This book provides a comprehensive overview of the proteases involved in programmed cell death. It presents a focused yet extensive discussion on proteolytic enzymes such as caspases, HtrAs, granzymes, calpains and cathepsins as well as laboratory protocols related to enzymology and apoptosis. Mouse model systems and non-invasive imaging techniques in apoptosis-related diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration are also covered in this book. While slowly unravelling the complexities of apoptosis in chapter one, the next three chapters individually elaborate on different classes of proteases that play key roles in the initiation, progression and execution of programmed cell death. The last two chapters complete this discussion by describing different laboratory methodologies and therapeutic advances involving apoptotic proteases. Protocols portraying in vitro and ex vivo colorimetric and fluorescence-based enzyme kinetic studies as well as cell death assays are explained in the fifth chapter. Preclinical in vivo models and non-invasive imaging in apoptosis to understand the complexities of disease progression and their contribution toward therapeutics is recounted in the last chapter. The book spans topics related to both fundamental and applied biology. It would therefore be equally appealing and informative to scientists working in the field of apoptosis and those who are investigating mechanisms of proteases and enzymes in general. The protocols would certainly benefit both graduate and undergraduate students working in the related fields and provide useful leads for drug design to translational biologists involved in neurodegeneration and cancer research.

Unravelling the intricate cell signalling networks and their significance in cancer poses major intellectual challenge. Keeping this in mind, the book aims at understanding the mechanism of action of different proteins and their complexes in the cancer signalling pathways. Hence, the proposed book that comprises 20 chapters provides a comprehensive introduction on cell signalling, its alterations in cancer, molecules that have been popular targets as well as the ones that are emerging as targets. In addition, it discusses different forms of therapy that are coming up for its treatment. Other than that, a major portion of the book is focused on studying different disciplines at the interface of biology and other areas of science that are being used to understand cancer biology in depth.

The aim of this Research Topic was to collate articles describing prediction of outcomes of pre- and perinatal lesions leading to cerebral palsy, basic research in animal models and human subjects, and ideas for, and trials of, interventions in the first two years of life. CP arises from insults to the sensorimotor cortex, subcortical axon tracts and subplate. The aetiology is complex and often multifactorial. The outcome is not simply a loss of voluntary control due to disruption of descending pathways, but also involves abnormal development of reflex and corticospinal circuitry. CP may be viewed as aberrant plasticity in response to a lesion, indeed, abnormalities in movement are subtle at first but develop subsequently. It is misleading to suppose that developmental mechanisms are self-reparative. The challenge is to understand activitydependent fine tuning of neural circuitry during normal development and to find how to promote desirable plasticity whilst limiting undesirable effects following developmental lesions. However, before proposing interventions, we have to develop our ability to predict the severity of neonatal insults. We solicited a variety of articles, including long and short reviews, original research and opinion pieces, from both basic scientists and clinicians. Likewise we, as editors, have complementary knowledge and experience in this area. Anna Basu is an academic pediatric neurologist and Gavin Clowry is a developmental neuroscientist.

Vols. for 1963- include as pt. 2 of the Jan. issue: Medical subject headings.

It is well recognized that blood could be the optimal site for evaluating cancer, allowing easy and repeated access for determining prognosis, establishing molecular targets, evaluating the efficacy of therapy, detecting the earliest signs of recurrence, and even detecting cancer at its earliest and most curable stages. The analysis of cancer through blood samples is now known as the liquid biopsy and has been a rich source of research and clinical application. There has been an explosion of interest and progress in liquid biopsy technologies since the first edition of this book. The second edition will expand its focus to now include not only circulating tumor cells (CTC), but also other emerging aspects of the liquid biopsy, including circulating tumor DNA and methylated DNA (ctDNA, ct meDNA), ctRNA, ct miRNA, circulating tumor proteins (and other) biomarkers and circulating tumor derived exosomes (ctExosomes). CTC play a central role in tumor dissemination and metastasis, and have been established as an important evaluative and research tool in advanced cancer, and potentially important in early stage disease. CTC defines tumor cells circulating in blood, while Disseminated Tumor Cells (DTC) refers to tumor cells identified in bone marrow. CTC/DTC are extremely rare events, even in late stage cancer, and their detection has presented enormous technical challenges, with the emergence of multiple technologies developed to address these challenges, including enrichment, identification and sophisticated analytical techniques to evaluate CTC and other cells in circulation that may also be important in the biology of metastasis. As foundational as CTC/DTC has been, the field of liquid biopsy has expanded well beyond these analytes. The relevance of circulating nucleic acids derived from tumor cells has quickly progressed from research to the clinic. There are now well established clinical applications for using ctDNA/RNA to determine therapeutic targets, follow disease progression and detect cancer recurrence long before routine clinical methods. One of the most exciting new areas of work is the possibility of using these circulating tumor derived nucleic acids to detect cancer at its earliest and potentially most curable stages. Another new and burgeoning area is the detection and analysis of ctExosomes. These highly abundant particles which are actively secreted from tumor (and indeed all) cells represent a novel way to detect and define multiple analytes of importance, including proteins, DNA and meDNA, RNA, miRNA, and other cell components that are protected and preserved in these compact structures. This second edition of Circulating Tumor Cells: Advances in Liquid Biopsy Technologies is entirely new and brings together leaders and innovators in the field of liquid biopsy, including basic and molecular biologists, chemists, engineers, statisticians, experts in tumor banking, test developers, research administrators and clinicians. A special feature of this book is that it includes chapters from the members of the US National Cancer Institute Liquid Biopsy Consortium. This edition also includes many of the participants of the latest international meeting on the Advances in Circulating Tumor Cells (ACTC) which is held in Greece every two years and gathers the most important liquid biopsy investigators from around the world. Thus, this edition represents the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource for those who want to further explore the exciting field of CTC and other liquid biopsy technologies. The new edition will be useful to a wide audience including scientists studying metastasis, cancer researchers, translational scientists, oncologic surgeons, medical oncologists, members of the biopharmaceutical industry, and graduate and undergraduate students studying cancer biology.

Autophagy and Cardiometabolic Diseases: From Moleculer Mechanisms to Translational Medicine covers the science of autophagy in relation to cardiometabolic diseases and the future therapeutic potentials of autophagy regulation in these processes. Processes are not described in isolation, but in concert with other cellular and/or metabolic processes, such as lipogenesis, glucose, energy metabolism and apoptosis. This approach recognizes the multifactorial nature of cardiometabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia. The book provides explanations, while also distinguishing the delicate role for autophagy in pathogenesis and exploring complications for cardiometabolic diseases. By targeting autophagy, it offers new avenues for drug discovery and treatment for cardiometabolic anomalies. It is a perfect resource for cardiology researchers, scientists and medical practitioners. Explains the processes inherent in the protein quality control for pathogenesis and complications of cardiometabolic diseases Provides knowledge from internationally recognized contributors in the field Incorporates a translational approach, covering the basic cellular biology of autophagy and presenting the role of autophagy regulation for both pathogenesis and complication in cardiometabolic diseases Contains access to a companion website with additional illustrations