Search

In this book, renowned scientists describe the role of steroid chirality and modification of lipid membrane physical properties in the modulation of G protein-coupled receptors and ion channels. The application of commonly-used technical approaches such as mass spectrometry and nucleic magnetic resonance transfer spectroscopy for studies on cholesterol distribution and alteration of lipid bilayer characteristics is also discussed. This book offers comprehensive insights into the current understanding of cholesterol-driven modulation of protein function via mechanisms that extend beyond lipid-protein direct interactions. In the first part, the chapters introduce the reader to the use of the chemical derivatives of cholesterol as a valuable laboratory tool in the studies of cholesterol-driven modulation of protein function. In the second part, examples of cholesterol-induced changes in membrane physical characteristics are presented and discussed in light of their multifaceted contribution to the effect of cholesterol on protein function. The book will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students as well as basic science and medical researchers with a keen interest in the biophysical properties of cholesterol and physiological consequences of cholesterol presence in biological systems.

'For more than two decades a controversy has raged between the pharmaceutical companies, the health services and independent doctors and scientists over the use of statin drugs. It affects the health of millions of members of the public who are increasingly confused by conflicting arguments over the safety and efficacy of the drugs which are already prescribed for over 7 million people in the UK alone. Geoffrey Galley, the author of this book, has stepped into the middle of this seemingly unresolvable dispute and provided us with a remarkable solution which should be equally attractive to those on both sides of the argument. Instead of accepting what would be an unmanageable adjudication of the vast body of scientific and technical information underpinning the case made by each side, he proposes an independent retrospective review of the state of health and level of survival of a significant number of individuals who have been treated with statins over a period of between ten and twenty years as compared with individuals with the same initial risk factors as the statin takers who have not received statin treatment.”