Monday, 26 August 2013

Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry, Twenty Sixth Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/26/2013 06:42:00 pm
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The text is divided into two introductory chapters (“Biochemistry & Medicine” and “Water & pH”) followed by six main sections.

Section I deals with the structures and functions of proteins and enzymes, the workhorses of the body. Because almost all of the reactions in cells are catalyzed by enzymes, it is vital to understand the properties of enzymes before considering other topics.

Section II explains how various cellular reactions either utilize or release energy, and it traces the pathways by which carbohydrates and lipids are synthesized and degraded. It also describes the many functions of these two classes of molecules.

Section III deals with the amino acids and their many fates and also describes certain key features of protein catabolism.

Section IV describes the structures and functions of the nucleotides and nucleic acids, and covers many major topics such as DNA replication and repair, RNA synthesis and modification, and protein synthesis. It also discusses new findings on how genes are regulated and presents the principles of recombinant DNA technology.

Section V deals with aspects of extracellular and intracellular communication. Topics covered include membrane structure and function, the molecular bases of the actions of hormones, and the key field of signal transduction.

Section VI consists of discussions of eleven special topics: nutrition, digestion, and absorption; vitamins and
minerals; intracellular traffic and sorting of proteins; glycoproteins; the extracellular matrix; muscle and the cytoskeleton; plasma proteins and immunoglobulins; hemostasis and thrombosis; red and white blood cells; the metabolism of xenobiotics; and the Human Genome Project.


Instant Notes in Biochemistry, Second Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/26/2013 06:29:00 pm
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Three years ago, the sight of first-year students wading through acres of fine print in enormous biochemistry textbooks led us to believe that there must be a better way; a book that presented the core information in a much more accessible format. Hence Instant Notes in Biochemistry was born. The tremendous success of this book has proved the concept. However, not surprisingly, we did not get everything right at the first attempt. Student readers and lecturing staff told us about the relatively scant coverage of gene expression, for example, plus a host of other more minor, but significant points. We have addressed all of these issues in this new edition. There is a major expansion of coverage of gene transcription and its regulation in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, as well as RNA processing and protein synthesis (sections G and H). Many other topics have been added or rewritten in the light of comments, including acids and bases, pH, ionization of amino acids, thermodynamics, protein stability, protein folding, protein structure determination, flow cytometry, and peptide synthesis. Whilst writing the new edition, we have also looked at each illustration again and made modifications as necessary to make these even clearer for the student reader. Many new illustrations have also been included. Naturally, all of this has led to a substantial lengthening of the book. However, in every case, whether considering the text or the illustrations, we have been at pains to include only the information that we believe is essential for a good student understanding of the subject. The key features of this new book therefore remain the same as for the first edition: to present the core information on biochemistry in an easily accessible format that is ideally suited to student understanding – and to revision when the dreaded examinations come! We have been told by students that the first edition did just that. We have great hopes that the same will hold true for this new update.

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Sunday, 25 August 2013

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry- March 2013 Vol 56 No.5,6

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/25/2013 08:03:00 pm
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Journal of Medicinal Chemistry- March 14 2013 Vol 56 No.5
 About the Cover:
A model for asymmetric disulfides binding to human thioredoxin. The inhibitor docks onto thioredoxin’s active site where its benzimidazolyl group interacts with a tryptophan indole near the active site. 
View the article 
Selective Inhibition of Extracellular Thioredoxin by Asymmetric Disulfides, Thomas R. DiRaimondo et al., Standford university, US. 









Journal of Medicinal Chemistry- March 28 2013 Vol 56 No.6




















Textbook of Medical Physiology, Eleventh Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/25/2013 07:47:00 pm
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The first edition of the Textbook of Medical Physiology was written by Arthur C. Guyton almost 50 years ago. Unlike many major medical textbooks, which often have 20 or more authors, the first eight editions of the Textbook of Medical Physiology were written entirely by Dr. Guyton with each new edition arriving on schedule for nearly 40 years. Over the years, Dr. Guyton’s textbook became widely used throughout the world and was translated into 13 languages. A major reason for the book’s unprecedented success was his uncanny ability to explain complex physiologic principles in language easily understood by students. His main goal with each edition was to instruct students in physiology, not to impress his professional colleagues. His writing style always maintained the tone of a teacher talking to his students.

In this edition, I have attempted to maintain the same unified organization of the text that has been useful to students in the past and to ensure that the book is comprehensive enough that students will wish to use it in later life as a basis for their professional careers. I hope that this textbook conveys the majesty of the human body and its many functions and that it stimulates students to study physiology throughout their careers. Physiology is the link between the basic sciences and medicine. The great beauty of physiology is that it integrates the individual functions of all the body’s different cells, tissues, and organs into a functional whole, the human body. Indeed, the human body is much more than the sum of its parts, and life relies upon this total function, not just on the function of individual body parts in isolation from the others.

This brings us to an important question: How are the separate organs and systems coordinated to maintain proper function of the entire body? Fortunately, our bodies are endowed with a vast network of feedback controls that achieve the necessary balances without which we would not be able to live. Physiologists call this high level of internal bodily control homeostasis. In disease states, functional balances are often seriously disturbed and homeostasis is impaired. And, when even a single disturbance reaches a limit, the whole body can no longer live. One of the goals of this text, therefore, is to emphasize the effectiveness and beauty of the body’s homeostasis mechanisms as well as to present their abnormal function in disease.


Concept of Genetics, Eighth Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/25/2013 07:39:00 pm
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This book is known for its clear writing style, emphasis on concepts, visual art program and thoughtful coverage of all areas of genetics. The authors capture readers' interest with up-to-date coverage of cutting-edge topics and research. The authors emphasize those concepts that readers should come to understand and take away with them, not a myriad of details and exceptions that need to memorized and are soon forgotten. In addition to topics traditionally covered in genetics, this book has increased coverage of genomics, including proteomics and bioinformatics, biotechnology, and contains more real-world problems. For anyone in biology, agriculture or health science who is interested in genetics.






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Cell and Molecular Biology: Concepts and Experiments, Sixth Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/25/2013 03:19:00 pm
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A molecular model of the membrane of a synaptic vesicle. Within nerve cells, a synaptic vesicle consists of a cellular membrane surrounding a soluble compartment filled with neurotransmitter molecules. Vesicles of this type are assembled in the vicinity of a nerve cell’s nucleus and then transported to the tip of the axon. There the vesicle awaits the arrival of a nerve impulse that will induce it to fuse with the overlying plasma membrane, releasing its contents into the narrow cleft that separates the nerve cell from a neighboring cell. The three dimensional model of this membrane was constructed using known structures of the various proteins along with information on their relative numbers obtained from the analysis of purified synaptic vesicles. The image on the front cover shows a synaptic vesicle that has been cut in half; the lipid bilayer that forms the core of the vesicle membrane is shown in green. The image on the back cover shows the surface structure of an intact vesicle. Most of the proteins present in this membrane are required for the interaction of the vesicle with the plasma membrane. The large blue protein at the lower right of the vesicle contains a ring of subunits that rotates within the lipid bilayer as the protein pumps hydrogen ions into the vesicle. The elevated concentration of hydrogen ions within the vesicle is subsequently used as an energy source for the uptake of neurotransmitter molecules from the surrounding cytosol. These images provide the most comprehensive model of any cellular membrane yet to be studied and they reveal how much this membrane is dominated by protein—both within the bilayer itself and on both membrane surfaces.


Saturday, 24 August 2013

Developmental Biology, Seventh Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/24/2013 06:23:00 pm
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During the past four years, the field of developmental biology has begun a new metamorphosis. The Ninth Edition of Developmental Biology mirrors this shift with a wholly revised text, over 600 new literature citations, and substantial reorganization of content. The introductory section has been streamlined from six chapters to three one each on developmental anatomy, the mechanisms of gene regulation during differentiation, and cell cell communication during morphogenesis. Another new feature is the addition of short part openers that address key concerns in developmental biology. These provide an introduction to the subsequent chapters, telling the reader what to expect and placing that information into a specific context. Each chapter ends with a guide to Web-based resources relevant to that chapter s content, and the Ninth Edition is the first to include a glossary of key terms. Some of the new material in this edition includes: mesenchymal and induced pluripotent stem cells; the transdifferentiation of pancreatic cells; new data on sea urchin micromere specification; the mechanisms whereby Sry and Wnt signaling determine mammalian sex; the memory of cell fate during amphibian limb regeneration; how bats got their wings and how dachshunds got their short legs.


Biochemistry, Seventh Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/24/2013 12:09:00 am
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Since its first edition in 1975, this extraordinary textbook has helped shape the way that biochemistry is taught, and has become one of the most trusted books in the field. It offers exceptionally clear writing, innovative graphics, coverage of the latest research techniques and advances, and a signature emphasis on physiological and medical relevance. The seventh edition has been updated throughout, including many new advances on genetic regulation, and revamped coverage of the integration of metabolism in the context of diet and obesity. Numerous new medical examples have been added throughout to make biochemistry real and relevant to students. The addition of new contributing author Gregory Gatto, an active pharmaceutical researcher at GlaxoSmithKline, ensures that the seventh edition presents the latest techniques that students need to understand in biochemistry research today. The end-of-chapter problems have also been revised and updated, providing students with great new exercises to test their understanding. The book is supported by a companion website (www.whfreeman.com/berg7e) which provides a variety of tools to aid understanding and learning including concept-based tutorials, animated techniques, self-assessment tools, and living figures that allow protein structures to be explored in 3-D. 

Friday, 23 August 2013

Bioprocess Engineering Principles

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/23/2013 10:56:00 pm
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Recent developments in genetic and molecular biology have excited world-wide interest in biotechnology. The ability to manipulate DNA has already changed our perceptions of medicine, agriculture and environmental management. Scientific breakthroughs in gene expression, protein engineering and cell fusion are being translated by a strengthening biotechnology industry into revolutionary new products and services. Many a student has been enticed by the promise of biotechnology and the excitement of being near the cutting edge of scientific advancement. However, the value of biotechnology is more likely to be assessed by business, government and consumers alike in terms of commercial applications, impact on the marketplace and financial success. Graduates trained in molecular biology and cell manipulation soon realise that these techniques are only part of the complete picture; bringing about the full benefits of biotechnology requires substantial manufacturing capability involving large-scale processing of biological material. For the most part, chemical engineers have assumed the responsibility for bioprocess development. However, increasingly, biotechnologists are being employed by companies to work in co-operation with biochemical engineers to achieve pragmatic commercial goals. Yet, while aspects of biochemistry, microbiology and molecular genetics have for many years been included in chemical-engineering curricula, there has been relatively little attempt to teach biotechnologists even those qualitative aspects of engineering applicable to process design.
The primary aim of this book is to present the principles of bioprocess engineering in a way that is accessible to biological scientists. It does not seek to make biologists into bioprocess engineers, but to expose them to engineering concepts and ways of thinking. The material included in the book has been used to teach graduate students with diverse backgrounds in biology, chemistry and medical science. While several excellent texts on bioprocess engineering are currently available, these generally assume the reader already has engineering training. On the other hand, standard chemical-engineering texts do not often consider examples from bioprocessing and are written almost exclusively with the petroleum and chemical industries in mind. There was a need for a textbook which explains the engineering approach to process analysis while providing worked examples and problems about biological systems. In this book, more than 170 problems and calculations encompass a wide range of bioprocess applications involving recombinant cells, plant- and animal-cell cultures and immobilised biocatalysts as well as traditional fermentation systems. It is assumed that the reader has an adequate background in biology.

Thursday, 22 August 2013

Principles and Techniques of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seventh Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/22/2013 10:01:00 pm
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In designing the content of this latest edition we continued our previous policy of placing emphasis on the recommendations we have received from colleagues and academics outside our university. Above all, we have attempted to respond to the invaluable feedback from student users of our book both in the UK and abroad. In this seventh edition we have retained all 16 chapters from the previous edition. All have been appropriately updated to reflect recent developments in their fields, as exemplified by the inclusion of a section on stem cells in the cell culture chapter. Three of these chapters have new authors and have been completely rewritten. Robert Burns, Scottish Agricultural Science Agency, Edinburgh has written the chapter on immunochemical techniques, and Andreas Hofmann, Eskitis Institute of Molecular Therapies, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia has written the two chapters on spectroscopic techniques. We are delighted to welcome both authors to our team of contributors.

In addition to these changes of authors, two new chapters have been added to the book. Our decision taken for the sixth edition to include a section on the biochemical principles underlying clinical biochemistry has been well received and so we have extended our coverage of the subject and have devoted a whole chapter (16) to this subject. Written in collaboration with Dr John Fyffe, Consultant Biochemist, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Yorkhill, Glasgow, new topics that are discussed in the chapter include the diagnosis and management of kidney disease, diabetes, endocrine disorders including thyroid dysfunction, conditions of the hypothalamus–pituitary– adrenal axis such as pregnancy, and pathologies of plasma proteins such as myeloma.

Case studies are included to illustrate how the principles discussed apply to the diagnosis and treatment of individual patients with the conditions. Our second major innovation for this new edition is the introduction of a new chapter on drug discovery and development. The strategic approaches to the discovery of new drugs has been revolutionised by developments in molecular biology. Pharmaceutical companies now rely on many of the principles and experimental techniques discussed in the chapters throughout the book to identify potential drug targets, screen chemical libraries and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of selected candidate drugs. The new chapter illustrates the principles of target selection by reference to current drugs used in the treatment of atherosclerosis and HIV/AIDS, emphasises the strategic decisions to be taken during the various stages of drug discovery and development and discusses the issues involved in clinical trials and the registration of new drugs.

We continue to welcome constructive comments from all students who use our book as part of their studies and academics who adopt the book to complement their teaching. Finally, we wish to express our gratitude to the authors and publishers who have granted us permission to reproduce their copyright figures and our thanks to Katrina Halliday and her colleagues at Cambridge University Press who have been so supportive in the production of this new edition.

Medical Biochemistry: Human Metabolism in Health and Disease

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/22/2013 09:54:00 pm
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Human metabolism is a key component of the basic science knowledge that underlies the practice of medicine and allied health professions. It is fundamental to understanding how the body adapts to physiologic stress, how defects in metabolism result in disease, and why data from the clinical chemistry laboratory are useful to diagnose disease and monitor the efficacy of treatment. Over the more than three decades that each of the authors has been teaching biochemistry to medical students, we have found students increasingly overwhelmed with details that tend to obscure rather than elucidate principles of human metabolism. Our main aim in writing this book was to provide students in the health professions with a concise resource that will help them understand and appreciate the functions, constituent reactions, and regulatory aspects of the core pathways that constitute human metabolism and which are responsible for maintaining homeostasis and well-being in humans. We have tried to accomplish this by emphasizing function, regulation, and disease processes, while minimizing discussion of reaction mechanisms and details of enzyme structure. Each chapter is organized in a consistent manner beginning with an explanation of the main functions of the pathway under discussion. Next comes a brief accounting of the cells, tissues, and organs in which the pathway is expressed and the conditions under which the normal function of the pathway is especially important. The bulk of each chapter is devoted to the reactions that account for the function of the pathway, with emphasis on key steps in the pathway. The next section of each chapter discusses the ways in which the activity of the pathway is regulated by hormones, genetic factors, or changes in the intracellular concentration of key metabolites. Each chapter concludes with a discussion of the more common and illustrative diseases that result from defects in or derangements of regulation of the pathway.

Color Atlas of Biochemistry, Second edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/22/2013 09:42:00 pm
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Biochemistry is a dynamic, rapidly growing field, and the goal of this color atlas is to illustrate this fact visually. The precise boundaries between biochemistry and related fields, such as cell biology, anatomy, physiology, genetics, and pharmacology, are difficult to define and, in many cases, arbitrary. This overlap is not coincidental. The object being studied is often the same—a nerve cell or a mitochondrion, for example and only the point of view differs. For a considerable period of its history, biochemistry was strongly influenced by chemistry and concentrated on investigating metabolic conversions and energy transfers. Explaining the composition, structure, and metabolism of biologically important molecules has always been in the foreground. However, new aspects inherited from biochemistry’s other parent, the biological sciences, are now increasingly being added: the relationship between chemical structure and biological function, the pathways of information transfer, observance of the ways in which biomolecules are spatially and temporally distributed in cells and organisms, and an awareness of evolution as a biochemical process.

These new aspects of biochemistry are bound to become more and more important. Owing to space limitations, we have concentrated here on the biochemistry of humans and mammals, although the biochemistry of other animals, plants, and microorganisms is no less interesting. In selecting the material for this book, we have put the emphasis on subjects relevant to students of human medicine. The main purpose of the atlas is to serve as an overview and to provide visual information quickly and efficiently. Referring to textbooks can easily fill any gaps. For readers encountering biochemistry for the first time, some of the plates may look rather complex. It must be emphasized, therefore, that the atlas is not intended as a substitute for a comprehensive textbook of biochemistry.


Clinical Biochemistry: Made Ridiculously Simple, Second Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/22/2013 09:31:00 pm
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This book focuses on clinically relevant biochemistry, for medical students and other health professionals. There is a great difference between the research oriented needs of the biochemistry graduate student and the clinical needs of the medical student. A book for graduate students needs to emphasize research methods and functionally important points . A book for medical students needs to provide the basic conceptual background that will allow the student to understand disease mechanisms, clinical laboratory tests , and drug effects. The first step in preparing this book was the selection of that biochemical information with the greatest clinical relevance. The second step was an attempt to present that information in a way that optimally facilitates learning and retention.

I have tried to present an overall conceptual picture rather than focusing on fine detail . Courses frequently deliver an overwhelming amount of esoteria with the expectation that the student will eventually integrate this
into an overall view. Commonly, the overall view never gels and the student is left with isolated points that have little apparent linkage and are quickly forgotten after the exam. This book attempts at the outset to present the major chemical reactions in one central map of Biochemistry land that may be conceptualized quickly and is the central focus of the book. After providing the overall view, the text centers on more detailed cl inical material . I have tried to use visual imagery, humor. and other memory techniques, not in disrespect for the field, but as educational methods that should be used more often in medical education .

The boundaries between biochemistry, cell biology, physiology, pharmacology, microbiology, and immunology are fuzzy, but it is necessary to draw the line somewhere. A number of topics, therefore, such as electrolyte and acid base balance have not been included as they overlap with physiology courses and don't quite fit into the Biochemistry land map. Certain points in pharmacology and microbiology are presented where they pertain directly to the chemical reactions at hand, but these are presented briefly.

Cellular Lipid Metabolism

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/22/2013 09:06:00 pm
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The key to every biological problem must in the end be sought in the cell and yet, although we know a lot about the mechanism by which cells operate, there is still a shortage in our understanding of how lipids affect cell biology. For years lipids have fascinated cell biologists and biochemists because they have profound effects on cell function. Encoded within lipid molecules is the ability to spontaneously form macroscopic, two-dimensional membrane systems. In addition to their function as physical and chemical barriers separating aqueous compartments, membranes are involved in many regulatory processes, such as secretion, endocytosis, and signal transduction. The functional interaction between lipids and proteins is essential for such membrane activities.

Lipids serve as one of the major sources of energy, both directly and when stored in adipose tissues. They also act as thermal insulators in the subcutaneous tissues and serve as electrical insulators in myelinated nerves, allowing the rapid propagation of waves of depolarization. Some lipids act as biological modulators and signal transducers (e.g., pheromones, prostaglandins, thromboxanes, leukotrienes, Steroids, platelet-activating factor, phosphatidylinositol derivates) and as vehicles for carrying fat-soluble vitamins.

Research on cell biology is at present in a very active phase and molecular genetics is helping us to recognize and exploit the unity of all living systems and to reveal the fundamental mechanisms by which the cell operates.

The challenge in composing a book on Cellular lipid metabolism has been to select concepts that are important for our understanding in areas that have changed or in which new concepts have emerged. Recognizing that it is impossible to be comprehensive, I have tried to ensure that this book provides a survey of cell biology in areas that I consider important.

This book was planned to be a resource for scientists at post-doctoral level and above, in other words, a rather specific publication to highlight recent findings in cell biology and biochemistry but also to include important findings made in the past and give a good overview. I contacted the best experts in 13 fields and the chapters represent their specialized contributions. They represent analyses at the molecular level and reveal the principles by which cellular lipid metabolism functions.

Biochemistry of Lipids, Lipoproteins and Membranes, Fifth edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/22/2013 06:59:00 pm
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The first edition of this textbook was published in 1985. Since that time, studies on the biochemistry and molecular biology of lipids and lipoproteins have underscored the physiological importance of lipids. Important new roles of genes involved in lipid metabolism, and their relationship to diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, stroke, cancer, and neurological disorders, have been revealed. The 5th edition of this textbook, therefore, takes into account the major advances in these fields and, in addition, provides basic
knowledge of the genes and proteins involved in lipid metabolic processes. This edition has been written with two major objectives in mind. The first is to provide students and teachers with an advanced up-to-date textbook covering the major areas in the biochemistry and molecular biology of lipids, lipoproteins, and membranes. As in previous editions of this book, the chapters are written at a level that is accessible to students who have already taken an introductory course in biochemistry and are therefore familiar with the basic concepts and principles of biochemistry and lipid metabolism. Thus, we hope that this volume will provide the basis for an advanced course for the undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in the lipid field. The second objective of this book is to satisfy the need for a general reference book for scientists and researchers who are presently working in, or are about to enter, the lipid and related fields. This book is unique in that it is not a collection of exhaustive reviews on the topics covered in each chapter, but rather is a current, readable, and critical summary of the field. Our goal was to present a clear summary of each research area. This book should allow scientists to become familiar with recent discoveries related to their own research interests, and should also help clinical researchers and medical students keep abreast of developments in basic science that are important for clinical advances in the future.

All of the chapters have been extensively revised since the 4th edition appeared in 2002. We have not attempted to describe in detail the structure and function of biological membranes or the mechanism by which proteins are assembled into membranes as these topics are covered elsewhere in a number of excellent books. The first chapter, however, contains an up-to-date summary of the principles of membrane structure as a basis for the material covered in the subsequent chapters.

As the chapters do not constitute comprehensive reviews of the various topics, we have limited the number of references cited at the end of each chapter and have emphasized recent review articles. Additional up-to-date reviews are available on all the topics included in this book. In addition, some of the primary literature is cited within the body of the text by providing the name of one of the authors and the year in which the article was published. Using this system, readers should be able to find the original citations by searching an on-line database.

Biochemistry and Histocytochemistry Research Development

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/22/2013 06:49:00 pm
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Biochemistry is the organic chemistry of compounds and processes occurring in organisms. Histocytochemistry is the study of intracellular distribution of chemical, reaction sites, enzymes, etc. by means of staining reactions, radioactive isotope uptake, selective metal distribution in electron microscopy, or other methods. This book focuses on the role of norepinephrine in neuroinflammation, discusses the contribution of norepinephrine to Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's Disease (PD) and provides an overview of potential therapeutical options targeting this neurotransmitter. Using methodologies such as questionnaires and laboratory tasks, experimental results showing specific effects related to noradrenaline in both clinical and experimental studies are described. This book also provides the current findings on the relationships between sympathetic nerve activity, B-adrenoceptor polymorphisms, and renal function. Recent methodologies that are useful for advanced immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis in pathological research into therapeutic agents is also analyzed. Other chapters in this book discuss the unresolved areas of plasma cell research, an analysis of a new technology based on B-Cell targeting and its advantages over conventional methods for selective generation of novel monoclonal antibodies, as well as a review of the regulation of proteases and their role during the biocontrol process. Recent advances in the isolation and characterization of glycosidases from hyperthermophilic microorganisms and the methods used for their application in oligosaccharide synthesis are explored as well. 


PreTest: Biochemistry and Genetics, Third Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/22/2013 06:23:00 pm
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The new edition of Biochemistry and Genetics PreTest: Self-Assessment and Review is based in part on earlier editions prepared by Golder N. Wilson, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Cheryl Ingram-Smith, PhD, and Kerry S. Smith, PhD, Department of Genetics, Biochemistry, and Life Science Studies Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina, and by Francis J. Chlapowski, PhD, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School. All questions are in single-best-answer format and a large number are analogous to those of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), Step 1. Questions are updated to the most current editions of leading textbooks in medical biochemistry and medical genetics.








Roitt's Essential Immunology, Tenth Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/22/2013 06:14:00 pm
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It is now 30 years since the 1st Edition of Essential Immunology appeared, and it seemed that the time was now appropriate for the task of producing the 10th Edition to be shared. The new co-author, Peter Delves, has been a close colleague of Professor Roitt for many years and is a highly experienced teacher. A wide range of subjects have been extensively revised, restructured or updated, and advanced material is included in the figure legends to avoid disruption of the basic text. These subjects include:










  • dendritic cells
  • intraepithelial lymphocytes
  • NK-T and y6 T-cells
  • NK receptors
  • receptor editing relating to receptor diversity
  • non-classical MHC and the presentation of nonpeptidic
  • antigens
  • the role of chaperone proteins in antigen processing
  • T-cell recognition of peptide-MHC reflecting the
  • latest crystallographic studies
  • arrays for analysis of gene expression
  • tetramer evaluation of antigen-specific T-cells
  • experimental genetic manipulation using conditional
  • 'knockouts' employing the Lox/Cre
  • system and 'knockins' to replace endogenous
  • genes
  • B- and T-cell signaling pathways and the role of
  • adaptor proteins
  • cytokine physiology
  • chemokines and their receptors
  • memory cells
  • intimate links of innate and adaptive immunity
  • the role of complement in modulating the adaptive immune response
  • regulatory T-cells activation-induced cell death
  • neuroendocrine influences on the immune system
  • critical role of Pax 5 in B-cell differentiation
  • molecular basis of thymic development
  • signaling through pattern recognition systems
  • prions
  • viral hijacking of host processes as evasion
  • mechanisms
  • DNA vaccines
  • mucosal adjuvants
  • 'shot gun' approach to identification of vaccine
  • candidates
  • primary immunodeficiency including IL-7 receptor
  • mutation, and deficiency of VDJ recombination in
  • severe combined immunodeficiency 
  • CCR5 CO-receptor for HIV infection of cells
  • the importance of highly active anti-retroviral drug therapy and of healthy CD8 response dependent on robust CD4 Thl effectors in control of HIV infection
  • pivotal role of IgE antibodies in pathogenesis of asthma and atopic dermatitis, and remarkable therapeutic benefit of monoclonal anti-IgE
  • the excessive hygiene hypothesis related to the development of allergy
  • the role of Fcy receptors in the pathogenesis of type II and III hypersensitivities
  • suppression of graft rejection by synergy between fungal metabolites and other drugs and by induction of antigen-specific tolerance with high-dose
  • bone marrow transplantation combined with CO-stimulatory blockade by anti-CD40L and CTLA-4-Ig engineering grafts from recipient cells
  • the role of hsp70 and 90 in natural and induced tumor immunity
  • peptide priming of dendritic cells to provoke anticancer cytotoxic responses
  • the avoidance of graft vs. host disease in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for leukemias
  • inhibition of B-cell lymphomas and tumor angiogenesis by radiolabeled monoclonals
  • thymic expression of some organ-specific antigens
  • role of autoimmunity to hsp65 in atherosclerosis
  • autologous stem cell transplantation after cytotoxic ablative therapy for some cases of SLE, scleroderma and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Clinical Immunology: Principles and Practice, Third Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/22/2013 05:59:00 pm
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Clinical Immunology: Principles and Practice has emerged from this concept of the clinical immunologist as both primary care physician and expert consultant in the management of patients with immunologic diseases. It opens in full appreciation of the critical role of fundamental immunology in this rapidly evolving clinical discipline. Authors of basic science chapters were asked, however, to cast their subjects in a context of clinical relevance. We believe the result is a well-balanced exposition of basic immunology for the clinician.

The initial two sections on basic principles of immunology are followed by two sections that focus in detail on the role of the immune system in defenses against infectious organisms. The approach is two-pronged. It begins first with a systematic survey of immune responses to pathogenic agents followed by a detailed treatment of immunologic deficiency syndromes. Pathogenic mechanisms of both congenital and acquired immune deficiency diseases are discussed, as are the infectious complications that characterize these diseases. Befitting its importance, the subject of HIV infection and AIDS receives particular attention, with separate chapters on the problem of infection in the immuno compromised host, HIV infection in children, anti-retroviral therapy and current progress in the development of HIV vaccines.

The classic allergic diseases are the most common immunologic diseases in the population, ranging from atopic disease to drug allergy to organ-specific allergic disease (e.g., of the lungs, eye and skin). They constitute a foundation for the practice of clinical immunology, particularly for those physicians with a practice orientation defined by formal subspecialty training in allergy and immunology. A major section is consequently devoted to these diseases, with an emphasis on pathophysiology as the basis for rational management.

Molecular Biology of Gene, Fifth Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/22/2013 12:33:00 am
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The long-awaited new edition of James D. Watson's classic text, Molecular Biology of the Gene, has been thoroughly revised and is published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Watson and Crick's paper on the structure of the DNA double-helix. Twenty-one concise chapters, co-authored by five highly respected molecular biologists, provide current, authoritative coverage of a fast-changing discipline, giving both historical and basic chemical context. Divided into four parts: Genetics and Chemistry, Central Dogma, Regulation, and Methods. For college instructors, students, and anyone interested in molecular biology and genetics. 

James D. Watson was Director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory from 1968 to 1993 and is now its President. He spent his undergraduate years at the University of Chicago and received his Ph.D. in 1950 from Indiana University. Between 1950 and 1953, he did postdoctoral research in Copenhagen and Cambridge, England. While at Cambridge, he began the collaboration that resulted in the elucidation of the double-helical structure of DNA in 1953. (For this discovery, Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962.) Later in1953, he went to the California Institute of Technology. He moved to Harvard in 1955, where he taught and did research on RNA synthesis and protein synthesis until 1976. He was the first Director of the National Center for Genome Research of the National Institutes of Health from 1989 to 1992. Dr. Watson was sole author of the first, second, and third editions of Molecular Biology of the Gene, and a co-author of the fourth edition. These were published in 1965, 1970, 1976, and 1987 respectively. Watson has also been involved in two other textbooks: he was one of the original authors of Molecular Biology of the Cell and is also an author of Recombinant DNA: a short course.Tania A. Baker is the Whitehead Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She received a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Stanford University in 1988. Her graduate research was carried out in the laboratory of Professor Arthur Kornberg and focused on mechanisms of initiation of DNA replication. She did postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Kiyoshi Mizuuchi at the National Institutes of Health, studying the mechanism and regulation of DNA transposition. Her current research explores mechanisms and regulation of genetic recombination, enzyme-catalyzed protein unfolding, and ATP-dependent protein degradation. Professor Baker received the 2001 Eli Lilly Research Award from the American Society of Microbiology and the 2000 MIT School of Science Teaching Prize for Undergraduate Education. She is co-author (with Arthur Kornberg) of the book DNA Replication, Second Edition.Stephen P. Bell is a Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an Assistant Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He received B.A. degrees from the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology and the Integrated Sciences Program at Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of California, Berkeley in 1991. His graduate research was carried out in the laboratory of Robert Tjian and focused on eukaryotic transcription. He did postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Bruce Stillman at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, working on the initiation of eukaryotic DNA replication. His current research focuses on the mechanisms controlling the duplication of eukaryotic chromosomes. Professor Bell received the 2001 ASBMBÐSchering Plough Scientific Achievement Award, and the Everett Moore Baker Memorial Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at MIT in 1998. Alexander Gann is Editorial Director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, and a faculty member of the Watson School of Biological Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. He received his B.Sc in microbiology from University College London and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from The University of Edinburgh in 1989. His graduate research was carried out in the laboratory of Noreen Murray and focused on DNA recognition by restriction enzymes. He did postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Mark Ptashne at Harvard, working on transcriptional regulation, and that of Jerem.






Wednesday, 21 August 2013

Calculations of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/21/2013 10:22:00 pm
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Mathematics is a beautiful and elegant way of expressing order. I have heard it called a universal language. If true, then there are many dialects. There are any number of ways to approach a problem, no one of them necessarily more legitimate than another. I have always found interesting the passion and fervor people attach to their particular approach to mathematics. "Why do you do the problem that way?" I might be asked. "Clearly," my critic continues, "if you solve the problem this way, it's much quicker, more logical, and easier to follow. This is the only way that makes any sense." Well, maybe to them. Not everyone's brain works in the same way. In solving a problem in concentration, for example, it is probably amenable to solution by using a relationship of ratios, or C1V1 = C2V2, or the approach most often taken in this book. In actuality, they are all variations on a theme. Any one of them will get you the answer. Therein, I believe, lies the very beauty of mathematics.

It wasn't until this last year that I discovered the approach that I take to most of the problems encountered in the molecular biology laboratory has a name. It is called dimensional analysis. I always thought of it as "canceling terms." My brain is comfortable with this method. Many have tried to convert me to the use of the C1V1 = C2V2 approach, but all have failed. I have been chided and ridiculed by some for the manner in which I solve problems. I have been applauded by others. When I learned that the approach I take has the name dimensional analysis, I felt, in a way, like the person who visits the doctor with some inexplicable malady and who is reassured when the doctor attaches some Latin-sounding name to it. At least then, the individual knows that other people must also have the affliction, that it has been studied, and that there may even be a cure.

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Monday, 19 August 2013

Biotechnology: Applying the Genetic Revolution

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/19/2013 10:14:00 pm
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Biotechnology: Applying the Genetic Revolution explains how the information from the genetic revolution is being used to answer some of these questions. It informs the reader about the many avenues where biotechnology has changed the original field of study. The first few chapters provide a clear and concise review of the basics of molecular biology. These topics are explained in more detail in the first book of this series, entitled Molecular Biology: Understanding the Genetic Revolution . This review will take the student through the basics, including DNA structure, gene expression, and protein synthesis, as well as survey the variety of organisms used in biotechnology research. The student is then presented with the basic methodologies used in biotechnology research. Chapter 3 explains how nucleic acids are isolated, cloned into humanmade genetic vehicles, and then reinserted into one of the model organisms for in-depth analysis. The next two chapters discuss in more detail various techniques that have been developed to investigate the function of genes. Chapter 4 focuses on DNA, dealing with both in vivo and in vitro synthesis of DNA and the polymerase chain reaction. Chapter 5 focuses on RNA, explaining antisense technology, RNA interference, and ribozymes. Familiarity with these chapters is critical to understanding the rest of the textbook.

Biochemistry, Fourth Edition

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/19/2013 09:34:00 pm
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Biochemistry is a field of enormous fascination and utility, arising, no doubt, from our own self-interest. Human welfare, particularly its medical and nutritional aspects, has been vastly improved by our rapidly growing understanding of biochemistry. Indeed, scarcely a day passes without the report of a biomedical discovery that benefits a significant portion of humanity. Further advances in this rapidly expanding field of knowledge will no doubt lead to even more spectacular gains in our ability to understand nature and to control our destinies. It is therefore essential that individuals embarking on a career in biomedical sciences be well versed in biochemistry. 

This textbook is a distillation of our experiences in teaching undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania and Swarthmore College and is intended to provide such students with a thorough grounding in biochemistry.We assume that students who use this textbook have had the equivalent of one year of college chemistry and sufficient organic chemistry so that they are familiar with basic principles and nomenclature.We also assume that students have taken a one-year college course in general biology in which elementary biochemical concepts were discussed. Students who lack these prerequisites are advised to consult the appropriate introductory textbooks in those subjects.

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Molecular Biotechnology: Principles and Applications of Recombinant DNA Technology

Posted by R Santhosh Kalash
on 8/19/2013 12:01:00 am
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Molecular biotechnology emerged as a new research field that arose as a result of the fusion in the late 1970s of recombinant DNA technology and traditional industrial microbiology. Whether one goes to the movies to see Jurassic Park with its ingenious but scientifically untenable plot of cloning dinosaurs, reads in the newspaper about the commercialization of a new “biotech” tomato that has an extended shelf life, or hears one of the critics of molecular biotechnology talking about the possibility of dire consequences from genetic engineering, there is a significant public awareness about recombinant DNA technology. In this book, we introduce and explain what molecular biotechnology actually is as a scientific discipline, how the research in the area is conducted, and
how this technology may realistically impact on our lives in the future. We have written Molecular Biotechnology: Principles and Applications of Recombinant DNA to serve as a text for courses in biotechnology, recombinant
DNA technology, and genetic engineering or for any course introducing both the principles and the applications of contemporary molecular biology methods. The book is based on the biotechnology course we have offered for the past 12 years to advanced undergraduate and graduate students from the biological and engineering sciences at the University of Waterloo. We have written this text for students who have an understanding of basic ideas from biochemistry, molecular genetics, and microbiology. We are aware that it is unlikely that students will have had all of these courses before taking a course on biotechnology. Thus, we have tried to develop the topics in this text by explaining their broader biological context before delving into molecular details. This text emphasizes how recombinant DNA technology can be used to create various useful products. We have, wherever possible, used experimental results and actual methodological strategies to illustrate basic concepts,
and we have tried to capture the flavor and feel of how molecular biotechnology operates as a scientific venture. The examples that we have selected—from a vast and rapidly growing literature—were chosen as case studies that not only illustrate particular points but also provide the reader with a solid basis for understanding current research in specialized areas of molecular biotechnology. Nevertheless, we expect that some of our examples will be out of date by the time the book is published, because molecular
biotechnology is such a rapidly changing discipline.

For the ease of the day-to-day practitioners, scientific disciplines often develop specialized terms and nomenclature. We have tried to minimize the use of technical jargon and, in many instances, have deliberately used a simple phrase to describe a phenomenon or process that might otherwise have been expressed more succinctly with technical jargon. In any field of study, synonymous terms that describe the same phenomenon exist. In molecular biotechnology, for example, recombinant DNA technology, gene cloning, and genetic engineering, in a broad sense, have the same meaning. When an important term or concept appears for the first time in this text, it is followed in parentheses with a synonym or equivalent expression. An extensive glossary can be found at the end of the book to help the reader with the terminology of molecular biotechnology.

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