Irun R. Cohen

The artwork for the book was graciously provided by artist Eleanor Rubin, who creates prints, drawings and watercolors. Her art can also be seen in permanent collections at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; the Boston Public Library, Boston, MA; the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; the Alzheimer’s Association, Cambridge, MA; and on her websites: www.ellyrubin.com and ellyrubinjournal.typepad.com.

Rahul Jandial

In the rapidly-evolving landscape of neurosciences, it is no easy task to select a limited array of topics to present in a text such as this. The current volume takes as its purpose to provide a representative survey of the current science of brain repair for those seeking to establish a foundation in the field or to replenish a prior knowledge base that may have lapsed in its currency. It also hopes to offer insights into what remains elusive to our collective investigations, defining the “frontiers” of brain repair for those that are currently immersed in the exciting intersection of biological advances and neuroscientific discoveries. In Chapter 1 the fundamentals of imaging... continue reading

Recent years have seen the realization that macroautophagy (which we will call autophagy) is not only important in yeast but is necessary for diverse functions in plants and animals. Importantly, autophagy can have an impact on human pathologies including infectious diseases, cancers, and neurodegenerative conditions.1 Thus, we need to be able to measure autophagy accurately in order to understand how it can be regulated physiologically and with exogenous agents.

Luis H. Toledo-Pereyra

The first edition of this book, Basic Concepts in Organ Procurement, Perfusion and Preservation for Transplantation, was published 27 years ago, in 1982 when organ procurement and preservation began to advance in the study of the best ways to preserve organs for transplantation. The second edition, Organ Procurement and Preservation for Transplantation, 2nd Edition, followed 15 years later, in 1997, with the goal of finding common denominators in the best preservation techniques for transplantation. In this current third edition, 11 years after the second edition, similar goals are still pursued of defining the best preservation methods, but there is now more evidence, including results,... continue reading

Jose Luis Pedraz, Gorka Orive

The main objective of this book has been to analyze in depth and discuss the different aspects related to the design and elaboration of cell-enclosing microcapsules, even the regulatory features and clinical trials under development. These improvements will lead to progression in this therapeutic approach which may become one day closer to a realistic proposal for clinical application. The advances in drug delivery technology have enabled a new era of drug discovery and development. In this regard, cell microencapsulation is a technology that opens new venues and possibilities to the administration of new active principles and may be the key to solve several issues related to the correct... continue reading

Journal names are important because they often define the scope of the publication. A journal’s name must be sufficiently specific to define the major interest of the publication but not too narrow to prevent its rapid obsolescence as fields evolve. In naming this journal ‘Virulence’ the creators of this scientific publishing venue have staked a remarkably broad scope and it is worthwhile to reflect on the choice of the word and what this could mean for the future of the journal. No other major journal in the broad disciplines of microbiology, microbial pathogenesis or immunology has used the word ‘Virulence’ in the journal name. Perhaps the reticence to use this word has to... continue reading

Antonio A. de Freitas

The history of this text started years ago after reading Wittgenstein’s “Tratactus Logico-Philosophicus”. At some time later, it seemed to me a good idea to follow the “tratactus” structure to attempt to write a minimal description of the immune system. I finally did it for fun and hopefully to be useful to whomever reads it. The text reflects my own personal view of the vertebrate’s immune system (IS). It is centered on concepts and ideas that were developed since 1986 based on work from my own lab1 and from Benedita Rocha’s lab2 and I’m greatly indebted to her for this. I have kept it short and focused on what I believe are the essential features of the IS. I’ve tried... continue reading

Residue and degree-specific methylation of histone lysines along with other epigenetic modifications organizes chromatin into distinct domains and regulates almost every aspect of DNA metabolism. Identification of histone methyltransferases and demethylases, as well as proteins that recognize methylated lysines, has clarified the role of each methylation event in regulating different biological pathways. Methylation of histone H4 lysine 20 (H4K20me) plays critical roles in diverse cellular processes such as gene expression, cell cycle progression and DNA damage repair, with each of the three degrees of methylation (mono- di- and tri-methylation) making a unique contribution. Here we... continue reading

Paola A. Gehrig, Angeles Alvarez Secord

Gynecologic Oncology was not meant to be a comprehensive guide to the rapidly changing practice of gynecologic oncology, but a reference from which one can be guided in the right direction in the quest for information. Gynecologic Oncology may assist health care professionals to care for the women with gynecologic malignancies or at least help them to make a more timely diagnosis and referral and it may also serve as a guide as they strive to learn more about their disease. This handbook has information, which covers the full spectrum of gynecologic oncology, from diagnosis to palliative care; from basic science to cancer genetics; and from surgery to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In... continue reading

Objective: In this study we examined the effect of rapamycin (RAPA), a key component of the immunosuppressive regimen in clinical islet transplantation, on islet engraftment and function in vivo. Methods and results: Diabetic C57BL/6 or BALB/C recipient mice were transplanted with 350 syngeneic islets through the portal vein (PV-Tx; C57BL/6 n = 60; BALB/C n = 22) and treated with once-daily oral RAPA (1 mg/kg) or vehicle. No differences in post-transplant blood glucose concentrations and glucose tolerance were observed between RAPA- and vehicle-treated mice. The impact of RAPA on human islet engraftment was assessed in 10 patients with type 1 diabetes treated with 0.1 mg/kg/day rapamycin... continue reading