The world is beset by a pandemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes and the need for new drugs is startlingly clear; recent years have seen a huge increase in research activity to fill this gap. The development of new drugs for diabetes and obesity must be founded upon a sound appreciation of the pathophysiology of these common disorders. The dual defects of insulin resistance and impaired insulin …
Integrative and translational methodologies and frameworks have transformed modern biomedical research and the delivery of clinical care. This shift has been manifested in a number of ways, including the rapid growth and increasing availability of high-throughput bio-molecular instrumentation and analysis platforms, innovative clinical research programs intended to accelerate knowledge translat…
This inclusive work presents a comprehensive update on vaccines for the international traveller. In over 21 chapters, written by leading writers in travel medicine from Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, vaccinology for travel is explained in accessible terms with a focus on practical information. An initial introduction to immunology proceeds into common travel-related diseases and a ris…
Drawing on interdisciplinary, cross-national perspectives, this open access book contributes to the development of a coherent scientific discourse on social exclusion of older people. The book considers five domains of exclusion (services; economic; social relations; civic and socio-cultural; and community and spatial domains), with three chapters dedicated to analysing different dimensions of …
Life is short, art long: The art of healing in Byzantium. New perspectives. Providing new approaches to Byzantine views on health and medicine, this 13-chapter volume builds interdisciplinary bridges between a variety of subjects, ranging from religious beliefs and supernatural forces to oral health and dietary habits. Other topics include perceptions of the eternal afterlife, health centers in…
This open access edited volume introduces the concept of causal mechanisms to explore new ways of explaining the global dynamics of social policy, and shows that a mechanism-based approach provides several advantages over established approaches for studying social policy. The introductory chapter outlines the mechanism-based approach, which stands out by modularisation and a clear focus on acto…
This book serves as a comprehensive introductory guide to the practical aspects of risk assessment. Chapters include clearly defined objectives and summaries. The book includes: hazard identification, dose-response, exposure assessment, risk characterization, chemical mixtures, epidemiology, emerging issues and global perspectives with accessible language. The book concludes with a set of hypot…
This book serves as a timely and comprehensive overview of the latest science for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), covering the development of methods for assessing PFASs in biological fluids and tissues as well as the current knowledge regarding their toxicity to vertebrate organisms. This book includes chapters on human and wildlife exposure/body burdens, reviews of meta…
This powerful resource identifies wide-scale health challenges facing a rapidly urbanizing planet--including key concerns in nutrition, health status, health care, and safety--and strategies toward possible solutions. Theoretical and empirical analysis focuses on maximizing the benefits of urban living and minimizing negative outcomes across areas for improvement (health education, maternal and…