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Human Biochemistry 2nd Edition



Human Biochemistry 2nd Edition PDF

Author: Gerald Litwack

Publisher: Academic Press

Genres:

Publish Date: December 6, 2021

ISBN-10: 0323857183

Pages: 882

File Type: PDF

Language: English

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Book Preface

The first edition of this book was published in 2018. It was rewarded with the “Texty” award (most promising new textbook) of the Textbook and Academic Authors Association and the Prose Award of the Association of American Publishers. Elsevier, in its initial advertisements, announced that the book would contain multiple-choice questions and problem-based learning. This information also appeared in the Preface to the first edition. I thought that this was being accomplished separately from my preparation of the text. That was not the case. To correct the situation, ancillaries, that the Publisher had advertised initially, as related to the first edition, are now appearing at the end of each chapter in this second edition. They are multiple-choice questions for every chapter and case-based problems that are added to the relevant chapters. The correct answers to the multiple-choice questions and material relevant to the case-based problems appear in Appendix 4. Multiple-choice review questions were prepared by myself, while the case-based problems are the contribution of Prof. Sonia Lobo of the Department of Basic Sciences, the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. I am most grateful for her contributions. She has considerable experience in utilizing problem-based learning in her teaching of medical students. My hope is that these materials will aid students in the health sciences, especially in those institutions that may be moving in the direction of problem-based learning.
In the second edition the chapters remain as in the first edition, but the information in every chapter is brought up-to-date. Only about 2 years have elapsed since the publication of the first edition. Consequently, a great deal of the information in the first edition is still relevant. However, many new subjects have been introduced. Some of the new additions to this edition are amyloid beta and synapse dysfunction, human organoids, cell competition, LDL action and regulation of cholesterol synthesis, addition to discussion on insulin receptor, photocatalytic dissociation of water into its gaseous atoms, enzyme filamentation in cellular regulation, cryo-electron microscopy of proteins and macromolecular complexes, actions of cellular prion, DNA editing, extended discussion of glycation of proteins, membrane glucocorticoid receptor, glucocorticoid receptor isoforms, epigenetics, bacterial enzyme conversion of blood types A and B to type O, addiction, trehalulose and disaccharides, vitamin D receptor structure, addition to interferon discussion, additions to discussions of cystic fibrosis channel and the vasopressin-induced water import, the vegan diet, the ketogenic diet, gene cloning steps, human gene therapy, PCR basic ingredients, discussion of next-generation sequencing, single-cell proteomics, structure of ATP synthase, TSH receptor structure, vitamin B6 and cell killing, the Mediterranean diet and dietary recommendations for chronic kidney disease, eye health, and blood components. New references have been added to many of the chapters.
I am most grateful for the collaboration of Pat Gonzalez of Elsevier who was my Editorial Project Manager during the course of preparing the second edition. She correctly placed new figures and tables and guaranteed that allusions to these new figures and tables as well as to the previous figures and tables would be consistent throughout. I also want to thank Peter Linsley of Elsevier who was instrumental in the publication of the first edition of this book and his continuing support in the completion of the second edition.
The cover of the book is the same as the first edition except that the background color has been changed from deep blue to light gray. Consequently, the color of the print was reversed to black. As in the first edition, the beautiful X-ray structure of crystalline hemoglobin is maintained as the cover illustration.

Gerald Litwack, PhD
Toluca Lake, North Hollywood, CA December 20, 2020

Introduction

Beyond the information in anatomy and physiology, biochemistry forms the basis of modern medicine. Much of the practice of medicine relies on the availability of drugs to treat various symptoms. The development of drugs by pharmaceutical companies often relies on the information made available through basic science research. In fact, one could define pharmacology as the biochemistry of drug action. Medical students often question the reason for having to learn biochemistry, and the teachings of traditional medical schools focus on one discipline at a time. Thus those who teach biochemistry usually do not emphasize its relation to medicine, and those who teach medicine usually do not emphasize its relationship to biochemistry. Nevertheless, it is becoming quite clear that biochemistry is the underpinning of medicine; this clarity evolves from information on disease conditions explained through biochemistry at the molecular level. As in the first edition of this book and my earlier textbook (Human Biochemistry and Disease), the relationship of biochemistry to medicine is emphasized through introducing each chapter with an illustration of a disease or medically related condition, at the molecular level, that serves to introduce the basic information to follow. Consequently, the teaching of biochemistry should relate directly to medicine and vice versa, I believe. Prefacing the biochemical analysis of a disease in each chapter of this book should serves to heighten the importance of this discipline to medicine and make the study of biochemistry relevant to the medical student, thus answering the frequent question of the students “Why do I have to study biochemistry?”. The same value should pertain to students in fields related to medicine as in dentistry, pharmacy, and other health-oriented fields.
The actual clinically related subjects are carried over from the first edition. The major changes in the second edition are comprised of the many additions of new information not present in the first edition. The subjects that have been added are summarized in the Preface.
Many schools are now shifting their teaching to problem-based learning, often dividing a class into small groups attended by a clinician and a basic scientist. In this approach, students solve the symptoms presented by a theoretical patient and, stepwise, diagnose the disease and treatment. This approach is thought to instill basic principles that remain in the student’s memory in contrast to rote memorization that is soon forgotten. I believe that this book supports learning through case-based problems and presents the basic information needed regardless of the method of teaching.

Gerald Litwack, PhD January 12, 2021


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