Carbohydrates play a major role in brain function. In the past decade, tremendous progress has been made in understanding their structure and function within the nervous system. This book presents a state of the art account of this rapidly expanding field.

This book describes recent developments concerning structural, functional and possible therapeutic aspects of one particular CAM, the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM).

This revised and renamed volume reflects a number of important changes in content and emphasis since this field was first surveyed in Complex carbohydrates of nervous tissue in 1979. A third of the chapters did not appear in the predecessor volume, and more than half have new authors. In this expand

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia in the elderly; 450,000 people in the UK and 4.5 million people in the USA suffer with this disease. This 3rd edition of Neurobiology of Alzheimer's Disease gives a comprehensive and readable introduction to the disease, from molecular pathology to clinical practice. The book is intended for readers new to the field, and it also covers an extensive range of themes for those with in-depth knowledge of Alzheimer's disease. It will therefore act either as an introduction to the whole field of neurodegeneration or it will help experienced researchers to access the latest research in specialist topics. Each chapter is written by eminent scientists leading their fields in neuropathology, clinical practice and molecular neurobiology; appendices detail disease-associate proteins, their sequences, familial mutations and known structures. It will be essential reading for students interested in neurodegeneration and for researchers and clinicians, giving a coherent and cohesive approach to the whole area of research, and allowing access at different levels. For those in the pharmaceutical industry it describes the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and explains how current and potential therapeutics may work.

In this 3 volume collection focusing on glycomics, readers will appreciate how such discoveries were made and how such methods can be applied for readers' own research efforts - Each chapter has been designed so that enough scientific background will be given in each chapter for further development of methods by readers themselves - Useful for all levels of scientists starting from the last years of colleges, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows to professors and to all levels of scientists in research institutes including industry

A weekly record of scientific progress.

Fungal Lipid Biochemistry explores the intricate biochemistry of fungal and microbial lipids. The book focuses on recent advances in our knowledge about the distribution, classification, and biochemistry of fungal lipids. The book is divided into four sections, starting with an introduction to fungal lipids which includes definition, classification, nomenclature, and some historical aspects of fungal lipid research. This is followed by an overview of fungal lipids, and environmental and nutritional cultural conditions affecting lipid production. The second section contains four chapters that explain the metabolism of fatty acids, their biosynthetic pathways together with their storage mainly in the form of triacylglycerols. The latter includes a key description of the recently discovered lipid droplet acting as a highly specific cellular compartment for the storage of neutral lipids. The third section contains five chapters concerned with the relatively recent interpretation of other major lipid classes which include glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, aliphatic hydrocarbons, sterols, carotenoids, and polyprenols and their occurrence and biosynthesis. The final section covers lipid metabolism during fungal development and sporulation. Key features - Extensive coverage of fungal lipid biochemistry, with a focus on recent knowledge - Includes chapters for specific lipid classes with notes on their metabolism - Gives knowledge about the role of lipids in fungal growth and development - Provides references for further reading This book is a comprehensive reference for academics, scientific researchers, and industrial scientists (in biotechnology, food science and nutritional health) who require information about fungal lipid composition and biochemistry.

Using a number of outstanding examples, this text introduces readers to the immense variety of marine natural compounds, the methodologies to characterize them and the approaches to explore their industrial potential. Care is also taken to discuss the function and ecological context of the compounds. Carefully produced and easy to read, this book serves students and professionals wishing to familiarize themselves with the field, and is ideally suited as a course book for both industry to academia.

Sialic Acids, Volume 75, a recent release in the Advances in Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biochemistry series, is the first volume of a two-volume set devoted to the sialic acids. Vol. 75 includes a broad-based historical overview of the field by two pioneers in the identification, structural development, and chemistry and biochemistry of the sialic acids. A second chapter is devoted to the finer aspects of the modern, up-to-date chemical synthesis of the all-important glycosides of N-acetylneuraminic acid, a class of sialic acid derivatives with a myriad of functions. Features contributions from leading authorities and industry experts who specialize in carbohydrate chemistry, biochemistry and research Integrates the industrial, analytical and technological aspects of biochemistry, organic chemistry and instrumentation methodology in the study of carbohydrates Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

Medicinal chemistry is both science and art. The science of medicinal chemistry offers mankind one of its best hopes for improving the quality of life. The art of medicinal chemistry continues to challenge its practitioners with the need for both intuition and experience to discover new drugs. Hence sharing the experience of drug research is uniquely beneficial to the field of medicinal chemistry. Drug research requires interdisciplinary team-work at the interface between chemistry, biology and medicine. Therefore, the topic-related series Topics in Medicinal Chemistry covers all relevant aspects of drug research, e.g. pathobiochemistry of diseases, identification and validation of (emerging) drug targets, structural biology, drugability of targets, drug design approaches, chemogenomics, synthetic chemistry including combinatorial methods, bioorganic chemistry, natural compounds, high-throughput screening, pharmacological in vitro and in vivo investigations, drug-receptor interactions on the molecular level, structure-activity relationships, drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, toxicology and pharmacogenomics. In general, special volumes are edited by well known guest editors.