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This book provides an up-to-date review of the fundamentals of sphingolipid metabolism and its role in metabolic diseases. Focusing on the sphingolipid de novo synthesis pathway, the effect of sphingomyelin, ceramide, and sphingosine-1-phosphate, and linkage between sphingolipids and other lipids, such as cholesterol, it covers serine palmitoyltransferase, ceramide synthases, ceramidases, sphingosine kinases, and sphingomyelin synthases, and more. While highlighting how rare diseases related to abnormal glycosphingolipid metabolism, this publication introduces sphingolipid metabolism-related diseases, such as lung diseases and cancers, as well as sphingolipid circadian regulation. The book demonstrates advances and limitations of research on sphingolipid metabolism and its roles in metabolic diseases and other diseases. It offers graduate students and researchers a coherent overview of sphingolipids, as well as the limitations of current research in the field, and promotes further studies on metabolic diseases, as well as pharmaceutical research on drug discovery based on sphingolipid de novo synthase.

Allergy is the most frequent chronic disease in the 21st century having severe negative effects on health and the economy. The challenge we therefore face in medicine and science incorporates all areas of society – from politics to food industry, from schools to city planning, and many more. This volume informs the reader about continuously ongoing developments in allergy research and their implications for society. The chapter sections cover the immunological mechanisms in allergy on a molecular level, describe the triggers and cures for allergy in detail, entail clinical translation of lab findings on allergens, evaluate diagnostics for allergy markers, and provide solutions for future medical intervention or preventive strategies. Laboratory research, bioinformatics, climate modelling, patient treatment, intervention studies, epigenetics and multiple other disciplines are able to shed new light on this revolutionary field of healthcare.

Allergies are a significant health issue, yet few books exist on allergen tolerance of separation; here the author classifies allergen tolerance breakdown in specific types, according to the possibility that the autonomic breakdown of allergen tolerance in the unified airway depends on a deficit of pro-tolerogenic neurotransmitters at the local level. This paradigm, which explains the pathogenesis of allergic disorders, opens to new approaches to allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT). While focusing on the new atopic disorders of the unified airway, such as local allergic rhinitis,'dual'allergic rhinitis, local allergic asthma, and local allergic conjunctivitis, the work combines clinical examples of allergic diseases and their treatment with their immunological background. The topics range from the specific immune-derived maintenance of allergen tolerance and the role of the neuroimmune network in allergic inflammation to conventional atopic diseases and more particular issues of local atopic disorders in the unified airway, oral tolerance, and its breakdown, and its translation in genitourinary aspects of allergic inflammation. Specific chapters are also devoted to allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) and anti-allergy treatments. Thought for upper graduate students, it will also be a valued resource for allergy practitioners, pulmonologists, ENT specialists, pediatricians, and translational researchers. Textbook of Allergen Tolerance includes classical didactic features such as abstracts, keywords, background notes, discussion points, and Q&A., as well as 20 audio files Text-to-Speech for the visually impaired, and 10 video to support the readers.

The enzymology of milk and other products is of enormous significance for the production and quality of almost every dairy product. Milk itself is a complex biological fluid that contains a wide range of enzymes with diverse activities, some of which have identifiable functions while others are present as an accidental consequence of the mechanism of milk secretion. Over time milk enzymology has become an incredibly essential component of milk and other dairy product production, and with advancing technology and processing techniques, its importance is at its peak. Dairy Enzymology presents an expansive overview of the enzymology of milk and other dairy products, focusing on the use of indigenous and endogenous enzymes in milk and exogenous enzymes in cheese processing. A full section is dedicated to the enzymology of bovine milk, focusing on the main families of indigenous enzymes as well as their potential significance in the mammary gland plus the technological significance for the properties of dairy products. Implications for the manufacture and ripening of cheese plus the use of enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase for measuring heat treatment in milk are explored in full, and the role of milk protease plasmin and other indigenous enzymes in the age-gelation is focused on. Further sections focus on enzymes found in raw milk and enzymes deliberately added for manufacture or modification of properties and the manufacture of food ingredients from dairy-derived ingredients. The key bacterial families are discussed in depth as well as their known contributions to the quality of dairy products. With its comprehensive scope and fully up-to-date coverage of dairy product enzymology, this text is a singular source for researchers looking to understand this essential dairy processing aspect.

This book provides up-to-date information on bioinformatics tools for the discovery and development of new drug molecules. It discusses a range of computational applications, including three-dimensional modeling of protein structures, protein-ligand docking, and molecular dynamics simulation of protein-ligand complexes for identifying desirable drug candidates. It also explores computational approaches for identifying potential drug targets and for pharmacophore modeling. Moreover, it presents structure- and ligand-based drug design tools to optimize known drugs and guide the design of new molecules. The book also describes methods for identifying small-molecule binding pockets in proteins, and summarizes the databases used to explore the essential properties of drugs, drug-like small molecules and their targets. In addition, the book highlights various tools to predict the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) and toxicity (T) of potential drug candidates. Lastly, it reviews in silico tools that can facilitate vaccine design and discusses their limitations.

Allergy and Asthma: The Basics to Best Practices is intended to serve as a single comprehensive reference covering all needed knowledge of allergic diseases. Allergy is a unique and distinctive area of medicine wherein learning the fundamentals requires gathering information from various different disciplines. Allergic diseases affect various organ systems and the practice of a wide range of physicians from otolaryngologists, and pulmonologists, to gastroenterologists, dermatologists, and ophthalmologists. Clinicians and trainees alike will benefit from a resource that introduces the basic concepts, as well as providing comprehensive, consistently up-to-date instruction on intermediate and advanced conditions, research, and treatment strategies. The book is divided into nine sections and is written by some of the foremost experts in the field. Allergy and Asthma opens with an introduction which covers the epidemiology of allergicdiseases, fundamentals of allergy and immunology, and a thorough grounding of different types of allergens. Early sections address allergic upper airway diseases, allergic skin diseases, and asthma in detail, using a structured, consistent format from chapter to chapter to provide continuity and ease of reference. Later sections thoroughly cover various food allergies, insect allergies, drug allergy, anaphylaxis, and utilize ample tables and illustrations to provide additional learning tools for the reader. This major reference not only provides basic knowledge on diagnosing and treating allergies, but moves beyond these basics to emphasize using a systematic approach to working up and treating a patient. A variety of techniques used in diagnosing asthma and allergy will be examined, of which include prick skin tests, in-vitro testing, patch testing and non-conventional allergy tests. Concluding this book are sections dedicated to management, therapeutic strategies of allergy and asthma, with a look to future research directions for this unique field.Physicians and residents in allergy and immunology, pulmonology, otolaryngology, gastroenterology, dermatology, ophthalmology and other specialties will find the work of value in enhancing their practice and studies. Researchers in a range of areas especially immunology and food science will also find this text to be a compelling and reliable resource.

Endotoxin detection and control is a dynamic area of applied science that touches a vast number of complex subjects. The intersection of test activities includes the use of an ancient blood system from an odd “living fossil” (Limulus). It is used to detect remnants of the most primitive and destructive forms of life (prokaryotes) as contaminants of complex modern systems (mammalian and Pharma). Recent challenges in the field include those associated with the application of traditional methods to new types of molecules and manufacturing processes. The advent of “at will” production of biologics in lieu of harvesting animal proteins has revolutionized the treatment of disease. While the fruits of the biotechnology revolution are widely acknowledged, the realization of the differences in the means of production and changes in the manner of control of potential impurities and contaminants in regard to the new versus the old are less widely appreciated. Endotoxin as an ancient, dynamic interface between lifeforms, provides a singular perspective from which to view the parallel development of ancient and modern organisms as well as the progress of man in deciphering the complexity of their interactions in his efforts to overcome disease.

Until about 10 years ago, the general view in the field was that Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of human tuberculosis was a “clone” with insufficient natural sequence variation between clinical strains to be considered biologically and epidemiologically “relevant”. This view has now changed quite dramatically thanks to the –omics revolution, particularly the advent of next generation DNA sequencing. Large-scale comparative genomic studies over the last few years have revealed that M. tuberculosis clinical strains are more genetically diverse than appreciated previously. Moreover, an increasing number of experimental and epidemiological studies are showing that this genetic diversity also translates into important phenotypic variation. Taken together, these findings have led to a paradigm shift, such that currently phylogenetic diversity among M. tuberculosis clinical strains is being considered in the development of new tools to combat tuberculosis. The purpose of this book is to bring together a series of contributions from some of the most influential groups working on various aspects of M. tuberculosis diversity, and which through their work have contributed to the this paradigm shift. This includes authors focusing on the evolution of M. tuberculosis in relation to other members of the M. tuberculosis complex adapted to animals, the co-evolution between M. tuberculosis and humans, the phenotypic consequences of strains diversity both from an experimental and epidemiological point of view, the ecology and evolution of drug resistant tuberculosis, the diversity and evolution of the BCG vaccine strains, and the use of mathematical modelling to study strain diversity and drug resistance in human tuberculosis. No such book has ever been published, and given the paradigm shift described above, this book will be a valuable resource both for established researchers as well as new scientists, clinicians and public health officials joining the growing field of tuberculosis research.

This book focuses on the biophysical aspects of tip growth: How do physical parameters like pressure, water potential, electrical fields, or ion currents contribute to and influence this specialized and highly dynamic form of cell growth?It provides an updated and balanced overview of the current state of knowledge and future research perspectives regarding how pollen tubes'growth is driven and regulated by molecular interactions underlying the cellular processes. The individual chapters address topics ranging from molecular biophysical concepts to comprehensive omic studies and computational modeling of the tip growth process. In addition, a chapter on root hair cells is included to provide an alternative view on the underlying molecular principles of tip growth in general.Each chapter provides a summary of cutting-edge techniques, results and experimental data; a statement, hypothesis or conclusion on the importance of the aspect described for tip growth, particularly pollen tip growth; and addresses open gaps in our understanding and potential approaches to remedying them. The book offers experimental and theoretical solutions to help established researchers and newcomers to the field alike solve the many mysterious behaviors of pollen tube tips.

This book, based on a recent German publication, offers an overview of basic data and recent developments in the groundbreaking field of molecular allergology. It comprehensively explores the origin and structure of single allergen molecules ('components') and their utility in improving the management of type I, IgE-mediated allergic reactions and disorders like allergic respiratory diseases, food allergies, and anaphylaxis. Highly specific testing, called component-resolved diagnostics, aims to identify and utilize single molecules. Over 200 single allergens from plant or animal sources have been applied to single or multiplex laboratory testing for the presence of allergen-specific IgE. This leap in assay sensitivity and specificity has led to three major advances in patient management: discrimination between primary allergic sensitization and complex cross-reactivity, recognition of IgE profiles for certain allergens and identification of patients most likely to benefit from allergen-specific immunotherapy. The book discusses in detail the benefits and limitations of this 21st century technology, and offers suggestions for the use of molecular allergology in routine clinical practice. It is a “must read” for physicians treating allergic patients as well as scientists interested in natural allergic molecules and their interactions with the human immune system.

Das Buch bündelt aktuelle Fakten zur molekularen Allergologie und zeigt ihre Vorteile für die moderne Allergiediagnostik. Zunächst werden die wichtigsten Proteinfamilien mit Allergenen ähnlicher Struktur vorgestellt. Einzelallergene verbessern vor allem die Treffsicherheit von IgE-Bestimmungen, deren Testvarianten ausführlich erläutert werden. Anhand häufiger Allergenquellen — Inhalations-, Nahrungsmittel- und Insektengiftallergene — werden dann Nutzen und Grenzen einer molekularen Allergiediagnostik im klinischen Alltag aufgezeigt. Der letzte Abschnitt stellt potenzielle Anwendungen der molekularen Allergologie vor, z. B. die Entwicklung rekombinanter Allergenvakzine oder hypoallergener Nahrungsmittel. Das Buch erweitert die erfolgreiche Beitragsserie „Im Fokus: Molekulare Allergologie“ aus dem Allergo Journal von Springer Medizin und beschreibt die junge Disziplin der molekularen Allergologie als ein sich rasch entwickelndes Fachgebiet. Dabei liefert es wertvolle Hinweise für dieUmsetzung im klinischen Alltag und hilft, die Diagnostik, Beratung und Versorgung allergischer Patienten zu verbessern.

This book seeks to unravel the mysteries of wolfberry, and systematically introduces its mechanisms in preventing aging-associated diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, liver and neurodegenerative diseases. Wolfberry, the dried fruit of Lycium barbarum, is an anti-aging herbal medicine. There have been numerous reports investigating the underlying mechanisms of its anti-aging effects and its role in preventing pathological changes in many aging-associated diseases. Its holistic effects on the body can attenuate liver toxicity and combat the spread of cancer; it also prevents degeneration in the central nervous system, and can even positively affect the skin. As such, wolfberry has become a very popular food supplement around the world. This book will serve as an excellent reference source for researchers and graduate students studying herbal medicine and aging-associated diseases, while also providing insights for the pharmaceutical industry with regard to developing potential drugs for these diseases.

This book summarizes the state-of-the art in the development of T cell-based in vitro assays, which offer useful tools for hazard identification, risk assessment and improvement of diagnostics. It will be of interest to scientists, the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, and regulators involved in the replacement of animal testing methods.The identification of hazardous chemicals and drugs is essential to ensuring human health. The ban on animal testing for the cosmetics industry since 2009 and international efforts to reduce and replace animal testing in research and immunotoxicology call for alternative in vitro methods. The most specific immune response to chemicals and drugs that cause allergic contact dermatitis, respiratory disease and adverse drug reactions is the highly antigen-specific T lymphocyte response. Therefore the use of T cells as tools for identifying contact allergens and drugs that may cause health problems is of great interest.

Dieser Buchtitel ist Teil des Digitalisierungsprojekts Springer Book Archives mit Publikationen, die seit den Anfängen des Verlags von 1842 erschienen sind. Der Verlag stellt mit diesem Archiv Quellen für die historische wie auch die disziplingeschichtliche Forschung zur Verfügung, die jeweils im historischen Kontext betrachtet werden müssen. Dieser Titel erschien in der Zeit vor 1945 und wird daher in seiner zeittypischen politisch-ideologischen Ausrichtung vom Verlag nicht beworben.

Dieser Buchtitel ist Teil des Digitalisierungsprojekts Springer Book Archives mit Publikationen, die seit den Anfängen des Verlags von 1842 erschienen sind. Der Verlag stellt mit diesem Archiv Quellen für die historische wie auch die disziplingeschichtliche Forschung zur Verfügung, die jeweils im historischen Kontext betrachtet werden müssen. Dieser Titel erschien in der Zeit vor 1945 und wird daher in seiner zeittypischen politisch-ideologischen Ausrichtung vom Verlag nicht beworben.

Nanofabrication is critical to the realization of potential benefits in the field of electronics, bioengineering and material science. One enabling technology in nanofabrication is Tip-Based Nanofabrication, which makes use of functionalized micro-cantilevers with nanoscale tips. Tip-Based Nanofabrication: Fundamentals and Applications discusses the development of cantilevered nanotips and how they evolved from scanning probe microscopy and are able to manipulate environments at nanoscale on substrates generating different nanoscale patterns and structures. Also covered are the advantages of ultra-high resolution capability, how to use tip based nanofabrication technology as a tool in the manufacturing of nanoscale structures, single-probe tip technologies, multiple-probe tip methodology, 3-D modeling using tip based nanofabrication and the latest in imaging technology.