Essential for normal blood coagulation, possible roles in bone, vascular, and tumor metabolism, and a nutrient critical to the health of the newborn infant -- these are just some of the many health-promoting aspects of Vitamin K. Vitamin K in Health and...

It is well-known that speckle is a multiplicative noise that degrades image quality and the visual evaluation in ultrasound imaging. This necessitates the need for robust despeckling techniques for both routine clinical practice and teleconsultation. The goal for this book is to introduce the theoretical background (equations), the...

Electrotherapy is fast gaining mainstream acceptance, no doubt due to the growing mountain of clinical evidence demonstrating its effectiveness. To meet the growing demand for information, this scientifically rigorous guide gives healthcare professionals and engineers essential technical, biological, and clinical background together with...

A heart that once beat erratically has regained its natural rhythm. A woman paralyzed by an automobile accident is now able to resume her favorite hobby. Physicians using a robotic surgeon named da Vinci perform lifesaving operations. These are some of the feats of biomedical engineering, one of the fastest-moving areas in medicine. In this...

Controversy over human evolution remains widespread. However, the human genome project and genetic sequencing of many other species have provided myriad precise and unambiguous genetic markers that establish our evolutionary relationships with other mammals. Human Evolution: Genes, Genealogies and Phylogenies identifies and explains these...

Heart disease is the primary cause of death and disability in Western countries. Research indicates that nutrition and diet play key roles in both preventing and causing many types of heart damage and dysfunction. By understanding the complex relationship between diet and disease, new prevention measures can be established and millions of...

While functional foods have become a reasonably well-established concept, personalized nutrition is still treated with skepticism by many. The recognition that people would have different nutrient requirements, or perceive foods in different ways, raises several concerns―some real, some not so real. Nutrigenomics and...

Cardiac surgery is performed on hundreds of thousands of patients a year, and can have an important beneficial impact on the outcomes of patients with coronary and valvular heart diseases. Despite the favorable recovery of most patients, some will have their post-operative period interrupted by the development of atrial fibrillation, with a...

​The field of interventional cardiology and interventional vascular medicine now comprises the dominant diagnostic and therapeutic field within cardiovascular medicine, and continues to grow in terms of patients managed and physicians trained. The Textbook of Cardiovascular Intervention is intended to provide...

""Chronic total occlusions continue to represent one of the greatest challenges to interventional cardiologists."" - Cardiovascular Research Foundation - Chronic Total Occlusions or CTOs can be found in 30% of patients with coronary artery disease. Despite advances, CTOs remain one of the most frequently identified lesions...