Blackwell Publishing

ABC of emergency radiology, 2d ed.

This large-format reference, which is loaded with imagery and illustrations, gives those in emergency medicine and radiology a better chance of spotting the details that lead to an accurate diagnosis when time and patience are in short supply. Designed for on-the-spot use by nonspecialists, this could also help veterans identify trouble spots in their own understanding of interpreting images, starting with basic radiograph reading and moving on to the upper extremities, shoulder, pelvis and hip, lower extremity, chest, abdomen, head, spine, pediatrics and major trauma. Each entry includes notes on anatomy, systematic assessment and mechanics, and the editors provide helpful illustrations and on-image data. This would also serve a general practice well as a desk reference. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Advances in food diagnostics.

Nollet (biochemistry, University College Ghent, Belgium) and Toldrá (food science, Institute of Agronomy and Food Technology, Spain) provide a reference on diagnostic technology for the food industry. International contributors review novel technologies for evaluating fresh products, describe and analyze several specific modern diagnostics, look at data processing techniques, and discuss global marketing trends. While covering conventional lab-based methods of analysis, the book focuses on emerging technologies, such as the use of ultrasound to monitor food quality, the use of biosensors and electronic "noses" for evaluating agricultural and horticultural products, and harnessing molecular biology to detect and identify food borne pathogens. An overview of the business end of food diagnostics looks at markets, sellers, and buyers, examines certification operations and procedures, and compares current technology with traditional methods. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Antiarrhythmic drugs; a practical guide, 2d ed.

Fogoros presents an updated guide to antiarrhythmic drugs for nonexperts — practitioners, trainees, and students — who are frequently called upon to make decisions regarding actual patients with cardiac arrhythmias. Coverage includes an introduction to the mechanism of cardiac arrhythmias and how antiarrhythmic drugs work, clinically relevant features of the drugs themselves, the treatment of specific cardiac arrhythmias, and the current role of antiarrhythmic drugs in managing these arrhythmias. The second edition reflects the dramatically different understanding of how antiarrhythmic drugs actually work, since publication of the first edition a decade ago, and describes recent changes in the available medications and in the way they are currently used. Fogoros is a medical advisor for research and development for a major manufacturer of cardiovascular devices. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Applications of fluidisation in food processing.

Fluidization is a technique that enables solid particles to take on some of the properties of a fluid. Smith (University of Lincoln, UK) sets out the established theory of fluidization and relates it to food processing applications, particularly in drying, freezing, mixing, granulation, and fermentation. Two chapters on fundamentals describe fluidized bed behavior and characteristics of aggregative fluidization. These chapters provide the foundation in heat transfer, mass transfer, and particle mixing necessary for understanding the applications presented in the chapters that follow. There is material on the use of gas-solid fluidized beds as novel bioreactors for fermentation reactions and the culture of micro-organisms, and for blanching, roasting, explosion puffing, sterilization, and atmospheric pressure drying. The use of liquid-solid fluidization as a turbulence promoter in ultrafiltration and in sterilization is outlined, and its use as a bioreactor is described in situations where the liquid phase is the substrate and the solid phase takes the form of immobilized enzyme beads. The book will be useful as a reference for students and professionals in food science and food technology, and engineers working in the food industry. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Assessing and managing the acutely ill adult surgical patient.

The opening chapters of this practical nursing guide outline patient care during pre-operative assessment, the surgical operation, and post-operative recovery. The remainder of the 13 chapters review the pathophysiology, diagnosis, monitoring, and management procedures for common acute surgical conditions, arranged by surgical specialty. Black and white photographs are provided. The editors teach at Canterbury Christ Church University. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Atlas of urodynamics, 2d ed.

Urodynamics, to quote the editors (urologists from the Weill Medical College of Cornell U., U. of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and UroCenter in New York City), "encompasses all of the diagnostic modalities used in the evaluation of bladder and urethral function" and "ranges from simple diaries of micturition patterns to synchronous measurements of detrusor, urethral, and abdominal pressures, sphincter electromyography and fluoroscope visualization of the bladder and urethra." They present this work both as a review of urodynamic technique and an atlas of normal and abnormal clinical findings. Illustrated with a wealth of black and white diagnostic images and graphs, chapters cover pre-urodynamic evaluation; normal micturition; cystometry; uroflowmetry; leak point pressure; low bladder compliance; videourodynamics; pitfalls in interpretation of urodynamic studies; overactive bladder; benign prostatic hyperplasia, bladder neck obstruction and prostatitis; bladder outlet obstruction and impaired detrusor contractility in women; the effect of neurologic lesions on micturition; cerebral vascular accident, Parkinson's disease, and other supra spinal neurologic disorders; spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes mellitus; stress incontinence in women; genital prolapse; sphincteric incontinence in men and other complications of prostate cancer treatment; and enterocystoplasty and neobladder. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Autoimmunity, part A; Basic principles and new diagnostic tools.

An increasing number of disorders are being characterized as autoimmune, requiring bad genes as well as bad luck (i.e., an environmental trigger). In this first part of a four-volume series, Gershwin (U. of California, Davis) and Shoenfeld (Tel Aviv U.) introduce 61 papers from the 5th International Congress on Autoimmunity held on November 29-December 3, 2006, in Sorrento, Italy. Contributors present the latest understanding of the autoimmune principles driving pro-inflammatory responses. New clinical applications are discussed in relation to diagnosing such conditions as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, celiac disease, and even Alzheimer's disease. Lack of a subject index makes it difficult to track to which conditions a particular technique is being applied. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Basic electrocardiography; normal and abnormal ECG patterns.

After reviewing the characteristics of a normal electrocardiogram (ECG), Bayes de Luna (Universidad Autonoma Barcelona) illustrates the interpretation of specific atrial abnormalities, ventricular enlargements, ventricular blocks, ischemic heart disease, injury, and necrosis. The final self-assessment section provides 22 example cases with ECG tracings, followed by an explanation of the correct diagnosis. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Basics of blood management.

This relatively new specialty focuses on the judicial management of both internal and external blood supply and can apply to hematology, transfusion, critical care, anesthesiology, surgery, internal medicine, nursing or other functions within the practice of team medical care. Focusing on the practical end of ensuring positive patient outcomes, Seeber (anesthesiology, HELIOS Clinic, Germany) and Shander (anesthesiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine) describe the physiology of anemia and oxygen transport, anemia therapies, growth factors, fluid therapy, the chemistry and physics of hemostatis, recombinant blood products, artificial blood components, oxygen therapy, preparation for surgery, iatrogenic blood loss, anesthesia, the use of autologous blood, cell salvage, blood banking, transfusion, and considerations of law, ethics, and religion in blood management. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Building maintenance management, 2d ed.

Chanter and Swallow, both affiliated with the Department of Building Surveying at De Montfort University, UK, guide building surveyors and facilities managers through key aspects of property maintenance. This second edition includes new material on outsourcing, benchmarking and KPIs, and current trends in procurement routes. There is also a new chapter on the changing context within which maintenance is carried out, largely concerned with its relationship to facilities management. More coverage is given to maintenance organizations and execution of maintenance, and there are major updates to relevant aspects of health and safety. Appendices review basic principles of statistics and financial appraisal, using maintenance-related data in examples. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Building pathology; principles and practice, 2d ed.

Watt, a chartered building surveyor and historic buildings consultant, offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of defects and performance in buildings. He considers how the structure and materials of a building relate to its environment, its occupants, and the way the building is used, so as to develop a better understanding of building failures. His illustrated introduction to the discipline of building pathology will bridge the gap between current approaches to the surveying of buildings and the detailed study of defect diagnosis, prognosis, and remediation. Case studies and b&w photos from the UK are included. This second edition is updated to reflect changes in legislation and construction, and contains new case studies. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Building the reflective healthcare organisation.

Ghaye, director of the UK's International Institute of Reflective Practice and editor of the journal Reflective Practice, explores the use of reflective practice as a tool for developing an effective healthcare organization. He describes four basic goals of reflective learning: to develop an appreciation of others' feelings; to reframe experience in order to better understand conviction-laden practices; to build a collective wisdom through conversations of positive regard; and to move forward by seeing how the future unfolds from the present. He draws on a wide range of evidence to demonstrate how to build a reflective healthcare organization, and spotlights benefits that arise for individual staff, organizations as a whole, and users of healthcare services. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Clinical anatomy; a revision and applied anatomy for clinical students, 11th ed.

Ellis (clinical anatomy, Guy's, King's and St. Thomas' School of Biomedical Sciences, and surgery, Caring Cross and Westminster Medical School, London, UK) provides a text that explains anatomy in a clinical context, divided by body region and described first by surface anatomy followed by the details of each organ. Practical applications are addressed, and color line drawings and images are included. Updated and revised, this edition contains new figures and modified illustrations, as well as representative computerized axial tomography and magnetic resonance imaging films. It is aimed at medical students and those preparing for the Membership of the Royal College of Surgeon's Exam. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Clinical paediatric dietetics, 3d ed.

They cannot be healthy without a proper diet, and if they are sick the proper nutrition can make the difference between life and death. This collection of articles on pediatric dietetics, considered a standard already in previous editions, now includes updates based on latest research and practice and new materials on allergy prevention, autistic spectrum disorders and nutrition of the child in an intensive care unit. The 32 topics include principles of pediatric dietetics, including assessment, requirements, supplementation and provision of nutrition in a hospital; clinical dietetics for preterm infants and body systems including the gastric, liver and pancreas, kidney, and cardiothoracic and conditions such as HIV, cystic fibrosis, diabetes mellitus and metabolism problems; and community nutrition, including healthy eating, cultural diets, faltering growth, obesity, and children with neuro-disabilities. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Comparative reproductive biology.

Twenty-six academics, researchers, and clinicians from the U.S. and Germany contribute 14 chapters on the reproductive systems of domestic animals — dogs, cats, pigs, large and small ruminants, horses — to a reference for researchers, academics, veterinarians, clinicians, graduate-level students, and others interested in animal reproduction. Coverage includes the developmental anatomy of reproductive organs; histology, cellular and molecular biology of reproductive organs; comparative reproductive physiology of domestic animals; transgenic animals; gender selection in mammalian semen and preimplantation embryos; artificial insemination; embryo transfer and in vitro fertilization; comparative cryobiology of preimplantation embryos; animal cloning; comparative placentation; pregnancy diagnostics in domestic animals; and ultra-sonography in small ruminant reproduction. Illustrated with b&w photographs and diagrams, and 68 color plates. Oversize: 8.75x11.25 inches. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Continental margin sedimentation; from sediment transport to sequence stratigraphy.

Population pressures and development have increased studies of historical and current continental margins, sedimentary processes, and strata associated with fluvial dispersal systems. This research resource, which could also well serve in the classroom as models of study, deals with time scales ranging from particle transport to deep burial and use as test cases a tectonically active margin in northern California and a passive margin in New Jersey. The nine extended articles, which are well-illustrated, include a survey of new data on continental margin sedimentary processes and topics such as sediment delivery to the seabed on continental margins, post-deposition alteration and preservation of sedimentary strata, oceanic dispersal and accumulation of river sediment, submarine mass movements on continental margins, the mechanics of marine sediment gravity flows, seascape evolution on continental shelves and slopes, long-term stratigraphic records on continental margins and predictions about margin stragigraphy. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Ecological applications; toward a sustainable world.

Townsend (zoology, U. of Otago) takes a new approach to studying ecology, conservation and biodiversity by focusing on real-world situations. Although he gives theory its due in a series of boxes on such subjects as essential niche theory and population dynamics, his primary emphasis is on how ecological phenomena relate to each other and to the specific plants, animals and humans involved. He first covers the ecological crises humans have made, then addresses ecological applications at the level of individual organisms, including life-history theory and management, migration and dispersal, and applications at the level of populations, including pest management and harvest management. He then turns to communities and ecosystems, covering succession, the food web and ecosystem theory, and then addresses regional and global issues, including landscape management and global climate change. Designed for classroom use, this also works as a professional reference. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Encapsulation and controlled release technologies in food systems.

Encapsulation and controlled release technologies are used in food systems for preserving nutritional value, delaying undesirable interactions, and providing mechanisms for targeted release of beneficial bacteria in the human gastrointestinal tract. Lakkis (Controlled Release Society) gathers contributors from industry and academia to highlight recent innovations in these technologies. With a practical rather than theoretical focus, chapters cover emulsions as delivery systems in foods, applications of probiotic encapsulation in dairy products, microencapsulation of flavors, and marketing perspectives, among other topics. Most of the practical examples in the book were borrowed from the patent literature rather than peer-reviewed articles. The readership for the book includes scientists in the food, nutraceuticals, and consumer products industries who want to introduce microencapsulated ingredients into new or existing formulas. The book can also be used as a post-graduate text. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Evidence-based pediatric infectious diseases.

Combining evidence and recommendations, Isaacs (pediatric infectious diseases, University of Sydney, Australia) provides a practical guide to the diagnosis and management of childhood infections in clinical practice. Coverage encompasses common diseases affecting children in industrialized and developing countries, travelers, and refugees. Based around illustrative case studies, each chapter presents and analyzes current evidence on the management of different pediatric infections and provides treatment recommendations based on evidence of safety and efficacy, antibiotic resistance, cost, adverse effects, and ethical considerations. Appendices offer tables on renal impairment and antimicrobials, aminoglycosides, and antimicrobial drug dose recommendations. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Evidence-based practice for occupational therapists, 2d ed.

Taylor (occupational therapy, Coventry U., UK) details an evidence-based approach for occupational therapists to use in practice. He explores each stage of the process, including finding the evidence, evaluating different types of research, and how it works in different settings. While the first edition focused on the basic skills of evidence-based practice, this one also explores the implementation and development of an evidence-based culture in occupational therapy, with an expanded chapter on implementation, incorporating a discussion of the use of change management to nurture an evidence-based culture. It has three new chapters on evidence from other sources, carrying out a review, and developing and using guidelines for practice. An annotated list of useful resources is included. The book is aimed at undergraduate occupational therapy students. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)