Gregory Bock R.

Heart failure is the main cause of death and disability in the industrialized world. There is a major need for novel therapeutics for prevention and reversal of cardiac pathology associated with heart failure and cardiac enlargement. Over recent years, dramatic progress has been made in unravelling the cellular circuitry involved in cardiac failure, as well as in normal cardiac growth, development and apoptosis. This work has revealed new and unexpected therapeutic targets in the heart. In...

This book features contributions from experts in cell biology, genetics, neurobiology, immunology and structural biology. The unifying element is that they all study processes of cell shape change and motility. Several key questions in this field of research are discussed: What are the organising principles behind cell shape change? Are there ‘master switches’ present in every cell type? How are extracellular signals interpreted by the cell in order to activate intracellular mechanisms? What is...

This book features scientists from a broad spectrum of disciplines discussing recent data on aggression in laboratory animals with particular reference to possible implications for understanding human aggression. Chapters focus on the major current experimental issues in the study of aggression in humans and animals. The extensive discussions deal with specific problems of interpretation at the molecular level, as well as general issues relating to our understanding of human and animal...

Over recent decades vast amounts of biological data have been accumulated. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to apply traditional theoretical methods to the formulation of coherent pictures of cell and organ function because it is no longer possible for a human theorist to integrate all of the available information. Instead, computer technologies must now be used to perform this integration. This book brings together contributions from many different fields to summarize the current...

Over the last several years, immunologists have re-discovered the importance of regulatory lymphocytes, formerly termed 'suppressor cells'. Many recent reports have documented their existence, effector functions and potential therapeutic benefits in autoimmunity and transplantation. However, even though modern techniques have allowed us to get a much more detailed picture of these cells, they are still highly controversial. Several unresolved issues responsible for this dilemma are discussed in...

The past decade has seen mounting global concern regarding viral outbreaks such as SARS, avian influenza and West Nile virus. In 2004 and 2005, reports of bird-to-human, and possible human-to-human, transmissions of the H5N1 influenza viruses raised fears that these viruses could cause a pandemic on the scale of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. Previous to this, a novel coronavirus had been identified as the aetiological agent of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a new respiratory...

This book is a comprehensive and up-to-date account of where we stand in immunological strategies for preventing or treating type 1 diabetes (T1D). Brings together contributions from the leaders in the arena of clinical immunotherapy, not limited to the diabetes field exclusively, in order to delineate a road-map that would lead to future clinical trials. The book integrates information from human and animal studies. The book considers T1D within the broader context of autoimmune disease. The...

This book explores the possibility that life exists on Mars. It provides an interdisciplinary overview of the early evolution of life in hydrothermal ecosystems on Earth, focusing on the problem of remote sensing and incorporating geological work relevant to the search for evidence of early life on Earth and Mars. It discusses the belief that studying thermal spring deposits as part of this search may be the best opportunity to test whether life on earth is a «unique experiment,» or whether...

This book offers a fresh perspective on the controversial topic of criminal and antisocial behavior. It synthesizes findings from behavioral and population genetics, evolutionary biology and criminology and presents the latest findings in twin studies, adoption cohort studies, molecular genetics and animal models for human aggression. Also included is a detailed analysis of the legal implications of genetics and crime research and strategies for rehabilitation.

This book brings together material on all aspects of immunological tolerance. Basic mechanisms of tolerance are examined in detail, including mechanisms of peripheral T cell tolerance, molecular and genetic mechanisms for maintaining self tolerance, partial T cell activation, and the role of apoptosis in tolerance. Careful consideration is also given to the clinical applications of our understanding of immunological tolerance, with specific chapters dealing with T cell activation during tumour...

Many common human diseases have a multifactorial origin: they are influenced by a person's genetic predisposition as well as by factors in the environment. This volume deals with the application of recombinant DNA techniques to the identification of diseases that have more than one inherited component. Focus is on the polygenic factors responsible for coronary atherosclerosis. Several other disorders having a polygenic origin are also discussed, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus,...

To understand the brain and its devastating diseases, we need to reveal the mechanisms that produce it and the ways in which it can constantly change throughout a lifetime. This book features a timely and insightful discussion between developmental neurobiologists and clinicians who deal with disorders of the nervous system. Chapters in this book deal specifically with cell fate determination, cell migration and disorders of cell migration; current concepts and new ideas about cortical...

This book draws together contributions from some of the leading investigators in the field of autism to consider specific problem areas in current research. Each contributor brings expertise from a different field, providing a balanced view of the whole spectrum of study of this disorder. It covers four main areas: Twin and family studies indicate that the heritability of the underlying liability to autism exceeds 90% and point to a multifactorial causation, involving a relatively small number...