Reframing Disease Contextually

At present, there is minimal and misleading knowledge of gastrointestinal dysfunction in Parkinson's disease among primary neurologists and gastroenterologists. This book reviews our current understanding of the GI involvement in PD, as many experiments suggest that the gut might be the site where the disease starts. Also discussed is how the gut dysfunction causes symptoms from the top (mouth) to the bottom (anal canal), and because of their frequency and severity, they contribute to disease progression and disability. In addition, the book covers the negative effects of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and of a frequently silent stomach infection by Helicobacter pylori infection on the absorption of antiparkinsonian drugs, in turn causing motor fluctuations and inadequate treatment response.

This detailed volume presents a series of protocols that are representative of recent developments and improvements in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and corresponding human disease models. Reflecting the latest technology for generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and their initial characterization, the book explores techniques invaluable both for studies of disease-specific cell types and for their potential applications in regenerative medicine. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introduction to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step and readily reproducible laboratory protocols, as well as tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

This detailed volume presents a series of protocols that are representative of recent developments and improvements in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and corresponding human disease models. Reflecting the latest technology for generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and their initial characterization, the book explores techniques invaluable both for studies of disease-specific cell types and for their potential applications in regenerative medicine. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introduction to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step and readily reproducible laboratory protocols, as well as tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

This book details the benefits of palliative care to improve the lives of patients with serious lung disease and their caregivers. Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness. This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness, and is often described as “an extra layer of support” for patients and their caregivers, as patients with malignant and nonmalignant lung disease experience great symptom burden and have advanced care planning needs.

The impact of illness on individual lives and society at large was once considered too vast to gauge. More recently, quantitative measures of quality of life, life expectancy, and the financial costs of illness and treatment are showing not only how this impact can be calculated but also how the results can be used to further research and improve public health. The Handbook of Disease Burdens and Quality of Life Measures is the first comprehensive reference to these instruments and their findings on an international scale.