Prevalence of allergic diseases has increased several folds in western world over the last two decades, and similar trend is being observed recently in India. There have been several postulations to explain increasing occurrence of allergic diseases. "Allergic march" refers to sequence of events that starts during fetal life as a result of sensitization to foods and may manifest as eczema, gastrointestinal symptoms, asthma, or hay fever, or combinations of any of these symptoms. A link between genetics and immunology is hypothesized that results in such allergic diseases.
Chronic rhinosinusitis is a widely prevalent condition globally as well as in India. The chronicity of the condition and its multifactorial origin makes the detection of the underlying mechanism of the disease difficult to detect and renders the management challenging. This clinical update handbook put together by the eminent exponents of otolaryngology in India aims to simplify this elusive condition for the benefit of all practitioners involved in the management of this disease. The first chapter highlights socio-economic burden and the impact of this disease on the health related quality of life. The second chapter describes the underlying mechanisms involved in development of the disease. The third chapter showcases the various diagnostic modalities used to detect the disease, differentiate it from other similar conditions and assess its severity. The fourth chapter gives a very succinent overview of the various management modalities. The fifth chapter encapsulates the medical treatment and the sixth offers a lucid description of the latest surgical techniques for this disease. The seventh chapter deals with the other associated conditions that can confuse, complicate or impact the management of the disease as well as affect its prognosis. The eighth chapter describes fungal rhinosinusitis, which is of special importance because of its high prevalence in India.
Principles for Evaluating Building Materials in Sustainable Construction: Healthy and Sustainable Materials for the Built Environment provides a comprehensive overview of the issues associated with the selection of materials for sustainable construction, proposing a holistic and integrated approach. The book evaluates the issues involved in choosing materials from an ecosystem services perspective, from the design stage to the impact of materials on the health of building users. The three main sections of the book discuss building materials in relation to ecosystem services, the implications of materials choice at the design stage, and the impact of materials on building users and their health. The final section focuses on specific case studies that illustrate the richness of solutions that existed before the rise of contemporary construction and that are consistent with a sustainable approach to creating built environments. These are followed by modern examples which apply some, if not all, of the principles discussed in the first three sections of the book. - Provides a holistic and integrated approach to the issues associated with the selection of materials for sustainable construction - Provides a thorough understanding of ecosystem services based on ecology research for built environment design - Provides an original review of the impact of materials on human health - Provides case studies to illustrate the points above
