Volume 177
This compilation comprises 6 chapters, each detailing a recent advancement in medicine and biology. Chapter 1 deals with tuberculosis (TB), describing current knowledge of disease pathogenesis, epidemiology of TB and drug-resistant TB, evolution and molecular mechanisms of drug resistance, fitness compensatory mechanisms and laboratory methods for the diagnosis of susceptible and drug-resistant TB. Chapter 2 details the use of B cell-targeted therapy for treatment of autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases. Chapter 3 concerns peptic ulcer disease and the various therapeutic approaches used to treat ulcers or lesions in the gastrointestinal tract. Chapter 4 discusses the efficacity of in vitro cultures of Astragalus for biomass and secondary metabolite production. Chapter 5 describes the B lymphocyte activation factor (BAFF), a potent cell-survival factor expressed in many hematopoietic cells. Finally, Chapter 6 presents a review of the literature to determine the relationship between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma to establish a guideline for monitoring patients.