Genes and Common Diseases(ISBN=9780521541008)

　　Genes and Common Diseases presents an up-to-date view of the role of genetics in modern medicine, reflecting the strengths and limitations of a genetic perspective. The current shift in emphasis from the study of rare single gene disorders to common diseases brings genetics into every aspect of modern medicine, from infectious diseases to therapeutics. However, it is unclear whether this increasingly genetic focus will prove useful in the face of major environmental influences in many common diseases. The book takes a hard and self-critical look at what can and cannot be achieved using a genetic approach and what is known about genetic and environmental mechanisms in a variety of common diseases. It seeks to clarify the goals of human genetic research by providing state-of-the art insights into known molecular mechanisms underlying common disease processes while at the same time providing a realistic overview of the expected genetic and physiological complexity.
　　? Written by leading experts in genetics at a level that the practising clinician can understand ? Introductory sections explain the basics of genetics and molecular medicine, setting the scene for the disease chapters in the following section ? Wide range of clinical disorders covered and clear illustrations which help explain complex genetic concepts

1 Genes and their expression 
? Dirk-Jan Kleinjan 
2 Epigenetic modification of chromatin 
? Donncha Dunican, Sari Pennings and Richard Meehan 
3 Population genetics and disease 
? Donald F. Conrad and Jonathan K. Pritchard 
4 Mapping common disease genes 
? Naomi R. Wray and Peter M. Visscher 
5 Population diversity, genomes and disease 
? Gianpiero L. Cavalleri and David B. Goldstein 
6 Study design in mapping complex disease traits 
? Harry Campbell and Igor Rudan 
7 Diseases of protein misfolding 
? Christopher M. Dobson 
8 Aging and disease 
? Thomas T. Perls 
9 The MHC paradigm: genetic variation and complex disease 
? Adrian P. Kelly and John Trowsdale 
10?Lessons from single gene disorders 
? Nicholas D. Hastie 
11?Environment and disease 
? A.?J. McMichael and K.?B.?G. Dear 
12?Contemporary ethico-legal issues in genetics 
? Renate Gertz, Shawn Harmon and Geoffrey Pradella 
Section 2: Common Medical Disorders
13?Developmental disorders 
? Stephen P. Robertson and Andrew O.?M. Wilkie 
14?Genes, environment and cancer 
? D. Timothy Bishop 
15?The polygenic basis of breast cancer 
? Paul D.?P. Pharoah and Bruce A.?J. Ponder 
16?TP53: A master gene in normal and tumor suppression 
? Pierre Hainaut 
17?Genetics of colorectal cancer 
? Susan M. Farrington and Malcolm G. Dunlop 
18?Genetics of autoimmune disease 
? John I. Bell and Lars Fugger 
19?Susceptibility to infectious diseases 
? Andrew J. Walley and Adrian V.?S. Hill 
20?Inflammatory bowel diseases 
? Jean-Pierre Hugot 
21?Genetic anemias 
? W.?G. Wood and D.?R. Higgs 
22?Genetics of chronic disease: obesity 
? I. Sadaf Farooqi and Stephen O'Rahilly 
23?Type 2 diabetes mellitus 
? Mark I. McCarthy 
24?Genetics of coronary heart disease 
? Rossi Naoumova, Stuart A. Cook, Paul Cook and Timothy J. Aitman 
25?Genetics of hypertension 
? B. Keavney and M. Lathrop 
26?Obstructive pulmonary disease 
? Bipen D. Patel and David A. Lomas
27?Skeletal disorders 
? Robert A. Colbert 
28?The genetics of common skin diseases 
? Jonathan Rees 
29?Molecular genetics of Alzheimer's disease and other adult-onset dementias 
? P.?H. St George-Hyslop 
30?Major psychiatric disorders in adult life 
? Amanda Elkin, Sridevi Kalidindi, Kopal Tandon and Peter McGuffin 
31?Speech and language disorders 
? Gabrielle Barnby and Anthony J. Monaco 
32?Common forms of visual handicap 
? Alan Wright 
33?Genetic and environmental influences on hearing impairment 
? Karen P. Steel 
34?Pharmacogenomics: clinical applications 
? Gillian Smith, Mark Chamberlain and C. Roland Wolf 
Index