In October 1995, the 1st Colloquium on Mitochondria and Myopathies in Halle/Saale was organized in Halle/Saale by the editors of this focused issue. The meeting took up what might be called an East German tradition: from 1976 to 1990 Andreas Schmidt organized seven clinically orientated Colloquia on Myology in Jena, and from 1974 to 1990 a series of twelve Colloquia on Mitochondria focused on basic research aspects was arranged by Wolfgang Kunz in Magdeburg. At those meetings, East Germany was a mediator between East European, West European and American scientists. In continuation of this tradition, scientists from more than 17 countries working on mitochondria as neurologists, biochemists, geneticists, or as physiologists came to Halle. The title of the colloquium indicated the combination of both basic and clinical mitochondrial research. The most important contributions of this meeting are now published in this focused issue. We thank all authors for their patience and cooperation that have made it possible to produce this unique collection of papers representing current knowledge on detection of mitochondrial causes of diseases. We especially thank Prof. N.S. Dhalla for making it possible to publish these contributions together in this focused issue and also as a hard-cover book.

the GABA increase takes place and (2) the area of the brain that may mediate the anticonvulsant Investigation of the physiology, biochemistry, activity. Three compounds that increase brain pharmacology and anatomy of GAB A and GABA GABA by distinct mechanisms were used in these containing neural systems, continues to reveal the studies: di-n-propylacetate (DPA, sodium val rich complexities associated with this neuroactive proate, Depakene(R)), amino-oxyacetic acid amino acid (see recent symposia 1,2,3). Advances (AOAA) and y-vinyl GABA (GVG). in the pharmacology of GABA-mimetic agents In the next sections, the metabolism of GABA have resulted in the development of compounds and a brief historical account of the relationship that can selectively activate GABA receptors (4,5, between GABA and anticonvulsant activity are 6, 7), inhibit the synthetic and degradative enzymes outlined followed by a discussion ofthe biochemical for GABA (8, 9) or affect the neuronal and glial and pharmacological effects of the three drugs. In uptake processes for GABA (10, 11). This has particular, the literature pertaining to the suppres already had a significant impact on our under sion of seizures and the correlation between anti standing of the role of GABA in convulsions and a convulsant action and increases in brain G ABA will range of other CNS functions including feeding be examined. (12), cardiovascular control (13), motor activity (14) and release of pituitary hormones (15). Before 1.

The probability for exposure to damaging radiation, toxic chemicals in the environment and adverse biological agents has increased exponentially today. The more frequent and faster travel that we experience today also escalates the risk of contraction and transmission of potentially deadly infections. This has created a very real and escalating risk for injuries and deaths. This is accentuated in the military and medical staff that is more frequently exposed to radiological, chemical, and biological agents in their normal working environment. Understanding the mechanisms whereby these toxic agents inflict damage to our bodies is essential to prepare us for these challenges. Much of the damage is inflicted through the generation of free radicals and non-radical oxidants which then act through oxidative mechanisms to injury the body. This volume will discuss the damage caused by these radiological, chemical, and biological environmental stressors, the mechanisms through which the damage can occur and the novel strategies that can be used to reduce the injury inflicted by these toxic compounds. Using basic and clinical research approaches, the contents of this book discuss new ideas for the development of bioactive products and environmental approaches to lessen or negate the biological damage inflicted by these noxious compounds.

This special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry contains original research articles and review papers which were invited from the participants of a recent meeting organized to honour the 60th birthday of Naranjan S. Dhalla, Ph.D., M.D.(Hon.). The meeting, organized by Drs. Morris Karmazyn (London), Grant Pierce (Winnipeg) and Balwant Tuana (Ottawa), was held at the Best Western Lakeside Inn in Kenora, Ontario, Canada on August 23-25, 1996. The meeting was entitled The Cellular Basis of Cardiovascular Function in Health and Disease. There were over 40 invited speakers from 15 different countries represented at the meeting, attended by over 280 people. Keynote lectures were presented by Drs. Norman Alpert (Burlington, VT), Robert Jennings (Chapel Hill, NC), Makoto Nagano (Tokyo, Japan), Howard Morgan (Danville, PA), John Solaro (Chicago, IL) and Nobuskira Takeda (Tokyo, Japan). Dr. Henry Friesen, President of the Medical Research Council of Canada, presented Dr. Dhalla with a plaque at the banquet honouring his research accomplishments over his distinguished career. Dr. Dhalla's outstanding research achievements in understanding the subcellular basis of cardiovascular disease were highlighted at the meeting. One of the unique aspects of the meeting was the special effort made by 39 former trainees of Dr. Dhalla to attend the meeting to honour their mentor. The ex-students and trainees came from all over Canada, the United States, Japan, Slovakia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Estonia and the Netherlands. The meeting was judged to be an overwhelming success in terms of the scientific content as well as collaborative interactions initiated.

Pathophysiology of Cardiovascular Disease has been divided into four sections that focus on heart dysfunction and its associated characteristics (hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy and failure); vascular dysfunction and disease; ischemic heart disease; and novel therapeutic interventions.
This volume is a compendium of different approaches to understanding cardiovascular disease and identifying the proteins, pathways and processes that impact it.

This special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry contains original research papers as well as invited reviews focused in the field of cardiac metabolism and its regulation under normal and disease conditions. These papers cover many areas under intensive and rapid development such as the regulation of fatty acid oxidation in the heart, the role of cardiac glycogen during ischemia, the role of CPT I isoenzymes, the pathophysiology of diabetic cardiomyopathy, cardiac protection through regulation of energy production, the role of fatty acid binding protein under normal and pathological conditions, and several other important topics in this area of research. We hope that this special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry provides an up-to-date source of information for scientists and clinicians interested in the mechanism by which cardiac metabolism is regulated in health and disease and the mechanistic relationship between disturbances in cardiac metabolism and the genesis of cardiovascular diseases.

In 1996 the 75th anniversary of the discovery of insulin was celebrated at the University of Toronto, the scene of that discovery in 1921. This volume was stimulated by the scientific program which was staged at that time and brought together much of the world's best talent to discuss and analyze the most recent developments in our understanding of pancreatic function, insulin secretion, the interaction of insulin with its target tissues, the mechanism of insulin action at the cellular level, and the defects which underlie both Type I (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM) and Type II (noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, NIDDM) forms of the disease. We have chosen to focus the present volume on work related to insulin action.

This volume is devoted to atherosclerosis, hypertension, and diabetes, three of the most important disease conditions in the world today. Nutritional intervention, cholesterol lowering agents, lipids themselves, particularly oxidized LDL, protein modification by ADP-ribose, bone marrow study, endothelial cell dysfunction, angiotensin, and the role of infection and inflammation are all discussed in the context of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The hypertension section focuses on factors that may be responsible for high blood pressure, such as genetic predisposition, vascular hyperplasia and remodeling, insulin resistance, neurological aspects such as hypothalamic peptides. Also discussed are the possible contributions of the cellular function of the endothelium, nutrition, kidney dysfunction, leptin, and the brain. Novel routes of drug delivery for treatment of hypertension is also a focus. The risk factors and mechanisms responsible for diabetic vascular and cardiac dysfunction are discussed. Lipid profile changes and fibrinolysis in diabetic patients is detailed, along with adipogenesis, diabetic cardiomyopathy, energy metabolism in the diabetic heart, vanadate as an alternative to insulin, insulin resistance mechanisms, and neurotransmitters as targets for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

“The bard of biological weapons captures the drama of the front lines.”—Richard Danzig, former secretary of the navy

The first major bioterror event in the United States-the anthrax attacks in October 2001-was a clarion call for scientists who work with “hot” agents to find ways of protecting civilian populations against biological weapons. In The Demon in the Freezer, his first nonfiction book since The Hot Zone, a #1 New York Times bestseller, Richard Preston takes us into the heart of Usamriid, the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Maryland, once the headquarters of the U.S. biological weapons program and now the epicenter of national biodefense.

Peter Jahrling, the top scientist at Usamriid, a wry virologist who cut his teeth on Ebola, one of the world’s most lethal emerging viruses, has ORCON security clearance that gives him access to top secret information on bioweapons. His most urgent priority is to develop a drug that will take on smallpox-and win. Eradicated from the planet in 1979 in one of the great triumphs of modern science, the smallpox virus now resides, officially, in only two high-security freezers-at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and in Siberia, at a Russian virology institute called Vector. But the demon in the freezer has been set loose. It is almost certain that illegal stocks are in the possession of hostile states, including Iraq and North Korea. Jahrling is haunted by the thought that biologists in secret labs are using genetic engineering to create a new superpox virus, a smallpox resistant to all vaccines.

Usamriid went into a state of Delta Alert on September 11 and activated its emergency response teams when the first anthrax letters were opened in New York and Washington, D.C. Preston reports, in unprecedented detail, on the government’ s response to the attacks and takes us into the ongoing FBI investigation. His story is based on interviews with top-level FBI agents and with Dr. Steven Hatfill.

Jahrling is leading a team of scientists doing controversial experiments with live smallpox virus at CDC. Preston takes us into the lab where Jahrling is reawakening smallpox and explains, with cool and devastating precision, what may be at stake if his last bold experiment fails.

This volume continues the discussion of the problems of in vivo and in vitro. The recently solved X-ray structure of the mitochondrial creatine kinase and its molecular biology cellular bioenergetics - the tradition we started in 1994 by publication of the focused issue of Molecular and Cellular are analyzed with respect to its molecular physiology and Biochemistry, volume 133/134 and a book 'Cellular Bio functional coupling to the adenine nucleotide translocase, as energetics: role of coupled creatine kinases' edited by V. Saks well as its participation, together with the adenylate kinase and R. Ventura-Clapier and published by Kluwer Publishers, system, in intracellular energy transfer. The results of the Dordrecht -Boston. In the present volume, use of quantitative studies of creatine kinase deficient transgenic mice are methods of studies of organized metabolic systems, such as summarized and analyzed by using mathematical models of mathematical modeling and Metabolic Control Analysis, for the compartmentalized energy transfer, thus combining two investigation of the problems of bioenergetics of the cell is powerful new methods of the research. All these results, described together with presentation of new experimental together with the physiological and NMR data on the cardiac results. The following central problems of the cellular bio metabolic and mitochondrial responses to work-load changes energetics are the focus of the discussions: the mechanisms concord to the concept of metabolic networks of energy of regulation of oxidative phosphorylation in the cells in vivo transfer and feedback regulation.

This volume contains the proceedings of the 2nd World Conference of the International Society for Molecular Nutrition & Therapy. This conference was held on August 2-4, 1997, in Winnipeg, Canada. The goal of the conference was to advance our knowledge concerning the molecular events which link nutrition to various disease processes in the body. This volume represents an important compilation of unique articles addressing the molecular and cellular basis for the nutritional and therapeutic treatment of five general disease processes.

Heart Hypertrophy and Failure brings together leading basic scientists and clinicians, presenting improved knowledge of the pathophysiology and treatment of the condition. The result is a synthesis of state-of-the-art information on molecular biology, cellular physiology and structure-function relationships in the cardiovascular system in health and disease. The papers presented describe fundamental mechanisms underlying changes in the cellular machinery during the development of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.
Audience: Students, scientists, clinical and experimental cardiologists who seek to understand and manage the perplexing problems of hypertrophy and heart failure.

Since Dr. Brizendine wrote The Female Brain ten years ago, the response has been overwhelming. This New York Times bestseller has been translated into more than thirty languages, has sold nearly a million copies between editions, and has most recently inspired a romantic comedy starring Whitney Cummings and Sofia Vergara. And its profound scientific understanding of the nature and experience of the female brain continues to guide women as they pass through life stages, to help men better understand the girls and women in their lives, and to illuminate the delicate emotional machinery of a love relationship.

Why are women more verbal than men? Why do women remember details of fights that men can’t remember at all? Why do women tend to form deeper bonds with their female friends than men do with their male counterparts? These and other questions have stumped both sexes throughout the ages.

Now, pioneering neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine, M.D., brings together the latest findings to show how the unique structure of the female brain determines how women think, what they value, how they communicate, and who they love. While doing research as a medical student at Yale and then as a resident and faculty member at Harvard, Louann Brizendine discovered that almost all of the clinical data in existence on neurology, psychology, and neurobiology focused exclusively on males. In response to the overwhelming need for information on the female mind, Brizendine established the first clinic in the country to study and treat women’s brain function.

In The Female Brain, Dr. Brizendine distills all her findings and the latest information from the scientific community in a highly accessible book that educates women about their unique brain/body/behavior.

The result: women will come away from this book knowing that they have a lean, mean, communicating machine. Men will develop a serious case of brain envy.

It is now generally recognized that protein kinase signaling is involved in virtually every aspect of cell function, including growth and proliferation. The field of protein phosphorylation, including the enzymes involved in this post-translational modification, continues to advance at a fascinating pace.
Since the first international meeting on this topic, held in Heidelberg in 1994, several new avenues of CK2 research have emerged despite persistent deficiencies in our understanding of the regulation of its activity. Among the significant new directions are studies related to the structure of the enzyme, especially its crystal structure, as well as an interesting aspect of CK2 function that involves its subunits as binding partners of several other proteins. In addition, new data have been gathered on the role of CK2 in transcription as well as in certain other cellular functions. To address these various aspects of the progress of CK2, a number of key scientists from different parts of the world came together at the second international meeting on `A Molecular and Cellular View of Protein Kinase CK2', held at Villard de Lans near Grenoble on September 24-26, 1997. The meeting was attended by nearly 50 participants and included 28 presentations, which provide a view of the latest progress on protein kinase CK2.

The articles collected in this volume largely arose from two related meetings held last spring. The first was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 11-12, 1997 and was titled Nuevos Avances en el Fenómeno de Isquemia y Reperfusión (New Advances in the Phenomenon of Ischemia and Reperfusion). The second meeting took place in Stará Lesná located in the High Tatras Mountains of the Slovak Republic on June 27-30, 1997. Both meetings were sponsored by several organizations including the International Society and Federation of Cardiology, the International Society for Heart Research and The American Heart Association.

The breadth of modern biology is characterized by a comprehension of phenomena at many levels of organization. Such levels of understanding range from the organismal to the molecular. It is when all these levels can be discussed together that a sense of true achievement begins to be felt. The topical area of fatty acid transport and metabolism was the focus of the Third International Conference on Lipid-Binding Proteins held at the University of Minnesota in May 1997. This volume contains a sampling of the proceedings of this meeting.

This special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry contains twenty-two selected research papers and reviews from a total of one hundred and ten presentations given at the 12th International Symposium on ADP-ribosylation Reactions: From Bacterial Pathogenesis to Cancer, held in Cancun, Mexico, May 10-14, 1997. The Symposium was hosted by the Sociedad Mexicana de Bioquimica and was sponsored by the University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
This volume provides a state-of-the-art source of information for basic scientists and clinicians who are interested in the molecular, biochemical, and cellular aspects of protein-(ADP-ribose) transfer reactions in human health and disease.

The papers in this volume were contributed by close friends, co-workers and pupils of Professor Setsuro Ebashi. They are dedicated to him to commemorate his great and pioneering contribution to the advancement of muscle physiology and biochemistry, which, in time, exerted a great influence on the whole field of life science. We believe that this issue reveals the present state of research on muscle and/or calcium that was opened up by Professor Ebashi.

A groundbreaking book about how your personality type determines who you love

Why do you fall in love with one person rather than another? In this fascinating and informative book, Helen Fisher, one of the world's leading experts on romantic love, unlocks the hidden code of desire and attachment. Each of us, it turns out, primarily expresses one of four broad personality types—Explorer, Builder, Director, or Negotiator—and each of these types is governed by different chemical systems in the brain. Driven by this biology, we are attracted to partners who both mirror and complement our own personality type.

Until now the search for love has been blind, but Fisher pulls back the curtain and reveals how we unconsciously go about finding the right match. Drawing on her unique study of 40,000 men and women, she explores each personality type in detail and shows you how to identify your own type. Then she explains why some types match up well, whereas others are problematic. (Note to Explorers: be prepared for a wild ride when you hitch your star to a fellow Explorer!) Ultimately, Fisher's investigation into the complex nature of romance and attachment leads to astonishing new insights into the essence of dating, love, and marriage.

Based on entirely new research—including a detailed questionnaire completed by seven million people in thirty-three countries—Why Him? Why Her? will change your understanding of why you love him (or her) and help you use nature's chemistry to find and keep your life partner.

Stress reaction is likely to play a crucial role in a variety of degenerative diseases including cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The process of stress adaptation may appear to be simple, but in reality this is a very complex process and we are only beginning to understand the mechanism of adaptation. In January, 1998, scientists from around the world assembled to discuss the potential applicability of the concept of stress adaptation in the clinical arena. This volume contains original research papers presented on this subject during the conference Stress Adaptation, Prophylaxis and Treatment held in Calcutta, India, and serves as an up-to-date source of information for scientists, as well as clinicians interested in applying the concept of stress adaptation to the cure of diseases.

The special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry focuses on `Control of Gene Expression by Catecholamines and the Renin-Angiotensin System' in health and disease. In recent years, great progress has been made in the understanding of catecholamine and angiotensin II modulated gene expression. There is also increasing evidence that catecholamine and angiotensin II induced cellular injury not solely arises from classical pathways but also from a perturbed gene expression.
Taking into account that catecholamines and angiotensin II are vital for a balanced gene expression of many cells, the intriguing possibility arises that various disease are initiated or aggravated by such an imbalance. Catecholamine and angiotensin II influences can be in excess arising from, for example, hypercaloric food intake or psychosocial stress. During early progression of heart failure, sympathetic activity and angiotensin II influences also become increased. Due to beta-adrenergic receptor downregulation, depressed catecholamine influences are expected in the final stage of heart failure. An imbalanced influence of catecholamines and angiotensin II on gene expression leads to disordered molecular structures of the cell and an impaired cell function.
This focused issue is organized into chapters concentrating on catecholamines, angiotensin II, and the interaction between catecholamines and angiotensin II. Basic biochemical processes are covered in detail and the potential of these pathways for explaining chronic diseases associated with excess catecholamine and angiotensin II influences should become apparent. It is hoped that this focussed issue triggers novel research into the development of drugs that are targeted at diseases characterized by an imbalanced gene expression involving catecholamines and angiotensin II.

Grasp biochemistry basics, apply the science, and ace your exams

Are you baffled by biochemistry? If so here's the good news ? you don't have to stay that way! Biochemistry For Dummies shows you how to get a handle on biochemistry, apply the science, raise your grades, and prepare yourself to ace any standardized test.

This friendly, unintimidating guide presents an overview of the material covered in a typical college-level biochemistry course and makes the subject easy to understand and accessible to everyone. From cell ultrastructure and carbohydrates to amino acids, proteins, and supramolecular structure, you'll identify biochemical structures and reactions, and send your grades soaring.

Newest biology, biochemistry, chemistry, and scientific discoveries Updated examples and explanations Incorporates the most current teaching techniques

From water biochemistry to protein synthesis, Biochemistry For Dummies gives you the vital information, clear explanations, and important insights you need to increase your understanding and improve your performance on any biochemistry test.

During the last two decades, chemical and cellular studies have contributed enormously to our understanding of metal-induced carcinogenesis, and many hypotheses on the role of metals in pathophysiological processes have been investigated. In addition, new techniques are available to shed light on the mechanism of carcinogenesis in molecular terms. This conference on Molecular Mechanisms of Metal Toxicity and Carcinogenesis in September 2000 focused on the latest research in molecular mechanisms of metal-induced toxicity and carcinogenesis. The conference promoted a multidisciplinary investigative approach and included presentations from international experts on state-of-the-art information in this field.

Signal Transduction through phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of proteins in the cell is now a well-recognized mechanism involved in countless physiological and pathological processes. Consequently, the enzymes, known as protein kinases, which catalyze the phosphorylation of proteins, are critical regulators of cellular events. One of these protein kinases is the protein kinase CK2 (also known as casein kinase 2) that has been implicated in multiple functions including control of cell growth and proliferation. CK2 is a protein serine/threonine kinase which is a highly conserved and ubiquitous protein kinase. It is localized in the cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments, which accords with its multiple functional activities in the cell. Pertinent to this is also the recognition that a large number of putative substrates for this kinase have been identified in various compartments of the cell. New evidence from several laboratories has further reinforced the involvement of CK2 in signal transduction related to many cellular functions, thus underscoring the significance of its functional role in normal and abnormal cell growth and proliferation.

This volume provides an overview of the state of knowledge concerning this intriguing protein kinase. It brings together contributions from leading investigators engaged in research in this field. Key developments during the past three years pertain to the elaboration of the crystal structure and definition of novel functions of the kinase, such as its role as an inhibitor of apoptosis. Additionally, the shuttling of the kinase to various compartments in response to physiological and stress stimuli appears to be a key feature of the functional regulation of its activity in the cell.

Imagine that we had some way to look directly at the molecules in a living organism. An x-ray microscope would do the trick, or since we’re dreaming, perhaps an Asimov-style nanosubmarine (unfortunately, neither is currently feasible). Think of the wonders we could witness firsthand: antibodies atta- ing a virus, electrical signals racing down nerve fibers, proteins building new strands of DNA. Many of the questions puzzling the current cadre of sci- tists would be answered at a glance. But the nanoscale world of molecules is separated from our everyday world of experience by a daunting million-fold difference in size, so the world of molecules is completely invisible. I created the illustrations in this book to help bridge this gulf and allow us to see the molecular structure of cells, if not directly, then in an artistic rendition. I have included two types of illustrations with this goal in mind: watercolor paintings which magnify a small portion of a living cell by one million times, showing the arrangement of molecules inside, and comput- generated pictures, which show the atomic details of individual molecules. In this second edition of The Machinery of Life, these illustrations are presented in full color, and they incorporate many of the exciting scientific advances of the 15 years since the first edition.

From somewhat enigmatic beginnings 40 years ago, guanylate cyclase research has emerged to occupy a position of prominence in the study of signal transduction. Guanylate cyclase has several intriguing features, including existence in two major forms, membrane and soluble, each independently regulated by distinct mechanisms. The membrane form gives rise to a fascinating signal transduction story important to both peptide hormones and sensory neurons. This volume covers the evolution of the field, peptide hormone receptor work, membrane guanylate cycles, related retinal diseases, and the biochemistry and physiology of the soluble form. The 16 chapters are written by leaders in the field.

A veritable mountain of literature has been published showing the causal relationship of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species in human disease conditions, and there has been an explosion in the understanding of oxidative stress, the protective role of antioxidants and molecular events involved in the regulation of transcription, editing, and translation of key events leading to disease processes. Strategies need to be developed for prevention of diseases by allowing scientists and clinicians to obtain information on new and emerging advances. The molecular mechanisms involved in several diseases including Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, arthritis, and Parkinson's disease, as well as disorders of the eye, skin, cardiac, and pulmonary systems are discussed in this volume, along with scientific evidence supporting the value of dietary supplementation with antioxidants in the prevention of cellular damage leading to chronic disease. Special in vivo techniques are also discussed at length, along with the role of molecular studies in human risk assessment.

New York Times Bestseller and an Amazon Best Science Book of 2015, Life on the Edge alters our understanding of our world's fundamental dynamics through the use of quantum mechanics

Life is the most extraordinary phenomenon in the known universe; but how did it come to be? Even in an age of cloning and artificial biology, the remarkable truth remains: nobody has ever made anything living entirely out of dead material. Life remains the only way to make life. Are we still missing a vital ingredient in its creation?

Using first-hand experience at the cutting edge of science, Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe Macfadden reveal that missing ingredient to be quantum mechanics. Drawing on recent ground-breaking experiments around the world, each chapter in Life on the Edge illustrates one of life's puzzles: How do migrating birds know where to go? How do we really smell the scent of a rose? How do our genes copy themselves with such precision? Life on the Edge accessibly reveals how quantum mechanics can answer these probing questions of the universe.

Guiding the reader through the rapidly unfolding discoveries of the last few years, Al-Khalili and McFadden describe the explosive new field of quantum biology and its potentially revolutionary applications, while offering insights into the biggest puzzle of all: what is life? As they brilliantly demonstrate in these groundbreaking pages, life exists on the quantum edge.

– Winner, Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication

It is well established that cellular lipid binding proteins serve central roles in cellular lipid uptake and metabolism. Evidence has been presented that various metabolic diseases, such as hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, and diabetes, are characterized by malfunctioning or deficiencies in cellular lipid binding proteins. For better understanding of the action of lipids as signaling compounds and the role of lipids in intermediary metabolism, it is essential to have detailed knowledge of the interactions between lipids and their cognant binding proteins. In view of this growing interest in lipid-protein interaction, the 4th International Conference on Lipid Binding Proteins was held in Maastricht, The Netherlands, in June 2001. The proceedings of the previous three meetings have been published in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. The present focused issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry comprises selected papers based on the lectures and posters presented during the 4th conference, and provides insight into the significance of these proteins for the functioning of the cell.

Cardiac cell biology has come of age.
Recognition of activated or modified signaling molecules by specific antibodies, new selective inhibitors, and fluorescent fusion tags are but a few of the tools used to dissect signaling pathways and cross-talk mechanisms that may eventually allow rational drug design. Understanding the regulation of cardiac hypertrophy in all its complexity remains a fundamental goal of cardiac research. Since the advancement of adenovirally mediated gene transfer, transfection efficiency is no longer a limiting factor in the study of cardiomyocytes. A limiting factor in considering cell transplantion as a strategy to repair the damaged heart is cell availability at the right time. Cardiac gap junctions, intercellular communication channels that allow electrical and metabolic coupling and play an important role in arrhythmogenesis are now understood to be exquisite sensors of cardiac change.
The reports in this volume incLude elegant studies that made use of cutting edge technological advances and many specialized reagents to address these issues.

This boxed set covers information on improving your health and general wellness by avoiding dangerous foods, choosing foods that will help detox your body naturally and choosing foods that will help with digestion.

Guanidino compounds comprise Creatine, Arginine, and the Guanidines. In the past two years there have been over 2000 published articles with the names of these compounds in the title. One can go to any nutrition or health food store and buy these as supplements because it is believed they improve health and athletic performance.

This volume includes an up to date summary of the scientific and clinical aspects of essentially all the biologically active Guanidino Compounds. The articles summarize the current scientific knowledge of these compounds with reference to relevant clinical conditions, and discuss the chemical, biological, and clinical functions of these compounds.

Epigenetics can potentially revolutionize our understanding of the structure and behavior of biological life on Earth. It explains why mapping an organism's genetic code is not enough to determine how it develops or acts and shows how nurture combines with nature to engineer biological diversity. Surveying the twenty-year history of the field while also highlighting its latest findings and innovations, this volume provides a readily understandable introduction to the foundations of epigenetics.

Nessa Carey, a leading epigenetics researcher, connects the field's arguments to such diverse phenomena as how ants and queen bees control their colonies; why tortoiseshell cats are always female; why some plants need cold weather before they can flower; and how our bodies age and develop disease. Reaching beyond biology, epigenetics now informs work on drug addiction, the long-term effects of famine, and the physical and psychological consequences of childhood trauma. Carey concludes with a discussion of the future directions for this research and its ability to improve human health and well-being.

This volume explores all aspects of vascular biochemistry and includes chapters that provide an understanding of vascular function with descriptions of tissue components present in the vascular wall as well as an exploration of the hemodynamic and metabolic activities associated with this function. In addition, some chapters explore the vasculature under conditions which mimic various disease states.

The information provided in this volume will provide new insights into the mechanisms that control vascular function as well as therapies designed to treat vascular disease.

Diabetes is an autoimmune, inflammatory disease affecting many different organ systems and exhibiting both primary and secondary defects. Because diabetes affects a wide range of cellular systems, a multidisciplinary effort has been mounted over the past several decades using a wide range of investigative techniques and methodologies in order to identify molecular mechanisms responsible for cellular dysfunction. Because primary defects at various levels of sub-cellular signaling, intracellular calcium handling, protein expression and energy regulation are often a primary consequence of diabetes.

This volume is a compilation of new multidisciplinary research that will broaden our current understanding of diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well as provide the basis for the development of novel therapeutic interventions.

The groundbreaking theory of how fire and food drove the evolution of modern humans
Ever since Darwin and The Descent of Man, the evolution and world-wide dispersal of humans has been attributed to our intelligence and adaptability. But in Catching Fire, renowned primatologist Richard Wrangham presents a startling alternative: our evolutionary success is the result of cooking. In a groundbreaking theory of our origins, Wrangham shows that the shift from raw to cooked foods was the key factor in human evolution. Once our hominid ancestors began cooking their food, the human digestive tract shrank and the brain grew. Time once spent chewing tough raw food could be sued instead to hunt and to tend camp. Cooking became the basis for pair bonding and marriage, created the household, and even led to a sexual division of labor. In short, once our ancestors adapted to using fire, humanity began. Tracing the contemporary implications of our ancestors' diets, Catching Fire sheds new light on how we came to be the social, intelligent, and sexual species we are today. A pathbreaking new theory of human evolution, Catching Fire will provoke controversy and fascinate anyone interested in our ancient origins-or in our modern eating habits.

The focus of this special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry is underlying mechanisms that regulate cardiac growth. The new information provided in this special issue can be utilized to design new treatment modalities that will reduce the incidence of cardiac failure which will improve quality of life in patients with chronic heart disease.

The story of matter and the history of the cosmos from the perspective of a single oxygen atom, told with the insight and wit of one of the most dynamic physicists and writers working today. Through this astonishing work, he manages to stoke wonder at the powers and unlikely events that conspired to create our solar system, our ecosystem, and us.

During recent decades, bewildering progress has occurred in the field of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. Progress has been extraordinarily rapid primarily because of the challenge for finding solutions to a wide variety of diseases and the availability of new techniques for monitoring biochemical processes. This has resulted in a voluminous and complex literature in the field of biochemical medicine so that there is a clear need for the synthesis and analysis of the continuing expansion of valuable data. It was thus considered appropriate to initiate a new series of monographs, each dedicated to a specialized area of investigation, encompassing molecular and cellular processes in health and disease. Most of the biochemical scientists have devoted their energies in understanding the fundamentals of biochemistry and indeed impressive advances have been made in the past. However, the full potential for explanation has been hampered by the concept of universality of biochemical reactions occurring in the cell. In view of the fact that each organ in the body performs a distinct function, it is now beginning to be realized that each cell type is unique in its need to survive and perform its specific function. Accordingly, the aspect of individualty is receiving increased attention for revealing new avenues in the study of pathophysiology of cellular abnormalities.

"This is science writing as wonder and as inspiration." —The Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal

From one of the most influential scientists of our time, a dazzling exploration of the hidden laws that govern the life cycle of everything from plants and animals to the cities we live in.

Visionary physicist Geoffrey West is a pioneer in the field of complexity science, the science of emergent systems and networks. The term “complexity” can be misleading, however, because what makes West’s discoveries so beautiful is that he has found an underlying simplicity that unites the seemingly complex and diverse phenomena of living systems, including our bodies, our cities and our businesses.

Fascinated by aging and mortality, West applied the rigor of a physicist to the biological question of why we live as long as we do and no longer. The result was astonishing, and changed science: West found that despite the riotous diversity in mammals, they are all, to a large degree, scaled versions of each other. If you know the size of a mammal, you can use scaling laws to learn everything from how much food it eats per day, what its heart-rate is, how long it will take to mature, its lifespan, and so on. Furthermore, the efficiency of the mammal’s circulatory systems scales up precisely based on weight: if you compare a mouse, a human and an elephant on a logarithmic graph, you find with every doubling of average weight, a species gets 25% more efficient—and lives 25% longer. Fundamentally, he has proven, the issue has to do with the fractal geometry of the networks that supply energy and remove waste from the organism’s body.

West’s work has been game-changing for biologists, but then he made the even bolder move of exploring his work’s applicability. Cities, too, are constellations of networks and laws of scalability relate with eerie precision to them. Recently, West has applied his revolutionary work to the business world. This investigation has led to powerful insights into why some companies thrive while others fail. The implications of these discoveries are far-reaching, and are just beginning to be explored. Scale is a thrilling scientific adventure story about the elemental natural laws that bind us together in simple but profound ways. Through the brilliant mind of Geoffrey West, we can envision how cities, companies and biological life alike are dancing to the same simple, powerful tune.

Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Lipid Metabolism in the Normoxic and Ischemic Heart, September 9 & 10, 1991, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

When Michael J. Behe's first book, Darwin's Black Box, was published in 1996, it launched the intelligent design movement. Critics howled, yet hundreds of thousands of readers -- and a growing number of scientists -- were intrigued by Behe's claim that Darwinism could not explain the complex machinery of the cell.

Now, in his long-awaited follow-up, Behe presents far more than a challenge to Darwinism: He presents the evidence of the genetics revolution -- the first direct evidence of nature's mutational pathways -- to radically redefine the debate about Darwinism.

How much of life does Darwin's theory explain? Most scientists believe it accounts for everything from the machinery of the cell to the history of life on earth. Darwin's ideas have been applied to law, culture, and politics.

But Darwin's theory has been proven only in one sense: There is little question that all species on earth descended from a common ancestor. Overwhelming anatomical, genetic, and fossil evidence exists for that claim. But the crucial question remains: How did it happen? Darwin's proposed mechanism -- random mutation and natural selection -- has been accepted largely as a matter of faith and deduction or, at best, circumstantial evidence. Only now, thanks to genetics, does science allow us to seek direct evidence. The genomes of many organisms have been sequenced, and the machinery of the cell has been analyzed in great detail. The evolutionary responses of microorganisms to antibiotics and humans to parasitic infections have been traced over tens of thousands of generations.

As a result, for the first time in history Darwin's theory can be rigorously evaluated. The results are shocking. Although it can explain marginal changes in evolutionary history, random mutation and natural selection explain very little of the basic machinery of life. The "edge" of evolution, a line that defines the border between random and nonrandom mutation, lies very far from where Darwin pointed. Behe argues convincingly that most of the mutations that have defined the history of life on earth have been nonrandom.

Although it will be controversial and stunning, this finding actually fits a general pattern discovered by other branches of science in recent decades: The universe as a whole was fine-tuned for life. From physics to cosmology to chemistry to biology, life on earth stands revealed as depending upon an endless series of unlikely events. The clear conclusion: The universe was designed for life.

A variety of metabolic processes are known to be intimately involved in the maintenance of cellular structure and function. It has also become clear that metabolic events involved in the synthesis and hydrolysis of ATP as well as for the synthesis of proteins and phospholipids are essential for cellular health. The regulation of cell function is generally achieved through participation of a wide variety of hormones and different signal transduction mechanisms for the activation/deactivation of some specific metabolic processes. In this regard cyclic AMP and calcium seem to play a crucial role. Various hormones are also known to affect the genetic machinery of all the cell; however, the exact signals for genetic control of cellular function are not well defined. In particular, the sequence of events concerned with remodelling of different types of cells under various pathological situations is poorly understood. In this book we have therefore dealt with some of these issues from biochemical, molecular biological, physiological, and pharmacological viewpoints. Special emphasis has been laid on understanding heart function and metabolism in health and disease in general, and cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure, and ischemic heart disease in particular. It is hoped that this multidisciplinary information will be of value to basic scientists and clinical investigators.

This book, published in association with the journal MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, is dedicated to Ed Krebs and Eddy Fischer in celebration of their 1992 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Reversible protein phosphorylation is a research field pioneered and developed by Krebs and Fischer. This book contains short reviews and original research papers contributed by Krebs and Fischer's coworkers, both former and current. The contents reflect the two-way interaction between protein phosphorylation and other biomedical research fields. The chapters are grouped into four sections. The first two deal with structure/function aspects of protein kinases and protein mechanisms. Unlike many other research fields, which undergo periods of intense activity and productivity followed by relative calm, the protein phosphorylation field enjoyed continued growth both in scope and intensity, and the pace of this growth has increased markedly in recent years. This volume will provide a glimpse of the dynamism and diversity of the research activity representative of the current state of the field.

How does the brain work? How different is a human brain from other creatures' brains? Is the human brain still evolving? In this fascinating book, Michael O'Shea provides a non-technical introduction to the main issues and findings in current brain research, and gives a sense of how neuroscience addresses questions about the relationship between the brain and the mind. Chapters tackle subjects such as brain processes, perception, memory, motor control and the causes of 'altered mental states'. A final section discusses possible future developments in neuroscience, touching on artificial intelligence, gene therapy, the importance of the Human Genome Project, drugs by design, and transplants. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Considering the current interest in cellular regulation and intracellular signalling systems, it is surprising that the contribution of ADP-ribosylation reactions to the modulation of a variety of specific cell processes, in parallel with other post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, has not been generally recognized. While it is not feasible to cover all aspects of ADP-ribosylation, the thirty-one articles contained in this volume provide a valuable overview of recent progress in the field within the context of cell control mechanisms. For the convenience of the reader, the various topics have been grouped into several sections: (a) poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation; (b) mono-ADP-ribosylation; (c) toxin mono-ADP-ribosylation; (d) inhibitors and activators; (e) protein modification with ADP-ribose and its analogues; and (f) non-modification forms of ADP-ribose. The contents of the individual chapters reflect the ideas of the contributors, many of whom have spent their careers attempting to resolve the biological functions of ADP-ribosylation. We hope that this publication will serve as a useful reference for those investigators that are new to the area as well as those who are actively studying ADP-ribosylation.

Most of the information on the functional role, structure and molecular biology of creatine kinase is scattered in several hundreds of publications. The editors of this volume invited all authors who are most active at present in experimental research on creatine kinases to summarize their work and make the information easily available to a wider scientific audience, especially to young investigators who are entering this field. Since the functional role of coupled creatine kinases is directly related to the phenomenon of compartmentation and structural organization of metabolic networks, we also invited experts in the related areas to contribute to the volume. Almost all invited authors responded enthusiastically and the results of this collective work are presented here.
For biochemists, biophysicists, physiologists, and medical research workers.

Despite the considerable success in treating diseases of the heart and blood vessels, they still remain the major cause of mortality throughout the world. One of the reasons underlying this problem is our lack of understanding of the molecular and cellular aspects of the processes involved.
These problems are fully discussed in Cellular Interactions in Cardiac Pathophysiology, which draws together 25 contributions from leading investigators from all parts of the world. The contributions are grouped under three headings: Extracellular matrix and cardiocyte interaction; Myocytic adaptations and myocardial injury; and Signal transduction.

Physical Biology of the Cell is a textbook for a first course in physical biology or biophysics for undergraduate or graduate students. It maps the huge and complex landscape of cell and molecular biology from the distinct perspective of physical biology. As a key organizing principle, the proximity of topics is based on the physical concepts that unite a given set of biological phenomena. Herein lies the central premise: that the appropriate application of a few fundamental physical models can serve as the foundation of whole bodies of quantitative biological intuition, useful across a wide range of biological problems. The Second Edition features full-color illustrations throughout, two new chapters, a significantly expanded set of end-of-chapter problems, and is available in a variety of e-book formats.

This volume contains the proceedings of an International Symposium on `Second Messenger Systems - Molecular, Cellular and Behavioural Aspects', which was held at Tobago on June 16-17, 1994.
The interaction of an extracellular agonist (First Messenger) with its plasma membrane receptor leads to the transmission of a signal across the cell membrane and results in the production and/or activation of other signalling molecules (Second Messengers). These Second Messengers control the action of many protein kinases and protein phosphatases and so lead to cellular responses. Although the biochemical basis of the transduction of signals in the main signalling systems in eukaryotic cells is probably largely known, intensified research is ongoing in the following areas: the discovery of specific substrates for many protein kinases, elucidation of the biological significance of the differential tissue expression and heterogeneity of many signalling proteins, and the unravelling of diverse interactions (such as signal potentiation, synergism, antagonism and neuronal co-transmission) between signalling systems. As knowledge from such studies accumulates, it is becoming clear that the `cross talk' interactions between signalling systems are important features of dynamic cell regulation.
This volume is designed to summarize some aspects of the current work on various Second Messenger Systems and the integration of signals with respect to plasma membrane receptors. Second Messenger generation and degradation, protein kinase and phosphatase, cell cycle control, and cellular learning and memory.

The papers in this volume comprise invited reviews as well as original research papers presented at the Vanadium Symposium held July 29-31, 1994. Vanadium is a trace element and its compounds have been shown to exert a wide variety of insulin-like effects including the ability to lower hyperglycemia in several experimental models of diabetes mellitus. Because of the possibility that vanadium compounds may be able to serve as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of diabetes, and possibly other diseases, this trace element has attracted the attention of biomedical researchers from a variety of fields. The Vanadium Symposium 1994 was therefore organized to facilitate exchange of ideas and increase interaction among researchers of different disciplines actively engaged in studying the biological actions of vanadium compounds. The papers are written by leading vanadium researchers and are grouped into three main sections: the chemistry, biochemical and physiological aspects, and potential therapeutic use and toxic effects of vanadium compounds. A good source of information on vanadium chemistry and biology.

The chapters in this volume are the Proceedings of the Satellite Symposium of the XVIth World Congress of the International Society for Heart Research on `Signal Transduction in Normal and Diseased Myocardium' which was held in Rotterdam at the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences of the Erasmus University, June 30 and July 1, 1995.
Diverse and distinct auto-, para-, and endocrine stimuli arriving at the surface of endothelium, smooth muscle cells, cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts within the myocardium, engage cell type-specific receptors, which lead to transmission of signals across the cell plasma membrane and result in the production and activation of second messengers. The most common mechanism by which these second messengers function is via direct or indirect activation of specific protein kinases. The current challenge for scientists is to identify the specific substrates (e.g. metabolic enzymes, Ca2+-regulating proteins, transcription and mitotic factors) for the many protein kinases, to elucidate the biological significance of the cell type-specific expression heterogeneity of signalling proteins (e.g. membrane receptors, isoenzymes of protein kinase C, G-proteins) and to unravel the cross-talk interaction between the signalling systems (e.g. phospholipase C with adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C with phospholipase D). The multiplicity of receptor types, G-proteins, effector proteins, second messengers and protein kinases, their substrate proteins and the `cross-talk' interactions in the myocardium raises fundamental questions about the mechanisms that ensure the precision and timing of the myocardial responses to hormonal and pharmacological stimuli.
This book provides an up-to-date source of information for all scientists and clinicians interested in the mechanisms by which external signals are transmitted to the interior and regulation of a variety of physiological, pathological and pharmacological responses.

For almost four billion years, microbes had the primordial oceans all to themselves. The stewards of Earth, these organisms transformed the chemistry of our planet to make it habitable for plants, animals, and us. Life's Engines takes readers deep into the microscopic world to explore how these marvelous creatures made life on Earth possible—and how human life today would cease to exist without them.

Paul Falkowski looks "under the hood" of microbes to find the engines of life, the actual working parts that do the biochemical heavy lifting for every living organism on Earth. With insight and humor, he explains how these miniature engines are built—and how they have been appropriated by and assembled like Lego sets within every creature that walks, swims, or flies. Falkowski shows how evolution works to maintain this core machinery of life, and how we and other animals are veritable conglomerations of microbes.

A vibrantly entertaining book about the microbes that support our very existence, Life's Engines will inspire wonder about these elegantly complex nanomachines that have driven life since its origin. It also issues a timely warning about the dangers of tinkering with that machinery to make it more "efficient" at meeting the ever-growing demands of humans in the coming century.

This special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry good source of information in this regard. contains original research papers as well as invited reviews We wish to thank all of the contributors for their help and dedicated, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the in cooperation. We also wish to thank Mrs. Verona Kuhle for auguration of the Heart Research Group in Beriin-Buch that her secretarial help. We are grateful to Dr. Naranjan S. Dhalla, today forms a part there ofthe Max Delbriick Center for Mo Editor-in-Chief of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry for his lecular Medicine, to Professor Albert Wollenberger, founder interest and encouragement, and for agreeing to publish this of the Heart Research Group and for 21 years its head. issue in honor of Albert Wollenberger. The papers in this issue are written by researchers work ing in the field of cardiovascular research who together with ERNST-GEORG KRAUSE and ROLAND VETTER Albert Wollenberger share the belief that an integrative ap Max Delbriick Center for Molecular Medicine plication of advances in molecular and cellular biology will Robert-Rossle-StraBe 10 lead to new concepts for treatment and prevention of cardio 13122 Beriin-Buch vascular diseases. We hope that this special will serve as a Gennany ALBERT WOLLENBERGER, Professor, Ph. D. (Harvard), Dr. Sc. Med. (Berlin) The dedication is accorded to Prof.

This special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry contains original research papers as well as invited reviews dedi cated, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the inauguration of the Heart Research Group in Berlin-Buch that today forms a part there of the Max Delbriick Center for Molecular Medicine, to Professor Albert Wollenberger, founder of the Heart Research Group and for 21 years its head. The papers in this issue are written by researchers working in the field of cardiovascular research who together with Albert Wollenberger share the belief that an integrative application of advances in molecular and cellular biology will lead to new concepts for treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. We hope that this special will serve as a good source of information in this regard. We wish to thank all of the contributors for their help and cooperation. We also wish to thank Mrs. Verona Kuhle for her secretarial help. We are grateful to Dr. Naranjan S. Dhalla, Editor-in-Chief of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry for his interest and encouragement, and for agreeing to publish this issue in honor of Albert Wollenberger. ROLAND VETTER and ERNST -GEORG KRAUSE Max Delbriick Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rossle-StraBe 10, 13122 Berlin-Buch, Germany PART I CARDIAC DEVELOPMENT AND REGULATION Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 163/164: 5-11, 1996. © 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers.