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Unveils how the immune system works and explores strategies for harnessing its potential for maintaining good health.Embark on a fascinating journey into the human immune system with The Logic of Immunity. B. J. Cherayil, an accomplished immunologist and educator, demystifies the complex workings of our body's defense system. This scientifically grounded book illustrates the inner mechanisms of specialized cells and molecules that safeguard our health, shedding light on how and why our immune systems can malfunction and lead to disease. Drawing from years of experience and expertise, Dr. Cherayil skillfully guides readers through the intricacies of immune responses and offers invaluable insights into the latest research-backed strategies to harness their power for maintaining and restoring well-being. Blending scientific knowledge with historical anecdotes, this work also introduces the remarkable scientists who have shaped our understanding of immune function. Complemented by detailed illustrations and a glossary of key terms, The Logic of Immunity explains how the immune system interacts with other body systems, why some people develop autoimmune diseases while others do not, and how lifestyle factors may activate or suppress the immune system. Explore the enigmatic world of immunity, unlock its secrets, and discover the power it holds to protect our health.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health threat. The menace of antimicrobial resistance is present across health, animal, agriculture, food, and environment sectors. It, therefore, requires an inter-disciplinary combat approach- the one health approach, envisaged by the FAO-UNEP-WHO-WOAH Quadripartite (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). This comprehensive reference book provides a thorough understanding of antimicrobial resistance across different sectors. It presents deep insights and gives a global perspective on antimicrobial resistance for policymakers. The book offers essential and up-to-date information that enables researchers from multiple fields to design research on antimicrobial resistance. The book discusses molecular mechanisms and antibiotic resistance genesof significant antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, regulatory frameworks available worldwide, and mitigation strategies across the sectors, including probiotics, prebiotics, antimicrobial peptides, bacteriophages, phytochemical compounds, immunostimulants, vaccines, bacteriocins, etc. It compiles essays from leading experts in the field of antimicrobial resistance research. The book is meant for students and researchers in microbiology, medical microbiology, and public health. It is also helpful for clinicians and policymakers.

This timely book discusses antimicrobial drug resistance, specifically, the resistance against the beta-lactam class of antibiotics by Gram-Negative bacteria. The book is broadly divided into five sections. The first section describes the underlying mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. It gives an insight into the beta-lactamases, their types, classification, inhibitors, etc. The second section delves deep into the genetic basis of resistance. It talks about transposons, integrons, insertion sequences associated with antibiotic-resistant genes. The next section describes phenotypic and molecular methods to detect beta-lactam resistance. The fourth section talks about the epidemiology and prevalence of beta-lactamases in the environment. The last section of the book describes the various therapeutic options to combat this growing public threat of antimicrobial resistance. It talks about the current reserve drugs, as well as the newer antibiotic agents that are in the pipeline. This book is essential for clinical practitioners, students, and researchers in basic and medical microbiology.

This book provides in-depth information about the ecology, diversity and applications of Actinomycetes. The book is divided into two major parts. The first part discusses the diversity, chemical biology and ecology of Actinomycetes. It also covers the discovery of natural products from soil, endophytic and marine-derived Actinomycetes. It includes natural product discovery, chemical biology, new methods for discovering secondary metabolites, structure elucidation and biosynthetic research of natural products. The chapters in this part focus on the effects of biological and chemical elicitation at molecular level on secondary metabolism in Actinomycetes. The second part of the book discusses genomic and synthetic biology approaches in Actinomycetes drug discovery. This part includes chapters focused on the application of metabolic engineering to optimize natural product synthesis and the use of omics data in engineering of regulatory genes. It covers the advanced tools of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering including cluster assembly, CRISPR/Cas9 technologies, and chassis strain development for natural product overproduction in Actinomycetes. It describes the use of bioinformatics tools for reprogramming of biosynthetic pathways through polyketide synthase and non-ribosomal peptide synthetase engineering. These advanced genomic and molecular tools are expected to accelerate the discovery and development of new natural products from Actinomycetes with medicinal and other industrial applications. The book is useful to researchers and students in the field of microbiology, pharmaceutical sciences and drug discovery.

This book focuses on nanomaterials with antibacterial properties. Antibacterial resistance is a growing concern that poses a serious threat to public health worldwide. This book looks at the fabrication, material's properties, and characterization of a range of metallic, bimetallic, and metal-oxide-based nanomaterials that can be exploited for their antimicrobial properties. A key focus of this book is its emphasis on ‘green'synthesis of nanomaterials, as many conventional routes of nanomaterial fabrication do not fulfill key sustainability criteria in terms of their toxicity and lack of eco-friendliness. Additionally, this book introduces the application of nanoparticles to veterinary medicine. Given the ever-increasing global livestock population coupled with the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens of animal origin (bacterial, parasitic, and hemoprotozoa), the use of nanoparticles as antibacterial agents represents a paradigm shift in every aspect of veterinary care. Authored by scholars with combined expertise in nanomaterials and veterinary medicine, this book provides valuable information for researchers working on sustainable nanomaterials with antibacterial properties.

According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to global health because the number of alternative antibiotics is very limited. Antimicrobial resistance is a slow evolutionary process that has been accelerated by human activities in health, environment and agriculture sectors. Due to their wide application, antibiotics and their residues have been found in almost all food products and natural ecosystems. This book reviews the drivers, impact and mitigation of antimicrobial resistance, with focus on methods and targets.

This book reviews the emerging studies of synthetic immunology, including the development and regeneration of immune cells, immune organ development and artificial regeneration, and the synthetic approach towards understanding human immune system. Immunology has developed rapidly over the last 50 years through the incorporation of new methods and concepts in cell and molecular biology, genetics, genomics and proteomics. This progress is the result of works by many excellent researchers all over the world. Currently, immunological research has accumulated detailed knowledge on basic mechanisms of immunity and is in the process to change medical practices. Yet, due to the enormous complexity of the immune system, many aspects on the regulation and function of this system remain unknown. Synthetic biology uses gain-of-function rather than loss-of-function approaches. The goals of synthetic biology can be described in a simple phrase “rebuild, alter, and understand,” namely, to rebuild minimal functional systems using well-defined parts from nature and then to perturb the system to understand its working principles. Given the richness of accumulated knowledge in molecular and cellular mechanisms of the immune system, we now begin adapting the concepts of synthetic biology to immunology. An immune response is a spatiotemporal phenomenon occurring at a given time and at a specialized place in the body. One goal of synthetic immunology is to reconstruct artificial microenvironments for better understanding of an immune response. We hope this yet-to-be-experimental approach of synthetic immunology and the compilation of this book will aid our further understanding of the immune system and future devising the tools to manipulate the immune system for therapy and prevention of the diseases.

The Innate Immune Response to Non-infectious Stressors: Human and Animal Models highlights fundamental mechanisms of stress response and important findings on how the immune system is affected, and in turn affects such a response. In addition, this book covers the crucial link between stress response and energy metabolism, prompts a re-appraisal of some crucial issues, and helps to define research priorities in this fascinating, somehow elusive field of investigation. Provides insights into the fundamental homeostatic processes vis-à-vis stressors to help in investigation Illustrates the depicted tenets and how to offset them against established models of response to physical and psychotic stressors in both animals and humans Covers the crucial issue of the immune response to endocrine disruptors Includes immunological parameters as reporter system of environmental adaptation Provides many illustrative examples to foster reader understanding

Written in the same engaging conversational style as the acclaimed first edition, Primer to The Immune Response, 2nd Edition is a fully updated and invaluable resource for college and university students in life sciences, medicine and other health professions who need a concise but comprehensive introduction to immunology. The authors bring clarity and readability to their audience, offering a complete survey of the most fundamental concepts in basic and clinical immunology while conveying the subject's fascinating appeal. The content of this new edition has been completely updated to include current information on all aspects of basic and clinical immunology. The superbly drawn figures are now in full color, complemented by full color plates throughout the book. The text is further enhanced by the inclusion of numerous tables, special topic boxes and brief notes that provide interesting insights. At the end of each chapter, a self-test quiz allows students to monitor their mastery of major concepts, while a set of conceptual questions prompts them to extrapolate further and extend their critical thinking. Moreover, as part of the Academic Cell line of textbooks, Primer to The Immune Response, 2nd Edition contains research passages that shine a spotlight on current experimental work reported in Cell Press articles. These articles also form the basis of case studies that are found in the associated online study guide and are designed to reinforce clinical connections. Complete yet concise coverage of the basic and clinical principles of immunology Engaging conversational writing style that is to the point and very readable Over 200 clear, elegant color illustrations Comprehensive glossary and list of abbreviations

This textbook provides a unique support in gaining essential knowledge on the immune response, its diagnosis and its modification by drugs and chemicals. The first section of the book, covering a basic introduction to immunology and its relevance for human disease, has been updated to accommodate new immunological concepts. The second section on immunodiagnostics has been further expanded to describe widely used molecular techniques and is followed by a systematic coverage of drugs affecting the immune system, revised to cover recent developments. The book concludes with a chapter on immunotoxicology. This third edition continues the unique format dealing with four related topics in a single volume, obviating the need to refer to several different textbooks. New aids to the reader include a two-column format, glossaries of technical terms and appendix reference tables. The emphasis on illustrations is maintained from the first edition.

Immunogenicity is the ability of a particular substance, such as an antigen or epitope, to provoke an immune response. This book presents current research in the study of immunogenicity, including such topics as the molecular aspects involved in the immunogenicity against viral epitopes; fish immunogenicity and antigenicity to improve fish DNA vaccines; influenza infection and immunological memory responses; and the immunogenicity of B and T epitopes, among others.

This book explains how the immune system functions, namely, how individual cells of the immune system make the decision to respond or not to respond to foreign microbes and molecules, and how the critical molecules function to trigger the cellular reactions in an all-or-none (quantal) manner. To date, there has not been a complete description of the immune system and its cells and molecules, primarily because most of the information has accumulated only in the last 40 years and our understanding has been expanding rapidly only in the last 20 years. It is now clear that the cells have evolved a way to “count” the number of foreign antigenic molecular “hits”, and they only react when a critical number of events have accumulated. Subsequently, control over the reaction is transferred to a systemic lymphocytotrophic hormone system that determines the tempo, magnitude and duration of the immune reaction.This book explains in detail how the immune system, cells and molecules work for the first time. With this understanding as a basis, the pathogenesis of autoimmunity can now be understood as a mutational usurpation of the genes encoding molecules that participate in a sensitive feedback regulatory control of the immune reaction. By comparison, malignant transformation is understood as a mutational usurpation of the genes encoding the molecules that control the quantal decision to proliferate, so that normal ligand/receptor cell growth control is circumvented.

West Nile virus is a neurotropic flavivirus that has emerged globally as a primary cause of viral encephalitis. Infection of humans and other vertebrate animals is associated with a febrile illness that can progress to a lethal encephalitis or flaccid paralysis syndrome. Its appearance in the Western Hemisphere in 1999 and the corresponding increase in global disease burden over the last decade have been accompanied by intensive study, including the entry of many scientists into the field. Breakthroughs have been made in understanding the unique transmission pattern between the vector and the multiple avian and mammalian hosts and targets. Studies in mammalian systems have dissected the viral and host factors that determine the pathogenesis and outcome of West Nile virus infection. On the basis of these experiments, progress has been made on the identification of genetic factors that predispose to severe human disease. Thus, in a remarkably short period of time, insight has been gained on a wide variety of disciplines related to West Nile virus biology. The aim of this book was to assemble an up-to-date and cutti- edge anthology from the leading experts in the field. The chapters are balanced by submissions from newcomers who have made significant recent contributions with those from established investigators who have dedicated their careers to the study of West Nile virus.

To read current biomedical science, one has to have a working knowledge of how important effector molecules cause transduction of their signal within cells, altering the control of genes. This work aims to provide that basic knowledge for medical readers. Students of immunology or cell biology will note its relevance. One will learn how platelets, macrophages, neutrophils, T and B lymphocytes and natural killer cells perform their functions and how skin, breast, prostate and colon cancers emerge. The associated diagrams and tables are used to obviate extensive text. Appropriate references to articles and reviews by workers in each field are given so that further consideration can easily be undertaken. We are all at differing stages of our appreciation of immunology and of pat- physiology. Some persons will have a profound background in biochemistry or molecular biology. Others will have a reminiscence of lectures received years ago. Since this work is principally for clinical doctors, the sections that can be avoided at first reading are marked with an asterisk (•). Always proceed line by line and think of associations that you know. Do you feel comfortable with the statement, “Interleukin 6 stimulates glucose uptake in renal proximal tubular cells, and that action is associated with Stat3, PI3K/Akt, MAPKs and NF-kB signal pathways”? If not, please read on.

The inverse correlation between allergic diseases and helminth infections has been debated for over 30 years. It was initially assumed that the underlying mechanism is an imbalance between Th1 and Th2 responses that, as a result of reduced exposure to Th1-inducing infectious pathogens, has tipped to allergic Th2 responses. It has only recently been clearly demonstrated that helminth infections have negative effects on allergic disease manifestation. This was shown to be consistent with the activity of regulatory cell populations, which control the effector mechanisms of both Th1 and Th2. In this book, international experts in the field discuss the various roles of the cell populations involved in allergic reactions and helminth infections such as regulatory T and B cells, natural killer T cells, mast cells and basophils. Essential for specialists and students in the field, the contributions to this volume pave the way to new directions of research for the successful immunization against helminths and the prevention of inflammatory responses in allergic and autoimmune diseases.

The ability to remember an antigenic encounter for several decades, even for a life time, is one of the fundamental properties of the immune system. This phenomenon known as'immunological memory', is the foundation upon which the concept if vaccination rests. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms by which immunological memory is regulated is of paramount importance. Recent advances in immunology, particularly in the field of innate immunity, suggest that the innate immune system plays fundamental roles in influencing immunological memory. Indeed, emerging evidence suggests that events that occur early, within hours if not minutes of pathogen or vaccine entry profoundly shape the quantity, quality and duration of immunological memory. The present volume assembles a collection of essays from leading experts that span the entire spectrum research from understanding the molecular mechanisms of innate immune recognition, to dendritic cell function, to the generation and maintenance of antigen-specific B and T-cell responses.

Lymphocyte Differentiation, Recognition, and Regulation provides an overview of the state of knowledge on cellular immunology. The focus is on animal work than on studies in man, although in certain areas human lymphocyte biology has been discussed in some detail. The book attempts to integrate information from diverse areas of cellular immunology, immunogenetics, and immunochemistry to form some cohesive concepts that can be perhaps utilized as a working foundation for students and investigators in various areas of immunology. The book begins with a general description of some of techniques and principles underlying the systems frequently employed in cellular immunology. This is followed by detailed analyses of lymphocyte differentiation, receptor function, and regulatory processes. The main points that emerge from such analyses are that the immune system is an infinitely complex and finely tuned network of cells, receptors, and molecules which interact with one another in a genetically controlled manner that is manifested ultimately in the process known as differentiation.