Technological advances in generated molecular and cell biological data are transforming biomedical research. Sequencing, multi-omics and imaging technologies are likely to have deep impact on the future of medical practice. In parallel to technological developments, methodologies to gather, integrate, visualize and analyze heterogeneous and large-scale data sets are needed to develop new approaches for diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. Systems Medicine: Integrative, Qualitative and Computational Approaches is an innovative, interdisciplinary and integrative approach that extends the concept of systems biology and the unprecedented insights that computational methods and mathematical modeling offer of the interactions and network behavior of complex biological systems, to novel clinically relevant applications for the design of more successful prognostic, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. This 3 volume work features 132 entries from renowned experts in the fields and covers the tools, methods, algorithms and data analysis workflows used for integrating and analyzing multi-dimensional data routinely generated in clinical settings with the aim of providing medical practitioners with robust clinical decision support systems. Importantly the work delves into the applications of systems medicine in areas such as tumor systems biology, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases as well as immunology and infectious diseases amongst others. This is a fundamental resource for biomedical students and researchers as well as medical practitioners who need to need to adopt advances in computational tools and methods into the clinical practice. Encyclopedic coverage: ‘one-stop’ resource for access to information written by world-leading scholars in the field of Systems Biology and Systems Medicine, with easy cross-referencing of related articles to promote understanding and further research Authoritative: the whole work is authored and edited by recognized experts in the field, with a range of different expertise, ensuring a high quality standard Digitally innovative: Hyperlinked references and further readings, cross-references and diagrams/images will allow readers to easily navigate a wealth of information

This edited volume makes the case that a systems approach is needed for long-term spaceflight missions. Due to distance from Earth and the impossibility of resupply or rapid return, these flights will entail unprecedented autonomy on the part of the crew. This autonomy includes the need for local clinical decision support and other assistance with urgent medical concerns. The advantage of a systems approach to medical needs in human spaceflight is that it enables a systematic and repeatable methodology for identifying and developing the individual pieces of the spacecraft systems based on the human system needs that are unique to that problem and environment.The book begins by introducing a systems basis for thinking about humans in space. It describes existing models and paradigms of systems medicine, as well as the tools and analytical approaches involved. A tantalizing peek at preliminary applications of systems medicine in NASA is provided. As systems in human spaceflight continue to evolve for the foreseeable future, it is argued that a systems approach will help to ensure that the evolution of the relevant sub-systems is centered on optimal human-system function across the unique spaceflight needs of the developing customer base. The discussions on balancing the needs of the mission versus the maintenance of crew health, medical risk and liability for commercial spaceflights, and the need to anticipate what the next medical issues might be, will hopefully leave readers cautiously optimistic about this new frontier of applied science.

Translational Systems Medicine and Oral Disease bridges the gap between discovery science and clinical oral medicine, providing opportunities for both the scientific and clinical communities to understand how to apply recent findings in cell biology, genomic profiling, and systems medicine to favorably impact the diagnosis, treatment and management of oral diseases. Fully illustrated chapters from leading international contributors explore clinical applications of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiomics and epigenetics, as well as analytic methods and functional omics in oral medicine. Disease specific chapters detail systems approaches to periodontal disease, salivary gland diseases, oral cancer, bone disease, and autoimmune disease, among others. In addition, the book emphasizes biological synergisms across disciplines and their translational impact for clinicians, researchers and students in the fields of dentistry, dermatology, gastroenterology, otolaryngology, oncology and primary care. - Presents the work of leading international researchers and clinicians who speak on the clinical applications of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiomics, and epigenetics, as well as analytic methods and functional omics in oral medicine - Provides full-color, richly illustrated chapters that examine systems approaches to periodontal disease, salivary gland diseases, oral cancer, bone disease and autoimmune diseases - Includes clinical case studies that illustrate examples of oral disease diagnostics and management, highlighting points of key importance for the reader - Emphasizes biological synergisms across disciplines and their translational impact for clinicians, researchers, and students in the fields of dentistry, dermatology, gastroenterology, otolaryngology, oncology, and primary care

Complex disorders including obesity, diabetes, fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer are results from a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. The prevalence of such disorders has increased dramatically in the last two decades and there is an urgent need for the development of new prognostic tools for the treatment of such diseases. However, this requires a deep understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in the occurrence of the diseases. With the advances in high throughput technologies, biological components of cells can be measured with a very high resolution and these data can be used for investigating whole systems properties using a network-based approach. Systems medicine provides an integrative platform for studying the interactions between the biological components of the cell using a holistic approach and generating mechanistic explanations for the emergent systems properties. This inter-disciplinary field of study allows for understanding biological processes of cells in health and disease states, gaining new insights into what drives the appearance of the disease and finally identifying proteins and metabolites implicated in human disease. Systems medicine utilizes mathematical approaches to generate models which can be employed for designing new sets of experiments and for mapping the response of the system to perturbations quantitatively. These models as well as the developed tools can accelerate the emergence of personalized medicine which can transform the practice of medicine and offer better targets for drug development with minimum side effects.

Why do we get certain diseases, whereas other diseases do not exist? In this book, Alon, one of the founders of systems biology, builds a foundation for systems medicine. Starting from basic laws, the book derives why physiological circuits are built the way they are. The circuits have fragilities that explain specific diseases and offer new strategies to treat them. By the end, the reader will be able to use simple and powerful mathematical models to describe physiological circuits. The book explores, in three parts, hormone circuits, immune circuits, and aging and age-related disease. It culminates in a periodic table of diseases. Alon writes in a style accessible to a broad range of readers - undergraduates, graduates, or researchers from computational or biological backgrounds. The level of math is friendly and the math can even be bypassed altogether. For instructors and readers who want to go deeper, the book includes dozens of exercises that have been rigorously tested in the classroom

Introduces readers to the state of the art of omics platforms and all aspects of omics approaches for clinical applications This book presents different high throughput omics platforms used to analyze tissue, plasma, and urine. The reader is introduced to state of the art analytical approaches (sample preparation and instrumentation) related to proteomics, peptidomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics. In addition, the book highlights innovative approaches using bioinformatics, urine miRNAs, and MALDI tissue imaging in the context of clinical applications. Particular emphasis is put on integration of data generated from these different platforms in order to uncover the molecular landscape of diseases. The relevance of each approach to the clinical setting is explained and future applications for patient monitoring or treatment are discussed. Integration of omics Approaches and Systems Biology for Clinical Applications presents an overview of state of the art omics techniques. These methods are employed in order to obtain the comprehensive molecular profile of biological specimens. In addition, computational tools are used for organizing and integrating these multi-source data towards developing molecular models that reflect the pathophysiology of diseases. Investigation of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and bladder cancer are used as test cases. These represent multi-factorial, highly heterogeneous diseases, and are among the most significant health issues in developed countries with a rapidly aging population. The book presents novel insights on CKD and bladder cancer obtained by omics data integration as an example of the application of systems biology in the clinical setting. Describes a range of state of the art omics analytical platforms Covers all aspects of the systems biology approach—from sample preparation to data integration and bioinformatics analysis Contains specific examples of omics methods applied in the investigation of human diseases (Chronic Kidney Disease, Bladder Cancer) Integration of omics Approaches and Systems Biology for Clinical Applications will appeal to a wide spectrum of scientists including biologists, biotechnologists, biochemists, biophysicists, and bioinformaticians working on the different molecular platforms. It is also an excellent text for students interested in these fields.

This book concisely describes the role of omics in precision medicine for cancer therapies. It outlines our current understanding of cancer genomics, shares insights into the process of oncogenesis, and discusses emerging technologies and clinical applications of cancer genomics in prognosis and precision-medicine treatment strategies. It then elaborates on recent advances concerning transcriptomics and translational genomics in cancer diagnosis, clinical applications, and personalized medicine in oncology. Importantly, it also explains the importance of high-performance analytics, predictive modeling, and system biology in cancer research. Lastly, the book discusses current and potential future applications of pharmacogenomics in clinical cancer therapy and cancer drug development.

Marketing text: This book covers the overlap between informatics, computer science, philosophy of causation, and causal inference in epidemiology and population health research. Key concepts covered include how data are generated and interpreted, and how and why concepts in health informatics and the philosophy of science should be integrated in a systems-thinking approach. Furthermore, a formal epistemology for the health sciences and public health is suggested. Causation in Population Health Informatics and Data Science provides a detailed guide of the latest thinking on causal inference in population health informatics. It is therefore a critical resource for all informaticians and epidemiologists interested in the potential benefits of utilising a systems-based approach to causal inference in health informatics.

The digitization of healthcare has become almost ubiquitous in recent years, spreading from healthcare organizations into the homes and personal appliances of practically every citizen. Thanks to the collective efforts of health professionals, patients and care providers as well as systems developers and researchers, the entire population of Europe is able to participate in and enjoy the benefits of digitized health information. This book presents the proceedings of the 26th Medical Informatics in Europe Conference (MIE2015), held in Madrid, Spain, in May 2015. The conference brings together participants who share their latest achievements in biomedical and health Informatics, including the role of the user in digital healthcare, and provides a forum for discussion of the inherent challenges to design and adequately deploy ICT tools, the assessment of health IT interventions, the training of users and the exploitation of available information and knowledge to further the continuous and ubiquitous availability and interoperability of medical information systems. Contributions address methodologies and applications, success stories and lessons learned as well as an overview of on-going projects and directions for the future. The book will be of interest to all those involved in the development, delivery and consumption of health and care information.