Leading investigators and clinicians detail the different mechanisms used by tumors to escape and impair the immune system and then spell out possible clinical strategies to prevent or reverse tumor-induced immune dysfunction. The authors review the mechanisms of immune dysfunction and evasion mechanisms in histologically diverse human tumors, focusing on tumor-induced molecular defects in T cells and antigen-presenting cells (dendritic cells and tumors), that may serve as biomarkers for patient prognosis. They discuss the means by which these immune functions may be protected or restored in order to more effectively support the process of tumor rejection in situ. Cutting-edge techniques are outlined with the capacity to monitor the strength and quality of patients' immune responses using immunocytometry, MHC-peptide tetramers combined with apoptosis assay, ELISPOT assay, and detection of MHC-TAA peptide complexes on tumor cells.

The brain is the most complex organ in our body. Indeed, it is perhaps the most complex structure we have ever encountered in nature. Both structurally and functionally, there are many peculiarities that differentiate the brain from all other organs. The brain is our connection to the world around us and by governing nervous system and higher function, any disturbance induces severe neurological and psychiatric disorders that can have a devastating effect on quality of life. Our understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of the brain has improved dramatically in the last two decades. In particular, the critical role of cations, including magnesium, has become evident, even if incompletely understood at a mechanistic level. The exact role and regulation of magnesium, in particular, remains elusive, largely because intracellular levels are so difficult to routinely quantify. Nonetheless, the importance of magnesium to normal central nervous system activity is self-evident given the complicated homeostatic mechanisms that maintain the concentration of this cation within strict limits essential for normal physiology and metabolism. There is also considerable accumulating evidence to suggest alterations to some brain functions in both normal and pathological conditions may be linked to alterations in local magnesium concentration. This book, containing chapters written by some of the foremost experts in the field of magnesium research, brings together the latest in experimental and clinical magnesium research as it relates to the central nervous system. It offers a complete and updated view of magnesiums involvement in central nervous system function and in so doing, brings together two main pillars of contemporary neuroscience research, namely providing an explanation for the molecular mechanisms involved in brain function, and emphasizing the connections between the molecular changes and behavior. It is the untiring efforts of those magnesium researchers who have dedicated their lives to unraveling the mysteries of magnesiums role in biological systems that has inspired the collation of this volume of work.

Americans praise medical technology for saving lives and improving health. Yet, new technology is often cited as a key factor in skyrocketing medical costs. This volume, second in the Medical Innovation at the Crossroads series, examines how economic incentives for innovation are changing and what that means for the future of health care. Up-to-date with a wide variety of examples and case studies, this book explores how payment, patent, and regulatory policiesâ€"as well as the involvement of numerous government agenciesâ€"affect the introduction and use of new pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and surgical procedures. The volume also includes detailed comparisons of policies and patterns of technological innovation in Western Europe and Japan. This fact-filled and practical book will be of interest to economists, policymakers, health administrators, health care practitioners, and the concerned public.

This new companion book to AMP's highly successful Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy, now in its fourth edition, is a comprehensive hands-on guide for patients and their families who face cancer's many challenges. Knowledge and information provide the greatest tools--and greatest comforts--for anyone fighting cancer or helping a family member or friend who is. Now AMP bolsters that strength-giving arsenal with Everyone's Guide to Cancer Supportive Care. Through more than 50 chapters, cancer care specialists Ernest and Isadora Rosenbaum--along with nearly 80 other medical experts--answer every conceivable question concerning a cancer patient's physical, psychological, and spiritual needs. This extremely effective format first appeared as Supportive Cancer Care (Sourcebooks 2001), but we've completely revised and updated the entire book to reflect the latest care advances and techniques. The wide range of covered topics includes: * Understanding cancer and its treatments * Chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant side effects * Stress and cancer * The will to live * Cancer and spirituality * Sexuality * Nutritional considerations * Rehabilitation and fitness With this book, cancer patients and those who care for them can make informed decisions, face the disease with renewed courage, and care for both their well-being and their bodies. The Rosenbaums provide an incredible source of information and hope in the face of this frightening illness.

Revealing essential roles of the tumor microenvironment in cancer progression, this book focuses on the role of hematopoietic components of the tumor microenvironment. Further, it teaches readers about the roles of distinct constituents of the tumor microenvironment and how they affect cancer development. Topics include neutrophils, basophils, T helper cells, cytotoxic lymphocytes, fibrocytes, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and more. Taken alongside its companion volumes, these books update us on what we know about various aspects of the tumor microenvironment as well as future directions. Tumor Microenvironment: Hematopoietic Cells – Part A is essential reading for advanced cell biology and cancer biology students as well as researchers seeking an update on research in the tumor microenvironment.

This open access book presents a comprehensive overview of dilated cardiomyopathy, providing readers with practical guidelines for its clinical management. The first part of the book analyzes in detail the disease’s pathophysiology, its diagnostic work up as well as the prognostic stratification, and illustrates the role of genetics and gene-environment interaction. The second part presents current and future treatment options, highlighting the importance of long-term and individualized treatments and follow-up. Furthermore, it discusses open issues, such as the apparent healing phenomenon, the early prognosis of arrhythmic events or the use of genetic testing in clinical practice. Offering a multidisciplinary approach for optimizing the clinical management of DCM, this book is an invaluable aid not only for the clinical cardiologists, but for all physicians involved in the care of this challenging disease.

Recent years have witnessed an increasing number of theoretical and experimental contributions to cancer research from different fields of physics, from biomechanics and soft-condensed matter physics to the statistical mechanics of complex systems. Reviewing these contributions and providing a sophisticated overview of the topic, this is the first book devoted to the emerging interdisciplinary field of cancer physics. Systematically integrating approaches from physics and biology, it includes topics such as cancer initiation and progression, metastasis, angiogenesis, cancer stem cells, tumor immunology, cancer cell mechanics and migration. Biological hallmarks of cancer are presented in an intuitive yet comprehensive way, providing graduate-level students and researchers in physics with a thorough introduction to this important subject. The impact of the physical mechanisms of cancer are explained through analytical and computational models, making this an essential reference for cancer biologists interested in cutting-edge quantitative tools and approaches coming from physics.

Today, treatment options for cancer patients typically include surgery, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy. While these therapies have saved lives and reduced pain and suffering, cancer still takes millions of lives every year around the world. Researchers are now developing advanced therapeutic strategies such as immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and combination nanotechnology for drug delivery. In addition, the identification of new biomarkers will potentiate early-stage diagnosis. Molecular Targets and Cancer presents information about cancer diagnosis and therapy in a simple way. It covers several aspects of the topic with updated information on par with medical board levels. The book features contributions from experts and includes an overview of cancer from basic biology and pathology, classifications, surveillance, prevention, diagnosis, types of cancer, treatment and prognosis. The second part of this book discusses specialized topics in clinical oncology which include the pathophysiology of various types of cancer, cancer screening, different types of cancer surgery, cancer stem cell-targeted immunotherapy, nanotechnology for precision medicine applications in cancer and cancer surveillance. This comprehensive guide is a valuable resource for oncologists, researchers, and all medical professionals who work in cancer care and research.