On Rheostasis describes several examples of physiological changes most species of animals will experience in their lifetime, such as daily rhythms, reproductive cycles, and infection induced fevers. These naturally occurring events are a major challenge to the basic understanding of how bodies maintain a healthy, internal working environment. The book uses new research to highlight that our internal state is regulated by different physiological processes.
Fibrinolysis in Disease reviews the state of the art of basic and clinical aspects of the fibrinolytic enzyme system. The text, authored by outstanding and internationally known investigators, is presented in two books. The Malignant Process, Interventions in Thrombogenic Mechanisms, and Novel Treatment Modalities discusses the molecular biology of the system's key components and their fundamental roles in a variety of thrombotic and metabolic disorders. Molecular and Hemovascular Aspects of Fybrinolysis presents the latest findings and concepts of the association between plasminogen activator (u-PA) overexpression and abnormal growth regulation in a variety of solid tumors and in leukemia. One chapter deals with various successful interventions in thrombogenic mechanisms, ranging from exercise and diet to anticoagulants and direct and indirect thrombolytic agents. It concludes with a projection of exciting, novel treatment modalities in thrombotic and malignant diseases.
Fibrinolysis in Disease reviews the state of the art of basic and clinical aspects of the fibrinolytic enzyme system. The text, authored by outstanding and internationally known investigators, is presented in two books. The Malignant Process, Interventions in Thrombogenic Mechanisms, and Novel Treatment Modalities discusses the molecular biology of the system's key components and their fundamental roles in a variety of thrombotic and metabolic disorders. Molecular and Hemovascular Aspects of Fybrinolysis presents the latest findings and concepts of the association between plasminogen activator (u-PA) overexpression and abnormal growth regulation in a variety of solid tumors and in leukemia. One chapter deals with various successful interventions in thrombogenic mechanisms, ranging from exercise and diet to anticoagulants and direct and indirect thrombolytic agents. It concludes with a projection of exciting, novel treatment modalities in thrombotic and malignant diseases.
Evolutionary thinking provides insights into many different areas in the research and practice of medicine and public health. It takes specialties such as medical microbiology, epidemiology, oncology, gynecology, and psychiatry that had become increasingly siloed and places them in a larger framework. This foundational structure enables students to view medical knowledge as an integrated whole, underpinned by general principles rather than a loose collection of disparate facts. The discipline of evolutionary medicine continues to advance rapidly as new results come in showing where the insights pay off and where they do not. Its conceptual foundations have also been strengthened in papers not yet reflected in the textbooks, so a new edition is therefore timely. At the same time, the teaching of evolutionary medicine has also been steadily gaining momentum both in courses that prepare undergraduates for medical school in North America and in other contexts worldwide. Evolutionary Medicine is intended for undergraduate students preparing for careers in medicine and public health, students in schools of medicine and public health, and medical professionals curious about the insights that evolutionary thinking can bring to their field. It will also be relevant to students and researchers in the fields of evolutionary biology, anthropology, developmental biology, and genetics. It highlights the most important insights in a relatively brief and compelling book that does not attempt encyclopedic coverage of a rapidly changing field.
This work offers a comprehensive re-examination and elaboration of homeostasis, a guiding principle in physiology that has received surprisingly little critical evaluation. Among the key topics addressed are questions concerning the competing demands of different regulatory systems within the body and the problem of maintaining equilibrium in such circumstances. The author makes the important point that the body does not always seek constancy of its internal environment, nor does it always react in ways that prevent change. On the contrary, sometimes physiological mechanisms actively promote change. These changes in regulated levels--termed "rheostasis"--are seen as having an adaptive value beyond a simple failure of homeostasis. This book compares and categorizes examples of rheostasis for a variety of physiological variables, and presents what is known about conflicts between different regulatory systems and their role in promoting the occurrence of rheostasis. Among other topics covered are weight loss during hibernation, calcium storage and reproduction, fever, and rates of fat deposition in adults. The work of an outstanding scholar, this integrative study represents a refreshing and essential new approach to one of the basic concepts in physiological science.
The concept of homeostasis, the maintenance of the internal physiological environment of an organism within tolerable limits, is well established in medicine and physiology. In contrast, allostasis is a relatively new idea of 'viability through change'. With allostatic regulation by cephalic involvement, the body adapts to potentially diverse and dangerous situations through the activation of neural, hormonal, or immunological mechanisms. Allostasis explains how regulatory events maintain organismic viability, or not, in diverse contexts with varying set points of bodily needs and competing motivations. This 2005 book introduces the concept of allostasis and sets it alongside traditional views of homeostasis. It addresses basic regulatory systems and examines the behavior of bodily regulation under duress. The basic concepts of physiological homeostasis are integrated with disorders like depression, stress, anxiety and addiction. It will therefore appeal to graduate students, medical students and researchers working in physiology, epidemiology, endocrinology, neuroendocrinology, neuroscience, and psychology.
Fish form an extremely diverse group of vertebrates. At a conservative estimate at least 40% of the world's vertebrates are fish. On the one hand they are united by their adaptations to an aquatic environment and on the other they show a variety of adaptations to differing environmental conditions - often to extremes of temperature, salinity, oxygen level and water chemistry. They exhibit an array of behavioural and reproductive systems. Interesting in their own right, this suite of adaptive physiologies provides many model systems for both comparative vertebrate and human physiologists. This four volume encyclopedia covers the diversity of fish physiology in over 300 articles and provides entry level information for students and summary overviews for researchers alike. Broadly organised into four themes, articles cover Functional, Thematic, and Phylogenetic Physiology, and Fish Genomics. Functional articles address the traditional aspects of fish physiology that are common to all areas of vertebrate physiology including: Reproduction, Respiration, Neural (Sensory, Central, Effector), Endocrinology, Renal, Cardiovascular, Acid-base Balance, Osmoregulation, Ionoregulation, Digestion, Metabolism, Locomotion, and so on. Thematic Physiology articles are carefully selected and fewer in number. They provide a level of integration that goes beyond the coverage in the Functional Physiology topics and include discussions of Toxicology, Air-breathing, Migrations, Temperature, Endothermy, etc. Phylogenetic Physiology articles bring together information that bridges the physiology of certain groupings of fishes where the knowledge base has a sufficient depth and breadth and include articles on Ancient Fishes, Tunas, Sharks, etc. Genomics articles describe the underlying genetic component of fish physiology and high light their suitability and use as model organisms for the study of disease, stress and physiological adaptations and reactions to external conditions. Winner of a 2011 PROSE Award Honorable Mention for Multivolume Science Reference from the Association of American Publishers The definitive encyclopedia for the field of fish physiology Three volumes which comprehensively cover the entire field in over 300 entries written by experts Detailed coverage of basic functional physiology of fishes, physiological themes in fish biology and comparative physiology amongst taxonomic Groups Describes the genomic bases of fish physiology and biology and the use of fish as model organisms in human physiological research Includes a glossary of terms
Beyond Environmental Comfort highlights some of the key ideas that form the foundation of the field of environmental comfort and, at the same time, gives voice to some of the concerns and considerations on the limitations of the field as it stands today. Bringing together a range of foremost thinkers in their respective fields - Michel Cabanac, Derek Clements-Croome, Nick Baker, Harold Marshall, Juhani Pallasmaa, Dean Hawkes, and Constance Classen - this book argues for a deeper appreciation of how environmental comfort may be understood in terms of our relationship with the environment rather than as independent qualities. For the first time these diverse views are brought together by Editor Boon Lay Ong to present insights into a world beyond what is normally covered in academic research. In the process, an attempt is made to define the field for the future. This book shows that it is by understanding just how environmental design needs to go beyond mere comfort and deal with well-being that we can meaningfully design our future.
Integrative Organismal Biology synthesizes current understandings of the causes and consequences of individual variation at the physiological, behavioral and organismal levels. Emphasizing key topics such as phenotypic plasticity and flexibility, and summarizing emerging areas such as ecological immunology, oxidative stress biology and others, Integrative Organismal Biology pulls together information from diverse disciplines to provide a synthetic view of the role of the individual in evolution. Beginning with the role of the individual in evolutionary and ecological processes, the book covers theory and mechanism from both classic and modern perspectives. Chapters explore concepts such as phenotypic plasticity, genetic and epigenetic variation, physiological and phenotypic variation, homeostasis, and gene and physiological regulatory networks. A concluding section interweaves these concepts through a series of case studies of life processes such as aging, reproduction, and immune defense. Written and edited by leaders in the field, Integrative Organismal Biology will be an important advanced textbook for students and researchers across a variety of subdisciplines of integrative biology.
Biology and Physiology of Freshwater Neotropical Fish is the all-inclusive guide to fish species prevalent in the neotropical realm. It provides the most updated systematics, classification, anatomical, behavioral, genetic, and functioning systems information on freshwater neotropical fish species. This book begins by analyzing the differences in phylogeny, anatomy, and behaviour of neotropical fish. Systems such as cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, digestive, reproductive, muscular, and endocrine are described in detail. This book also looks at the effects of stress on fish immune systems, and how color and pigmentation play into physiology and species differentiation. Biology and Physiology of Freshwater Neotropical Fish is a must-have for fish biologists and zoologists. Students in zoology, ichthyology, and fish farming will also find this book useful for its coverage of some of the world's rarest and least-known fish species. - Features chapters written by top neotropical fish researchers and specialists - Discusses environmental effects on neotropical fishes, including climate change and pollution - Details the phylogenetic occurrence of electroreceptors and electric organs in fish
