Evolutionary Medicine

Evolutionary thinking provides insights into many different areas in the research and practice of medicine and public health. It takes specialties such as medical microbiology, epidemiology, oncology, gynecology, and psychiatry that had become increasingly siloed and places them in a larger framework. This foundational structure enables students to view medical knowledge as an integrated whole, underpinned by general principles rather than a loose collection of disparate facts. The discipline of evolutionary medicine continues to advance rapidly as new results come in showing where the insights pay off and where they do not. Its conceptual foundations have also been strengthened in papers not yet reflected in the textbooks, so a new edition is therefore timely. At the same time, the teaching of evolutionary medicine has also been steadily gaining momentum both in courses that prepare undergraduates for medical school in North America and in other contexts worldwide. Evolutionary Medicine is intended for undergraduate students preparing for careers in medicine and public health, students in schools of medicine and public health, and medical professionals curious about the insights that evolutionary thinking can bring to their field. It will also be relevant to students and researchers in the fields of evolutionary biology, anthropology, developmental biology, and genetics. It highlights the most important insights in a relatively brief and compelling book that does not attempt encyclopedic coverage of a rapidly changing field.

Science & Math

Stearns, Stephen C.

Medzhitov, Ruslan

Biological Sciences

Oxford University Press

Evolutionary Medicine is a textbook intended for use in undergraduate, graduate, medical school, and continuing medical education (CME) courses. Its professional illustrations and summaries of chapters and sections make its messages readily accessible. Chapter 1 introduces evolutionary thinking about both current dynamic processes and the deep patterns of history and relationship. Chapter 2 asks, "What is a patient?" and answers from a series of perspectives. Chapter 3 asks, "What is a disease?" Some causes are found in patients; others in pathogens; many in the interactions between them. Chapter 4 discusses the nature of defenses, the strategies that determine how they are deployed, and their costs as well as their benefits. Chapter 5 discusses pathogen evolution: the evolution of intrinsic virulence, of evasion and manipulation of host defenses, and of resistance to treatment, and how therapy might be made evolution-proof. Chapter 6 describes cancer as an evolutionary process with a history traced in the genome and with major implications for treatment. Chapter 7 discusses conflicts in reproduction: between mother and offspring, between maternally and paternally derived genes in the offspring, and among siblings. It also discusses menstruation, menopause, and the connection between invasive placentas and metastatic cancer. Chapter 8 discusses mismatches to modern environments, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune diseases. Chapter 9 discusses evolutionary perspectives on addiction, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism, and schizophrenia. Chapter 10 explores the tension between individual and group interests and shows how medicine is creating new problems while solving old ones. Chapter 11 starts with questions that have not yet been answered, discusses why we have not chosen to address some issues, and concludes by comparing classical with evolutionary medicine. RESOURCES Instructor's Resource Library Available to qualified adopters, the Instructor's Resource Library includes the following resources: *Textbook Figures &amp; Tables: All figures (line-art illustrations and photographs) and tables from the textbook, provided as both high- and low-resolution JPEGs. All have been formatted and optimized for excellent projection quality. Also included are ready-to-use PowerPoint presentations of all figures and tables. *Lecture Presentations: For each chapter of the textbook, the authors have prepared ready-to-use lecture presentations that include text reviewing the key facts and concepts from the chapter, along with selected figures and tables.

Evolution

Sinauer Associates is an imprint of Oxford University Press

The innate immune system is rapidly activated in response to infection and injury. It is a generic rather than pathogen-specific response that recruits immune cells, promotes inflammation, and mobilizes the adaptive immune system. Excessive or chronic inflammation may cause tissue damage, so a careful balance is required to restore homeostasis. Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology reviews the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in innate immunity and all types of inflammation. The contributors examine the cell types that make up the innate immune system, their use of pattern recognition receptors (e.g., Toll-like receptors) to identify pathogens and damaged tissues, and how they trigger signaling pathways that culminate in inflammation, pathogen destruction, and tissue repair. The numerous chemical signals and factors involved in innate immunity and inflammation are described, as are those that keep inflammation in check. The authors also discuss the diseases that can result when these processes go awry, such as rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. This volume is therefore a valuable reference for all immunologists, cell biologists, and medical scientists wishing to understand these protective processes and their implications for human health and disease.

Innate Immunity & Inflammation (Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology)

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press

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