Skeletal muscle is the most abundant tissue of our body. Apart from its essential role in locomotion, it is also the body’s main store of carbohydrate and protein as well as being one of the principal generators of heat. Its proper maintenance and function are, therefore, essential. A severe acute loss of muscle function is potentially lethal and the debilitating effects of chronic decline in mobility are commonplace experience, so repair and maintenance of the tissue must by both rapid and effective. Since the middle of the last century we have progressively built up a comprehensive descriptive model of the allied mechanisms that maintain our muscles at a size and strength appropriate to the functional demands upon them and that rapidly repair damaged muscles. This volume is an assemblage of the collective experience from the pick of major research groups investigating these aspects of muscle cell biology. The topics range from correlation of changes in pattern of gene expression with the histological sequence during a regenerative episode to the distinctive insult-specific patterns of structural and functional outcome at the other end of the spectrum. The middle ground – who is doing what in this complex process – constitutes the meat of this sandwich.

Since the publication of the popular first edition, genomic methods have become more accessible, allowing antibiotic researchers to probe not only the sequence of antibiotic resistance determinants but the mechanism whereby they are expressed and regulated. That, in concert with array technology and an understanding of the importance of biofilms, has greatly expanded antibiotic resistance knowledge. In order to reflect the growing field, Antibiotic Resistance Protocols, Second Edition fully updates and builds upon its first edition with contributions from leading researchers.

Coronaviruses represent a major group of viruses of both molecular biological interest and clinical significance in animals and humans. During the past two decades, coronavirus research has been an expanding field and, since 1980, an international symposium was held every 3 years. We organized the yth symposium for providing an opportunity to assess important progresses made since the last symposium in Cambridge (U. K. ) and to suggest areas for future investigations.