This book will explain the colossal potential of life to cope with different living environments is possible owing to the exceptionally well developed mechanisms of adaptation to environmental conditions. There is an innumerable variety of concrete mechanisms which make it possible for living creatures to adapt to different and changing environmental conditions. Nevertheless, all this variety is the manifestation of the three strategic line of the adaptation process: 1. Evolutional or genotypic adaptation. 2. Phenotypic adaptation. 3. Rapid adaptation.

Bioactive Food as Dietary Interventions for Liver and Gastrointestinal Disease provides valuable insights for those seeking nutritional treatment options for those suffering from liver and/or related gastrointestinal disease including Crohn's, allergies, and colitis among others. Information is presented on a variety of foods including herbs, fruits, soy and olive oil. This book serves as a valuable resource for researchers in nutrition, nephrology, and gastroenterology. - Addresses the most positive results from dietary interventions using bioactive foods to impact diseases of the liver and gastrointestinal system, including reduction of inflammation, improved function, and nutritional efficiency - Presents a wide range of liver and gastrointestinal diseases and provides important information for additional research - Associated information can be used to understand other diseases, which share common etiological pathways

Diabetes: Oxidative Stress and Dietary Antioxidants bridges the trans-disciplinary divide among diabetologists, endocrinologists, and nutritionists in understanding and treating diabetes. The book covers, in a single volume, the science of oxidative stress in diabetes and the potentially therapeutic use of natural antioxidants in the diet or food matrix. The processes within the science of oxidative stress are described in concert with other processes such as apoptosis, cell signaling, receptor-mediated responses and more. This approach recognizes that diseases are usually multifactorial and that oxidative stress is a single component of this.Pharmacological treatments for diabetes are commonly marked by unwanted side effects, leading to treatment efforts using naturally occurring substances. But a plant-based approach alone is not sufficient; understanding the processes inherent in the oxidative stress of diabetes is vital for clinical workers, dietitians, and nutritionists.This translational work provides that understanding. The book begins by covering the basic biology of oxidative stress from molecular biology to imaging in relation to diabetes. There are chapters on neuropathy, nephropathy, atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathy, and retinopathy. The book then moves on to antioxidants in foods, including plants, components of the diet, and their relevance to diabetes. - Nutritionists will use the information related to mitochondrial oxidative stress in one disease and propose new diet-related strategies to prevent such conditions arising in another unrelated disease - Dietitians will prescribe new foods or diets containing antioxidants for conditions that are refractory by conventional pharmacological treatments - Dietitians, after learning about the basic biology of oxidative stress, will be able to suggest new treatments to their multidisciplinary teams - Nutritionists and dietitians will learn about cell signaling and will be able to suggest preventive or therapeutic strategies with antioxidant-rich foods to reduce damage done by diseases involving abnormal cell signaling

Seafoods are important sources of nutrients for humans. Proteins and non protein nitrogenous compounds play an important role in the nutritional value and sensory quality of seafoods. Consumption of fish and marine oils is also actively encouraged for the prevention and treatment of cardio vascular diseases and rheumatoid arthritis. Highly unsaturated long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are regarded as the active components of marine oils and seafood lipids. The basic chemical and biochemical properties of seafood proteins and lipids, in addition to flavour-active components, their microbiological safety and freshness quality, are important factors to be considered. A presentation of the state-of-the-art research results on seafoods with respect to their chemistry, processing technology and quality in one volume was made possible by cooperative efforts ofan international group of experts. Following a brief overview, the book is divided into three sections. In Part 1 (chapters 2 to 8) the chemistry of seafood components such as proteins, lipids, flavorants (together with their properties and nutritional significance) is discussed. Part 2 (chapters 9 to 13) describes the quality of seafoods with respect to their freshness, preservation, micro biological safety and sensory attributes. The final section of the book (chapters 14 to 16) summarizes further processing of raw material, underutilized species and processing discards for production of value added products.

This book presents an overview of lipid peroxidation: inhibition, effects and mechanisms. The topics analyzed, cover a broad spectrum of functions played by lipid peroxidation and presents new information in this area of research. The topics analyzed include: progress in the knowledge of lipid peroxidation, from the first evidences issued by Nicolas Theodore de Saussure in Paris 1804; fighting against lipid peroxidation: the unique story of docosahexaenoic acid in the brain; protective effects of melatonin and structurally-related molecules in reducing membrane rigidity due to lipid peroxidation; synergistic effects of antioxidant compositions during inhibited lipid autoxidation; lipid peroxidation and animal longevity; free radicals in health and disease; lipid peroxidation in autoimmune diseases; aldehydes derived from lipid peroxidation in cancer and autoimmunity; the role of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation in the neurodegenerative process after spinal cord injury; kinetics and mechanisms of inhibited lipid autoxidation in presence of 4-substituted-coumarins; hypoxia and oxidative stress: cell signaling mechanisms and protective role of vitamin C and cilnidipine; characterization of oxidative stress and antioxidant potency; paying attention to time and location; lipid peroxidation in aquatic organisms: ontogenetic, phylogenetic and ecological aspects; chemistry of lipid oxidation in edible oils; and menopause progression and oxidative stress: associated mechanisms and the importance of physical exercise.

Antioxidants inhibit the formation and spread of free radicals which can be damaging in biological systems. Free radicals form in biological systems through metabolism, but it is also realized that exogenous environmental sources, such as radiation, food, and drugs, contribute significantly to the generation of free radicals in biological systems. Being reactive species, free radicals are short-lived and do not travel far from cellular targets. Their concentration in biological systems is very low and is difficult to detect directly by electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR). Indirect methods of reactions of radicals with specific biomolecules are also sufficiently sensitive to detect quantitatively their presence. Thus the response of antioxidant defenses which react with radical species, can serve as an indirect measure that free radicals have been formed. Redox-based antioxidants change their oxidation state and antioxidants become free radicals themselves. Often, however, the antioxidants give rise to more persistent free radicals, sometimes owing to delocalization of the lone electron around ring structures (in vitamin E, ubiquinones, and certain carotenes). Persistent free radicals react only rarely and the precursors often can be regenerated in biological systems. In recent years, it is becoming clearer from biochemical studies on how the major lipophilic antioxidants work. Particular attention has been given to vitamin E and quinones found in animal and plant membranes and in carotenoids, for the protection of membranes in lipoprotein systems. Flavonoids form another rich and varied source of natural antioxidants.

Oxidants, like other aspects of life, involves tradeoffs. Oxidants, whether intentionally produced or by-products of normal metabolism can either mediate a variety of critical biological processes but when present inappropriately cause extensive damage to biological molecules (DNA, proteins, and lipids). These effects can lead to either damage that is a major contributor to aging and degenerative diseases (or to other diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, immune-system decline, brain dysfunction, and cataracts) or normal physiological function- tissue repair, defense against pathogens and cellular proliferation. On the other hand the body is equipped with a complex antioxidant/oxidant handling system which includes both enzymatic and nonenzymatic (i.e. small molecules such as flavonoids, ascorbate, tocopherol, and carotenoids) produced endogenously or derived from the diet. This book focuses on how the same molecules can have favorable or noxious effects depending on location, level and timing. Each chapter focuses on one particular molecule or oxidant/antioxidant system and provides a state of the art review of the current understanding regarding both positive and negative actions of the system under review.

Biochemistry of Foods

A collection of papers that comprehensively describe the major areas of research on lipid metabolism of plants. State-of-the-art knowledge about research on fatty acid and glycerolipid biosynthesis, isoprenoid metabolism, membrane structure and organization, lipid oxidation and degradation, lipids as intracellular and extracellular messengers, lipids and environment, oil seeds and gene technology is reviewed. The different topics covered show that modern tools of plant cellular and molecular biology, as well as molecular genetics, have been recently used to characterize several key enzymes of plant lipid metabolism (in particular, desaturases, thioesterases, fatty acid synthetase) and to isolate corresponding cDNAs and genomic clones, allowing the use of genetic engineering methods to modify the composition of membranes or storage lipids. These findings open fascinating perspectives, both for establishing the roles of lipids in membrane function and intracellular signalling and for adapting the composition of seed oil to the industrial needs. This book will be a good reference source for research scientists, advanced students and industrialists wishing to follow the considerable progress made in recent years on plant lipid metabolism and to envision the new opportunities offered by genetic engineering for the development of novel oil seeds.

Highly readable, well-illustrated, and easy to understand, Gabbe's Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies is an ideal day-to-day reference or study tool for residents and clinicians. This 8th Edition of this bestselling text offers fast access to evidence-based, comprehensive information, now fully revised with substantial content updates, new and improved illustrations, and a new, international editorial team that continues the tradition of excellence established by Dr. Steven Gabbe. - Puts the latest knowledge in this complex specialty at your fingertips, allowing you to quickly access the information you need to treat patients, participate knowledgably on rounds, and perform well on exams. - Contains at-a-glance features such as key points boxes, bolded text, chapter summaries and conclusions, key abbreviations boxes, and quick-reference tables, management and treatment algorithms, and bulleted lists throughout. - Features detailed illustrations from cover to cover—many new and improved—including more than 100 ultrasound images that provide an important resource for normal and abnormal fetal anatomy. - Covers key topics such as prevention of maternal mortality, diabetes in pregnancy, obesity in pregnancy, vaginal birth after cesarean section, and antepartum fetal evaluation. - Provides access to 11 videos that enhance learning in areas such as cesarean delivery and operative vaginal delivery. - Enhanced eBook version included with purchase. Your enhanced eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices