Bøger i Methods in Molecular Medicine serien

The last decade has seen a tremendous advance in our understanding of bone biology. The genes responsible for the majority of rare inherited bone disorders have been identified and much progress has been made in the identification of genes in polygenic disorders such as Paget's disease and complex multigene diseases such as osteoporosis. Transgenic technology has identified further genes, sometimes unexpectedly, with profound effects on bone. This wealth of new genetic information will undoubtedly lead to extensive cell biological studies to understand the mechanisms by which these gene products affect bone mass and bone strength. In Bone Research Protocols a catalogue of protocols has been assembled to perform such mechanistic studies. In the tradition of the Methods in Molecular Medicine series, the chapters are practical laboratory protocols that should enable the reader to carry out the techniques from scratch. To our knowledge this is the first time such a truly practical manual on well-established bone methods has been assembled, and this volume aims to be complementary to and follow on from the more theoretical Methods in Bone Biology, edited by Arnett and Henderson (1).

With one-third of the world's population infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, over two million people a year dying from tuberculosis, and the appearance of multidrug-resistant strains, the need to understand the biology of M. tuberculosis, and so to develop new interventions, has become acute. In Mycobacterium tuberculosis Protocols, leading investigators with extensive practical knowledge and experience describe their best methods for studying this dangerous pathogen. Packed with step-by-step instructions to ensure successful results, these methods range from basic handling techniques to the application of functional genomics. These molecular techniques are suitable for research in genetics, biochemistry, microbiology, cell biology, epidemiology, and diagnostics, and are at the forefront of biological research as a whole, as well as in focused M. tuberculosis research. Highlights include methods for the basic safety and culture of M. tuberculosis, fractionation of the bacterium (nucleic acids, lipids, culture filtrate, and capsule), the analysis of gene expression (start-site mapping, real-time PCR, microarrays, and proteomics), the growth of the bacterium in macrophages and low oxygen, cytological analysis of the bacteria, and diagnostics. Highly practical and accessible, Mycobacterium tuberculosis Protocols utilizes advanced functional genomics and mutagenesis methodologies to provide both experimental and clinical investigators all the powerful techniques needed to illuminate the molecular biology of tuberculosis and its interactions with host cells, and so drive work on the wide variety of emerging therapeutic opportunities.

Cancer Radiotherapy Protocols gives a timely account of modern radiotherapy planning, an important tool in the armory of oncologists who manage patients with cancer. Leading experts in the field explain how to plan the radiotherapy of cancer patients across the range of tumor sites. Bringing an original approach, the book not only describes a method for delivery of radiotherapy, but also the notes on problems encountered and methods to overcome these problems. The text provides a reference for, and is particularly focused on, radiation oncologists in training and will be of use for established radiation oncologists and for radiographers and physicists as well. This volume supports the training and development of radiotherapy skills in an up to date, precise and safe manner.

The accurate and reliable diagnosis of transmissible diseases is the most powerful weapon available to ensure their control, and in some cases eradication. Indeed many viral infections display clinical signs that are indistinguishable from bacterial or parasitic infections.

A panel of internationally recognized research scientists and clinical investigators brings together a diverse collection of readily reproducible methods for identifying and quantifying a large number of specific genetic abnormalities associated with the broad spectrum of myeloid malignancies. Highlights include techniques for the detection of BCR-ABL mutations and resistance to imatinib mesylate, detection of the FIP1L1-PDGFRA fusion in idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome and chronic eosinophilic leukemia, classification of AML by DNA-oligonucleotide microarrays, and detection of the V617F JAK2 mutation in myeloproliferative disorders. In addition to gene rearrangments, other prognostically relevant molecular lesions such as FLT3 mutations and WT-1 overexpression are covered.

In particular, the methods can be used to identify in clinical samples those genetic mutations responsible for such congenital abnormalities as Marfan syndrome, Williams-Beuren Syndrome, Alagille syndrome, Noonan syndrome, and Friedreich ataxia.

Comprehensive and up-to-date, the two volumes of Cartilage and Osteoarthritis provide researchers and bench scientists with readily reproducible protocols for new experiments to understand-from the cellular to the animal level-the pathophysiology of cartilage and to discover molecular targets for pharmacological intervention.

Comprehensive and up-to-date, the two volumes of Cartilage and Osteoarthritis provide researchers and bench scientists with readily reproducible protocols for new experiments to understand-from the cellular to the animal level-the pathophysiology of cartilage and to discover molecular targets for pharmacological intervention.

Among the highlights are methods to use immunoglobulin gene rearrangements as markers of clonality, to exploit patterns of somatic mutation in the variable regions to indicate at which stage transformation occurred, and to apply gene arrays to the question of biological heterogeneity in morphologically similar diseases.

Allergy: Methods and Protocols aims to assist the researcher in gaining insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in allergy by featuring an array of protocols.

" The year 1993 saw the publication of further improvements in the me- ods of naked DNA delivery and, above all, the first demonstrations by several groups of the induction of humoral and cytotoxic immune responses to viral antigens expressed from injected plasmid DNA.

In particular, the methods can be used to identify in clinical samples those genetic mutations responsible for such congenital abnormalities as Marfan syndrome, Williams-Beuren Syndrome, Alagille syndrome, Noonan syndrome, and Friedreich ataxia.

This is a compendium of data pertinent to the methods and protocols that have contributed to recent advances in molecular medicine in general, but to the molecular basis of rheumatic disease in particular. Leaders in the field contribute to cover exciting and cutting edge topics.

This work, Lung Cancer, Volume 2: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Methods and Reviews, in the Methods in Molecular Medicine series presents an overview of the current status of those methods useful in the diagnosis and tre- ment of lung cancer-both as it exists in the clinic and as it is being revoluti- ized in the laboratory.

The aim of Ovarian Cancer: Methods and Protocols is to provide for ovarian cancer researchers in the first instance, a laboratory handbook that will facilitate research into cancer systems by providing a series of expert protocols, with proven efficacy, across a broad range of technical expertise.

The identification of hepatitis C virus by Michael Houghton and his c- leagues at the Chiron Corporation nearly years ago represented a technical tour de force of modern molecular medicine.

From the viewpoint of this volume, lung inflammation is now recognized as central to the pathophysiology of a number of severe respiratory conditions, the two most common being asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The purpose of Applications Therapeutic of Ribozymes is to provide an overview of the utility of ribozymes to selectively inhibit the expression of RNA.

Laboratory studies in hemostasis have traditionally focused on abn- malities of platelet function or the quantitative and qualitative disorders that affect the proteins involved in blood coagulation.

Since the first recognition of outbreaks of cerebrospinal or spotted fever at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries, the menace of the meningococcus has been high on the list of public health prio- ties.

In Drug Targeting: Strategies, Principles, and Applications we have tried to compile a state-of-the-art volume on current targeting approaches.

Harry Baker and Rosalind Ridley have done an admirable job in assem bling this collection of articles that describe the methodology frequently used to study a group of CNS illnesses often referred to as the "prion diseases."

In Chapter 1, Dokal and colleagues present simple protocols for the molecular investigation of Fanconi anemia and dyskeratosis congenita. In Chapter 3, Old details protocols for the molecular diagnosis of most forms of hemoglobinopathy.

The Methods in Molecular Medicine series is intended as a resource for both novice and experienced investigators attempting to diversify their tech- logical base in research.