Every day, millions of people have diagnostic laboratory tests or donate blood. Why is blood so important? Blood reaches every remote corner of our being, provides nutrients, carries oxygen, and removes impurities from tissues. Blood is not only a transport and defense system, but it also plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of all the other body systems and organs. All living beings (whether they are warm-blooded such as mammals and birds or cold-blooded such as insects, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrate animals) live thanks to blood, which is essential for life. We all take for granted its existence and importance, without knowing what it contains and its countless and amazing properties.
This book is a voyage we would like to take with our readers: it is organized into 4 parts going from the history of blood in religion and ancient populations via the basic science of blood, disorders that we all hear about every day, through to the use of blood and its components in treating several diseases.
The Authors have written this book because of their longstanding academic experience in the science related to blood and to disseminate their knowledge to the widest possible audience. This work has been designed to be as comprehensible as possible to diverse groups of individuals who are interested in science in general and in blood in particular. In addition, because several technical terms may not be familiar to the readers a detailed glossary is provided.
GUGLIELMO MARIANI Currently, tenured professor of hematology at the University of Lugano, Switzerland. From 2014 to 2020 was a Visiting Professor at the University of Westminster, London. In 1976 was Professor of Hematology at the University of Mogadishu, Somalia. From 1994 to 2003 was head of Units of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at the University of Palermo, Medical School, and from 2003 to 2012 was head of the Internal Medicine Unit at the University of L'Aquila, Medical School. From 1994 to 2012, Director of the Schools of Specialization in Hematology at the Universities of Palermo and L'Aquila. His scientific activity includes 376 publications, mostly in International scientific, peer-reviewed Journals and three chapters in Scientific Manuals.
His international activities include: Chairmanship of the Medical Advisory Board, World Federation of Hemophilia, Montreal (1990-94), Co-ordination of the Immune-Tolerance Study Group (1990-98), Co-ordination of the International FVII Study Group, (1998-2004). Co-ordination of the Seven Treatment Evaluation Registry Study Group (2004-2013), Co-ordination of two EU research projects (one Concerted Action and one TEMPUS project), PI in three EU TEMPUS projects aimed at university restructuring in southern Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, in collaboration with the Westminster University). He is also the Author of 9 published novels, one unpublished, and one pièce for theatre. Additionally, one sport manual was published: The Jogger Manual. One book of scientific divulgation (Blood: the Science, History and Mysteries of Life's Vital Flow [Co-authors PM Mannucci, PM Lydyard]) is in press by Elsevier-Nature.
PETER MALDWYN LYDYARD Currently Emeritus Professor of Immunology at University College, London, UK; Visiting Professor/Research scientist at the University of Westminster, London, UK and Associate Professor at the University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia. He is an honorary Professor at several Georgian Universities. He was an adjunct Professor of Immunology at Dartmouth Medical School, New Hampshire, USA from 1998 - 2015. He coordinated/co-coordinated 7 Tempus/Erasmus European Projects for providing teaching hardware and introducing courses in immunology and biomedical sciences to Universities in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine from 1995 to 2017. He has 47 years of University teaching experience. He is an author of 210 peer reviewed National and International scientific papers and has authored chapters for many text books in Immunology and pathology and written several immunology/microbiology/hematology text books - the latest being 'Instant Notes in immunology', and 'Case studies in Infectious Diseases'. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathology, UK, and an associate member of Royal Society of Medicine, UK. His current research interests are Chronic lymphocytic leukemia and Bacteriophages.
PIER MANNUCCIO MANNUCCI Currently Emeritus Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Milan, Italy, he was from 2010 and 2015 Scientific Director of the IRCCS Cà Granda Maggiore Research Hospital. Until November 2010 he had directed the Angelo Bianchi Bonomi Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center at the IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore of Milan. In addition to being awarded various international scientific prizes (International Prize of the French Hemophilia Association, Murray Thelin Award of the National Hemophilia Foundation, Robert Grant Medal Award and the Distinguished Career Award of the International Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Ham Wasserman Lecture and Award of American Society of Hematology, Jean Bernard Award of the European Hematology Association) in 1996-1997 he was President of the International Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis. From 1998 to 2006 Editor in Chief of Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis and from 2009 to 2017 Editor in Chief of the European Journal of Internal Medicine. He has authored more than 1300 publications, dealing with topics in the field of the hemophilias (especially the side effects of therapy), von Willebrand disease and rare coagulation disorders (molecular basis and therapy), the pathophysiology and genetics of coronary artery disease and venous thromboembolism and hereditary thrombophilia. He currently has a H-index of 135 according to Scopus. His more recent research interests deal with the issue of polypharmacy in older medical patients and on the effects on health and disease of environmental pollution.
