Cystic fibrosis used to be thought of as a respiratory and digestive disease, with a uniformly and rapidly fatal outcome. The spectrum of the disease has broadened into the mild atypical case, presenting in middle age, with the potential for complications in virtually every system of the body. In the past few years there has been an explosion of knowledge of the basic science of the defect. The editors have therefore invited the leading scientists and clinicians in the field of cystic fibrosis to describe the recent advances in this disease. Although there are many 'Recent Advances' texts, previous books have been selective in their choice of topics. This book is the first to cover the entire field of this complex disease, and encompasses the rapidly moving topics of the basic molecular and cellular biology as well as the recent multi-system, multi-disciplinary advances in the clinical care of patients. The authors have been charged with writing only about new developments and not to rehash old literature. The bulk of the references is therefore less than five years old. This book addresses all professionals who treat cystic fibrosis and want to have an up-date of new findings in the field, particularly of those outside their immediate specialisation. It will also be useful for basic researchers interested in related scientific areas and the clinical context of their work.

The first broad survey of these two fields, this book deleniates a framework for integrating advances in human genetics into public health practice.

This comprehensive, up-to-date volume defines the issues and offers potential solutions to the challenges of antimicrobial resistance. The chapter authors are leading international experts on antimicrobial resistance among a variety of bacteria, viruses including HIV and herpes, parasites and fungi. The chapters explore the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance, the immunology and epidemiology of resistance strains, clinical implications and implications on research and lack thereof, and prevention and future directions.

Respiratory infections are among the most common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. These infections present a special challenge to physicians for several reasons, including of the recent disasters caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and bird and swine influenza, the increase in viral and bacterial resistance to currently available anti-microbial drugs, the increased frequency of new viral lung infections in clinical practice, and the worldwide emergence of deadly drug-resistant forms of TB. For these reasons, it is important for infectious disease specialists to have an overview of emerging respiratory infections.

COPD remains a major cause of ill health, disability, healthcare costs and premature mortality. Scientists and clinicians across many countries have made great efforts to understand this important disease, and these have yielded positive results. This Monograph provides an up-to-date overview of what is happening in this exciting field, both at a basic and a clinical level. Beginning, crucially, with the patient’s perspective, the chapters that follow consider the best way to define COPD, changes in the disease’s incidence and prevalence, and offer new insights into the role of the microbiome in COPD, advances in imaging and treatment options, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological. Taken together, these chapters are an important contribution to the Monograph series and the COPD field in general.

The National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has played an integral role in cancer research and in establishing the standard of care for cancer patients for more than 50 years. Formerly known as the NCI Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Program, the NCTN is comprised of more than 2,100 institutions and 14,000 investigators, who enroll more than 20,000 cancer patients in clinical trials each year across the United States and internationally. Recognizing the recent transformative advances in cancer research that necessitate modernization in how cancer clinical trials are run, as well as inefficiencies and other challenges impeding the national cancer clinical trials program, the NCI asked the IOM to develop a set of recommendations to improve the federally funded cancer clinical trials system. These recommendations were published in the 2010 report, A National Cancer Clinical Trials System for the 21st Century: Reinvigorating the NCI Cooperative Group Program. In early 2011, the NCPF and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) held a workshop in which stakeholders discussed the changes they planned to implement in response to the IOM goals and recommendations. Two years later, on February 11-12, 2013, in Washington, DC, the NCPF and ASCO reconvened stakeholders to report on the changes they have made thus far to address the IOM recommendations. At this workshop, representatives from the NCI, the NCTN, comprehensive cancer centers, patient advocacy groups, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), industry, and other stakeholders highlighted the progress that has been made in achieving the goals for a reinvigorated national cancer clinical trials system. Implementing a National Cancer Clinical Trials System for the 21st Century is a summary of that workshop.

21st Century Challenges in Antimicrobial Therapy and Stewardship addresses selected topics that are of importance in the practice of infectious disease management. The text starts by illustrating the global landscape of antimicrobial drug resistance, which influences antimicrobial use and therapeutic decisions in the clinic. The contributors explain the reasons for the spread of antibiotic resistance, the pharmacology of antibiotics of different classes, innovative drug delivery methods which can improve the efficacy and safety of new drug candidates and achieve targeted drug delivery as well as drug resistance monitoring techniques and issues in the practice of antimicrobial stewardship and infection control. Key Features: - 14 organized chapters on several aspects of antimicrobial therapy and stewardship - Introductory knowledge on global antimicrobial trends - Coverage of molecular basis of antimicrobial resistance in gram positive, gram negative and fungal microbes - Focused coverage on new developments in antimicrobial drug development, drug delivery, formulation and diagnostic tools - Information on unmet needs of patients and clinicians, including the treatment of difficult infections - Comprehensive coverage of issues in antimicrobial stewardship 21st Century Challenges in Antimicrobial Therapy and Stewardship brings to readers – healthcare administrators, educators, pharmacists, clinicians and students, alike – the knowledge of the molecular basis of antimicrobial drug therapy, drug resistance in pathogens and current practices in antimicrobial stewardship programs. This knowledge, in turn, fosters an awareness among healthcare industry participants to collaborate in an interprofessional environment to combat multidrug resistance.