Bøger i Methods in Molecular Medicine serien

Psychiatric Genetics provides the reader with a complete view of the methodological problems encountered in psychiatry genetics and proposes solutions to commonly occurring questions.

Internationally recognized investigators review the latest developments in, and novel approaches to, understanding the prion protein and prion diseases at the molecular level.

In keeping with the organization used effectively in other volumes in this series, each chapter has a brief introduction followed by a list of required items, protocols, and notes designed to help the reader perform the expe- ments without difficulty.

A comprehensive manual in the broad and deep field of cardiovascular medicine, this volume covers a wide spectrum of techniques encompassing biochemical, pharmacological and molecular biology disciplines currently used to assess vascular disease progression.

A qualitative leap in the understanding of cardiovascular and n- ral regulation by the renin-angiotensin system, and of the role of this s- tem in tissue damage, has occurred as a result of the many recent advances in molecular genetic techniques. The cloning of the genes for the components of the renin-angiotensin system, the design of specific angiotensin receptor ligands, and the use of embryonic gene targeting te- niques for the creation of mutant strains have established that the renin- angiotensin system is important in blood pressure regulation, ion and fluid homeostasis, and tissue growth and remodeling Further investigation of the mechanisms by which this system p- ticipates in cardiovascular regulation may shed some light on the pat- genesis of several cardiovascular diseases, e. g. , hypertension, congestive heart failure, and chronic renal failure. Despite the promise of this system as a target for therapeutic interventions for these diseases, there are great challenges in the integration of the attempts to close the gap between the traditional literature of medicine and the explosion of information from the new technologies. This book's title, Angiotensin Protocols, reflects the authors' strong efforts to translate expert knowledge into easy-to-follow practice. The book opens with introductory chapters, and each specialty section provides detailed methods covering a wide variety of techniques, ranging from genetic manipulation of targeted genes to functional studies of the renin- angiotensin system.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder charact- ized clinically by tremor, rigidity, slow movements, and postural instability. The chronic disability and the increased prevalence of the disease with the prolongation of life expectancy in developed countries make the social and economic impact of this disease quite high.

The first draft of the human genome sequence was announced in June 2000, and we have just scratched the surface of the changes it will engender in medicine. A relevant question is what are the long-term effects of the Human Genome Project for medicine? First, the Human Genome Project introduced a new type of s- ence-discovery science.

Over the past 20 years, technological advances in molecular biology have proven invaluable to the understanding of the pathogenesis of human cancer. The aim of Molecular Ana- sis of Cancer is to provide a comprehensive collection of the most up-to-date techniques for the detection of molecular changes in human cancer.

This latest addition to the Methods in Molecular Medicine series, Anti- ral Methods and Protocols, is opportune because there is an increasing int- est in discovering compounds that are effective against both chronic and acute viral infections.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in developed countries, but is quickly becoming an epidemic in such well-populated countries as China, India, and other developing nations.

A comprehensive manual in the broad and deep field of cardiovascular medicine, this volume covers a wide spectrum of techniques encompassing biochemical, pharmacological and molecular biology disciplines currently used to assess vascular disease progression.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in developed countries, but is quickly becoming an epidemic in such well-populated countries as China, India, and other developing nations.

Molecular Cardiology: Methods and Protocols consists of 26 chapters de- ing with various aspects of molecular cardiology, including gene transfer and gene therapy for cardiovascular disease, stem cell therapy for cardiovascular disease, gene analysis in the injured and hypertrophied heart, and transgenesis in cardiovascular research.

Studies are numerous and incorporate data on stroke inheritance, chromosomal loci of risk, preclinical models of stroke, and differential gene expression of brain injury, repair, and recovery.

In part through cross-species compa- sons and multidisciplinary approaches (combining, for example, classical embry- ogy, genetics, molecular biology, and systems biology), major questions have often been redefined and examined from new angles and with innovative tools.

Despite a growing awareness of OA as a medical problem that has yet to reach its maximum impact on society, there is a surprising absence of effective medical treatments beyond pain control and surgery.

We are currently experiencing a fundamental shift in the way in which we approach the characterization of cancer. These drugs are only the forerunners of a coming tidal wave of novel therapeutics that individually target specific m- ecules within cancer cells-more than 300 such agents are currently in phase I or II clinical trials.

Despite the availability of an effective vaccine, there are still 400 million people, worldwide who are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Given the possible consequences of HBV infection, the number of those chronically infected with HBV presents an enormous public health challenge.

Despite the availability of an effective vaccine, there are still 400 million people, worldwide who are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Given the possible consequences of HBV infection, the number of those chronically infected with HBV presents an enormous public health challenge.

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown leading to cerebral edema occurs in many brain diseases-such as trauma, stroke, inflammation, infection, and tumors-and is an important factor in the mortality arising from these con- tions.

Viral Vectors for Gene Therapy: Methods and Protocols consists of 30 ch- ters detailing the use of herpes viruses, adenoviruses, adeno-associated viruses, simple and complex retroviruses, including lentiviruses, and other virus systems for vector development and gene transfer.

The aim of Hematologic Malignancies: Methods and Techniques is to review those methods most useful for the diagnosis and subsequent mana- ment of hematologic malignancies.

We are in an exciting era in the war against cancer, with real prospects for novel anticancer drugs that are cancer cell-specific without the toxicities that have been the hallmark of conventional cytotoxic cancer chemotherapy.

During the past decade, significant progress in molecular and cellular te- niques has greatly advanced our understanding of the wound healing p- cess.

This work, Lung Cancer, Volume 2: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Methods and Reviews, in the Methods in Molecular Medicine series presents an overview of the current status of those methods useful in the diagnosis and tre- ment of lung cancer-both as it exists in the clinic and as it is being revoluti- ized in the laboratory.

From the viewpoint of this volume, lung inflammation is now recognized as central to the pathophysiology of a number of severe respiratory conditions, the two most common being asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The unexpected and unp- dictable occurrence of the disease in previously healthy children and young adults, its rapid progression, and the frequent occurrence of purpura fulminans with the resulting gangrene of limbs and digits and the requirement for mutilating s- gery, have all heightened both public and medical interest in the disease.

Numerous cancer gene therapy strategies are currently being investigated, including gene replacement therapy, the regulation of gene expression to modulate immu- logical responses to tumors, the direct killing of tumor cells, and direct int- ference with tumor growth.

Describes in step-by-step detail the major molecular, biochemical, and functional techniques used in probing the renin-angiotensin system. This work includes techniques that range from the use of embryonic gene targeting to create of mutant strains, to the functional investigation of components of the renin-angiotensin system.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder charact- ized clinically by tremor, rigidity, slow movements, and postural instability. The chronic disability and the increased prevalence of the disease with the prolongation of life expectancy in developed countries make the social and economic impact of this disease quite high.