This book elucidates the mechanisms involved in biological membrane functions. It describes the new modalities and characterization for basic in vitro as well as computer models of biological membranes. Biological membranes are analyzed in terms of advances in molecular dynamics. The individual chapters provide an in depth analysis of images from various biological models. The potential of membrane models in the context of treatment trials is discussed. The authors present new insights and current concepts for treatment procedures (nanocarriers, electroporation, channel blockers).

This textbook addresses the growing international need for a practical manual that teaches physicians how to apply cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) in the day‐to‐day provision of patient healthcare. The book introduces readers to the concept of CAP, how it works, and how safe it is, before describing several diseases and other medical indications for its application. The book subsequently provides guidelines for daily clinical practice, e.g. for treating chronic wounds, decontaminating infected skin lesions, and rendering multi-resistant bacteria inert, as well as a detailed overview of plasma devices. In closing, it addresses organizational aspects, which are essential to cultivating and maintaining quality standards in the application of cold medical plasma. This textbook offers a unique educational resource and provides relevant information on plasma medicine as an emerging multidisciplinary discipline. Practitioners will appreciate this integrated, comprehensive guide, which is also suitable for advanced students of medicine and dentistry, and for nurses serving on plasma-assisted medical teams.

Meeting future food needs without compromising environmental integrity is a central challenge for agriculture globally but especially for the Asia Pacific region – where 60% of the global population, including some of the world’s poorest, live on only 30% of the land mass. To guarantee the food security of this and other regions, growers worldwide are rapidly adopting genetically modified (GM) crops as the forerunner to protect against many biotic and abiotic stresses. Asia Pacific countries play an important role in this, with India, China and Pakistan appearing in the top 10 countries with acreage of GM crops, primarily devoted to Bt cotton. Genetically Modified Crops in Asia Pacific discusses the progress of GM crop adoption across the Asia Pacific region over the past two decades, including research, development, adoption and sustainability, as well as the cultivation of insect resistant Bt brinjal, drought-tolerant sugarcane, late blight resistant potato and biotech rice more specific to this region. Regulatory efforts of the Asia Pacific member nations to ensure the safety of GM crops to both humans and the environment are also outlined to provide impetus in other countries initiating biotech crops. The authors also probe into some aspects of gene editing and nanobiotechnology to expand the scope into next generation GM crops, including the potential to grow crops in acidic soil, reduce methane production, remove poisonous elements from plants and improve overall nutritional quality. Genetically Modified Crops in Asia Pacific provides a comprehensive reference not only for academics, researchers and private sectors in crop systems but also policy makers in the Asia Pacific region. Beyond this region, readers will benefit from understanding how GM crops have been integrated into many different countries and, in particular, the effects of the take-up of GM cropping systems by farmers with different socioeconomic backgrounds.

This volume focuses on the modulation of biological membranes by specific biophysical properties. The readers are introduced to emerging biophysical approaches that mimick specific states (like membrane lipid asymmetry, membrane curvature, lipid flip-flop, lipid phase separation) that are relevant to the functioning of biological membranes. The first chapter describes innovative methods to mimic the prevailing asymmetry in biological membranes by forming asymmetrical membranes made of monolayers with different compositions. One of the chapters illustrates how physical parameters, like curvature and elasticity, can affect and modulate the interactions between lipids and proteins. This volume also describes the sensitivity of certain ion channels to mechanical forces and it presents an analysis of how cell shape is determined by both the cytoskeleton and the lipid domains in the membrane. The last chapter provides evidence that liposomes can be used as a minimal cellular model to reconstitute processes related to the origin of life. Each topic covered in this volume is presented by leading experts in the field who are able to present clear, authoritative and up-to-date reviews. The novelty of the methods proposed and their potential for a deeper molecular description of membrane functioning are particularly relevant experts in the areas of biochemistry, biophysics and cell biology, while also presenting clear and thorough introductions, making the material suitable for students in these fields as well.

Transport and Diffusion across Cell Membranes is a comprehensive treatment of the transport and diffusion of molecules and ions across cell membranes. This book shows that the same kinetic equations (with appropriate modification) can describe all the specialized membrane transport systems: the pores, the carriers, and the two classes of pumps. The kinetic formalism is developed step by step and the features that make a system effective in carrying out its biological role are highlighted. This book is organized into six chapters and begins with an introduction to the structure and dynamics of cell membranes, followed by a discussion on how the membrane acts as a barrier to the transmembrane diffusion of molecules and ions. The following chapters focus on the role of the membrane's protein components in facilitating transmembrane diffusion of specific molecules and ions, measurements of diffusion through pores and the kinetics of diffusion, and the structure of such pores and their biological regulation. This book methodically introduces the reader to the carriers of cell membranes, the kinetics of facilitated diffusion, and cotransport systems. The primary active transport systems are considered, emphasizing the pumping of an ion (sodium, potassium, calcium, or proton) against its electrochemical gradient during the coupled progress of a chemical reaction while a conformational change of the pump enzyme takes place. This book is of interest to advanced undergraduate students, as well as to graduate students and researchers in biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, and biophysics.

Systems of Nanovesicular Drug Delivery provides a thorough insight into the complete and up-to-date discussions about the preparation, properties and drug delivery applications of various nanovesicles. This volume discusses cubosomes, proniosomes and niosomes, dendrimerosomes and other new and effective approaches for drug delivery. It will be a valuable title and resource for academics and pharmaceutical scientists, including industrial pharmacists, analytical scientists, health care professionals and regulatory scientists actively involved in pharmaceutical products and process development of tailor-made polysaccharides in drug delivery applications. Recently, there have been a number of outstanding nanosystems in nanovesicular carrier-forms (such as nanoemulsions, self-nanoemulsifying systems, nanoliposomes, nanotransferosomes, etc.), that have been researched and developed for efficient drug delivery by many formulators, researchers and scientists. However, no previously published books have covered all these drug delivery nanovesicles collectively in a single resource. - Provides thorough insights and up-to-date discussions about the various systems of nanovesicular drug delivery - Covers advanced trigger-assisted systems (such as iontophoresis, ultra-sound triggering, etc.) and how they have been used for improved drug delivery by nanovesicles - Presents recent advances in drug delivery fields by global leaders and experts from academia, research, industry and regulatory agencies - Includes an updated literature review of relevant key topics, good quality illustrations, chemical structures, attractive flow charts and well-organized tables

Advances in technology have enabled medicinal chemists to discover and formulate several highly specific, biocompatible, and non-toxic therapeutic agents for clinical applications. Nanotechnology has achieved significant progress in the last few decades and is crucial in every field of science and technology. Nanotechnology-based pharmaceuticals offer multifaceted and alternative methodologies in comparison to the limitations of many conventional clinical therapies. Expertise in designing and developing nanoformulations has helped in targeted drug delivery. Recently, the use of innovative therapeutic agents, particularly in nanomedicine, has accounted for a significant portion of the global pharmaceutical market and is predicted to continue to grow rapidly in the near future. Nanotherapeutic Strategies and New Pharmaceuticals is an accessible multi-part reference which informs the reader about several new techniques based on nanotechnology. The chapters explain relevant topics in detail. The book is designed to encourage and help undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students in the field of nanotherapeutics, pharmaceuticals and bio-organic chemistry through the use of didactic language and simple illustrations. Part 2 of this book covers the potential of nanotherapeutics and natural therapies for treating neurological diseases, targeting ion channels, signal transduction therapy, gene therapy of single gene mutation diseases and for nanoformulations for special purposes such as wound healing and stimuli-responsive drug delivery. The book also features a chapter that summarizes the types of nanoparticles tailored for specific molecular targets that mediate different diseases. The book set serves as a textbook for students in pharmacology and medical biochemistry, as well as a quick reference for researchers on bio-organic chemistry, as well as general readers interested in nanomedicine.