Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

A timely overview covering the three major types of glial cells in the central nervous system - astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes. New findings on glia biology are overturning a century of conventional thinking about how the brain operates and are expanding our knowledge about information processing in the brain. The book will present recent research findings on the role of glial cells in both healthy function and disease. It will comprehensively cover a broad spectrum of topics while remaining compact in size.

A comprehensive overview of the many factors that can influence brain plasticity throughout the lifespan. Addresses perinatal plasticity, functional state plasticity, injury-induced plasticity, and stressor-induced plasticity. Because it looks at so many aspects of the field, this volume will serve as a great resource for students as well as researchers interested in expanding their knowledge. The volume comes out as an integrated view based in the expertise of Ibero American neuroscientists working in the field.

This new edition provides an update on the molecular mechanisms that regulate spermatogenesis. In addition to the rodent as a study model, chapters also include research on studies in humans.  It includes the latest approaches of studying spermatogenesis, such as the use of bioinformatics, molecular modeling and others which are not commonly found in published materials.  It also reviews the latest developments in the field, such as studies on the role of regulatory RNAs on spermatogenesis. Due to the declining fertility rate among men, a brand new chapter highlights the impact of environmental toxicants on spermatogenesis.

This book contains most of the scientific contributions during the 48th annual conference of the International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissue (ISOTT), which was held electronically in July 2021. It includes multidisciplinary contributions from scientists (physicists, biologists and chemists), engineers, clinicians and mathematicians and covers covers all aspects of oxygen transport from air to the cells, organs and organisms; instrumentation and methods to sense oxygen and clinical evidence.

The Protein Reviews series serves as a publication vehicle for reviews that focus on crucial contemporary and vital aspects of protein structure, function, evolution and genetics. Volumes are published online first, prior to publication in a printed book. Chapters are selected according to their importance to the understanding of biological systems, relevance to the unravelling of issues associated with health and disease, or impact on scientific or technological advances and developments. Volume 23 presents four review chapters authored by experts in related fields. 
The first chapter covers the structure and function of SNM1 family nucleases. Chapter two examines the molecular details of DNA integration by CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins during adaptation in bacteria and archaea. The third chapter reviews the ordered motions in the nitric-oxide dioxygenase (NOD) mechanism of flavohemoglobin and assorted globins with tightly coupled reductases. Chapterfour reviews structural analyses of the multicopper site of CopG support a role as a redox enzyme. This volume is intended for research scientists, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology and genetics.

This 2nd edition has been extensively updated and provides comprehensive and current insight into congenital heart diseases, from embryonic development through to clinical features, including human genetics and our current knowledge of the underlying molecular pathways.

The book is divided into three parts: an introduction to the development of the heart and its vessels, an overview of the molecular pathways affecting the development of various cardiovascular structures, and a main section focusing on the different types of structural and nonstructural congenital heart diseases, including their clinical features, underlying genetic alterations and insights from animal models and pathways. All chapters have been updated and new chapters added on state-of-the-art approaches including stem cells and organoids, cardiac metabolism, single cell transcriptomics and 3D reconstruction of human heart development. The clinical chapters have been extended and include new sections on diagnostic imaging techniques.

Taken together, the book, written by and for clinicians and researchers, provides an integrated and up-to-date resource for all those who want to learn more about both the clinical aspects and the genetic and molecular basis of congenital heart disease.

Chapter 11 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Unraveling the complex mechanisms governing the relationship between protein structure and function requires a multifaceted approach. In particular, the integration of experimental and computational approaches is exceptionally powerful in this context. However, while experimental techniques, such as X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), have been used for protein structure determination for over half a century, only in the last decade have computational tools gained sufficient power to assume a prominent role in the study of protein structure and function alongside experimental techniques.

This volume offers a comprehensive overview of contemporary computational and experimental methods employed in protein structure-function studies, organized into two sections. The computational methods section delves into protein structure prediction, advanced simulation techniques, artificial intelligence and machine learning, ligand binding site identification, and protein-protein interaction prediction. The experimental methods section focuses on state-of-the-art structural methods, fluorescence microscopy, imaging techniques, and model membrane systems.

This book is an invaluable resource for a wide audience of research scientists with an interest in the molecular and cellular facets of biological processes, especially those who seek to investigate the intricate world of proteins and their functions through cutting-edge methodologies.