Medicine and Health
NOVA publishes a wide array of books from authors around the globe. We invite you to browse our site for subjects of particular interest.
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Quick ViewVolume 2 of the book “Beyond Diet and Depression” offers in-depth knowledge about depression and its alleviation through dietary interventions as described briefly in Volume 1. This volume is intended for the benefit of the general public and the entire medical community interested in the effective clinical management of depression of diversified origin and to…
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Quick ViewElder abuse – including neglect, abandonment, and financial exploitation, as well as physical and psychological abuse – affects millions of Americans each year, with widespread health, legal, social and economic implications. With the input of experts and stakeholders from across the country, this book identifies and prioritizes actions that direct service providers, educators, and researchers…
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Quick ViewElder abuse is a pervasive phenomenon around the world with devastating effects on the victims. Although it is not a new phenomenon, interest in examining elder abuse is relatively new. This book aims to provide an overview of the aetiological theories and measures of elder abuse. The book briefly reviews theories to explain causes of…
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Quick ViewThe health care reform debate in the United States raises many complex issues including those of coverage, accessibility, cost, accountability, and quality of health care. Underlying these policy considerations are issues regarding the status of health care as a constitutional or legal right. This book series analyzes the constitutional and legal issues pertaining to the…
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Quick ViewHistorically, Medicaid eligibility has generally been limited to certain low-income children, pregnant women, parents of dependent children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities; however, as of January 1, 2014, states have the option to extend Medicaid coverage to most nonelderly, low-income individuals. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act established 133% of the federal poverty…
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Quick ViewSelf-referral occurs when a provider refers patients to entities in which the provider or the provider’s family members have a financial interest. Rising Medicare expenditures for PT services have long been of concern, and questions have been raised about the role of self-referral in this growth. This book examines trends in the number of and…
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Quick ViewCost-effective health preventive services, such as immunizations and screenings, may assist providers in helping patients avoid the onset or worsening of various health conditions. Services are determined to be cost-effective when they improve the benefit (e.g., health outcomes) in a less costly way than a given alternative. Some preventive services may also result in cost…
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Quick ViewThe drug package that a community pharmacist hands to a patient, or a hospital pharmacist sends to a patient’s bedside, or a physician administers in the medical office has reached the end of a complicated path. That path is called a supply or distribution chain. The upstream portion of the chain includes the journey of…
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Quick ViewElder abuse is a complex issue that often requires a multifaceted policy response that combines public health interventions, social services programs, and criminal law enforcement for abusive behavior. To address this complexity, the Elder Justice Act was enacted as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The act attempts to provide a coordinated…
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Quick ViewFor an American in the 21st century, it is hard to imagine the world before antibiotics. At the beginning of the 20th century, as many as nine women out of every 1,000 who gave birth died, 40 percent from sepsis. In some cities as many as 30 percent of children died before their first birthday.…
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Quick ViewThe role of immunosuppression is essential to maintain the integrity of a renal transplant by preventing acute rejection. Among adult patients with solid organ transplants, standard immunosuppression does not vary among the major transplant centers in the USA and Europe, and consists of corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors and mycophenolic acid. However, children with renal transplants are…
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Quick ViewIn 2011, federal spending for prescription drugs by DOD, Medicaid, and Medicare Part D totaled $71.2 billion—representing about 85 percent of all federal prescription drug expenditures—for about 114.4 million beneficiaries. Each program reimbursed retail pharmacies for outpatient prescriptions filled at these pharmacies by their beneficiaries. This book compares retail reimbursement prices paid by DOD, Medicaid,…
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Quick ViewTropical medicine is a branch of medicine focusing on disorders usually found in subtropical and tropical areas of the world, while tropical pediatrics is a branch of tropical medicine focusing on children in these areas. The current process of global warming and the widespread issue of international travel are bringing these conditions to many places…
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Quick ViewIt was until recently believed, that ultrasonography is used for the examination of the solid organs only. Most of the radiologists believed that the peritoneum and its structures are to be examined by CT or MRI. This made them to a great extent unfamiliar with peritoneal Ultrasonographic anatomy as well as the pathological peritoneal conditions.…
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After decades of discussion in different scientific fields, the concept of consciousness is still very elusive. This book aims to define actual perceptions of consciousness in various indigenous cultures using seminal anthropological case studies as well as material from research conducted by the author in Nepal and Peninsular Malaysia. The purpose is to show the…
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The blood-brain barrier (BBB) functions as an interface between the blood and the brain parenchyma, and restricts the passage of large and hydrophilic substances into the central nervous system. In vertebrates, tight junctions between brain capillary endothelial cells form this barrier, and this phenotype is maintained by the close association of astrocytes and pericytes with…
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Adipose tissue secretes various bioactive soluble mediator called adipokines. In excess adipose tissue, increase of total amount of proinflammatory adipokines, such as TNF-á and IL-6 are observed, indicating that obesity is associated with a state of low-grade, chronic inflammation. Adiponectin, however, mature adipocyte-derived peptide, shows negative correlation with body mass index and decreases its plasma…
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Infliximab, a chimeric immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody which contains a human constant region and a mouse-derived murine variable region, binds specifically to the soluble and transmembrane tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-), avoiding the coupling of this cytokine and its receptors and, consequently, neutralizing its biology activity, such as the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (such as interleukin-1…
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Platelets contain many biological functional substrates of cytokines and growth factors, such as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), transforming growth factor (TGF)-â, and so on. Recent studies have clarified that platelets have not only thrombotic effects but they also play important roles in promotion…
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The peritoneal membrane is the lifeline for peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Our understanding of mechanisms of injury and functional responses continues to expand and will hopefully lead to therapies that improve clinical outcomes. A key characteristic of the peritoneal membrane is its permeability or transport status. This can be measured by a variety of methods,…
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The rising incidence of melanoma makes this tumor an important public health problem. Standard systemic therapies have not been adequately effective in the management of melanoma. Moreover, melanoma is resistant to antiangiogenesis therapy suggesting the existence of an alternative blood circulation system. For years sprouting angiogenesis has been considered as exclusive mechanism of tumor vascularization.…
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This work is primarily focused on data related to the characteristics, pathogenesis and treatment of bone complications in patients with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome of different etiology. The chapter is based on the retrospective and prospective data of patients with active Cushing’s syndrome as well as on literature review. Special attention is paid to discussing pregnancy…
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Mycorrhizas, fungal-root associations, are the most prevalent mutualistic symbiotic relationships on earth. In nature the plant nutrient uptake from the soil takes place via the extraradical mycelia of the symbiotic fungi as an exchange for photosyntates. While most herbaceous plants and tropical trees form endomycorrhiza-type interactions, trees of boreal and temperate ecosystems are typically ectomycorrhizal…
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Cytochromes P450 1A sub-family (CYP1A1 and CYP1A2) are well-known metabolizers of anthropogenic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and arylamines. They catalyze all metabolic reactions occurring with PAHs in the organism including the ones resulting in the formation of carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic substances. PAH in their intact, exogenous form usually do not produce…
