The First Miracle Drugs: How the Sulfa Drugs Transformed Medicine

The First Miracle Drugs: How the Sulfa Drugs Transformed Medicine
by John E. Lesch (Editor)

Product Details:
* Hardcover: 376 pages
* Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (September 28, 2006)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 019518775X

Book Description
In the decade from 1935-1945, while the Second World War raged in Europe, a new class of medicines capable of controlling bacterial infections launched a therapeutic revolution that continues today. The new medicines were not penicillin and antibiotics, but sulfonamides, or sulfa drugs. The sulfa drugs preceded penicillin by almost a decade, and during World War II they carried the main therapeutic burden in both military and civilian medicine. Their success stimulated a rapid expansion of research and production in the international pharmaceutical industry, raised expectations of medicine, and accelerated the appearance of new and powerful medicines based on research. The latter development created new regulatory dilemmas and unanticipated therapeutic problems. The sulfa drugs also proved extraordinarily fruitful as starting points for new drugs or classes of drugs, both for bacterial infections and for a number of important non-infectious diseases. This book examines this breakthrough in medicine, pharmacy, and science in three parts. Part I shows that an industrial research setting was crucial to the success of the revolution in therapeutics that emerged from medicinal chemistry. Part II shows how national differences shaped the reception of the sulfa drugs in Germany, France, Britain, and the United States. The author uses press coverage of the day to explore popular perceptions of the dramatic changes taking place in medicine. Part III documents the impact of the sulfa drugs on the American effort in World War II. It also shows how researchers came to an understanding of how the sulfa drugs worked, adding a new theoretical dimension to the science of pharmacology and at the same time providing a basis for the discovery of new medicinal drugs in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. A concluding chapter summarizes the transforming impact of the sulfa drugs on twentieth-century medicine, tracing the therapeutic revolution from the initial breakthrough in the 1930s to the current search for effective treatments for AIDS and the new horizons opened up by the human genome project and stem cell research.

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Algal Culturing Techniques

Algal Culturing Techniques
by Robert A. Andersen (Editor)

Product Details:
* Hardcover: 578 pages
* Publisher: Academic Press (January 21, 2005)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0120884267

Book Description
Algal Culturing Techniques is a comprehensive reference on all aspects of the isolation and cultivation of marine and freshwater algae, including seaweeds. It is divided into seven parts that cover history, media preparation, isolation and purification techniques, mass culturing techniques, cell counting and growth measurement techniques, and reviews on topics and applications of algal culture techniques for environmental investigations.
Algal Culturing Techniques was developed to serve as both a new textbook and key reference for phycologists and others studying aquatic systems, aquaculture and environmental sciences. Students of algal ecology, marine botany, marine phycology, and microbial ecology will enjoy the hands-on methodology for culturing a variety of algae from fresh and marine waters. Researchers in industry, such as aquaculture, pharmaceutical, foodstuffs, and biotechnology companies will find an authoritative and comprehensive reference.

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* Sponsored by the Phycological Society of America
* Features color photographs and illustrations throughout
* Describes culturing methods ranging from the test tube to outdoor ponds and coastal seaweed farms
* Details isolation techniques ranging from traditional micropipette to automated flow cytometeric methods
* Includes purification, growth, maintenance, and cryopreservation techniques
* Highlights methods for estimating algal populations, growth rates, isolating and measuring algal pigments, and detecting and culturing algal viruses
* Features a comprehensive appendix of nearly 50 algal culture medium recipes
* Includes a glossary of phycological terms

Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases: A Molecular & Cellular Approach

Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases: A Molecular & Cellular Approach
by Hans D. Ochs (Author), C. I. Edward Smith (Author), Jennifer M. Puck (Author)

Product Details:
* Hardcover: 776 pages
* Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (August 10, 2006)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 019514774X

Book Description
The second edition of Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases presents discussions of gene identification, mutation detection, and clinical and research applications for over 100 genetic immune disorders--disorders featuring an increased susceptibility to infections and, in, certain conditions, an icreased rate of malignancies and autoimmune disirders.Since the publication of the first edition, a flurry of new disease entities has been defined and new treatment regimens have been introduced., the most spectacular being successful treatment by gene therapy for two genotypes of combined immunodeficiency. The first edition marked a historic turning point in the field of immunodeficiencies, demonstrating that many of the disorders of the immune systam could be understood at a molecular level. This new edition can proudly document a the tremendous pace of progress in dissecting the complex immunologic networks responsible for protecting individuals from these disorders.

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Novel Vaccination Strategies

Novel Vaccination Strategies
by Stefan H. E. Kaufmann (Editor)

Product Details:
* Hardcover: 670 pages
* Publisher: Wiley-VCH (April 9, 2004)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 3527305238

Book Description:
The world of vaccines traditionally has been considered to consist of a very limited number of tools for immunizing humans and animals. In recent years, however, advances in immunology and molecular genetics have permitted the development of innovative ways of inducing protective immunity. Centuries after Jenner's experiment with cowpox, vaccines have become extremely sophisticated weapons against infectious diseases. This book thoroughly reviews our understanding of the immunologic response to infectious diseases and the many recent advances in the development of vaccines. A number of experimental vaccines are discussed, and future strategies that may change the way in which infectious and other diseases will be prevented are also presented. Stefan Kaufmann, who is the founding director of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, has brought together a group of experts in various fields of vaccinology from Europe, the United States, and Australia for this challenging project. Immunologists, developers of vaccines, clinical-trial specialists, and molecular biologists will find this book to be of interest. It begins with an engaging presentation about the challenges involved in the development of vaccines, including the search for serologic correlates of protection and the difficulty of developing vaccines for the many pathogens that are not associated with such serologic markers. Another section illustrates in detail the immunologic response to vaccines, beginning with the body's recognition of pathogens and ending with the mechanisms of immunologic memory. An outstanding section of the book is dedicated to adjuvants and vaccine vectors. An example is the use of the virus vector as a sort of Trojan horse, which can be engineered specifically for carrying the vaccine into the living organism. I recommend this book to microbiologists, epidemiologists, and practitioners who administer vaccines. Indeed, reading the chapters that compare the traditional way of preparing and delivering vaccines with new techniques that are likely to be implemented in the near future is fascinating for all specialists. Of particular interest is the discussion of DNA vaccines, which may be used to prevent certain congenital or neonatal infections, such as infection with the herpes simplex virus or the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Also intriguing is the discussion of efforts to engineer types of living plants that would carry molecules capable of inducing an immune response. The possibility of producing large quantities of vaccine by this means would revolutionize preventive strategies, especially in developing countries. The book also covers the efforts to tailor vaccines to eradicate the world's major infectious killers, namely malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV. Advances in the development of vaccines against Helicobacter pylori and bioterror agents are also covered in this comprehensive book. The final section on the safety and economic impact of vaccines is somewhat disappointing; this is a topic that merits a book in itself. Nonetheless, this section serves to remind us of the high priority that should be given to the safety of vaccines, of the need to provide accurate information to the public, and of the importance of vaccines in preventing disease and improving the health of the general population.

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