This book presents a state-of-the-art report on recent advances concerning Ganoderma and where the field is going. Although some older work is also cited, the main focus is on advances made over the past 20 years in the research history, classification, chemical components and industry of Ganoderma. Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi) has been used as a traditional medicine in Asian countries to maintain health and to treat diseases for more than two thousand years. Recently, its value has been demonstrated in preventing and treating certain diseases, such as tumors, liver disorders, renal injury, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, cerebral ischemia reperfusion, bronchitis etc. In addition, laboratory and clinical studies have confirmed that the chemical components of Ganoderma, such as Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide peptides and triterpenes isolated from the fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum, produce diverse pharmacological effects. Ganoderma and its components play an important part in antioxidant stress, radical-scavenging, immunomodulation, and intracellular signaling regulation, and accordingly warrant further study. This book systematically reviews the latest advances in our understanding of Ganoderma’s basic knowledge, history of modern research, species, cultivation, components, spore polysaccharide and industry of Ganoderma, and offers researchers and graduate students valuable new insights into the development and clinical applications of Ganoderma and related products.

This work covers the entire scope of pharmaceutics, from the basics of drug dosage and routes of administration to the finer points of drug discovery, drug product development, legislation and regulations governing quality standards and product approval for marketing.

This book contains an excellent overview of the status and highlights of brilliant light facilities and their applications in biology, chemistry, medicine, materials and environmental sciences. Overview papers on diverse fields of research by leading experts are accompanied by the highlights in the near and long-term perspectives of brilliant X-Ray photon beam usage for fundamental and applied research.

Underlying the design of the Handbook of Psychopharmacology is a prejudice that the study of drug influences on the mind has advanced to a stage where basic research and clinical application truly mesh. These later volumes of the Handbook are structured according to this conception. In certain volumes, groups of drugs are treated as classes with chapters ranging from basic chemistry to clinical application. Other volumes are assembled around topic areas such as anxiety or affective disorders. Thus, besides chapters on individual drug classes, we have included essays addressing broad areas such as "The Limbic-Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal System and Human Be havior" and "Peptides and the Central Nervous System. " Surveying these diverse contributions, one comes away with a sentiment that, far from being an "applied" science borrowing from fundamental brain chemistry and physiology, psychopharmacology has instead provided basic researchers with the tools and conceptual approaches which now are advancing neurobiology to a central role in modern biology. Especially gratifying is the sense that, while contributing to an understanding of how the brain functions, psychopharmacology is a discipline whose fruits offer genuine help to the mentally ill with promises of escalating benefits in the future. L. L. 1. S. D. I. S. H. S. VII CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Amphetamines: Structure-Activity Relationships J. H. BIEL and B. A. Bopp 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2: Effects of Biogenic Amines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2. 1. Norepinephrine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2. 2. Dopamine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2. 3. Serotonin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3. Central Stimulatory Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 3. 1. Phenethylamine Derivatives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Presents the latest R & D information on medicinal mushrooms from diverse geographical locations Offers comprehensive coverage of the most important application areas of medicinal mushrooms Includes contributions by eminently experienced researchers in the field of medicinal mushrooms Medicinal mushrooms are increasingly gaining attention worldwide because of their pharmacologically bioactive compounds, which have demonstrated potent and unique clinical properties. Scientific studies carried out during the last decade have confirmed their efficacy in treating a wide range of diseases. Extracts and bioactive compounds obtained from mushrooms have been used medicinally as anticancer, immunomodulator, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerotic, neuroprotectant, cardioprotectant, antioxidant, and anti-hypoglycemic agents, and in stem cell-based therapies. Introducing readers to the latest developments in, and ongoing research efforts on, medicinal mushrooms, this book gathers articles contributed by eminent researchers in different disciplines and from around the globe. Highlighting the tremendous potential of mushrooms for the development of new drugs, the topics covered include but are not limited to: Recent progress in research on the pharmaceutical potential of medicinal mushrooms and prospects for their clinicalapplication Edible mushroom neuronutraceuticals: Basis of therapeutics Overview of therapeutic efficacy of mushrooms Mushrooms – a wealth of resources for prospective stem cell-based therapies Mushrooms as potential natural cytostatics

The second edition of OCT and Imaging in Central Nervous System Diseases offers updated state-of-the-art advances using optical coherence tomography (OCT) regrading neuronal loss within the retina. Detailed information on the OCT imaging and interpretation is provided for the evaluation of disease progression in numerous neurodegenerative disorders and as a biological marker of neuroaxonal injury. Covering disorders like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, intracranial hypertension, Friedreich's ataxia, schizophrenia, hereditary optic neuropathies, glaucoma, and amblyopia, readers will given insights into effects on the retina and the and optic nerve. Individual chapters are also devoted to OCT technique, new OCT technology in neuro-ophthalmology, OCT and pharmacological treatment, and the use of OCT in animal models. Similar to the first edition, this book is an excellent and richly illustrated reference for diagnosis of many retinal diseases and monitoring of surgical and medical treatment. OCT allows to study vision from of the retina to the optic tracts. Retinal axons in the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) are non-myelinated until they penetrate the lamina cribrosa. Hence, the RNFL is an ideal structure for visualization of any process of neurodegeneration, neuroprotection, or regeneration. By documenting the ability of OCT to provide key information on CNS diseases, this book illustrates convincingly that the eye is indeed the "window to the brain".

This volume provides informative research on the scientific evidence of the health benefits that can be derived from medicinal plants and how their efficacies can be improved. It is divided into three sections that cover the phytochemistry of medicinal plants, disease management with medicinal plants, and novel research techniques in medicinal plants. The pharmacological benefits of several specific plants are discussed, addressing health issues such as metabolic and mental disorders, acute mountain sickness, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and specific diseases such as Huntington’s. It also looks at the role of antioxidants in disease management. Additionally, the book covers recent problems of drug resistance and how medicinal plants can serve as antibiotic, anthelmintic, and antiparasitic drugs that will be helpful for human and animals.