Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis
Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis

Author: Marinos C. Dalakas

Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann

Published: 2013-10-22

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 1483163040

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Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis provides extensive information regarding Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis (PM/DM), which is described as a heterogeneous disease complex. This book is divided into four sections: Part I (Clinical Features) covers the classification of PM/DM, details of the clinical presentation, and the disease's association with the other connective tissue disorders and malignancies. Part II (Etiology and Mechanisms) covers advances in the immunopathology and viral etiology of PM/DM along with a frequently recognized entity: inclusion body myositis. Part III (Diagnosis and Treatment) covers the histologic, muscle enzyme histochemical, electron microscopic, and resin histology features of PM/DM along with those electromyographic features that could help make a more accurate diagnosis. Part IV (Overview) summarizes the issues that may not have been clear and highlights differing and unsettled views or present available data. This text is directed to clinicians in private practice or in academic institutions concerned with PM/DM patients, including neurologists, rheumatologists, pediatricians, dermatologists, physiatrists, and neuromuscular investigators. This book is intended as well for neuromuscular pathologists who interpret muscle biopsy specimens and electromyographers who perform EMG studies to help determine the clinical diagnosis. Researchers in immunology and immunopathology of neuromuscular diseases will find discussions in this book invaluable.

Skeletal Muscle Circulation
Skeletal Muscle Circulation

Author: Ronald J. Korthuis

Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 147

ISBN-13: 1615041834

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The aim of this treatise is to summarize the current understanding of the mechanisms for blood flow control to skeletal muscle under resting conditions, how perfusion is elevated (exercise hyperemia) to meet the increased demand for oxygen and other substrates during exercise, mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of regular physical activity on cardiovascular health, the regulation of transcapillary fluid filtration and protein flux across the microvascular exchange vessels, and the role of changes in the skeletal muscle circulation in pathologic states. Skeletal muscle is unique among organs in that its blood flow can change over a remarkably large range. Compared to blood flow at rest, muscle blood flow can increase by more than 20-fold on average during intense exercise, while perfusion of certain individual white muscles or portions of those muscles can increase by as much as 80-fold. This is compared to maximal increases of 4- to 6-fold in the coronary circulation during exercise. These increases in muscle perfusion are required to meet the enormous demands for oxygen and nutrients by the active muscles. Because of its large mass and the fact that skeletal muscles receive 25% of the cardiac output at rest, sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction in vessels supplying this tissue allows central hemodynamic variables (e.g., blood pressure) to be spared during stresses such as hypovolemic shock. Sympathetic vasoconstriction in skeletal muscle in such pathologic conditions also effectively shunts blood flow away from muscles to tissues that are more sensitive to reductions in their blood supply that might otherwise occur. Again, because of its large mass and percentage of cardiac output directed to skeletal muscle, alterations in blood vessel structure and function with chronic disease (e.g., hypertension) contribute significantly to the pathology of such disorders. Alterations in skeletal muscle vascular resistance and/or in the exchange properties of this vascular bed also modify transcapillary fluid filtration and solute movement across the microvascular barrier to influence muscle function and contribute to disease pathology. Finally, it is clear that exercise training induces an adaptive transformation to a protected phenotype in the vasculature supplying skeletal muscle and other tissues to promote overall cardiovascular health. Table of Contents: Introduction / Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle and Its Vascular Supply / Regulation of Vascular Tone in Skeletal Muscle / Exercise Hyperemia and Regulation of Tissue Oxygenation During Muscular Activity / Microvascular Fluid and Solute Exchange in Skeletal Muscle / Skeletal Muscle Circulation in Aging and Disease States: Protective Effects of Exercise / References

Inflammation in Heart Failure
Inflammation in Heart Failure

Author: Matthijs Blankesteijn

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2014-12-05

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 0128004851

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Inflammation in Heart Failure, edited by W. Matthijs Blankesteijn and Raffaele Altara, is the first book in a decade to provide an in-depth assessment on the causes, symptoms, progression and treatments of cardiac inflammation and related conditions. This reference uses two decades of research to introduce new methods for identifying inflammatory benchmarks from early onset to chronic heart failure and specifically emphasizes the importance of classifying at-risk subgroups within large populations while determining the patterns of cytokines in such classifications. Further, the book details clinical applications of the pathophysiological mechanisms of heart failure, diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. Inflammation in Heart Failure's breadth of subject matter, easy-to-follow structure, portability, and high-quality illustrations create an accessible benefit for researchers, clinicians and students. - Presents updated information and research on the relevant inflammatory mediators of heart failure to aid in targeting future translational research as well as the improvement of early diagnosis and treatment - Provides research into better understanding the different inflammatory mediators that signal the underlying diseases that potentially lead to heart failure - Contains 20 years of research, offering a brief overview of the topic leading to current opinions on, and treatment of, heart failure - Provides a structured, systematic and balanced overview of the role of inflammation in heart failure making it a useful resource for researchers and clinicians, as well as those studying cardiovascular diseases

Itch
Itch

Author: E. Carstens

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2014-02-25

Total Pages: 482

ISBN-13: 1466505435

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Advances in itch research have elucidated differences between itch and pain but have also blurred the distinction between them. There is a long debate about how somatic sensations including touch, pain, itch, and temperature sensitivity are encoded by the nervous system. Research suggests that each sensory modality is processed along a fixed, direct-line communication system from the skin to the brain. Itch: Mechanisms and Treatment presents a timely update on all aspects of itch research and the clinical treatment of itch that accompanies many dermatological conditions including psoriasis, neuropathic itch, cutaneous t-cells lymphomas, and systemic diseases such as kidney and liver disease and cancer. Composed of contributions from distinguished researchers around the world, the book explores topics such as: Neuropathic itch Peripheral neuronal mechanism of itch The role of PAR-2 in neuroimmune communication and itch Mrgprs as itch receptors The role of interleukin-31 and oncostatin M in itch and neuroimmune communication Spinal coding of itch and pain Spinal microcircuits and the regulation of itch Examining new findings on cellular and molecular mechanisms, the book is a compendium of the most current research on itch, its prevalence in society, and the problems associated with treatment.

How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease
How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease

Author: United States. Public Health Service. Office of the Surgeon General

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 728

ISBN-13:

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This report considers the biological and behavioral mechanisms that may underlie the pathogenicity of tobacco smoke. Many Surgeon General's reports have considered research findings on mechanisms in assessing the biological plausibility of associations observed in epidemiologic studies. Mechanisms of disease are important because they may provide plausibility, which is one of the guideline criteria for assessing evidence on causation. This report specifically reviews the evidence on the potential mechanisms by which smoking causes diseases and considers whether a mechanism is likely to be operative in the production of human disease by tobacco smoke. This evidence is relevant to understanding how smoking causes disease, to identifying those who may be particularly susceptible, and to assessing the potential risks of tobacco products.

Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training
Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training

Author: Moritz Schumann

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-10-31

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 3319755471

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This book provides an extensive guide for exercise and health professionals, students, scientists, sport coaches, athletes of various sports and those with a general interest in concurrent aerobic and strength training. Following a brief historical overview of the past decades of research on concurrent training, in section 1 the epigenetic as well as physiological and neuromuscular differences of aerobic and strength training are discussed. Thereafter, section 2 aims at providing an up-to-date analysis of existing explanations for the interference phenomenon, while in section 3 the training-methodological difficulties of combined aerobic and strength training are elucidated. In section 4 and 5, the theoretical considerations reviewed in previous sections will then be practically applied to specific populations, ranging from children and elderly to athletes of various sports. Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training: Scientific Basics and Practical Applications is a novel book on one of the “hot topics” of exercise training. The Editors' highest priority is to make this book an easily understandable and at the same time scientifically supported guide for the daily practice.