Pharmacology is a component of Encyclopedia of Biological, Physiological and Health Sciences in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Pharmacology is the study of the actions of chemicals on the body and most usually it is defined as chemicals that can have a therapeutic action to treat disease. Since it looks at the interaction between chemicals and body systems pharmacology utilizes the basic disciplines of chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, pathology and microbiology in its practice. Pharmacology is a foundation science for pharmacy which is the rational prescribing of drugs to treat disease and the foundation science for toxicology which is the study of the toxic actions of chemicals on the body. The two volumes are organized in groups of chapters as follows: The first group of chapters discuss pharmacological principles and these include chapters on Pharmacodynamics; Pharmacokinetics, Neuropharmacology, Autonomic Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology. The second group of chapters discusses the processes of Drug discovery and the Safety requirements for drugs to be used therapeutically and include Drug Discovery and Safety Pharmacology assessment. The largest group of chapters discuss different therapeutic areas and include Cardiovascular and renal pharmacology; Endocrine pharmacology; Neuropsychopharmacology; Pulmonary Pharmacology; Gastrointestinal pharmacology; Poisons venoms and toxins; Drugs on skeletal muscle; the Pharmacotherapy of inflammation; Reproductive pharmacology; Pain pharmacology and analgesia. The final group of chapters discuss new approaches and include Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics; Immunopharmacology and Gene therapy. These two volumes are aimed at the following a wide spectrum of audiences from the merely curious to those seeking in-depth knowledge: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.

This book is the first volume of a comprehensive 2-volume book covering modern pharmacological and clinical studies of the most commonly used Chinese herbal drugs. It contains monographs of 250 kinds of the most commonly used Chinese Materia Medica. The information on each herb was compiled by a research specialist active in the scientific investigation of that particular type of herb. The description on each drug includes an introduction (source, character and taste, actions and indications according to traditional Chinese medicine etc.), chemical composition, pharmacology, clinical studies, adverse effects and references. The translation of the book into English was done by qualified professionals in the field and the terms used are consistent with those used in Index Medicus, Chemical Abstracts and Botanical journals.

Pharmacology is a component of Encyclopedia of Biological, Physiological and Health Sciences in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Pharmacology is the study of the actions of chemicals on the body and most usually it is defined as chemicals that can have a therapeutic action to treat disease. Since it looks at the interaction between chemicals and body systems pharmacology utilizes the basic disciplines of chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, pathology and microbiology in its practice. Pharmacology is a foundation science for pharmacy which is the rational prescribing of drugs to treat disease and the foundation science for toxicology which is the study of the toxic actions of chemicals on the body. The two volumes are organized in groups of chapters as follows: The first group of chapters discuss pharmacological principles and these include chapters on Pharmacodynamics; Pharmacokinetics, Neuropharmacology, Autonomic Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology. The second group of chapters discusses the processes of Drug discovery and the Safety requirements for drugs to be used therapeutically and include Drug Discovery and Safety Pharmacology assessment. The largest group of chapters discuss different therapeutic areas and include Cardiovascular and renal pharmacology; Endocrine pharmacology; Neuropsychopharmacology; Pulmonary Pharmacology; Gastrointestinal pharmacology; Poisons venoms and toxins; Drugs on skeletal muscle; the Pharmacotherapy of inflammation; Reproductive pharmacology; Pain pharmacology and analgesia. The final group of chapters discuss new approaches and include Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics; Immunopharmacology and Gene therapy. These two volumes are aimed at the following a wide spectrum of audiences from the merely curious to those seeking in-depth knowledge: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.

Drug Design, Volume VIII covers a critical review and new extensions of quantitative methods in drug design, the design of particular types of agents, such as synthetic sweeteners, and selective ion binding compounds. The book discusses the advances in the methodology of quantitative drug design; the application of pattern recognition to drug design; and the design of controlled drug delivery systems. The text also describes the use of receptor binding as a tool in the development of new bioactive steroids; the design of synthetic sweeteners; and the prospective assessment of environmental effects of chemicals. The design of selective ion binding macrocyclic compounds and their biological applications are also encompassed. Chemists, pharmacologists, biochemists, and people involved in drug design and manufacture will find the book invaluable.

The use of substances derived from plants, fungi, bacteria and marine organisms has a long tradition in medicine. This book highlights the biodiversity-driven approaches which are now of eminent importance in natural products research. It addresses the question why natural products display such a complex chemical information, what makes them often unique and what their characteristics are. A compilation of current applicable technology makes this a brilliant reference work.