The Paradox of the Immune System: Protection, Inflammation, Autoimmune Disease and Beyond provides a provocative approach to immunology as a "double-edged sword." While it is our greatest protector, it is also the cause of chronic inflammation that leads to autoimmune disease, cancer and infectious diseases like COVID-19. Sections cover the basic science of immunology and its intimate genetic associations, biomedical hypotheses asserting immunology as the basis of all human diseases, and elaborate on immunology as "the enemy within us." This engaging, original approach to a science so personal provides new and invaluable understanding on the bioscience that controls our lives. - Written in an expository style that allows for maximum understanding of the complex science presented - Presents the unfolding of immunology from a natural (innate) system into an adaptive system leading to chronic inflammation and ultimate disease - Provides readers with a unique perspective on health, wellness and disease

The Paradoxical Brain focuses on a range of phenomena in clinical and cognitive neuroscience that are counterintuitive and go against the grain of established thinking. The book covers a wide range of topics by leading researchers, including: • Superior performance after brain lesions or sensory loss • Return to normal function after a second brain lesion in neurological conditions • Paradoxical phenomena associated with human development • Examples where having one disease appears to prevent the occurrence of another disease • Situations where drugs with adverse effects on brain functioning may have beneficial effects in certain situations A better understanding of these interactions will lead to a better understanding of brain function and to the introduction of new therapeutic strategies. The book will be of interest to those working at the interface of brain and behaviour, including neuropsychologists, neurologists, psychiatrists and neuroscientists.

Selling Immunity Self, Culture and Economy in Healthcare and Medicine provides a groundbreaking study of the ways in which immunity shapes life. Through its up-to-date discussion of immunity cultures, alongside detailed real-world examples, the book demonstrates how immunity is enmeshed in concepts of possessive individualism, self-defence and health consumerism. The book explores the rich metaphorical powers of immunity and the life narratives it inspires with reference to the talk of scientists, immunology texts and popular science magazines. The author provides a detailed overview of the ways in which digital media can shape the immune self with reference to cultural and social theories, providing insight into how immunitary knowledge and products are consumed and the benefits and drawbacks this has for healthcare. The book considers the significance of immunity for individuals navigating the threats to health that arise with pandemics and superbugs, with a keen look into how these ideas surface in everyday life across the globe. Finally, the book also discusses economic bases of healthcare technologies bent towards the protection and restoration of immunity. This book is essential reading for professionals within the fields of psychology, sociology, biomedical science, healthcare and other related disciplines. A broader audience will appreciate the book’s attention on the ways immunity is understood to be a personal possession, an object of life craft, and the basis for healthcare consumerism.

This book has become an iconic textbook in eye care over many years with multiple editions having originally published in 1986. Considered one of the classic, definitive books for comprehensive anterior segment diagnosis, treatment, and management, this new third edition includes a new chapter on pre- and postoperative management of cataract and refractive surgery and glaucoma, which are major parts of primary care optometry today, along with updates on proprietary therapeutic drugs, and technology additions such as amniotic membranes, injectables, and minor in-office procedures. It contains high-quality photos, six appendices, 336 clinical photos/diagrams/illustrations, and 74 tables throughout the textbook. Key Features • Provides immediate and succinct information necessary for diagnosing, treating, and managing all anterior segment, primary glaucoma, pre- and postoperative management of cataract and refractive surgery, and non-surgical ocular conditions • Includes 215 color photos to allow the clinician to use the clinical knowledge and assist with diagnosis and treatment options in the clinical setting • Features a unique presentation format as all the clinical information is organized in the SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) format for quick referencing and practical use by the primary eye care practitioners

“Gives the reader the feeling of being granted a ringside seat to an exciting series of events. . . .This eminent scientist and writer conveys his enthusiasm for the subject. . . .He has managed to entertain, educate, and enthuse without either trivializing the complexity of the subject or underestimating the intelligence of the reader.” —British Medical Journal Dr. Desowitz describes the revolutionary discoveries made by Jenner, Pasteur, Metchnikoff, and Ehrlich and what we know about immunology today. His topics include the role of nutrition, the challenge of developing an AIDS vaccine, and the potential of genetic-engineering techniques.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble steroid hormone precursor that contributes to the maintenance of normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the bloodstream. Strictly speaking, it is not a vitamin since human skin can manufacture it, but it is referred to as one for historical reasons. It is often known as calciferol. The major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phophorus. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones. It promotes bone mineralisation in concert with a number of other vitamins, minerals and hormones. Without vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, soft or misshapen. Vitamin D prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults -- skeletal diseases that result in defects that weaken bones. This book gathers international research on the leading-edge of the scientific front.

We tend to believe we have agency over our bodies, our minds and even our deaths. Yet emerging science challenges our assumptions of mastery: at the microscopic level, the cells in our bodies facilitate tumours and attack other cells, with life-threatening consequences. In this revelatory book, Barbara Ehrenreich argues that our bodies are a battleground over which we have little control, and lays bare the cultural charades that shield us from this knowledge. Challenging everything we think we know about life and death, she also offers hope - that we find our place in a natural world teeming with animation and endless possibility.

9780124365858 The Immune System: Evolutionary Principle Guide our Understanding of this Complex Biological Defense System provides the conceptual framework of immunology and the evolutionary events that have shaped the understanding of the immune system. This book contains 10 chapters, and begins with a brief discussion on the evolutionary aspects of immunology considering the Darwinian principles of evolution. This topic is followed by a presentation of the selective pressures that are likely to have molded the immune system, as well as the laws of the immune system and their corollaries concerning host defense mechanism. The subsequent chapters are devoted to cellular components of the immune system, including the B and T cells, immunoglobulins, interleukins, major histocompatibility complex, and lymphoid organs. The structural information and the evolutionary events in these immune system components are provided. A chapter focuses on the evolutionary successful components of the inflammatory system. The concluding chapter deals with the conflicting conventional wisdoms on functional immune system. This book will prove useful to immunologists and research workers in immunology and related fields.

First published in 1986: Paradoxes play a key role in the advancement of science. They are associated with excitement, and with the knowledge that we must be looking at something the wrong way. This book discusses in detail Paradoxes in Immunology.

Design Principles for the Immune System and Other Distributed Autonomous Systems is the first book to examine the inner workings of such a variety of distributed autonomous systems--from insect colonies to high level computer programs to the immune system. It offers insight into the fascinating world of these systems that emerge from the interactions of seemingly autonomous components and brings us up-to-date on the state of research in these areas. Using the immune system and certain aspects of its functions as a primary model, this book examines many of the most interesting and troubling questions posed by complex systems. How do systems choose the right set of agents to perform appropriate actions with appropriate intensities at appropriate times? How in the immune system, ant colonies and metabolic networks does the diffusion and binding of a large variety of chemicals to their receptors permit coordination of system action? What advantages drive the various systems to complexity, and by what mechanisms do the systems cope with the tendency toward unwieldiness and randomness of large complex systems?