Seemingly simple behaviours turn out, on reflection, to be discouragingly complex. For many years, cognitive operations such as sensation, perception, comparing percepts to stored models (short-term and long-term memory), decision-making and planning of actions were treated by most neuroscientists as separate areas of research. This was not because the neuroscience community believed these operations to act independently--it is intuitive that any common cognitive process seamlessly interweaves these operations--but because too little was known about the individual processes constituting the...

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 addition, advances in understanding the role of stem cells in cardiac physiology have suggested...

Understanding stem cells at the molecular level is essential to understanding their behaviour in a physiological context. This volume in our acclaimed Novartis Foundation series features animated discussion from the world's experts in this topic on the important ethical issues that are raised by research on stem cells. They review the various regulatory regimes, which apply in different countries - a key factor in determining where future stem cell research is carried out.

Potential clinical applications covered in the book include the production of cardiomyocytes to replace damaged heart...

Smooth muscle contraction is a vital component of the functioning of blood vessels, the uterus, airways and the bladder. Its malfunction can lead to serious pathological conditions, such as hypertension and pre-term labour. The calcium ion plays a central role in smooth muscle function, increasing in concentration for contraction and decreasing for relaxation. Calcium entry into the cell is facilitated by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR).

This book explores the latest research on the role of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in smooth muscle function. It examines the control and modulation of...

The astounding diversity of the immune system and the complexity of its regulatory pathways makes immunology a combinatorial science. Computational analysis has therefore become an essential element of immunology research and this has led to the creation of the emerging field of immunoinformatics. This book is the first to feature thorough coverage of this new field.

Immunoinformatics facilitates the understanding of immune function by modelling the interactions among immunological components. Biological research provides ever deeper insights into the complexity of living organisms while...

This book brings together contributions from key investigators in the area of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channel structure and function. It covers the structure, function and regulation of mammalian TRP channels and mechanisms of signal transduction. The discussions indicate research that would improve understanding of the role of TRP channels in normal cellular physiology, the involvement of TRP channels in disease states and their potential use as molecular targets for novel therapeutic agents.

Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disease associated with joint pain and loss of joint function. It has an estimated incidence of 4 out of every 100 people and significantly reduces the quality of life in affected individuals. The major symptoms are chronic pain, swelling and stiffness; severe, chronic joint pain is often the central factor that causes patients to seek medical attention. Within the affected joint, there is focal degradation and remodelling of articular cartilage, new bone formation (osteophytes) and mild synovitis.

Several mechanisms are thought to contribute to...

Although normally thought of as a sex hormone, recent research has highlighted the numerous and significant effects that oestrogen has on the CNS, extending far beyond its important reproductive role. It has been shown that oestrogen acts as a neural growth factor with important influences on the survival, plasticity, regeneration and ageing of the mammalian brain.

This exciting book brings together leading clinicians and researchers to discuss oestrogen's basic mechanisms of action, the extrahypothalmic brain regions it affects, and its influence on cognitive functions in...

Brings together a cross-fertilization of ideas between human molecular genetics, develeopmental biology, tissue biology and the biochemistry of cell signalling pathways, in order to create new insights into the mechanisms of normal and abnormal skeletogenesis.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, characterized by progressive chronic airflow obstruction, is a common respiratory disorder and cause of death in adults, but has received little attention compared with other respiratory diseases such as asthma and lung cancer. Current treatment offers some symptomatic relief, but does not address the underlying process. As smoking cessation is the only intervention known to alter the rate of disease progression, there is a great need for the development of superior therapies for symptomatic relief and disease modification. This book reviews and...