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Olfactory knows the truth
Olfaction, the sense of smell detects and discriminate odors as well as social cues which influence our innate responses. The olfactory system in human beings is found to be weak as compared to other animals; however, it seems to be very precise. It can detect and discriminate millions of chemical moieties (odorants) even in minuscule quantities. The sense of smell is greatly underappreciated, despite the fact that it monitors the intake of airborne agents into the human respiratory system and determine to a large degree the flavor and palatability of foods and beverage. In addition to enhancing quality of life, this primary sensory system warns of spoiled foods, leaking natural gas, polluted air and smoke, and mediates basic elements of communication (e.g., mother-infant interaction). It is now apparent that smell dysfunction is among the first clinical signs of such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer’s disease and sporadic Parkinson’s disease.
Nuclear Import and Export in Plants and Animals
Nuclear Import and Export in Plants and Animals provides insight into the remarkable mechanisms of nuclear import and export. This book covers a range of topics from the nuclear pore structure, to nuclear import and export of macromolecules in plant and animal cells. In addition, the book covers the special cases of nuclear import of Agrobacterium T-DNA during plant genetic transformation, nuclear import and export of animal viruses, and nuclear intake of foreign DNA. A chapter on research methods to study nuclear transport concludes the book.
Neoproterozoic Geobiology and Paleobiology
The Neoproterozoic Era (1000-542 million years ago) is a geological period of dramatic climatic change and important evolutionary innovations. Repeated glaciations of unusual magnitude occurred throughout this tumultuous interval, and various eukaryotic clades independently achieved multicellularity, becoming more complex, abundant, and diverse at its termination. Animals made their first debut in the Neoproterozoic too. The intricate interaction among these geological and biological events is a centrepiece of Earth system history, and has been the focus of geobiological investigations in recent decades. The purpose of this volume is to present a sample of views and visions among some of the growing numbers of Neoproterozoic workers. The contributions represent a cross section of recent insights into the field of Neoproterozoic geobiology.
Natural poisons and venoms: Plant toxins : Polyketides, phenylpropanoids and further compounds
Biogenic toxins are fascinating natural products characterized by an enormous diversity of chemical structures and pharmacological activities. They not only pose hazards to humans and animals, but they are important components in the interplay of substances and living beings in nature and, moreover, important sources for new drugs.
Natural poisons and venoms : Animal toxins
Biogenic toxins are fascinating natural products characterized by an enormous diversity of chemical structures and pharmacological activities. They not only pose hazards to humans and animals, but they are important components in the interplay of substances and living beings in nature and, moreover, important sources for new drugs.
Natural poisons and venom : Plant toxins : Terpenes and steroids
Biogenic toxins are fascinating natural products characterized by an enormous diversity of chemical structures and pharmacological activities. They not only pose hazards to humans and animals, but they are important components in the interplay of substances and living beings in nature and, moreover, important sources for new drugs.
Myosins : A Superfamily of Molecular Motors
Application of state-of-the-art cellular and molecular biological, structural biological, genetic, biochemical and biophysical techniques has provided and continues to provide critical information regarding the structure–function relationship; and the cellular roles of various myosins in organisms as diverse as protozoa, yeast, plants and higher animals. The association of myosins with diseases including neurological disorders, immu- deficiencies, cardiomyopathies, hearing and vision loss testify to the importance of understanding the biochemical properties and cellular roles of myosins. The 16 chapters in this volume summarize the tremendous progress made in studying members of the myosin superfamily in recent years and offer critical insight into what future research will yield.
Molecular Neurosurgery with Targeted Toxins
Focuses on the highly successful use of the immunotoxins, 192 IgG-saporin and ME20.4-saporin, to lesion the cholinergic basal forebrain in order to model the behavior, anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology of Alzheimer's disease in animals. Also discussed are the uses of anti-DBH-saporin immunotoxin to make remarkably selective lesions of catecholaminergic neurons, hypocretin-saporin that can produce narcoleptic animals, and other saporin conjugates, such as neuropeptide-saporin conjugates for pain research and cholera toxin B chain-saporin to produce a model of central nervous system demyelination. Overview perspectives and, in some cases, more practical details are provided that allow the reader to appreciate exactly what is involved in using these agents. Both practical and theoretical, Molecular Neurosurgery With Targeted Toxins provides readers with not only the background to understand these techniques, but also numerous real-life examples that can be readily adapted to new purposes and an ever-increasing number of new targeted toxins.
Modern treatments for chronic blood diseases
Blood is a body fluid in humans and other animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. In vertebrates, it is composed of blood cells suspended in blood plasma. Plasma, which constitutes 55% of blood fluid, is mostly water (92% by volume), and contains proteins, glucose, mineral ions, hormones, carbon dioxide (plasma being the main medium for excretory product transportation), and blood cells themselves. Albumin is the main protein in plasma, and it functions to regulate the colloida osmotic pressure of blood. The blood cells are mainly red blood cells (also called RBCs or erythrocytes), white blood cells (also called WBCs or leukocytes) and platelets (also called thrombocytes). Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders characterized by decreased hemoglobin production Symptoms depend on the type and can vary from none to severe. Often there is mild to severe anemia (low red blood cells or hemoglobin). Anemia can result in feeling tired and pale skin. There may also be bone problems, an enlarged spleen, yellowish skin, and dark urine. Slow growth may occur in children.
Migration of organisms : Climate. geography. ecology
The editor presents a suitable collection of topics, to achieve the goal of this book, which is explaining the migration of organisms through many examples of different groups of marine and non-marine organisms, ranging from micro-invertebrates to large vertebrates (mammals), and focusing on several aspects that are not collected together.
Memories : Molecules and Circuits
This volume surveys the recent advances and provides an integrative view of molecular, cellular, and systems level mechanisms underlying cognitive processes in both animals and humans. Current state of the art and future avenues are discussed by distinguished scientists who provide not only an overview of the underlying neurobiology of cognitive processes from a basic science standpoint, but who also focus on clinical and therapeutic aspects surrounding impairments associated with disorders that affect cognition.
Meat Biotechnology
The main goal of this book is to provide the reader with the recent developments in biotechnology and their applications in the meat processing chain. To achieve this goal, the book is divided into four parts. The first part deals with the use of modern biotechnology applied to farm animals. The second part focuses on the recent biotechnological developments in starter cultures for better meat fermentation. The third part discusses current approaches to improve the quality and nutritional properties of meats. The final part presents the latest advances in protection against foodborne pathogens, and other recent trends in the field. Written by distinguished international contributors, this book brings together the advances in such varied and different biotechnological topics
Measuring Methane Production from Ruminants
The world’s livestock sector is amidst a major transformation, fuelled by high demand for meat and milk, which is likely to double over the next two decades in developing countries. The challenge is to enhance animal productivity without adversely affecting the environment. A key to this is reducing methane emissions from ruminants. The major limitation to ruminant production in many tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America, where a large proportion of the global ruminant population is located, is poor nutrition. The productivity of animals is restricted by the low nitrogen and high fibre content of the native grasses and crop residues, which form the basis of the diets in these regions. Animals on these types of diets emit more methane than animals fed better quality temperate forages. These methane emissions represent a loss of digestible energy to the animal (up to 15%) as well as a threat to the environment.The challenge is to devise nutritional strategies and identify dietary components, particularly from locally available plant resources, that reduce methane emissions.
Iron Nutrition in Plants and Rhizospheric Microorganisms
This book uses an interdisciplinary approach to provide a comprehensive review on the status of iron nutrition in plants. International scientists discuss research on acquisition of iron by strategy I and strategy II plants. These reviews summarize a variety of plant species and include both laboratory and field observations. Topics covered in this book include: plants as a source of iron for animals and humans, iron translocation in the plants, iron-stimulated activities that influence crop yield and fruit tree productivity, iron uptake by plants as influenced by microorganisms (i.e. free living soil microorganisms, symbiotic nitrogen-fixing and pathogenic bacteria), the role of plant hormones in iron transport, iron-metal competition in phytoremediation, root zone activities involving interactions between minerals and organic matter, the role of microbial siderophores in rhizospheric iron cycling, iron storage as phytoferritin, proteomic and metabolic studies associated with iron stress response, methods for studying iron metabolism including stable isotopes, and the correction of iron deficiency through the use of synthetic or natural chelates.
Introduction to Epigenetics
This textbook leads the reader from basic concepts of chromatin structure and function and RNA mechanisms to the understanding of epigenetics, imprinting, regeneration and reprogramming. The textbook treats epigenetic phenomena in animals, as well as plants.
Intestinal Microorganisms of Termites and Other Invertebrates
Soil microorganisms play a major role in the degradation and recycling of organic material. Microbes are involved in the food web and strongly contribute to soil fertility. In the past, attention was mainly directed towards free-living or particle-bound microorganisms, while the role of intestinal microbes of soil animals has been neglected. For the first time, "Intestinal Microorganisms of Termites and Other Invertebrates" focuses on the microbes in gut systems of soil animals. It starts with a profound overview of the biology of soil invertebrates. A major part deals with the gut microbiota of termites, the best investigated gut system of invertebrates. Termites are important soil processors in tropical and subtropical regions. Insight is given into the intestinal microbiota of further relevant primary litter decomposers, such as earthworms, springtails, millipeds, and woodlice. Novel techniques for studying intestinal microbes complete the volume.
Intermittent fasting
The potential benefits of intermittent fasting are not limited to weight loss and weight management. Recent studies have shed light on its role in adaptive cellular responses that reduce oxidative damage and inflammation, optimize energy metabolism and bolster cellular protection. By reprogramming metabolic and stress resistance pathways, intermittent fasting has the possible ability to increase longevity and reduce aging. Studies on animals have given promising result that show how intermittent fasting help prevent and treat diseases like diabetes, cancers, heart disease and neurodegeneration. Major mechanisms hypothesized to link fasting regimens with human health: circadian biology and the gastrointestinal microbiota.
Innate Immunity of Plants, Animals, and Humans
This book wants to give an overview of our current knowledge about the innate immune system of plants, animals and humans. It not only covers the innate immune mechanisms and responses of so diverse organisms such as plants, Cnidaria, Drosophila, urochordates and zebrafish, but also the major receptor systems in mammalians and humans as well as the central defense mechanisms, antimicrobial peptides and the complement system.
Injecting Salmonella Bacteria in to the Tumor Cures Cancer
The human body is inhabited by millions of tiny living organisms like good bacteria. We acquire these bacteria during birth and the first years of life, and they live with us throughout our lives. The human microbiomes are involved in healthy growth, in protecting the body from invaders, in helping digestion, and in regulating moods, but sometimes these bacteria can also be harmful. We need to take good care of our health to avoid the development of some diseases, like salmonella for example. Salmonella infections in humans can range from self-limiting gastroenteritis typically associated with non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) to typhoidal fever, which can be life-threatening. Salmonellosis causes considerable morbidity and mortality in both humans and animals, and has a significant socioeconomic impact worldwide.
Inherited inborn errors in amino acids metabolism
Proteins are the most abundant organic molecules in animals, playing important roles in all aspects of cell structure and function. Proteins are biopolymers of acids, so named because the amino group is bonded to the carbon atom, next to the carbonyl group.
