This volume covers all aspects of infection by pathogenic Leptospira species, the causative agents of the world’s most widespread zoonosis. Topics include aspects of human and animal leptospirosis as well as detailed analyses of our current knowledge of leptospiral structure and physiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, genomics, immunity and vaccines. Updates are presented on leptospiral systematics, identification and diagnostics, as well as practical information on culture of

This volume brings together contributions from experts in the field of Pasteurella research. Its covers areas such as comparative genomics, pathogenic mechanisms, bacterial proteomics, as well as a detailed description and analysis of PMT and its interaction with host tissues, cells, immune system, and signalling pathways.

Spirochetes comprise a fascinating group of bacteria. Although diverse in terms of their habitat, ecology and infectivity for vertebrate and non-vertebrate hosts, they are often considered together because of their similar cellular morphologies. This volume brings together an international group of experts to provide essential insights into spirochete biology, with an emphasis on recent advances made possible by the availability of genome sequences. As such, it offers a valuable resource f...

Kidney Development and Disease brings together established and young investigators who are leading authorities in nephrology to describe recent advances in three primary areas of research. The first section describes the use of animal models as powerful tools for the discovery of numerous molecular mechanisms regulating kidney development. The second section focuses on nephric cell renewal and differentiation, which lead to diverse cell fates within the developing kidney, and disc...

The human immune system is a complex network of tissues and organs dispersed throughout the body. Immunology, as one of the most rapidly evolving fields in bio¬medical research, has to date covered the essential cellular and molecular events neces¬sary for immune responses to occur. However, it has paid relatively little attention to important developmental processes underlying the formation of the tissues themselves that carry out immune responses in humans and other mammalians. In contra...

The knowledge of Th17 cells and other cell populations which secrete IL-17A, and/or IL-22 has expanded tremendously since the publication of the first edition “Th17 Cells: Role in Inflammation and Autoimmune Disease” in 2008. The present volume has been completely revised with the addition of new chapters on the IL-17 receptor family and signaling, and an in-depth review of IL-22 and innate lymphoid cells. The differentiation of naïve T cells into regulatory T cells and Th17 cells as well ...

This book will assemble the views of many of the world's experts in the field of viruses and diabetes. It will look critically at some unanswered questions, in the field. Among these, How do viruses destroy or modify the pancreatic islet? Which viruses are involved? What is the role of virus-induced cytokines> Could vaccines prevent virus-induced diabetes? Until recent technological advances, progress in the understanding of the relationship between viruses and diabetes has been hampered. ...

Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in the theory and applications of pharmacodynamics of antimicrobial agents. On the basis of pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling concepts it has become possible to describe and predict the time course of antimicrobial effects under normal and pathophysiological conditions. The study of pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships can be of considerable value in understanding drug action, defining optimal dosing regimens, and in ...

Antibacterial agents act against bacterial infection either by killing the bacterium or by arresting its growth. They do this by targeting bacterial DNA and its associated processes, attacking bacterial metabolic processes including protein synthesis, or interfering with bacterial cell wall synthesis and function.Antibacterial Agents is an essential guide to this important class of chemotherapeutic drugs. Compounds are organised according to their target, which helps the r...

Primer on the Metabolic Bone Diseases and Disorders of Mineral Metabolism, 8th Edition is the comprehensive revision of the field-leading reference on bone and mineral health. The eighth edition has been fully revised by the leading researchers and clinicians in the field to provide concise coverage of the widest possible spectrum of metabolic bone diseases and disorders of mineral metabolism. Chapters look to explain basic biological factors of healthy development and disease sta...

The prevalence of hypertension is almost three times as high as that of diabetes mellitus type 2, with both conditions being major risk factors for stroke, ischemic heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias, and heart failure. The exact prevalence of hypertension related to hormonal derangements (endocrine hypertension) is not known but estimated to affect less than 15% of hypertensive patients. Recent scientific discoveries have increased the understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms of h...

Corynebacterium diphtheriae is the classical etiological agent of diphtheria and the type strain of the genus Corynebacterium. While diphtheria of the respiratory tract became rare with the introduction of vaccination programs in industrialized countries, even today several thousand cases per year are reported to the World Health Organization. This shows that diphtheria is not completely eradicated and that reservoirs exist. The book summarizes the latest advances made in...