Medicina

"Rule IV. There is need of a method for finding out the truth. Rule V. Method consists entirely in the order and disposition of the objects toward which our mental vision must be directed if we would find out any truth. We shall comply with it exactly if we reduce involved and obscure propositions step be step to those that are s- pler, and then starting with the intuitive apprehension of all those that are absolutely simple, attempt to ascend to the knowledge of all others by precisely similar steps. " -Rene Descartes, Rules for the Direction of Mind "...Perhaps he would sooner satisfy himself by resolving light into colours as far as may be done by Art, and then by examining the properties of those colours apart, and afterwards by trying the effects of reconjoyning two or more or all of those, and lastly by separating them again to examine what changes that reconjunction had wrought in them. This will prove a tedious and difficult task to do it as it ought to be done but I could not be satisfied till I had gone through it. " -From Newton's letter, quoted in The Life of Isaac Newton by Richard Westfall. Cambridge University Press, 1993.

The etiology of infantile spasms/West syndrome remains unknown; the pathophysiology is poorly understood and the optimal course of treatment is controversial. The primary goal of this volume is to carefully assess all aspects of the disorder, provide the reader with a concise guide to the most effective and efficient means for establishing the diagnosis, formulating an appropriate treatment plan and assessing the outlook for long-term outcome. Infantile Spasms: Diagnosis, Management and Prognosis also aims to provide a compact and structured knowledge-base which can be used to facilitate the development of future research protocols designed to uncover the basic mechanisms underlying this disorder and lead to more effective treatment modalities.

This volume, the first of its kind ever, is designed to provide both laypersons and professionals with a detailed description of the occurrence of each common form of cancer in the ethnically, socially, and environmentally complex milieu of a modern urban complex. The place is Los Angeles County, and the patterns of 72 different malignancies are described according to race, age, sex, social class calendar time (since 1972) and most notably, individual neighborhood, using detailed maps of high risk. The book permits residents to screen the malignancies and identify those of special concern locally, and to identify other communities with similar concerns. The pattern of each malignancy is briefly discussed with reference to background knowledge of causation and the degree to which the observed pattern was expected on that basis. Persons residing outside Los Angeles County will identify patterns likely to prevail in their own communities. Physicians and scientific investigators in California and elsewhere can use the material provided to counsel patients and evaluate the consistency of any specific pattern of occurrence with each specific causal hypothesis. There is a detailed appendix that describes the source of data, provides the basis for the choices made in the production of the volume, and gives a perspective on the search for 'clusters' of malignancy. This title compares different types of cancers with respect to the degree of non-random occurrence. It contains numerous maps detailing the demographic and geographic pattern of cancer occurrence in Los Angeles County. It provides an empirical perspective to the search for disease 'clusters'.

Nuclear Medicine techniques have advanced to such a degree that biochemical transparency of the human body has reached the doorstep of medical application. The book gives background, techniques and examples in an interdisciplinary approach to quantify biochemical reactions in vivo by regional imaging and in vitro analyses. The goal is to assess in vivo biochemical homeostatic circuits under control by genes and protein interactions. It becomes apparent how nuclear medicine can aid clinical researchers and practitioners, human geneticists and pharmacologists in understanding (and affecting) gene-phenotype relationships operating in vivo and thus can help eventually to bring functional genomics and proteomics to clinical medicine.

Advanced imaging technologies such as transvaginal sonography, 3D technology, and MRIs have opened up a new era in the prenatal diagnosis and management of central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities. An Atlas of Fetal Central Nervous System Disease: Diagnosis and Management contains over 100 images of congenital CNS anomalies and brain injuries in utero. It covers how to use advanced neuroimaging technologies for accurate CNS diagnosis and obstetrical management, provides detailed illustrations of the procedures for postnatal neurosurgical management, and helps answer questions about the timing of brain insult in utero and in cerebral palsy.

Nearly one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer, and many of these patients will suffer from related cancer pain. Cancer-associated pain is widely feared by cancer patients, but knowledge about the causes and management of cancer pain has increased dramatically in recent years and many new treatment options are available. This comprehensive book discusses the unique characteristics of cancer pain, including its pathophysiology, clinical assessment, diagnosis, pharmacological management and nonpharmacological treatment. The internationally recognized authors are leaders in cancer pain research, and they apply their first-hand knowledge in summarizing the principal issues in the clinical management of cancer pain. This state-of-the-art book cohesively addresses the full range of disciplines regularly involved in cancer pain management, including pharmacology, communication studies, and psychology. Cancer Pain is a scholarly but accessible text that will be an essential resource for physicians, nurses, and medical students who treat patients suffering from cancer pain.