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The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family of ligands and the corresponding family of FGF receptor tyrosine kinases comprise one of the most versatile and diverse growth factor signaling families in vertebrates, found virtually in every tissue and cell type where they regulate metabolic and physiologic function, maintain tissue homeostasis, and mediate injury response, tissue repair, and regeneration. As a result, FGFs play critical roles in a wide variety of normal biological and abnormalities in FGF signaling can lead to a variety of disease states from developmental malformations, to atherosclerosis, pulmonary hypertension and cancer among many others. A thorough understanding of this system is necessary for critical insights into both normal and disease biology and is essential to development of rationale therapeutic strategies aimed at treatment of FGF-dependent diseases states.Recent years have seen advances in our understanding of FGFs role in endothelial and, more general, vascular biology, the subject of this book. In particular, FGFs have been implicated in the maintenance of vascular homeostasis and control of blood vessel permeability while aberrant FGF signaling has been shown to be central to the development of pulmonary hypertension, and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, a process implicated in the development of atherosclerosis. Finally, FGFs ability to stimulate blood vessel growth has been explored in therapeutic angiogenesis approaches.With this in mind, the present monograph is structured to provide comprehensive information to a reader interested in FGFs in general and vascular biology in particular. To this end, we explore everything from the structure and signaling of FGFs and their receptors (Chapters 1, 2 and 3) to their role in the regulation of vascular homeostasis (Chapter 4) and cardiovascular diseases (Chapters 5 and 6). We then address new developments in FGF therapeutics (chapter 7) and explore FGF biology in the epithelium (Chapter 8) thereby providing a complete analysis of this growth factor family biology in two closely related but distinctly different environments — endothelium and epithelium. Finally, we examine FGF biology in eye disease and in cancer.It is our hope that this comprehensive treatment of FGF vascular biology and its application will provide the reader with the accurate and timely summary of this rapidly moving field.

Conventional materials technology has yielded clear improvements in regenerative medicine. Ideally, however, a replacement material should mimic the living tissue mechanically, chemically, biologically and functionally. The use of tissue-engineered products based on novel biodegradable polymeric systems will lead to dramatic improvements in health

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) have been recognized primarily as autocrine/paracrine factors that regulate embryonic development and organogenesis. However, recent studies have revealed that some FGFs function as endocrine factors and regulate various metabolic processes in adulthood. Such FGFs, collectively called endocrine FGFs, are comprised of three members (FGF15/19, FGF21, and FGF23: FGF15 is the mouse ortholog of human FGF19). These endocrine FGFs share a common structural feature that enables the endocrine mode of action at the expense of the affinity to FGF receptors. To restore the affinity to FGF receptors in their target organs, the endocrine FGFs have designated the Klotho family of transmembrane proteins as obligate co-receptors. By expressing Klothos in a tissue-specific manner, this unique co-receptor system also enables the endocrine FGFs to specify their target organs among many tissues that express FGF receptors.

The Encyclopedia of Movement Disorders is a comprehensive reference work on movement disorders, encompassing a wide variety of topics in neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry and pharmacology. This compilation will feature more than 300 focused entries, including sections on different disease states, pathophysiology, epidemiology, genetics, clinical presentation, diagnostic tools, as well as discussions on relevant basic science topics. This Encyclopedia is an essential addition to any collection, written to be accessible for both the clinical and non-clinical reader. Academic clinicians, translational researchers and basic scientists are brought together to connect experimental findings made in the laboratory to the clinical features, pathophysiology and treatment of movement disorders. The Encyclopedia targets a broad readership, ranging from students to general physicians, basic scientists and Movement Disorder specialists. Published both in print and via Elsevier’s online platform of Science Direct, this Encyclopedia will have the enhanced option of integrating traditional print with online multimedia. Connects experimental findings made in the laboratory to the clinical features, pathophysiology, and treatment of movement disorders Encompasses a wide variety of topics in neurology neurosurgery, psychiatry, and pharmacology Written for a broad readership ranging from students to general physicians, basic scientists, and movement disorder specialists