الصفحة 1
الصفحة 1
New Insights in Medical Mycology
The aim of this book is to give an in-depth assessment of our current understanding of the Biology of the main fungal pathogens and how they interact with the host’s immune response. Each Chapter focuses on a specific fungal pathogen or group of pathogens and examines their biology and the factors that allow the fungus colonise and disseminate within the host. In addition each Chapter gives an indication of the challenges that remain to be tackled over the next 5 – 10 years in increasing our understanding of fungal pathogenicity.
Neonatal Immunity
New advances in cellular immunology, molecular biology, recombinant DNA and proteins, and the function of cytokines and chemokines have revolutionized the study of neonatal immune responsiveness. In Neonatal Immunity, Constantin Bona, MD, critically reviews the classic, as well as most recent-and quite seminal-findings concerning the phenotypic and molecular characteristics of both fetal and neonatal B and T cells, the cells that mediate antibody and cellular immune responses in newborns and infants. Dr. Bona shows how the antibody response of neonates is modulated by maternal antibodies and how, in certain cases, this can cause transient or life-threatening neonatal autoimmune disease. He also describes the characteristics of neonatal tolerance induced by foreign allo- and self-antigens, which are the basis for understanding impaired infant immune response and which provide a rationale for the development of efficient neonatal vaccines. By making clear the characteristics and differences between the immune system and the immune responses of both newborns and infants, compared to those of adults, Dr. Bona offers insights and challenging hypotheses that promise to help overcome the poor responses of neonates to various antigens. Authoritative and forward-looking, Neonatal Immunity critically reviews what we know of the neonatal immune response today, and how this is dramatically opening new therapeutic horizons in such areas as infant vaccination, stem cells, gene therapy, and transplantation.
Molecular autoimmunity
The autoimmune disease paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria, a rare hemolytic disorder. After a century of research, the list of autoimmune diseases has become impressive. With a prevalence of approximately 5% of the world-wide population, these chronic, debilitating conditions affect almost every major organ of the body and, for reasons that remain unclear, are much more prevalent in woman than in men. Despite our rapidly expanding knowledge of the cellular and molecular pathways that govern a normal immune response, deciphering the precise etiology of autoimmune diseases remains an important challenge. Over the last few years, our understanding of the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases has improved rapidly, leading to the emergence of elegant immunointervention strategies. Molecular Autoimmunity illustrates how cutting-edge research is continuing to advance our understanding of autoimmune disease mechanisms and identifies novel therapeutic targets that provide a hope for effective future treatments. This volume contains a selected number of exciting advances in unraveling autoimmune reactions, and the resulting new armory of experimental immunotherapies that may lead to new ways of controlling autoimmune reactions.
Innate and Adaptive Immunity in the Tumor Microenvironment
Recent studies, indicate that the tumor microenvironment is unique in providing both supportive and inhibitory factors that determine the fate of the tumor and its host. Accordingly, microenvironmental immunity that operates inside and around a tumor plays a crucial role in cancer development and progression. The aim of the present volume is to compile reviews on innate and adaptive immune responses at the tumor microenvironment with emphasis on positive and negative outcomes that affect the progression of the disease. These reviews have been solicited from experts in the field who published original research studies focusing on these issues.
Immunogenicity of Biopharmaceuticals
This book is intended to give a broad overview of the current state-of-the-art regarding the immune response to biopharmaceuticals. The chapters range from an overview of the immune system and factors that may trigger the immune system, via detection of antibodies and clinical implications, to various case examples and the regulatory view on immunogenicity.
Immunobiology of natural killer cell receptors
Natural Killer (NK) cells are large granular lymphocytes of the innate immune system. They are widespread throughout the body, being present in both lymphoid organs and non-lymphoid peripheral tissues. NK cells are involved in direct innate immune reactions against viruses, bacteria, parasites and other triggers of pathology, such as malignant transformation, all of which cause stress in affected cells. Importantly, NK cells also link the innate and adaptive immune responses, contributing to the initiation of adaptive immune responses and executing adaptive responses using the CD16 FcgRIIIA immunoglobulin Fc receptor. Such responses are mediated through two major effector functions, the direct cytolysis of target cells and the production of cytokines and chemokines. The authors focus here on the nature of recognition events by NK cells and address how these events are integrated to trigger these distinct and graded effector functions.
Immune receptors : Methods and protocols
Explores immune cell receptors that are used in the detection of microbes, either by binding directly to non-self molecules or through indirectly sensing microbe-associated cellular disturbances. The covers methods for studying receptor-ligand interactions at both molecular and cellular levels; methods to create and characterize novel antibody reagents; and methods to characterize the molecular processes that lead to adaptive receptor maturation. This book also contains chapters that look at high-throughput strategies that describe the diversity of immune receptors and cells. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.
Imaging in Transplantation
This book covers all topics related to the imaging of organ transplantation. An introductory section addresses such issues as organ procurement, patient selection, immune responses, and ethical and economic considerations. The main part of the book then offers in-depth coverage of heart, renal, liver, lung, bone marrow and pancreatic and intestinal transplantation.
Human Cytomegalovirus
The golden age of cytomegalovirus research was ushered in during the late 1970s and early 1980s by a set of powerful new technologies that included restriction enzymes, DNA cloning, DNA sequencing, and open reading frame prediction. The genetic manipulation and propagation of novel CMV strains was accelerated with the app- cation of bacterial artificial chromosome technology. Today, we still struggle to understand the full spectrum of disease associated with human CMV. To the molecular biologist, CMV is a master of regulation in the eukaryotic cell where it either replicates or remains latent. To the immunologist, CMV is a master of immune evasion with tools to escape both the innate and acquired immune responses. The use of animal models with non-human CMVs has become significantly more sophisticated and tied to a more certain understanding of the interrelationships of non-human and human CMV genes.
Herbal immunity boosters against COVID-19
Provides an introduction to COVID-19 and herbal medications that boost the human immune system against SARS-CoV-2. The topics are covered in 7 chapters starting with an introduction to the disease, followed by notes on nutraceuticals and common herbal medicines that have therapeutic potential by enhancing the patient’s immune response. Special topics such as COVID-19 risk factors and Indian traditional medicines are also included to supplement the contents. The editors have taken advantage of the vast body of knowledge accumulated since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.
Hepatitis C virus-host interactions and therapeutics : Current insights and future perspectives
The burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on the public health care system continues to remain significant despite the remarkable progress made in HCV therapeutics in the recent past. There are now almost a dozen oral interferon-free direct-acting antivirals available for the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection. Despite advances in the treatment of HCV, therapeutic gaps remain that are yet to be fully explored. Researchers and scientists still strive to understand virus-host interactions to map the disease’s progression along with extrahepatic manifestations and virus invasion strategies impacting the host’s immune system. This book briefly discusses the biology of HCV infection, virus-host interactions, molecular epidemiology of the infection, and the full spectrum of immune responses to hepatitis C. It also provides in-depth information about HCV, clinical diagnostics, and therapeutic knowledge to all stakeholders involved in HCV screening, diagnosis, treatment, and management.
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.
Heat shock proteins : Potent mediators of inflammation and immunity
Written by leaders in the field of heat shock protein immunobiology, the chapters systematically and in a step wise fashion takes the reader through the fascinating sequence of events by which heat shock proteins activate immune responses and provides answers as to its biological significance to the host.
GI Microbiota and Regulation of the Immune System
This book opens with two general reference chapters, which provide an over-view of current knowledge of gastrointestinal immunology and the commensal microbiology of the gut. Next are two chapters dedicated to current methodologies used to investigate the icrobiota and host: molecular analysis of microbial diver-sity and gnotobiotic research. Both positive and negative interactions between the microbiota and the immune system can take place in the gut, with chapters dedicated to probiotics and intestinal diseases associated with unhealthy rnicrobiota.
General Principles of Tumor Immunotherapy : Basic and Clinical Applications of Tumor Immunology
Brings together the world’s leading authorities on tumor immunology. This book describes the basic immunology principles that form the foundation of understanding how the immune system recognizes and rejects tumor cells. The role of the innate and adaptive immune responses is discussed and the implications of these responses for the design of clinical strategies to combat cancer are illustrated through both experimental clinical trials and review of current standard of care therapeutic agents. This information will be invaluable to both students of immunology and cancer research and practicing physicians who have patients with cancer. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the field, demonstrates how advances in basic immunology can and are being applied to cancer, and describes the current status of approved immunotherapy regimens.
Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus
The chapters in this volume provide an account of the present knowledge and understanding of Foot and Mouth disease virus pathogenesis and global epidemiology, the detailed structure of the virus itself and the properties of its RNA genome. Also considered are the immune response of the host and the state of the art in vaccine production, and the nature of virus evolution.
Emerging Therapies in Periodontics
This book equips dental care providers with a thorough understanding of the emerging therapies that promise to revolutionize the clinical management of periodontal diseases. This book introduces novel concepts and molecules that are currently being tested in preclinical and clinical models.
Effector-triggered immunity : methods and protocols
Presents a collection of protocols to study effector-triggered immunity (ETI) in both plants and animals from eminent groups in the field. Cover topics such as genetic manipulation of plant and animal pathogens, host cells, and the analysis of key host responses; and techniques used for the analysis of inflammasome activation, cell death pathways, and mitochondria damage in response to pathogens. All of these topics cover a broad spectrum of immunological, biochemical, cell biological, and structural biology approaches to examine ETI.
Dendritic Cells in Clinics
Great advances have taken place in basic research and the clinical usefulness of dendritic cells (DCs). It has now been clearly established, for instance, that these cells play a crucial role in immune responses against infectious diseases and cancers. Antigen-presenting DCs are widely distributed in the body and regulate both immunity and immune tolerance. Experimental studies have provided important insights into DCs and how they can be used for treating animal models of various diseases that occur in humans. The role of these cells in pathogenesis and the treatment of human diseases is elaborately set forth in this valuable book. Researchers in the field are optimistic that DCs, already in use for treating patients with cancers, soon can be used therapeutically for patients with chronic infections, autoimmune diseases, and allergic manifestations. This volume provides a working definition of DCs and also explains the phenotypes and functions of DCs so that these can be readily understood not only by clinicians but by immunologists, researchers, and students as well.
Current Topics in Complement
Complement has been regarded as a pivotal effector arm of the innate immune response. Many scientists convened at the Third Aegean Conferences Workshop on Complement Associated Diseases, Animal Models, and Therapeutics, to discuss the advances in this field. This volume represents a collection of topics discussed during the conference.
