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The substantial biological importance of gaseous mediators in various physiological-pathological conditions has been realized only recently, but to date, the detailed mechanisms involved remain elusive. The publication at hand contains 16 overviews written by a panel of experts who summarize the current knowledge and provide fundamental insights into the roles of gaseous molecules in signal transduction in biological systems. The first part provides a comprehensive overview on gaseous mediators in health and disease. In the second part, the medical application of various molecules such as nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen, acetone and phytoncide are discussed. Furthermore, articles on skin gas biology and Carbon-13 (13C), especially clinical applications of 13C-labeled substrate are included. This book provides valuable information not only for basic researchers in physiology and biochemistry, but also for gastroenterologists and clinicians who wish to learn more about the role of gaseous mediators.

There is a growing body of experimental and clinical data to suggest that the organs of the digestive system may be subjected to considerable oxidative stress associated with acute and chronic inflammation. Although inflammation and ischemia play a key role in producing oxygen-derived free radicals in the digestive tract, the contribution of other factors, such as transition metal imbalances, lipid and glucose metabolic disturbance, and the interaction with gaseous molecules including nitric oxide and carbon monoxide, has also been suggested. Recent studies have demonstrated that several biomarkers indicating oxidative stress-mediated damage may help in monitoring the degree of disease and planning the design of new therapeutic strategies. In addition, recent advances in ‘omics'research (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc.) may bring a breakthrough in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology: Several molecular targets for oxidative stress have been presented by the ‘omics'. This book includes up-to-date reviews on the relevant issues in free radical biology in a combination with expert basic research reviews and clinical aspects in gastroenterology and hepatology. Providing information about new molecular targets for the treatment or prevention of digestive diseases, this book should be read by clinical and basic researchers in gastroenterology and hepatology.

Food factors are considered to be critical for human health promotion and play an important role in the prevention of life-style related diseases. One of the major challenges in this context is to determine the multiple factors associated with the causes of these diseases, as well as to develop a method of detecting changes in the initial stage and to establish a diagnostic approach that can be used in prevention studies of food factors. This publication features chapters on genomics, proteomics, bioavailability and safety, antioxidants, life-style related diseases and on chemoprevention and cancer. Basic scientists with a focus on food factors, clinicians planning a prospective preventive study of food factors in life-style-related diseases, as well as company researchers studying health promotional effects of food or food ingredients will find a wealth of information in this book.

Over the past several years, there has been an extraordinarily rapid growth in our knowledge of oxidative stress and its possible involvement in both normal essential biology and digestive diseases. Oxidative stress is defined as a disturbance in the prooxidant-antioxidant balance in favor of the former, and has been suggested as a causative factor in inflammation, ischemia and carcinogenesis in the digestive organs. In the 1980s, biochemists and biologists were attracted by the role of reactive oxygen species in the irreversible damage or modification of the structure of biological molecules. However, in the 1990s, reactive oxygen species have been recognized to be involved in reversible structural alterations of molecules: The homeostatic modulation of oxidant levels is a highly efficient mechanism that allows all cells to tightly control their redox status within a very narrow range. Especially the activity of the Rel/NF-kB family of transcriptional factors that regulate responses in inflammation, reperfusion injury and apoptosis is controlled by intracellular reactive oxygen species levels. Our understanding of how these transcriptional factors are negatively or positively regulated by oxidative stress has since greatly increased. Questions for future investigation center on the modulation of oxidative stress by personal genome information for the prevention of several pathologic states.