MicroRNAs as the endogenous mediators of RNA interference have experienced an unprecedented career in recent years, highlighting their pathogenic, diagnostic and potential therapeutic relevance. Beside tissue microRNAs, they are also found in body fluids, most notably in blood. Significant differences of circulating microRNA levels have been found in various diseases, making them candidates for minimally invasive markers of disease, for example tumor malignancy. The book focuses on the potential diagnostic applicability of circulating microRNAs in various diseases and their potential biological significance.

MicroRNAs as the endogenous mediators of RNA interference have experienced an unprecedented career in recent years, highlighting their pathogenic, diagnostic and potential therapeutic relevance. Beside tissue microRNAs, they are also found in body fluids, most notably in blood. Significant differences of circulating microRNA levels have been found in various diseases, making them candidates for minimally invasive markers of disease, for example tumor malignancy. The book focuses on the potential diagnostic applicability of circulating microRNAs in various diseases and their potential biological significance.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate various biological phenomena, such as development and homeostasis. The dysregulation of miRNA leads to disease progression, particularly of cancer. In Circulating MicroRNAs: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail recent advances in the isolation, purification and analysis of circulating miRNAs from a variety of sources for research. The book is divided into three main topics. The first section involves the study of secretory miRNAs in cell-cell communication, and the second, the study of circulating miRNAs in body fluids. The last describes the novel techniques used to study circulating miRNAs. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Circulating MicroRNAs: Methods and Protocols seeks to aid scientists in dealing with the recent advances of RNAi technology from the bench to the bedside.

This is a comprehensive, state-of-the-art guide to the diagnosis, treatment, and biology of multiple myeloma and related plasma disorders. Edited and written by a multidisciplinary group of recognized authorities from the Mayo Clinic, it presents clear guidelines on diagnosis and therapy and covers all aspects of multiple myeloma, from molecular classification and diagnosis, to risk stratification and therapy. Closely related plasma cell disorders such as solitary plasmacytoma, Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, and light chain amyloidosis are discussed in detail as well. The book addresses often overlooked topics, including the role of radiation therapy, vertebral augmentation, and supportive care. Our understanding of this group of disorders is developing at an unprecedented rate, and Multiple Myeloma meets the need among oncologists and hematologists for a clear, timely, and authoritative resource on their biology, diagnosis, and treatment.

Short non-coding RNA molecules, microRNAs (miRNAs), post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression in living cells. In recent years, miRNAs have been found in a wide spectrum of mammalian body fluids including blood plasma, saliva, urine, milk, seminal plasma, tears and amniotic fluid as extracellular circulating nuclease-resistant entities. The changes in miRNA spectra observed in certain fluids correlated with various pathological conditions suggesting that extracellular miRNAs can serve as informative biomarkers for certain diseases including cancer. However, the mechanism of generation and a biological role of extracellular miRNAs remain unclear. The current theories regarding extracellular miRNA origin and function suggest that these miRNAs can be either non-specific ‘by-products’ of cellular activity and cell death or specifically released cell-cell signaling messengers. The goal of this Research Topic is to bring together up-to-date knowledge about the extracellular miRNA and its role in disease diagnostics and, possibly, inter-cellular communication.

This book presents an overview of the diagnostic performance of non- or semi-invasive tests for endometriosis in peripheral blood, endometrium, saliva, peritoneal fluid and urine. The value of existing and emerging systems biology technologies for biomarker development is addressed in several chapters on genetics, microarrays, proteomics and metabolomics. Although tests with high sensitivity and acceptable specificity have been developed, sometimes validated in independent populations and seem promising, more research is needed to translate these data into clinical benefit for patients and coordinate efforts internationally to standarize analysis, reports and operating procedures. The gold standard to diagnose endometriosis is currently through laparoscopic inspection with histological confirmation, a surgical procedure with rare but significant potential risks for the patients. A non-invasive test for endometriosis would be critical for the early detection of endometriosis of symptomatic women with pelvic pain and/or subfertility with normal ultrasound. This would include nearly all cases of minimal-mild endometriosis, some cases of moderate-severe endometriosis without a clearly visible ovarian endometrioma and cases with pelvic adhesions and/or other pelvic pathology, who might benefit from surgery to improve pelvic pain and/or subfertility. Such a test would also be useful in symptomatic women with ultrasound imaging suspicious for endometriosis, since it may be difficult to differentiate an ovarian endometrioma from other ovarian cysts and since the quality of ultrasound imaging is highly variable worldwide.

MicroRNA (miRNA) biology is a cutting-edge topic in basic as well as biomedical research. This is a specialized book focusing on the current understanding of the role of miRNAs in the development, progression, invasion, and metastasis of diverse types of cancer. It also reviews their potential for applications in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and th

The book provides and intensive overview on exosomes in cardiovascular diseases, its potential as biomarkers, as well as pathological and therapeutic effects. It firstly describes the general aspects of exosomes including the definition, formation and secretion of exosomes and highlight their roles as biomarkers and pathological and therapeutic effects in cardiovascular diseases as well. Secondly, basic aspects of exosomes including the purification methods of exosomes, exosomes content, and functional roles of the cardiovascular exosomes are summarized. Thirdly, exosomes as biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases are overviewed including their roles in diagnosis, prognosis and reaction to therapy. Fourthly, pathological effects of exosomes and therapeutic effects of exosomes are highlighted. Finally, future prospects of exosomes in cardiovascular research would be provided. This is an essential reference for researchers working in cell biology and regeneration, as well as clinicians such as cardiologist.

In the past decade there has been a major sea change in the way disease is diagnosed and investigated due to the advent of high throughput technologies, such as microarrays, lab on a chip, proteomics, genomics, lipomics, metabolomics etc. These advances have enabled the discovery of new and novel markers of disease relating to autoimmune disorders, cancers, endocrine diseases, genetic disorders, sensory damage, intestinal diseases etc. In many instances these developments have gone hand in hand with the discovery of biomarkers elucidated via traditional or conventional methods, such as histopathology or clinical biochemistry. Together with microprocessor-based data analysis, advanced statistics and bioinformatics these markers have been used to identify individuals with active disease or pathology as well as those who are refractory or have distinguishing pathologies. New analytical methods that have been used to identify markers of disease and is suggested that there may be as many as 40 different platforms. Unfortunately techniques and methods have not been readily transferable to other disease states and sometimes diagnosis still relies on single analytes rather than a cohort of markers. There is thus a demand for a comprehensive and focused evidenced-based text and scientific literature that addresses these issues. Hence the formulation of Biomarkers in Disease. The series covers a wide number of areas including for example, nutrition, cancer, endocrinology, cardiology, addictions, immunology, birth defects, genetics, and so on. The chapters are written by national or international experts and specialists.

Encyclopedia of Biomedical Gerontology, Three Volume Set presents a wide range of topics, ranging from what happens in the body during aging, the reasons and mechanisms relating to those age-related changes, and their clinical, psychological and social modulators and determinants. The book covers the biological and medical aspects of gerontology within the general framework of the biological basis of assessing age, biological mechanisms of aging, age-related changes in biological systems, human age-related diseases, the biomedical practicality and impracticality of interventions, and finally, the ethics of intervention. Provides a ‘one-stop’ resource to information written by world-leading scholars in the field of biomedical gerontology Fills a critical gap of information in a field that has seen significant progress in the last 10 years