الصفحة 1
الصفحة 1
Hepatitis C Virus Disease
Emphasizes the most recent advances on the Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) moving from basic research to clinical application. In spite of the numerous studies on HCV infection, its pathogenesis and medical treatment have not been fully explained. The first chapters of this volume analyize the full spectrum of immune responses to HCV taking into account either innate or adoptive immunity involvement. The volume also includes a series of contributions which explain the state of art of IFN-alpha treatment in HCV patients and the effectiveness of therapy also in relation to HCV genotypes. The use and applications of pegylated IFNs will also be discussed as well as the complicated HCV disease and its treatment. Hepatitis C Virus Disease: Immunobiology and Clinical Applications is an ideal volume for researchers, scientists, professionals, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of infectious disease, immunology, virology, microbiology, pharmacology and medicine.
DNA Methylation : Development, Genetic Disease and Cancer
It has become apparent that the genomes of many organisms are characterized by unique patterns of DNA methylation which can differ from genome segment to genome segment and cell type to cell type. These patterns can be instrumental in determining cell type and function. Thus, it is not surprising that studies on the role of DNA methylation now occupy center stage in many fields of biology and medicine such as developmental biology, genetic imprinting, genetic disease, tumor biology, gene therapy, cloning of organisms and others. Once again, basic research in molecular biology has provided the essential foundation for investigations of biomedical problems.
Biogeography, Time, and Place : Distributions, Barriers, and Islands
Biogeography considers the distribution of biological units over a wide range of scales. The units range from genotypes, populations and species to families and higher taxa. Processes can be local, such as the isolation on islands due to sea-level fluctuations, or large-scale tectonic processes that separates continents and creates oceans. In all processes time is an important factor and by combining data on recent patterns with paleontological data the understanding of the distribution of extant taxa can be improved. This volume focuses on speciation due to isolation in island-like settings, and the evolution of large-scale diversity as the result of origination, maintenance and extinction.
