Spinal Imaging : Diagnostic Imaging of the Spine and Spinal Cord
This is a richly illustrated and comprehensive textbook on the imaging of frequently encountered spinal disorders. Degenerative disease, spinal trauma, spinal tumors and the postoperative spine are addressed in detail. In addition, there are individual chapters on embryology, the pediatric spine, biomechanics, scoliosis, bone marrow disorders, infections, spondyloarthropathies and imaging of the sacrum. All imaging modalities are considered, including plain film, multidetector CT and MRI. The book is intended for daily use in any practice that engages in spinal imaging, and will assist both in film interpretation and in image acquisition. Its logical structure and extensive, accurate index are specifically designed to ensure ease of use.
Specialization and Complementation of Humoral Immune Responses to Infection
In recent years the results of past studies on T cell dependent and T cell independent antibody responses have coalesced with discoveries regarding the roles of various primary B cell subsets and components of the innate immune system in conferring resistance to infectious pathogens. As a consequence, a new and more complete understanding of how antibody-mediated resistance to pathogens is elaborated has emerged. The recent explosion of knowledge of Toll-like receptor specificity and function has further embellished this understanding. It is now clear that there is not only extensive overlap and cross-complementarity in the action of innate and adaptive immune systems, but also specialization of function of the various B cell subsets and the types of antibodies they produce. This synergistic interaction of multiple components of these systems is perhaps best exemplified in antibody responses to bacteria.
Smittestopp : A Case Study on Digital Contact Tracing
Describes Smittestopp, the first Norwegian system for digital contact tracing of Covid-19 infections, which was developed in March and early April 2020. The system was deployed after five weeks of development and was active for a little more than two months, when a drop in infection levels in Norway and privacy concerns led to shutting it down. The intention of this book is twofold. First, it reports on the design choices made in the development phase. Second, as one of the only systems in the world that collected population data into a central database and which was used for an entire population, we can share experience on how the design choices impacted the system's operation. By sharing lessons learned and the challenges faced during the development and deployment of the technology, we hope that this book can be a valuable guide for experts from different domains, such as big data collection and analysis, application development, and deployment in a national population, as well as digital tracing.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases : A Practical Guide for Primary Care
Sexually Transmitted Diseases: A Practical Guide for Primary Care covers the diagnosis and treatment of STDs and other information critical to patient care in the new millennium. This collaboration provides the clinician with the ability to identify and manage Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), as well as obtain information about preventing their sequelae. Among the topics covered in this book are human papillomavirus and genital warts, genital herpes, viral hepatitis, HIV infection and AIDS, chlamydial and gonorrheal infections, and upper genital tract infections in women. Other topics of interest include syphilis, trichomoniasis, chancroid, granuloma inguinale, lymphogranuloma venereum, and molluscum contagiosum. Special consideration is given to ectoparasites, patient-clinician communication and STD care, cultural competence and STI care, effectiveness of barrier methods for STI prevention, and the future role of vaccines and microbides.
Sex Work, Health, and Human Rights : Global Inequities, Challenges, and Opportunities for Action
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the health inequities and human rights issues faced by sex workers globally across diverse contexts, and outlines evidence-based strategies and best practices. Sex workers face severe health and social inequities, largely as the result of structural factors including punitive and criminalized legal environments, stigma, and social and economic exclusion and marginalization. Although previous work has largely emphasized an elevated burden and gaps in HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) services in sex work, less attention has been paid to the broader health and human rights concerns faced by sex workers. This contributed volume addresses this gap.
Sepsis ; 1st ed.
Sepsis is a multi-factorial disease process and this volume provides comprehensive and in-depth reviews of both the basic science and more practical aspects of patient management. These include detailed information on the epidemiology and genetics of sepsis as well as the metabolic and cardiovascular responses to infection. Infectious disease, in relation to sepsis, is well covered including chapters on unusual/exotic infections, control of infection and the rational use of antibiotics. Haematological aspects of sepsis are also reviewed in detail. Further chapters focus on the currently controversial areas of clinical trial design in sepsis and protocol-driven care. A specific chapter, with illustrated cases, draws practical lessons and offers useful management "tips".
Selective Digestive Tract Decontamination in Intensive Care Medicine : a Practical Guide to Controlling Infection
More than 20 years ago it was recognized by Stoutenbeek and colleagues that patients in the intensive care unit suffered from infections developed whilst being treated. Moreover, the majority of these infections appeared to originate from bacteria that were acquired in the intensive care leading to pathologic colonisation and overgrowth in the gut, subsequently leading to organ site infections. Selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) is an antibiotic strategy which aims to prevent secondary infections in critically ill patients. This book provides both the scientific rationale and the practical approach to nurses, physicians, pharmacists and microbiologists to design a SDD treatment strategy tailored to each individual patient and the local hospital situation.
Screening of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in hemodialysis patients
Hepatitis is a liver infection characterized by inflammation of the liver tissue. Infectious causes of hepatitis include viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections, as well as non-infectious causes, such as radiation, drugs, chemicals, autoimmune diseases, and toxins. Viral infection accounts for most hepatitis cases observed in the clinical setting. The main subtypes of hepatitis include HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV, and HEV. Infections with these viruses can lead to the onset of acute disease with symptoms, including jaundice, dark urine, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Some subtypes, such as HBV and HCV, can lead to the prolonged elevation of serum transaminase level (longer than 6 months), a condition termed chronic hepatitis.
Role of Apoptosis in Infection
This mechanism of programmed cell death plays an important role in normal development and control of cell numbers in mature animals. Initiation of the apoptotic process can come from external or internal stimuli and is highly regulated both by molecules that facilitate and by molecules that inhibit the process. It can be envisioned that apoptosis as a response to an intracellular pathogen is a useful way for the host to eliminate infected cells, decreasing the likelihood of spread of the infection to neighboring cells and preventing pathogen persistence. Alternatively, the apoptotic response may be a major mechanism by which the host is harmed by a pathogen.
RF Imperfections in High-rate Wireless Systems : Impact and Digital Compensation
the book focuses on multiple-antenna orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO OFDM), which will be applied as basis for the majority of near-future high-rate wireless systems. The basics of MIMO OFDM are introduced and the typically required signal processing in the implementation of such systems is elucidated. The book treats several of the front-end impairments that seriously affect the performance of MIMO OFDM systems: carrier frequency offset, phase noise, IQ imbalance and nonlinearities. To provide an in-depth understanding of the impact of these RF imperfections, analytical performance results are presented in the book. These results are then used to design different compensation approaches based on digital baseband processing.
Quasispecies : Concept and Implications for Virology
Continuous genetic variation and selection of virus subpopulations in the course of RNA virus replications are intimately related to viral disease mechanisms. The central topics of this volume are the origins of the quasispecies concept, and the implications of quasispecies dynamics for viral populations.
Proteases in Gastrointestinal Tissues
This, the fifth volume in the Proteases in Biology and Disease series, is devoted to Proteases in Gastrointestinal Tissues. Of course, proteases play an important role in the digestion and utilization of ingested proteins, but besides that they elicit a wide range of physiological and pathological effects. Proteases have been recognized as essential regulators, acting both locally and systemically, of normal development, growth and functioning. Dysregulation of protease expression and/or enzymatic activity is often associated with the onset or progression of disease and, thus, proteases represent interesting targets for the pharmacological therapy of e. g. cancer, chronic inflammation, graft rejection, fibrosis, diabetes, vascular disease, and viral or bacterial infections.
Promising antiviral herbal and medicinal plants
With the prevalence of viral diseases causing significant health challenges and the emergence of highly infectious and difficult-to-treat conditions, such as Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and Hepatitis B, there is a pressing need for effective antiviral treatments. Throughout history, viral infections have caused devastating pandemics, leading to widespread illness and mortality. Notable examples include the Black Death caused by Yersinia pestis and the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. To address this ongoing threat, exploring the potential of herbal and medicinal plants as a source of antiviral compounds is crucial.
Prions : Food and Drug Safety
Prion diseases recently have attracted interest not only scientifically but also socially because of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic and the outbreak of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in the United Kingdom. In 2004, the International Symposium of Prion Diseases for Food and Drug Safety was held October 31–November 2 in Sendai, Japan, where, 20 years earlier, arguments were first heard on whether the etiologic agent of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy was prions or scrapie-associated fibrils. This volume is a collection of current work on prion research that was presented at the 2004 symposium. Topics included range from basic research to clinical aspects of prion diseases, making the book a valuable resource for researchers and clinicians, and encouraging further developments by the next generation of researchers.
Principles of Network Economics
Network problems are manifold and extremely complex. Many problems result from engineering details or mathematical difficulties, others are caused by disregarding economic principles and imperfections of markets. The text provides a fairly integrated approach of transportation related "network problems" and their "solutions" with emphasis on economics or, more precisely, microeconomic theory.
Principles of Immunopharmacology
This single volume represents an additional text for students who require background information on the immune response, its diagnosis and its modification by drugs and chemicals. The first section of the book, providing a basic introduction to immunology and its relevance for human disease, has been updated to accommodate new immunological concepts. The second section on immunodiagnostics has been further expanded to describe widely used molecular techniques and is followed by a systematic coverage of drugs affecting the immune system, revised to cover recent developments. The book concludes with a chapter on immunotoxicology.
Primary immunodeficiency diseases : Definition, diagnosis, and management
Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID) are a group of disorders involving defects in one or more components of the immune system, and are characterized by an increased incidence of infections, autoimmunity, and malignancies. Although PID seem to be rare, the number of patients diagnosed has increased in recent years, and more than 150 different forms of PID have been identified. Nevertheless, because of inadequate medical awareness, a significant number of patients with PID are either not recognized as having a PID or are not diagnosed as early as they should be. Such delays lead to a substantial increase in morbidity and mortality among affected individuals.Our understanding of PID is improving rapidly, which will hopefully lead to more accurate diagnosis and efficient disease management. This book contains the most recent advances in the field, as well as a concise and structured review of previously identified PID. Although the book’s primary focus is on practical diagnosis and management, the pathophysiology of PID is also discussed.This book is a comprehensive yet manageable resource for physicians and nurses wishing to learn more about PID, as well as a useful tool for both doctors-in-training and specialists in clinical decision-making and treatment planning.
Preventive and therapeutic role of vitamins as nutraceuticals
Provides informative coverage of recent breakthroughs in vitamins and their ability to prevent disease, manage health issues, and treat chronic illness. It describes the beneficial effects of vitamins as nutraceuticals in treating cancer, for improving the immunity of patients with HIV and AIDS, for the treatment of tuberculosis, and for the management of infectious diseases, such as viral infections, microbial infections, and COVID-19. The functional activity of vitamins in brain health and obesity management is also explored for the management, prevention, and delay of hypertension and related problems. The volume also covers vitamins that play a role in neurodegenerative diseases as well as those that can be used for weight loss and obesity, blindness and vision issues, baldness, and skincare issues.
Prevention and Treatment of Age-related Diseases
This book takes status of the molecular, cellular, hormonal, nutritional and lifestyle strategies being tested and applied. The book is comprised of inter-dependent chapters written in the form of critical reviews by world leading researchers and practitioners in their respective fields. The format of the articles is a semi-academic style in which research data from various experimental systems is presented while focusing on their applications in human beings with respect to the prevention and treatment of age-related impairments.
Practicing Neurology : What You Need to Know, What You Need to Do
In this new edition, Practicing Neurology: What You Need to Know, What You Need to Do, the latest volume from our Current Clinical Neurology™ series, Rahman Pourmand takes readers through the process of treating neurological conditions from evaluation to emergencies. For each condition, Pourmand provides basic facts, key definitions, step-by-step instructions for conducting a concise physical examination, neurologic signs to watch for, treatment strategies, and the prognosis. In Part I, the author outlines neurological history and examination, highlighting some common neurological constructs while elucidating the most up-to-date neurodiagnostic tests and procedures. Part II details common neurological conditions including stroke, seizure and epilepsy, central nervous system infections, complications from alcohol, dizziness and vertigo, headaches, sleep disorders, and back and neck pain. In Part III, neurological urgencies and emergencies, such as comas, status epilepticus, brain edema, transtentorial herniation, metastatic epidural spinal cord compression, acute meningitis, delirium tremens, Wernicke's encephalopathy, myastenia gravis crisis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and temporal arteritis are covered in detail.



















