Evolutionary medicine / Stephen C. Stearns, Yale University, Ruslan Medzhitov, Yale University.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stearns, S. C. (Stephen C.), 1946-

Contributor:

Medzhitov, Ruslan.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Diseases--Causes and theories of causation.

Diseases.

Human evolution.

Environmentally induced diseases.

Disease--etiology.

Disease--genetics.

Biological Evolution.

Genetic Predisposition to Disease.

Genetic Variation.

Medical Subjects:

Disease--etiology.

Disease--genetics.

Biological Evolution.

Genetic Predisposition to Disease.

Genetic Variation.

Physical Description:

xix, 306 pages : color illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Sunderland, Massachussetts : Sinauer Associates, Inc., Publishers, [2016]

Summary:

"Stearns and Medzhitov offer a textbook on evolutionary aspects of medicine, some of which provide immediate answers to help relieve suffering, and others of which can clarify understanding about organisms and their relationship to the environment and each other. They cover evolutionary thinking, what a patient is, what a disease is, defenses, pathogen evolution, cancer, reproductive medicine, mismatch, mental disorders, individual health versus population health, and open questions and other issues." -- Annotation ©2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com).

Contents:

1. Introduction to evolutionary thinking. Natural selection ; Neutral evolution ; Mechanisms causing random change ; Mismatch ; Adaptation ; Styles of thought

2. What is a patient? Ancient histories with medical consequences ; Recent history generating diversity ; Variation in disease resistance ; Variation in drug metabolism ; Variation in life history traits ; Plasticity and reaction norms ; Trade-offs ; Aging ; The unusual human life history ; Developmental origins of health and disease ; The microbiota and their microbiome ; So, what is a patient?

3. What is a disease? Classifications of disease ; Organs and tissues: from vulnerable to robust ; From fixed to adjustable ; The changing nature of disease

4. Defenses. Maintenance and defense originated in homeostasis ; Types of defense and costs ; Specialized defenses ; Key characteristics of defenses ; Defense strategies: avoidance, resistance, and tolerance ; Evolution of immunity

5. Pathogen evolution. Virulence caused by pathogens ; Managing the microbiome: symbionts versus pathogens ; Evasion and suppression of the immune system ; The rapid evolution of antibiotic resistance ; Therapies that mitigate evolutionary consequences

6. Cancer. Cancer basics ; Why we are susceptible ; Every cancer is an instance of clonal evolution ; Cancer phylogenetics ; Immune evasion and suppression ; Evolved resistance to chemotherapy

7. Reproductive medicine. The evolution of mammalian reproduction ; The evolution of invasive placentas ; Parent-offspring conflict, genomic imprinting, and pregnancy ; Menstruation ; Menopause ; Upright posture and childbirth

8. Mismatch. Environmental change in humans ; Mismatches in time: the major cultural and epidemiological transitions ; Mismatches in space: emigration and immigration ; Obesity, a condition with many causes ; Type 2 diabetes ; Cardiovascular disease ; Female reproductive cancers ; Hygiene and old friends, asthma, and autoimmune diseases ; Conclusion

9. Mental disorders. The special difficulties of explaining mental disorders ; Drug addiction ; Anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorders ; Autism and schizophrenia

10. Individual health versus population health. The scientific and moral landscape ; Population consequences of medical decisions ; The great transition ; Nutrition, energetics, and fertility

11. Open questions and other issues. Open questions ; Why some issues were not addressed in more detail ; Differences between classical and evolutionary medicine.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781605352602

1605352608

OCLC:

908554440