"Nuclear receptors are a family of transcription factors consisting of 49 members identified in the human genome. Nuclear receptors regulate transcription by binding to response elements in the regulatory regions of target genes and thereby affect expression of genes involved in differentiation, growth, lipid homeostasis, inflammation and immunity. This volume reviews recent progress on nuclear receptors critically and will intrigue those pursuing interest in physiology, pathology and medicine."--BOOK JACKET.

"The ninth Solvay Pharmaceutical Conference on Medicinal Chemistry held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany) September 26-28, 2007"--P. vi.

Pulmonary hypertension is a fatal lung and heart disease. It is characterized by shortness of breath, fatigue and fainting. It is exacerbated by an increase of the pressure in the lung vasculature through exercise, leading to progressive worsening of hemodynamics, right ventricular hypertrophy, right heart insufficiency and finally right heart failure. This book focuses on pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare and progressive subgroup of pulmonary hypertension, which is today incurable and terminally faal. Classification of pulmonary arterial hypertension, its pathology, and strategies for future therapy will be of interest both to those suffering from the disease and those who take care of patients. This volume will also engage physicians and other scientists contributing to an understanding of the pathophysiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension and attempting to extend life of humans with pulmonary arterial hypertension by developing causal and curative therapies.

Circadian rhythms, the biological oscillations based around our 24-hour clock, have a profound effect on human physiology and healthy cellular function. Circadian Rhythms: Health and Disease is a wide-ranging foundational text that provides students and researchers with valuable information on the molecular and genetic underpinnings of circadian rhythms and looks at the impacts of disruption in our biological clocks in health and disease. Circadian Rhythms opens with chapters that lay the fundamental groundwork on circadian rhythm biology. Section II looks at the impact of circadian rhythms on major organ systems. Section III then turns its focus to the central nervous system. The book then closes with a look at the role of biological rhythms in aging and neurodegeneration. Written in an accessible and informative style, Circadian Rhythms: Health and Disease,will be an invaluable resource and entry point into this fascinating interdisciplinary field that brings together aspects of neuroscience, cell and molecular biology, and physiology.