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Chemokine biology : Basic research and clinical application ; Vol.2 : Pathophysiology of chemokines
Chemokines play an important role in recruiting inflammatory cells into tissues in response to infection and inflammation. They also play an important role in coordinating the movement of T-cells, B-cells and dentritic cells, necessary to generate an immune response (response to injury, allergens, antigens, invading microorganisms). They selectively attract leukocytes to inflammatory foci, inducing both cell migration and activation. They are involved in various diseases, like atherosclerosis, lung and skin inflammation, multiple sclerosis, or HIV. Volume 2 of this two-volume set discusses the pathophysiology of chemokines. It is divided into two parts: a) chemokines in animal disease models, and b) chemokines as drug targets. Together with volume 1, which discusses the immunobiology of chemokines, both volumes give a comprehensive overview of chemokine biology.
Chemokine biology : Basic research and clinical application ; Vol.1 : Immunobiology of chemokines
The discovery of interleukin-8 close to 20 years ago initiated a new field of research touching on many aspects of immunology and inflammation. Interleukin-8 is just one member of a large class of structurally related chemoattractant proteins, known as chemokines. Chemokines are involved in the traffic control of leukocytes, which bear the corresponding chemokine receptors on their surfaces. Today, it is clear that chemokines affect all aspects of immunology and even many unrelated fields, such as tissue development and tumor cell metastasis. Their fundamental contributions to chronic inflammatory diseases make them a principal target for the development of novel, anti-inflammatory therapeutics.
Biotic elicitors: Production, purification, and characterization
Details techniques to study biotic elicitors involved in the field of agriculture for the benefit of the environment and growers. Chapters guide readers through protein, carbohydrate, lipid, glycoprotein and glycolipid components derived from microorganisms and their production, purification, and characterization.
Biosurfactants for a sustainable future : Production and applications in the environment and biomedicine
The book emphasizes the different techniques that are used for the production of biosurfactants from microorganisms and their characterization. Various aspects of biosurfactants, including structural characteristics, developments, production, bio-economics and their sustainable use in the environment and biomedicine, are addressed, and the book also presents metagenomic strategies to facilitate the discovery of novel biosurfactants producing microorganisms.
Biomining
Biomining is the biotechnology that uses microorganisms to recover metals, in particular copper and gold, from ores and concentrates. Having developed from a very simple operational (in terms of both engineering and biology) process, biomining has developed into a multifaceted technology, to the extent that many of the largest industrial stirred tanks and heaps throughout the world are employed for bioprocessing minerals. This book has a strong applied approach and describes emerging and established industrial processes, as well as the underlying theory of the process, and the biology of the microorganisms involved. Chapters have been written by personnel from leading biomining companies, consultants and internationally recognized researchers and academics
Bioenergetics : Energy conservation and conversion
The present book addresses fundamental questions of biological energy transformation and conservation, with a focus on those processes which can now be understood on a structural basis.Current knowledge of selected examples of the biological energy conservation machinery such as cellular oxygen respiration, light-driven energy converters, and fermentation is reviewed. The machinery is highly variable, particularly that within microorganisms, but all of these devices universally rely on one unique underlying physico-chemical principle. The book is a rich source for specialists interested in recent developments in bioenergetics research and novices in the field alike.
Applications of Plant Metabolic Engineering
Written by leading international experts in the field of plant metabolic engineering, this book discusses, mainly, applications of plant metabolic engineering. Metabolic engineering, which is part of second generation biotechnology, has made several contributions at basic level as well as at conceptualising products ever since its emergence in the early 1980s. Applications resulting from metabolic engineering are expected to play a very important role in future for plant breeding, e.g. for improved resistance or improved traits concerning health promoting constituents, and production of fine chemicals such as medicines, flavors and fragrances.
Applications of cell immobilisation biotechnology
Cell Immobilisation Biotechnology" is divided into the two book volumes, FOBI 8A and FOBI 8B. The FOBI 8A volume, Fundamentals of Cell Immobilisation Biotechnology, is dedicated to fundamental aspects of cell immobilisation while the present volume, FOBI 8B, Applications of Cell Immobilisation Biotechnology, deals with diverse applications of this technology.
Application of microbes in environmental and microbial biotechnology
Discusses the innovative approaches and investigation strategies, as well as provides a broad spectrum of the cutting-edge research on the processing, properties and technological developments of microbial products and their applications. Microbes finds very important applications in our lives including industries and food processing. They are widely used in the fermentation of beverages, processing of dairy products, production of pharmaceuticals, chemicals, enzymes, proteins and biomaterials / conversion of biomass into fuel, fuel cell technology, health and environmental sectors. Some of these products are produced commercially, while others are potentially valuable in biotechnology. Microorganisms are considered invaluable in research as model organisms. This is a useful compilation for students and researchers in microbiology, biotechnology and chemical industries.
Antibiotic Drug Resistance
This book presents a thorough and authoritative overview of the multifaceted field of antibiotic science – offering guidance to translate research into tools for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases.
Amino acid biosynthesis : Pathways, regulation and metabolic engineering
Amino Acids Biosynthesis presents the current knowledge of fundamental as well as applied microbiology of amino acids. Topics discussed are the amino acid biosynthetic pathways, their genetic and biochemical regulation, transport of amino acids and genomics of producing microorganisms. The characterization of the control mechanisms of amino acid biosynthesis has revealed insights into principles of genetic and biochemical regulation, such as transcriptional regulators and a new class of regulatory elements, the riboswitch. The volume further deals with the metabolic engineering of microorganisms for the biotechnological production of amino acids for use as pharmaceuticals and, particularly, as food and feed additives.
Alkaliphiles : Genetic properties and applications of enzymes
The pioneering work of Dr. Koki Horikoshi on the discovery, research and applications of alkaliphilic bacteria are described here in their entirety. The isolation, distribution and taxonomy of alkaliphilic microorganisms as well as their cell structure and physiology are discussed for a basic understanding of these entities. The molecular biology and genome sequencing of some alkaliphilic bacterial strains are also presented. Part II of the volume focuses on enzymes of alkaliphiles and their applications. These include alkaline proteases, starch-degrading enzymes and numerous others. Some of these enzymes are currently in wide commercial use as laundry detergent additives and in wastewater treatment. Alkaliphiles are a relatively recent field of research that will no doubt provide avenues to a wide range of further discoveries and applications for a new generation of workers in bioscience and technology.
Adaptation to Life at High Salt Concentrations in Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya
This book complements “Halophilic Microorganisms”, edited by A. Ventosa and published by Springer-Verlag (2004), “Halophilic Microorganism and their Environments” by A. Oren (2002), published by Kluwer Academic Publishers as volume 5 of “Cellular Origins, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology” (COLE), and “Microbiology and Biogeochemistry of Hypersaline Environments” edited by A. Oren, and published by CRC Press, Boca Raton (1999).
A Closer Look at Antibiotic Resistance
Bacterial infections have become more difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat due to antibiotic resistance, which occurs when bacteria develop the ability to defeat the available drugs designed to kill them. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year, 2 million Americans become sick with antibiotic-resistant infections, and of that, about 23,000 die. This book examines the challenges related to antibiotic resistance, the development and use of diagnostic testing to identify antibiotic resistance, the development of treatments for resistant infections, and appropriate antibiotic use.
Breath odors : Origin, diagnosis, and management
Presents a comprehensive and cohesive science-based approach to bad breath, combining basic research with clinical approaches to diagnosis and treatment. All aspects of the subject are examined thoroughly and critically, including the psychological impact of breath odor and future prospects.
Cellular Automaton Modeling of Biological Pattern Formation: Characterization, Applications, and Analysis
This book focuses on a challenging application field of cellular automata: pattern formation in biological systems, such as the growth of microorganisms, dynamics of cellular tissue and tumors, and formation of pigment cell patterns. These phenomena, resulting from complex cellular interactions, cannot be deduced solely from experimental analysis, but can be more easily examined using mathematical models, in particular, cellular automaton models.
Bioremediation of Soils Contaminated with Aromatic Compounds
Environmental biotechnology, which was in its infancy in the early 80's, has evolved thanks to the revolution brought about by molecular biology. Multiple successes in the biological cleanup of civil and industrial wastewater and of hydrocarbon soil pollution, demonstrate the vast power of clean technologies. In addition, the buildup of information on the activities of microorganisms as catalysts in all sorts of natural, industrial and animal environments has flourished. There is a continuing realization of the critical role of microbial processes in biological, industrial and geological systems. Since environmental biotechnology has matured, it is ready to tackle bigger challenges: the scaling up of many bioremediation systems still in progress, the search for novel biocatalysts for industrial applications, the continuing effort against common human life-threatening processes such as antibiotic resistance, the accumulation of hormone-mimicking substances (endocrine disrupters), the deposition of air-borne pesticides in the environment and, the degradation of recalcitrant contaminants. These endeavors will help prevent the contamination of food chains, protect human life and allow for human activity and economic development that do not compromise environmental sustainabijity.
Bioactive Molecules and Medicinal Plants
Use of medicinal plants is as old as human civilization and continuous efforts are being made to improve medicinal plants or produce their products in high amounts through various technologies. About 200,000 natural products of plant origin are known and many more are being identifed from higher plants and microorganisms. Some plant-based drugs have been used for centuries and there is no alternative medicine for many drugs, such as cardiac glycosides. However, natural products research was sidelined to pave the way for com- natorial chemistry, which was expected to produce large numbers of synthetic compounds for high-throughput screening (HTS). This line of work has failed to deliver desirable results. Moreover, it is not possible for all pharmaceutical companies and institutions to adopt costly HTS technology. Therefore, medi- nal plants and their bioactive molecules are always in demand and are a central point of research. While planning this book, we endeavored to incorporate - ticles that cover the entire gamut of current medicinal plants research.
