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The Natural Anti-Gal Antibody as Foe Turned Friend in Medicine provides a comprehensive review of the natural anti-Gal antibody, which is the most abundant antibody in humans constituting ~1% of immunoglobulins and the carbohydrate antigen it recognizes, the?-gal epitope. It discusses the discovery of this antigen/antibody system, its evolution in mammals, the pathological effects of this antibody, and its possible use in various therapies in humans. Most significantly, the book discusses microbial and regenerative therapies in which an antibody present in all humans may be harnessed as an in vivo pharmaceutical agent that enables a wide variety of therapies. Some of these therapies are described as experimental studies that are compiled in this book, other already studied therapies in the area of cancer immunotherapy are also included in this book.

Antigen-antibody reactions. --- Antigens --- Analysis

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A team of internationally respected researchers covers the basic molecular mechanisms of superantigen action, their structure and function, and their role in human diseases.

Superantigens. --- Superantigènes --- Immunologie --- Immunology --- Diagnostic de laboratoire --- Laboratory diagnosis --- Maladie de l'homme --- Human diseases --- Antigène --- Antigens --- Réaction antigène anticorps --- antigen antibody reactions --- Immunization --- Superantigènes --- Bacterial antigens --- Viral antigens

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Autophagy in Current Trends in Cellular Physiology and Pathology is addressed to one of the fundamental molecular mechanisms - autophagy- evolutionarily adopted by cells for processing of unnecessary or malfunctioned constituents and shaping intracellular structures, adjusting them to environmental conditions, aging, disease, neoplasia, and damages over their life period. Particular attention is paid to autophagy-mediated barrier processes of selective sequestration and recycling of impaired organelles and degradation of invading microorganisms, that is, the processes sustaining intrinsic resistance to stress, tissue degeneration, toxic exposures, and infections. The presented topics encompass personal experience and visions of the chapter contributors and the editors; the book chapters include a broad analysis of literature on biology of autophagy.

Phagocytosis. --- Cytology. --- Autophagy. --- Cell biology --- Cellular biology --- Biology --- Cells --- Antigen-antibody reactions --- Endocytosis --- Immune response --- Immunology --- Phagosomes --- Pinocytosis --- Reticulo-endothelial system --- Tuftsin --- Autophagic vacuoles. --- Autophagocytosis --- Life Sciences --- Microbiology --- Genetics and Molecular Biology --- Cytology --- Biochemistry

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Although, Phagocytosis was first described nearly 120 year ago, we are just recently beginning to understand the molecules that phagocytic cells use to bring about this complex cell function. Molecular Mechanisms of Phagocytosis was prepared as a series of up-to-date essays (chapters) that describe the present knowledge on the various steps of the phagocytic process from initial cell contact, through internalization of the foreign particle, to the final phagosome formation where the phagocytosed particle is destroyed.

Phagocytosis. --- Antigen-antibody reactions --- Endocytosis --- Immune response --- Immunology --- Phagosomes --- Pinocytosis --- Reticulo-endothelial system --- Tuftsin --- Cytology. --- Oncology. --- Immunology. --- Biochemistry. --- Microbiology. --- Cell Biology. --- Cancer Research. --- Biochemistry, general. --- Microbial biology --- Biology --- Microorganisms --- Biological chemistry --- Chemical composition of organisms --- Organisms --- Physiological chemistry --- Chemistry --- Medical sciences --- Immunobiology --- Life sciences --- Serology --- Tumors --- Cell biology --- Cellular biology --- Cells --- Cytologists --- Composition --- Cell biology. --- Cancer research. --- Cancer research

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This book focuses on the function of antibodies in vivo. Recent years have seen an exponential growth in knowledge about the molecular and cellular mechanisms of antibody activity. These new results dramatically changed our view of how antibodies function in vivo. The importance of this class of molecules is demonstrated by the heightened susceptibility to infections of humans and mice with an altered capacity to generate pathogen specific antibody responses. Thus, the majority of our currently available vaccines, such as vaccines against influenza, measles and hepatitis focus on the generation of long lasting antibody responses. Recent evidence from a variety of in vivo model systems and from human patient cohorts has highlighted the exclusive role of cellular Fc-receptors for certain immunoglobulin isotypes and subclasses. With the recent discovery of a human Fc-receptor for IgM all different human immunoglobulin isotypes now have a cellular receptor, providing a feedback mechanism and link between antibodies and the cellular components of the immune system. Moreover it has become clear the complement and Fc-receptor system are tightly connected and regulate each other to ensure a well balanced immune response. Among the immunoglobulin isotypes IgG plays a very important protective role against microbial infections and also as a therapeutic agent to kill tumor cells or autoantibody producing B cells in autoimmune disease. Transfer of our knowledge about the crucial function of Fc-receptors has led to the production of a second generation of therapeutic antibodies with enhanced binding to this class of receptors. Binding of antibodies to Fc-receptors leads to the recruitment of the potent pro-inflammatory effector functions of cells from the innate immune system. Hence, Fc-receptors link the innate and adaptive immune system, emphasizing the importance of both arms of the immune system and their crosstalk during anti-microbial immune responses. Besides this pro-inflammatory activity immunoglobulin G (IgG) molecules are long known to also have an anti-inflammatory function. This is demonstrated by the use of high dose intravenous immunoglobulins as a therapeutic agent in many human autoimmune diseases. During the past five years several new insights into the molecular and cellular pathways of this anti-inflammatory activity were gained radically changing our view of IgG function in vivo. Several lines of evidence suggest that the sugar moiety attached to the IgG molecule is responsible for these opposing activities and may be seen as a molecular switch enabling the immune system to change IgG function from a pro- to an anti-inflammatory activity. There is convincing evidence in mice and humans that aberrant IgG glycosylation could be an important new pathway for understanding the impaired antibody activity during autoimmune disease. Besides this tremendous increase in basic knowledge about factors influencing immunoglobulin activity the book will also provide insights into how these new insights might help to generate novel therapeutic approaches to enhance IgG activity for tumor therapy on the one hand, and how to block the self-destructive activity of IgG autoantibodies during autoimmune disease on the other hand.

Biology --- Health & Biological Sciences --- Microbiology & Immunology --- Antigen-antibody reactions. --- Immunospecificity. --- Binding sites (Biochemistry) --- Active site (Biochemistry) --- Bonding sites (Biochemistry) --- Reactive site (Biochemistry) --- Immunological specifics --- Serological specificity --- Specificity (Immunology) --- Antibody-antigen reactions --- Medicine. --- Immunology. --- Medical microbiology. --- Virology. --- Biomedicine. --- Medical Microbiology. --- Biochemistry --- Immunoglobulin idiotypes --- Immunospecificity --- Antibody diversity --- Antigenic determinants --- Immune recognition --- Antigens --- Immune response --- Immunoglobulins --- Immunology --- Microbiology. --- Medical virology. --- Medical microbiology --- Virology --- Virus diseases --- Microbial biology --- Microorganisms --- Immunobiology --- Life sciences --- Serology --- Microbiology