This book offers a comprehensive study of C-reactive protein (CRP) belonging to the pentraxin family, including a brief history of CRP, its structure, synthesis and evolution. Focusing on the emerging role of CRP and its clinical application in the field of disease biology, it details the pathophysiological role of CRP in a host of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, rheumatoid arthritis and infectious diseases and others. It also discusses the role of innate immunity and acute phase response (APR) and their key mediators in the host body in response to tissue injury, infection, trauma or surgery, immunological disorders or neoplastic growth. CRP’s significance in inflammation is highlighted, and its importance as a clinical marker in cardiovascular disease, its functional significance in Leishmania and Plasmodium infections, its association with the development of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus, and its role in cancer are discussed in detail. The book also includes clinical data studies and presents the latest research advances to further readers’ understanding of CRP.

This book explores the latest developments in the field the acute phase protein (APP), C-reactive protein or CRP in different diseases, highlighting the structural and functional aspects of CRP in disease biology. Divided into 5 sections, the book examines important topics such as the role of CRP in neurodegenerative, cardiac and parasitic diseases, as well as in cancer and inflammatory bowel disease, and the expression of CRP in pediatric respiratory diseases. In addition it discusses the clinical role of CRP in diagnostics and therapeutics, sepsis, ICU and ITU patients, and also as a primary marker for inflammation. Given its scope, this book will appeal to scholars in various fields of medicine and biology.

The discovery of C-reactive protein in the laboratory of O.T. Avery at Rockefeller University in 1929-30 was the first specific obser vation of the acute phase plasma protein response (Tillett and Francis 1930). This was one of three contributions of fundamental importance which emerged from that laboratory, the other two being the recognition that polysaccharides could act as antigens and that DNA transmits genetic information. In the course of charac terization of pneumococcal carbohydrate antigens, a somatic poly saccharide common to all Rand S forms of pneumococci was identified and designated Fraction "C" (Tillet et al. 1930). Testing of sera from patients with pneumococcal infection revealed the presence of material which precipitated with the C-polysaccharide but which differed from antibody in that calcium was required for the reaction. Furthermore, the amount of reactive material was greatest when patients were acutely ill and decreased in the convalescent phase, the precise opposite of specific anti-pneumo coccal antibodies. Subsequently, the C-reactive material was shown to be a protein and to be present in the sera of individuals who were acutely ill with other, non-pneumococcal infections and tissue damaging conditions, hence Avery coined the term "acute phase" and called the protein "acute phase protein" (Abernethy and Avery 1941; MacLeod and Avery 1941). At that time methods were too insensitive to detect C-reative protein (CRP) in sera of healthy subjects and it was considered to be a pathological product.

Up-to-date, authoritative and comprehensive, Heart Failure, 4th Edition, provides the clinically relevant information you need to effectively manage and treat patients with this complex cardiovascular problem. This fully revised companion to Braunwald's Heart Disease helps you make the most of new drug therapies such as angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs), recently improved implantable devices, and innovative patient management strategies. Led by internationally recognized heart failure experts Dr. G. Michael Felker and Dr. Douglas Mann, this outstanding reference gives health care providers the knowledge to improve clinical outcomes in heart failure patients. - Focuses on a clinical approach to treating heart failure, resulting from a broad variety of cardiovascular problems. - Covers the most recent guidelines and protocols, including significant new updates to ACC, AHA, and HFSA guidelines. - Covers key topics such as biomarkers and precision medicine in heart failure and new data on angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs). - Contains four new chapters: Natriuretic Peptides in Heart Failure; Amyloidosis as a Cause of Heart Failure; HIV and Heart Failure; and Neuromodulation in Heart Failure. - Covers the pathophysiological basis for the development and progression of heart failure. - Serves as a definitive resource to prepare for the ABIM's Heart Failure board exam. - 2016 British Medical Association Award: First Prize, Cardiology (3rd Edition).

Bacterial Infections of the Central Nervous System aims to provide information useful to physicians taking care of patients with bacterial infections in the central nervous system (CNS), which can lead to morbidity and mortality. The increased number of patients suffering from this infection has led to the development of vaccines and antibiotics. Comprised of four chapters, the book explains the general approach to patients with bacterial CNS infection. It also discusses various CNS infection concepts and terms. These include the characteristic neuroimaging appearance of specific bacterial infections, the limitations of neuroimaging, the cerebrospinal fluid analysis, the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of bacterial CNS infections, the developments of specific adjunctive strategies, and the principles of antimicrobial therapy. It also includes discussions on various diseases that target the CNS, such as meningitis, focal CNS infections, neurological complications of endocarditis, suppurative venous sinus thrombosis, infections in the neurosurgical patient, and CNS diseases caused by selected infectious agents and toxins. This book will serve as a guide for clinical physicians who have patients suffering from bacterial CNS infection.

With authoritative coverage of everything from recent discoveries in the field of vascular biology to recent clinical trials and evidence-based treatment strategies, Vascular Medicine, 3rd Edition, is your go-to resource for improving your patients' cardiovascular health. Part of the Braunwald family of renowned cardiology references, this updated volume integrates a contemporary understanding of vascular biology with a thorough review of clinical vascular diseases, making it an ideal reference for vascular medicine specialists, general cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, vascular surgeons, and interventional radiologists. - Incorporates technologic advances in vascular imaging – including ultrasound, MRI, CTA, and catheter-based angiography – along with more than 230 new figures, providing an up-to-date and complete view of the vascular system and vascular diseases. - Covers novel antithrombotic therapies for peripheral artery disease and venous thromboemboism, advances in endovascular interventions for aortic aneurysms, and today's best surgical treatments for vascular diseases. - Includes seven new chapters: Pathobiology of Aortic Aneurysms; Pathobiology and Assessment of Cardiovascular Fibrosis; Large Vessel Vasculitis; Medium and Small Vessel Vasculitis; Epidemiology and Prognosis of Venous Thromboembolic Disease; Fibromuscular Dysplasia; and Dermatologic Manifestations of Vascular Disease. - Discusses methods for aggressive patient management and disease prevention to ensure minimal risk of further cardiovascular problems. - Keeps you current with ACC/AHA and ECC guidelines and the best ways to implement them in clinical practice. - Enhanced eBook version included with purchase, which allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices