires specific treatment in order to control symptoms and prevent the development of organ damage. Primary hyperparathyroidism and malignancy are responsible for most cases of hypercalcemia, and treatment has therefore been focused towards these two areas. The aim of this book is to present updated knowledge on hypercalcemia, its association with renal disorders, and benign and malignant diseases, diagnostic methodologies, as well as surgical and medical treatment. Insights into the etiology, pathogenesis and pathophysiology of hypercalcemia are included along with details on biochemical findings and ways to monitor complications and therapy. Suggestions on current imaging techniques and surgical treatment of hypercalcemia, are also presented. The book presents an overview on the pharmacology of anti-hypercalcemic drugs, also providing information on new drugs and future perspectives. The book will serve as a comprehensive reference source for oncologists, nephrologists, endocrinologists, clinicians, biochemists and pharmacologists, as well those involved in hypercalcemia management and research.