Advances in Clinical Chemistry

Pharmacologists can be considered pioneers of the study of kinetics of materials introduced into biological systems. The study of drug kinetics is particularly suited to a formulation of relatively simple models which make possible an interpretation of the time-dependent nature of various important phenomena (e. g. distribution by means of diffu sion through membranesl. The objective of the NATO ASI Course on Pharmacokinetics was that of presenting and dis cussing the mathematical and statistical approaches current ly available or being developed for the description, inter pretation and prediction of the fate of drugs and tracer substances administered to living beings. Different physi cal methods for measuring drugs and tracer substances were considered, but the emphasis was on the interpretation of the results of the measurements in terms of mathematical and statistical models. The present book contains all invit ed lectures given in this Course by outstanding internation al authorities and specialists from different fields. A great effort was made to keep a balance among the mathemati cal, physical, biological and clinical aspects of the prob lems; exchange of ideas and experiences between scientists with a physico-mathematical background and scientists with a biomedical background was encouraged and all participants were deeply involved in fruitful discussions. This unique feature of the Course is also the unique characteristic of this book which is therefore mainly directed to people interested not just in acquiring a working knowledge of the methods but in developing new methods.

Despite the recent advances in medical treatment, patients suffering from wounds such as burns or receiving surgical implants are still in great danger of infection. This has called attention to the need for better understanding of infections at the molecular level. Scientists from various disciplines summarize our knowledge today and investigate how methods to avoid wound and biomaterial-associated infections can be developed. These methods include new antibiotics, surgical strategies to prevent infection, and ways to stimulate the immune system and the tissue healing process. Specific topics include: the definition of microbial cell surface determinants important for adhesion to graft; the definition of extracellular bacterial enzymes and toxins involved in tissue breakdown and the local spread of infection; the prevention of the systemic spreading of infection with immunoglobulins and antibiotics; and the problem of multiple antibiotic resistance in most versatile pathogens.

Ionic Liquids (ILs) are one of the most interesting and rapidly developing areas of modern physical chemistry, technologies and engineering. This book, consisting of 29 chapters gathered in 4 sections, reviews in detail and compiles information about some important physical-chemical properties of ILs and new practical approaches. This is the first book of a series of forthcoming publications on this field by this publisher. The first volume covers some aspects of synthesis, isolation, production, modification, the analysis methods and modeling to reveal the structures and properties of some room temperature ILs, as well as their new possible applications. The book will be of help to chemists, physicists, biologists, technologists and other experts in a variety of disciplines, both academic and industrial, as well as to students and PhD students. It may help to promote the progress in ILs development also.

Research on Steroids contains the proceedings of the Fourth Meeting of the International Study Group for Steroid Hormones. The papers explore the production, chemical characterization, and metabolism of steroid hormones and their interactions with proteins. Topics range from the action of estradiol in vitro to water-soluble metabolites of estrogens, transport of steroids by proteins, and immunological aspects of steroid hormones. The binding of steroids by tissue proteins is also discussed, along with the use of specific plasma proteins for the determination of steroids. This volume is comprised of 38 chapters and begins with an overview of the general aspects of steroid-protein interaction, followed by a discussion on quantitative studies of steroid binding proteins; aromatization of testosterone by human placenta enzymes; relationship between plasma binding and 5a-reduction of testosterone; cortisol-binding capacity of plasma transcortin in subjects treated with various anabolic steroids; and plasma testosterone binding capacity and estrogen excretion in normal and pathological pregnancies. Subsequent chapters deal with the interaction between estrogenic and carcinogenic substances in the rat mammary gland; influence of steroid production on serum albumin in Cushing's syndrome; and nuclear estradiol binding proteins in the uterus. This book will be of interest to biochemists, biologists, and physiologists.

The book appears in two volumes, the first dealing primarily with chemical and structural aspects, and the second with metabolic aspects. The purpose is not only to review recent work on chemical and physiological aspects of bilirubin scructure and metabolism, but also to emphasize the importance of methodological advances and their potential in future studies.