Biomaterials have existed for millennia as mechanical replacement structures following disease or injury. Biomaterial design has changed markedly from structural support with an "inert immune profile as the primary objective to designs that elicit an integrative local tissue response and a pro-repair immune cell phenotype. Immunomodulatory Biomaterials: Regulating the Immune Response with Biomaterials to Affect Clinical Outcome offers a single, comprehensive reference on biomaterials for modulation of the host response, for materials scientists, tissue engineers and those working in regenerative medicine. This book details methods, materials and strategies designed to regulate the host immune response following surgical implantation and thus facilitate specific local cell infiltration and tissue deposition. There has been a dramatic transformation in our understanding of the role of the immune system, both innate and adaptive; these changes include recognition of the plasticity of immune cells, especially macrophages, cross-talk between the immune system and stem cells, and the necessity for in situ transition between inflammatory and regulatory immune cell phenotypes. The exploitation of these findings and the design and manufacture of new biomaterials is occurring at an astounding pace. There is currently no book directed at the interdisciplinary principles guiding the design, manufacture, testing, and clinical translation of biomaterials that proactively regulate the host tissue immune response. The challenge for academia, industry, and regulatory agencies to encourage innovation while assuring safety and maximizing efficacy has never been greater. Given the highly interdisciplinary requirements for the design, manufacture and use of immunomodulatory biomaterials, this book will prove a useful single resource across disciplines. - Holistically covers the design, manufacture, testing, and clinical translation of biomaterials that proactively regulate the host tissue immune response - Provides a single reference for understanding and utilizing the host response in biomaterials design - An international collaboration of leading researchers in the field offering a novel insight into this fast-growing area

Maintaining quality of life in an ageing population is one of the great challenges of the 21st Century. This book summarises how this challenge is being met by multi-disciplinary developments of specialty biomaterials, devices, artificial organs and in-vitro growth of human cells as tissue engineered constructs.Biomaterials, Artificial Organs and Tissue Engineering is intended for use as a textbook in a one semester course for upper level BS, MS and Meng students. The 25 chapters are organized in five parts: Part one provides an introduction to living and man-made materials for the non-specialist; Part two is an overview of clinical applications of various biomaterials and devices; Part three summarises the bioengineering principles, materials and designs used in artificial organs; Part four presents the concepts, cell techniques, scaffold materials and applications of tissue engineering; Part five provides an overview of the complex socio-economic factors involved in technology based healthcare, including regulatory controls, technology transfer processes and ethical issues. - Comprehensive introduction to living and man-made materials - Looks at clinical applications of various biomaterials and devices - Bioengineering principles, materials and designs used in artificial organs are summarised

Recent neuroscience research makes it clear that human biology is cultural biology - we develop and live our lives in socially constructed worlds that vary widely in their structure values, and institutions. This integrative volume brings together interdisciplinary perspectives from the human, social, and biological sciences to explore culture, mind, and brain interactions and their impact on personal and societal issues. Contributors provide a fresh look at emerging concepts, models, and applications of the co-constitution of culture, mind, and brain. Chapters survey the latest theoretical and methodological insights alongside the challenges in this area, and describe how these new ideas are being applied in the sciences, humanities, arts, mental health, and everyday life. Readers will gain new appreciation of the ways in which our unique biology and cultural diversity shape behavior and experience, and our ongoing adaptation to a constantly changing world.

Immunology is central to contemporary biology and medicine, but it also provides novel philosophical insights. Its most significant contribution to philosophy concerns the understanding of biological individuality: what a biological individual is, what makes it unique, how its boundaries are established and what ensures its identity through time. Immunology also offers answers to some of the most interesting philosophical questions. What is the definition of life? How are bodily systems delineated? How do the mind and the body interact? In this Element, Thomas Pradeu considers the ways in which immunology can shed light on these and other important philosophical issues. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

During the past decades, with the introduction of the recombinant DNA, hybridoma and transgenic technologies there has been an exponential evolution in understanding the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of a large number of human diseases. The technologies are evident with the development of cytokines and monoclonal antibodies as therapeutic agents and the techniques used in gene therapy. Immunopharmacology is that area of biomedical sciences where immunology, pharmacology and pathology overlap. It concerns the pharmacological approach to the immune response in physiological as well as pathological events. This goals and objectives of this textbook are to emphasize the developments in immunology and pharmacology as they relate to the modulation of immune response. The information includes the pharmacology of cytokines, monoclonal antibodies, mechanism of action of immune-suppressive agents and their relevance in tissue transplantation, therapeutic strategies for the treatment of AIDS and the techniques employed in gene therapy. The book is intended for health care professional students and graduate students in pharmacology and immunology.

Inorganic biomaterials include materials for e.g. dental restorations, biocompatible materials for orthopedic appliances and bioactive materials. However, inorganic biomaterials are also developed for use in tissue regeneration, e.g. wound healing. These products either consist of crystalline phases, such as Al2O3 or ZrO2, which makes them suitable for use in hip bone replacement or they are composed of tricalcium phosphate and used as resorbable biomaterials. Or, they contain glassy phases, such as BIOGLASS®, and are employed as bioactive biomaterials to bond to living bone. Inorganic biomaterials are also used to develop inorganic – organic composites which are suitable for use as bioactive products or to produce dental filling materials. In general, the development of composites is state of the art. However, it is also a future technology. Biomaterials for dental restorations consist of glassy or crystalline phases. Glass-ceramics represent a special group of inorganic biomaterials for dental restorations. Glass-ceramics are composed of at least one inorganic glassy phase and at least one crystalline phase. These products demonstrate a combination of properties, which include excellent aesthetics and the ability to mimic the optical properties of natural teeth, as well as high strength and toughness. They can be processed using special processing procedures, e.g. machining, moulding and sintering, to fabricate high quality products. Sintered oxide ceramics, such as Al2O3 or ZrO2, are also used for the fabrication of dental restorations. These products can be veneered with other biomaterials, or they can be polished to achieve the best possible surface quality. The manuscripts dealing with inorganic biomaterials should focus on the development of the products, especially on their chemical nature, the phase formation processes and all the details related to their processing. Very important are the mechanisms of phase formation. The reader of the manuscript should understand all of these reactions in detail. As far as application is concerned, it is important to describe the main properties of the developed products based on the valid standards, e.g. the ISO standards. The papers published should show that the products comply with these standards. It is very important to understand the relationship between biomass and biomaterials. This will help young scientists to follow the development of biomaterials with new, unexpected properties. He manuscripts published in "Frontiers" should also focus on the application of the biomaterials. Every manuscript should show the most important application of the material presented. There are different journals that deal with specific product categories, eg "Dental Materials". However, "Frontiers" should allow young scientists to publish their research results using all kinds of inorganic biomaterials. On the other hand, fundamental discussion and analysis of the findings should be encouraged and conclusions about possible applications in the field of medicine and dentistry should be drawn.

" ... Concise explanations and descriptions - easily read and readily understood - of what we know of the chain of events and processes that connect the Sun to the Earth, with special emphasis on space weather and Sun-Climate."--Dear Reader.

Much anecdotal information has suggested an influence of psychology and the nervous system on immunity within the skin and the expression of inflammatory skin disorders. Recent years have seen an explosion of knowledge providing a scientific basis for important regulatory interactions between the nervous system, the endocrine system and the immune system within the skin. The results of recent investigations have important implications, not only for an understanding of cutaneous immunity, but also for the development of novel treatments for diseases involving abnormal inflammation or immune reactivity within the skin. This book provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary review of the molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry and clinical aspects of nervous system–immune system interactions within the skin. It includes contributions from leading world experts in these areas. The contents are relevant to both investigators and clinicians interested in the skin, its functions and its disorders.