A Practical Guide To Biomedical Research

This book advises and supports novice researchers in taking their first steps into the world of scientific research. Through practical tips and tricks presented in a clear, concise and step-wise manner, the book describes the entire research process from idea to publication. It also gives the reader insight into the vast opportunities a research career can provide. The books target demographic is aspiring researchers within the biomedical professions, be it medical students, young doctors, nurses, engineers, physiotherapists etc. The book will help aspirational inexperienced researchers turn their intentions into actions, providing crucial guidance for successful entry into the field of biomedical research.

Description: In biomedical research, because of a dramatic increase in productivity, immunocytochemistry has emerged as a major technique. The proposed book will provide the first practical guide to planning, performing, and evaluating immunocytochemical experiments. In today’s graduate education the emphasis is on doing research and not on formal class work. Graduate students therefore lack the background in many essential techniques necessary to perform research in fields in which they were not trained. As director of a university core microscopy facility which sees students and faculty from dozens of laboratories each year, Dr. Burry has surmised the vast majority of these novice microscope users need considerable help. In an attempt to educate users, Dr. Burry has initiated immunocytochemistry seminars and workshops which serve to train people in this powerful research tool. The proposed book is an outgrowth of these presentations and conversations with, by now, hundreds of people who have asked for help. The philosophy which separates this book from other books in this field is that it is practical, rather than academic. In looking at other important immunocytochemistry titles, the predominant orientation is academic, with the author attempting to comprehensively discuss the topic. For example, one book with sample preparation lists ten fixatives which can be used; however, only two such fixatives are commonly used today. In this particular title, the detailed discussion of old methods might be seen as important in establishing the author as an expert. By contrast, the approach for Burry’s book would be to discuss methods based on what works in animal research laboratories today, and focus only on the most productive methods. An additional distinction with this proposed book is the focus on animal research and not human pathology. There is a certification program for pathology technicians which requires them to learn a set body of material based on processing human tissue for examination by a pathologist. Many of the books on immunocytochemistry aim at this large pathology user base. Due to historical reasons, pathology laboratories process human tissues in a specific way and embed the tissue in paraffin, as has been done for over a century. In the last ten years, the power of immunocytochemistry in clinical diagnosis has become clear and has accordingly been adapted to pathology. However, the extensive processing needed for paraffin sections is not needed if the tissues are from research animals. Processing for animal-based tissues takes about a third of the time and results in higher quality images. The focus of this book is on processing these animal research tissues for immunocytochemistry. Today, there are no technique books which are aimed at this user base. As a subject matter expert in the area of the proposed book, Dr. Burry will make recommendations and offer opinions. Because this field is new and is emerging, there are numerous advantages of specific methods over other, more generalized methods. The purpose of this book is to show a novice how to do immunocytochemistry without engaging in a discussion of possible advanced methods. For the advanced user, there are several good books which discuss the unusual methods, yet for the novice there are currently none. Main Author : Richard W. Burry, The Ohio State University (United States). The Outline of the Book : Each chapter supplies a set of important principals and steps necessary for good immunocytochemistry. The information is distilled down to include only the most important points and does not attempt to cover infrequently used procedures or reagents. At the end of most chapters is a section on trouble-shooting many of the common problems using the Sherlock Holmes method. Each chapter also includes specific protocols which can be used. The goal of each chapter is to present the reader with enough information to successfully design experiments and solve many of the problems one may encounter. Using immunocytochemical protocols without the understanding of their workings is not advised, as the user will need to evaluate his or her results to determine whether the results are reliable. Such evaluation is extremely important for users who need reliable images which will clearly answer important scientific questions. 1. Introduction Definitions (immunocytochemistry and immunohistochemistry) Scope: animal research and not human pathology, paraffin sections, epitope retrieval, or immunohistochemistry Focus: fluorescence and enzyme detection Why do immunocytochemistry? Immunocytochemistry "individual study" rather than "population study" Example of a two-label experiment What is included in these chapters? Overview of the theory Background with enough information to help solve common problems. Advantages and disadvantages of different options Opinions and suggestions 2. Fixation and Sectioning Chemistry of fixation Denaturing vs cross-linking fixatives Application of fixative Perfusion, drop-in, cultures, fresh-frozen Selection of sample section type Sectioning tissue Rapid freezing, cryostat, freezing microtome, vibratome Storage of tissue Protocols 3. Antibodies Introduction Isoforms, structure, reactivity Generation Polyclonal vs monoclonal Antibodies as reagents Antibody specificity and sources Storage and handling 4. Labels for antibodies Fluorescence, enzymes and particulates Fluorescence theory Fluorescent labels - four generations Enzymes theory Selecting enzymes vs. fluorescence Selecting a label- advantages and disadvantages Protocols 5. Methods of applying antibodies Direct method Indirect method Antibody amplification methods ABC TSA Protocols 6. Blocking and Permeability Theory of blocking Theory of detergents Protocols 7. Procedure- Single primary antibody Planning steps Sample, fixation, sectioning Vehicle Antibody dilutions Controls Protocols 8. Multiple primary antibodies - primary antibodies of different species Procedure Controls Protocols 9. Multiple primary antibodies-primary antibodies of same species Block-between Zenon HRP-chromogen development High-titer incubations Controls Protocols 10. Microscopy Wide-field fluorescence microscope Confocal microscope Bright field—enzyme chromogen Choice Problems 11. Images Size, intensity, and pixels Manipulation—what is ethical? Manuscript Figures 11. Planning and Troubleshooting Scheme for discussion-making in planning experiments Case studies with Sherlock Holmes detective work 12. So you want to do electron microscopic ICC? Criteria in decision-making Summary of the two techniques

Thousands of methods have been developed in the various biomedical disciplines, and those covered in this book represent the basic, essential and most widely used methods in several different disciplines.

Practical Guide for Biomedical Signals Analysis Using Machine Learning Techniques: A MATLAB Based Approach presents how machine learning and biomedical signal processing methods can be used in biomedical signal analysis. Different machine learning applications in biomedical signal analysis, including those for electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram and electromyogram are described in a practical and comprehensive way, helping readers with limited knowledge. Sections cover biomedical signals and machine learning techniques, biomedical signals, such as electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG) and electrocardiogram (ECG), different signal-processing techniques, signal de-noising, feature extraction and dimension reduction techniques, such as PCA, ICA, KPCA, MSPCA, entropy measures, and other statistical measures, and more. This book is a valuable source for bioinformaticians, medical doctors and other members of the biomedical field who need a cogent resource on the most recent and promising machine learning techniques for biomedical signals analysis. Provides comprehensive knowledge in the application of machine learning tools in biomedical signal analysis for medical diagnostics, brain computer interface and man/machine interaction Explains how to apply machine learning techniques to EEG, ECG and EMG signals Gives basic knowledge on predictive modeling in biomedical time series and advanced knowledge in machine learning for biomedical time series

All of us in biomedicine understand the urgency of getting experimental results into print as quickly as possible. Yet this critical step in the cascade from research conception to publication receives almost no attention in our formal training. It is as if we have been put to sea without a compass. Our collective failure to achieve widespread literacy in our own language – Biomedical Language – seriously impedes the important process of d- seminating new biomedical knowledge and thereby improving the human condition. It is also a significant personal concern for researchers and clinicians in the highly competitive, publish-or-perish environment of c- temporary academia. Of course, if we are clever or lucky enough to come up with that Nobel Prize-winning discovery, great science will carry the day and we are likely to get published even if our writing is fairly horrid. But most of us who publish are “bread-and-butter” scientists. We compete for space in journals which may only accept 10% or 20% of the submissions that they receive each year. For us, convincing, engaging writing will make the difference between being published or rejected, or at least it will make the difference between being published on ? rst submission or having to go through a number of revisions (or journals). None of this is to propose that good writing can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Scienti? c content is the sine qua non of biomedical writing.

Provides immediate help for anyone preparing a biomedical paper by givin specific advice on organizing the components of the paper, effective writing techniques, writing an effective results sections, documentation issues, sentence structure and much more. The new edition includes new examples from the current literature including many involving molecular biology, expanded exercises at the end of the book, revised explanations on linking key terms, transition clauses, uses of subheads, and emphases. If you plan to do any medical writing, read this book first and get an immediate advantage.

This book teaches researchers how to resolve the ethical dilemmas that can arise at any stage in clinical research. In addition to explaining pertinent regulations and laws, Dr. Lo helps investigators understand the gaps and uncertainties in regulations, as well as situations in which merely complying with the law may not fulfill ethical responsibilities. Most chapters include real-life examples that the author walks through, discussing the salient issues and how to approach them. This book can be used in courses on research ethics that are required or encouraged by major National Institutes of Health grants in academic health centers.

A Practical Guide to the Histology of the Mouse provides a full-colour atlas of mouse histology. Mouse models of disease are used extensively in biomedical research with many hundreds of new models being generated each year. Complete phenotypic analysis of all of these models can benefit from histologic review of the tissues. This book is aimed at veterinary and medical pathologists who are unfamiliar with mouse tissues and scientists who wish to evaluate their own mouse models. It provides practical guidance on the collection, sampling and analysis of mouse tissue samples in order to maximize the information that can be gained from these tissues. As well as illustrating the normal microscopic anatomy of the mouse, the book also describes and explains the common anatomic variations, artefacts associated with tissue collection and background lesions to help the scientist to distinguish these changes from experimentally- induced lesions. This will be an essential bench-side companion for researchers and practitioners looking for an accessible and well-illustrated guide to mouse pathology. Written by experienced pathologists and specifically tailored to the needs of scientists and histologists Full colour throughout Provides advice on sampling tissues, necropsy and recording data Includes common anatomic variations, background lesions and artefacts which will help non-experts understand whether histologic variations seen are part of the normal background or related to their experimental manipulation

The Fifth Edition of the highly praised Practical Guide for Medical Teachers provides a bridge between the theoretical aspects of medical education and the delivery of enthusiastic and effective teaching in basic science and clinical medicine. Healthcare professionals are committed teachers and this book is an essential guide to help them maximise their performance. This highly regarded book recognises the importance of educational skills in the delivery of quality teaching in medicine. The contents offer valuable insights into all important aspects of medical education today. A leading educationalist from the USA joins the book’s editorial team. The continual emergence of new topics is recognised in this new edition with nine new chapters: The role of patients as teachers and assessors; Medical humanities; Decision-making; Alternative medicine; Global awareness; Education at a time of ubiquitous information; Programmative assessment; Student engagement; and Social accountability. An enlarged group of authors from more than 15 countries provides both an international perspective and a multi-professional approach to topics of interest to all healthcare teachers.