Designed as a first-stop reference for researchers and professionals in toxicology, pharmacology and medicine, this handbook is the very first to tie together the knowledge from many disciplines that has so far been available only from widely dispersed sources in the primary literature. As such, it presents the complete picture on what is currently known about endogenous toxins, including their generation, mode of action, resulting disease condition, and available countermeasures. Clearly divided into four parts, the first systematically covers important toxic molecule species, including metabolic intermediates and reactive oxygen species. The second discusses the role of genetically determined metabolic malfunctions, such as galactosemia, hyperlipidemia, porphyria, hemochromatosis and related conditions, while part three looks at acquired and chronic diseases caused or exacerbated by endogenous toxins, such as hepatic injury, asthma, rheumatism, colorectal cancer, reperfusion diseases, neurodegneration and aging. The final part reviews currents strategies to control and minimize the effect of endogenous toxins, either by nutritional or pharmacological interventions. With its complete coverage integrating molecular and systemic aspects from the biochemical basis to human disease conditions, this comprehensive reference will appeal to a broad target group of toxicologists, biochemists, nutrition specialists and physicians.
About the Author
Peter J. O'Brien is Professor emeritus at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Toronto (Canada). He obtained his academic degrees from Birmingham University (UK) and took up his first independent scientific position at the Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1967. Since 1986 he has been a full Professor at Toronto. He has more than 300 publication to his name, and was awarded the prestigious McNeil-Janssen-Ortho award for his research in 1996.
William R. Bruce is Professor emeritus at the Departments of Medical Biophysics and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto (Canada). He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a former director of the American Association for Cancer Research. In 1997 he received the H. O. Warwick Prize of the National Cancer Institute of Canada for his contributions to cancer prevention.
