Immunology is the study of the body's protection from foreign macromolecules or invading organisms and the responses to them. These invaders include viruses, bacteria, protozoa or even larger parasites. In addition, immune responses are developed against our own proteins (and other molecules) in autoimmunity and against our own aberrant cells in tumour immunity. The first line of defence against foreign organisms are barrier tissues such as the skin that stop the entry of organism into our bodies. A second line of defence is the specific or adaptive immune system which may take days to respond to a primary invasion (that is infection by an organism that has not hitherto been seen). This new book brings together new research from around the globe dealing with this extremely important subject.

The oral mucosa is a challenging environment from an immunological perspective, containing discrete niches with a unique architecture and function that requires precise adjustment of the immune system. Being the port of entry to the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts, the oral cavity is also constantly challenged by antigens derived from air and food. Moreover, the oral cavity is the sole tissue of the body harboring a hard surface (i.e. the tooth) that is exposed to the hostile external environment, resulting in the formation of a complex biofilm that has local and systemic effects. To deal with such challenges, the oral immune system aims to prevent the invasion of pathogens/harmful antigens and to tolerate non-pathogenic counterparts in order to maintain homeostasis. In recent years, numerous studies have addressed these fundamental issues, revealing sophisticated mechanisms engaged by the immune system to maintain oral mucosal homeostasis and to combat various immunological insults. Some of these studies have identified novel immunological mechanisms, emphasizing the uniqueness of the oral immune system and the necessity to further investigate its functions.

Exercise immunology is an important, emerging sub-discipline within exercise physiology, concerned with the relationship between exercise, immune function and infection risk. This book offers a comprehensive, up-to-date and evidence-based introduction to exercise immunology, including the physiological and molecular mechanisms that determine immune function and the implications for health and performance in sport and everyday life. Written by a team of leading exercise physiologists, the book describes the characteristics of the immune system and how its components are organised to form an immune response. It explains the physiological basis of the relationship between stress, physical activity, immune function and infection risk, and identifies the ways in which exercise and nutrition interact with immune function in athletes and non-athletes. The book shows students how to evaluate the strengths and limitations of the evidence linking physical activity, immune system integrity and health, and explains why exercise is associated with anti-inflammatory effects that are potentially beneficial to long-term health. Every chapter includes useful features, such as clear summaries, definitions of key terms, discussions of seminal research studies and practical guidelines for athletes on ways to minimise infection risk, with additional learning resources available on a companion website. This is an essential textbook for any course on exercise immunology or advanced exercise physiology.

Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science, Volume 159, provides the most topical, informative and exciting monographs available on a wide variety of research topics related to prions, viruses, bacteria and eukaryotes. The series includes in-depth knowledge on molecular biological aspects of organismal physiology, along with insights on how this knowledge may be applied to understand and ameliorate human disease. New chapters in this release discuss timely topics, such as Targeting recently deorphanized GPR83 for the treatment of infection, stress, and drug addiction, Arrestin Structure-Function, Arrestins in the Cardiovascular System, Analysis of biased agonism, and more. - Includes comprehensive coverage of molecular biology - Presents ample use of tables, diagrams, schemata, and color figures to enhance the reader's ability to rapidly grasp the information provided - Contains contributions from renowned experts in the field

First published in 1972, The Hope of Progress presents collection of essays and lectures dealing with the history of scientific ideas and the impact of science on society. The principle piece in this volume is the author’s 1969 presidential address to the British Association ‘On The Effecting of All Things Possible’, an argument for believing in the ability of science to solve the problems it has itself created, and which too many of us believe insoluble. It contains author’s Romanes Lecture on ‘Science and Literature’ and a well known critique of J.D. Watson’s notorious account of the discovery of the molecular structure of DNA, The Double Helix. Other chapters discuss the possibility of the control and domination by science of the body and mind of Man- though the author concludes in ‘The Genetic Improvement of Man’ : ‘I think that, in the main, for many centuries to come, we shall have to put up with human beings as they are at present constituted’. This book will be useful for scholars and researchers of history of science, philosophy of science, natural science, and philosophy in general.

Immunologists, perhaps understandably, most often concentrate on the human immune system, an anthropocentric focus that has resulted in a dearth of information about the immune function of all other species within the animal kingdom. However, knowledge of animal immune function could help not only to better understand human immunology, but perhaps more importantly, it could help to treat and avoid the blights that affect animals, which consequently affect humans. Take for example the mass death of honeybees in recent years – their demise, resulting in much less pollination, poses a serious threat to numerous crops, and thus the food supply. There is a similar disappearance of frogs internationally, signaling ecological problems, among them fungal infections. This book aims to fill this void by describing and discussing what is known about non-human immunology. It covers various major animal phyla, its chapters organized in a progression from the simplest unicellular organisms to the most complex vertebrates, mammals. Chapters are written by experts, covering the latest findings and new research being conducted about each phylum. Edwin L. Cooper is a Distinguished Professor in the Laboratory of Comparative Immunology, Department of Neurobiology at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.

The Microbiome in Health and Disease, Volume 171 in the Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science series, provides the most topical, informative and exciting monographs available on a wide variety of research topics. The series includes in-depth knowledge on the molecular biological aspects of organismal physiology, with this release including chapters on Microbiome in health and disease, CNS development and microbiome in infants, A gut feeling in ALS, Microbiome (Virome) and virus infection, Bugs and Drugs: microbiome in medicine metabolism, Immunity, T cells, and microbiome, Salmonella (Bacterial) infection and cancer: of mice and men, and many other highly researched topics. Provides a novel theme and multiple disciplinary topics of microbiome research in basic and translational studies Presents an updated collection on bacteria, virus, fungi and their interactions in microbiome Includes a timely discussion on the tools and methods used for modeling and analysis of microbiome data

Infections caused by fungi have recently attracted the attention of both clinicians and basic researchers given the heavy burden they represent for any health system. The mortality and morbidity rates associated to mycosis are progressively rising simply because some of these diseases are still neglected by health-care workers and due to the changing sensitivity to antifungal drugs displayed by these organisms. In this book, both researchers and clinicians working in the medical mycology field explore the most recent literature about specific mycosis; placing in one concise chapter thoroughly revisions of the current knowledge on virulence factors, recognition by immune cells, immunoevasion, epidemiology, new diagnosis trends and therapeutics. This book is recommended to researchers, physicians and students interested in medical mycology.