In recent years, the field of Toxinology has expanded substantially. On the one hand it studies venomous animals, plants and micro organisms in detail to understand their mode of action on targets. While on the other, it explores the biochemical composition, genomics and proteomics of toxins and venoms to understand their three interaction with life forms (especially humans), development of antidotes and exploring their pharmacological potential. Therefore, Toxinology has deep linkages with biochemistry, molecular biology, anatomy and pharmacology. In addition, there is a fast developing applied subfield, clinical toxinology, which deals with understanding and managing medical effects of toxins on human body. Given the huge impact of toxin-based deaths globally, and the potential of venom in generation of drugs for so-far incurable diseases (for example, Diabetes, Chronic Pain), the continued research and growth of the field is imminent. This has led to the growth of research in the area and the consequent scholarly output by way of publications in journals and books. Despite this ever growing body of literature within biomedical sciences, there is still no all-inclusive reference work available that collects all of the important biochemical, biomedical and clinical insights relating to Toxinology. The Handbook of Toxinology aims to address this gap and cover the field of Toxinology comprehensively.

Malaria has defeated previous efforts at eradication and remains a massive global public health problem despite being readily preventable and treatable. It is a devastating disease that also extracts huge economic costs from the poorest countries in endemic regions. Starting with an overview of the disease and its current political, financial and technical context, this Milestones in Drug Therapy volume describes the history, chemistry, mechanisms of action and resistance, preclinical and clinical use, pharmacokinetics and safety and tolerability of the current range of antimalarial drugs. There is particular emphasis on artemisinins and related peroxides, as these drugs have now become the frontline treatment for malaria. Next generation antimalarials, molecular markers for detecting resistance, the importance of diagnostics and disease prevention are also covered in detail.

Finding new strategies for synthesizing benzimidazole derivatives and functionalizing the benzimidazole core has proved to be important due to the compound's various applications in medicine, chemistry, and other areas. The multitude of benzimidazole derivatives marketed as drugs has led to intensive research in the field for the discovery of new biologically active structures. The general applications of benzimidazole derivatives in materials chemistry, electronics, technology, dyes, pigments, and agriculture open up new research horizons. This book guides the rational design of benzimidazole derivatives synthesis with certain applications. Chapters cover such topics as therapeutic use of benzimidazole in conditions like diabetes, viruses, and parasitic diseases; X-ray crystal structure of selected benzimidazole derivatives; benzimidazole compounds for cancer therapy; and others.

Out of the 20 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) prioritized by the World Health Organization, the leishmaniases rank in the top 3 among those caused by protozoa. The purpose of this book is to provide the reader with a comprehensive and updated overview of all the aspects of leishmaniasis with a worldwide perspective – authors of many chapters include eminent scientists from both the Old and New Worlds. The chapters cover a wide range of topics, classically organized into biology and epidemiology, followed by clinical and control aspects. Following an introductory chapter intended to take the reader into the leishmaniasis complexity, a chapter on Leishmania taxonomy reports on the most recent advances in molecular and phylogenetic data. Parasite biology is then described in detail by means of two separate chapters devoted to phlebotomine vectors and reservoir hosts, respectively. The medical part of the book begins with a chapter on basic immunology and immunopathology associated with Leishmania infection, followed by a classical chapter on clinical aspects of different disease entities. The complexity of disease case management is presented by means of 3 chapters, respectively on diagnosis, treatment of visceral forms and treatment of tegumentary forms. Finally, the last chapter deals with the available approaches to control leishmaniasis and related public health issues.

Azoles are a broad and promising class of five-membered heterocyclic compounds containing from one up to five nitrogen atom(s) that can also contain sulfur or oxygen atoms. Widely used as potent antifungal agents, various azole derivatives have also demonstrated many other promising biological properties. This book covers studies of several types of thiazole-based heterocyclic scaffolds, the development of 4-thiazolidinone and thiazole derivatives with heterocyclic fragments as potential candidates for new drugs against trypanosomiasis, numerous synthetic approaches for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles, the application of N-azole, N,S-azole, and N,O-azole as well as their derivatives as retarders of metallic corrosion, and the integration of azoles in materials used for renewable energy processing and applications and wood treatment.