Note: Cover -- Front Matter -- Contents -- Preface -- Cell Biology and Pathology of Podocytes -- Cell Biology of the Podocyte -- Abstract -- Responses of Podocytes to Injury -- Acknowledgements -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- Cell Cycle and Podocyte Injury -- Abstract -- Cell Cycle and Podocyte Injury: Why Should We Care? -- Mature Podocytes Are Post-Mitotic and Terminally Differentiated Cells -- The Podocyte's Limited Proliferative Capacity: Role of Cell Cycle Proteins -- The Podocyte's Limited Proliferative Capacity: Role of Mechanical Stretch -- Podocyte Proliferation in Response to Injury: Where It Occurs -- Cell Cycle Proteins: Podocyte Hypertrophy -- Cell Cycle Proteins: Effects beyond Proliferation -- Proof of Concept: Therapeutic Inhibition of Podocyte Proliferation -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- The Podocyte Cytoskeleton: Key to a Functioning Glomerulus in Health and Disease -- Abstract -- The Podocyte Cytoskeleton -- Actin-Based Cell Plasticity, a Key Feature of Kidney Podocytes -- RhoGTPases, Master Regulators of Actin Dynamics and Podocyte Plasticity -- Podocyte Injury: Too Much or Too Little Motility? -- Stress Fibers and Podocyte Contraction -- Quo Vadis, Podocyte Actin Cytoskeleton? -- Conclusions and Outlook -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- Crosstalk between Podocytes and Tubular Epithelial Cells -- Abstract -- Impact of Podocytic Injury on Tubular Epithelial Cells -- Will Injury to TEC Affect Podocyte? -- Repair Mechanism -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgments -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- Role of Mitochondria in Podocyte Injury -- Abstract -- Biology of Mitochondria -- Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Podocyte Injury -- Conclusions and Perspectives -- Acknowledgements -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- Autophagy in Podocytes -- Abstract -- Basics of Autophagy. , Autophagy in Podocyte Differentiation and Maintenance -- Autophagy in Podocyte Aging -- Role of Autophagy in Podocyte Disease -- mTOR Signaling in Autophagy Regulation in Podocytes -- Conclusions and Perspectives -- Acknowledgements -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- PPAR-γ Signaling in Podocyte Injury -- Abstract -- General Biology and Metabolic Action of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γ -- Renoprotective Action of PPAR-γ Agonists -- PPAR-γ and Podocytes -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgements -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- Podocyte Injury in Glomerular Disease -- Podocyte Injury in FSGS -- Abstract -- Injury of the Podocyte Slit Diaphragm -- Actin Cytoskeleton, Microtubules and Motility -- Disorders of Glycosylation and Sialylation -- Podocyte Injury, Proteinuria and Podocyte Regeneration -- Conclusion -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- Circulating Soluble Urokinase Receptor and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis -- Abstract -- Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) -- Evolution of the Circulating Permeability Factor Concept -- suPAR -- Evidence Indicating suPAR as a FSGS Circulating Factor -- The Challenge and Current Gap between Bench and Bedside -- Suggested Answers and Future Work -- Conclusion -- References -- Anti-Phospholipase A2 Receptor-1 Autoantibodies and Membranous Nephropathy -- Abstract -- Pathology of Membranous Nephropathy -- Identification of PLA2 R as the Target Antigen in Primary Membranous Nephropathy -- Anti-PLA2 R Autoantibodies -- Tissue Staining for PLA2 R in Membranous Nephropathy -- Genetic Associations -- Unique Pathological Features -- Natural History and Treatment of PLA2 R-Associated Membranous Nephropathy -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgment -- Disclosure Statement -- References. , Anti-Neutral Endopeptidase Antibodies, Autoantibodies, Anti-Bovine Serum Albumin Antibodies and Membranous Nephropathy -- Abstract -- Neutral Endopeptidase and Alloimmune Membranous Nephropathy -- Non-PLA2 R Autoantigens: Cytoplasmic Podocytic Antigens -- Bovine Serum Albumin and other Dietary Antigens -- Acknowledgments -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- Podocyte Injury in Secondary Glomerular Disease -- Podocytopathy in Diabetes: A Metabolic Disorder -- Abstract -- Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System -- Aldosterone -- Insulin -- Estrogen -- Growth Hormone/Growth Hormone Receptor -- Adiponectin -- Vitamin D and Fibroblast Growth Factors -- Lipids -- Conclusion -- Disclosure Statement -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Obesity-Related Glomerulopathy and Podocyte Injury -- Abstract -- Pathogenetic Mechanisms -- Pharmacological Interventions Perspective -- Conclusions -- References -- Podocyte Injury in HIV-AssociatedNephropathy -- Abstract -- Histopathological Findings of Podocyte Injury -- Pathogenesis of Podocyte Injury in HIVAN -- What Is the Role of the Parietal Epithelial Cells in HIVAN? -- Host Genetic Factors Play a Critical Role in HIVAN -- Podocyte Injury in the New Spectrum of HIV-Related Kidney Disease -- Conclusions -- Acknowledgements -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- Podocyte as a Target of Therapy -- Retinoic Acid: A Potential Pharmacologic Approach in the Treatment of Podocytopathy -- Abstract -- Podocytes in Kidney Diseases -- Retinoic Acid -- Retinoic Acid in Kidney Development -- Retinoic Acid in the Treatment of Kidney Diseases -- How Does Retinoic Acid Protect the Podocytes from Injury? -- Conclusion -- Disclosure Statement -- Acknowledgement -- References -- Immunomodulatory Drugs andthe Podocyte -- Abstract -- Glucocorticosteroids and ACTH -- Anti-Lymphocyte Agents -- Other Immunomodulatory Drugs -- Implications. , Conclusion -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- Triptolide Protects Podocytes from Injury -- Abstract -- Triptolide -- Triptolide and Membranous Nephropathy -- Triptolide and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis -- Triptolide and Diabetic Nephropathy -- Conclusions -- Acknowledgements -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- New Approaches to Study the Podocyte -- Fly: A Model to Study the Podocyte -- Abstract -- Advantages of Drosophila Models -- The Fly Renal System - Nephrocytes, Malpighian Tubules -- Comparing the Fly Nephrocyte and Mammalian Podocyte -- Perspective -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- Zebrafish Models of Podocytopathies -- Abstract -- Why Zebrafish? -- Podocytes and Proteinuria in Zebrafish -- Modeling Glomerular Diseases in Zebrafish -- Podocyte Regeneration in Zebrafish -- Future Outlook -- Acknowledgements -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- The Role of MicroRNAs in Podocytes -- Abstract -- General Introduction to miRNAs -- Requirement of miRNAs for Podocyte Homeostasis -- Roles of miRNAs in Podocyte Injury and Podocytopathy -- Roles of miRNAs in Glomerular Mesangial or Endothelial Cells -- Integration of miRNAs into Podocyte Signaling Networks -- miRNAs as Therapeutic Targets for Podocytopathies -- Conclusions -- Acknowledgements -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- An Integrative Biology Approach to Study Podocyte Function -- Abstract -- Systems Biology Is Integrative Biology -- Current Status of Integrative Biology of Podocyte -- Novel Technical Breakthroughs Facilitate Integrative Biology Study of Podocytes -- Database and Freely Accessible Bioinformatics Tool Suites to Facilitate Systems Biology Research on Podocytes -- Summary and Perspectives -- Acknowledgements -- Disclosure Statement -- References -- Author Index -- Subject Index -- Cover.

Note: Computer Science Workbench -- Soft Computing and Human-Centered Machines -- Copyright -- Series Preface -- Preface -- List of authors -- Contents -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Multisets and Fuzzy Multisets -- 3 Modal Logic, Rough Sets, and Fuzzy Sets -- 4 Fuzzy Cognitive Maps: Analysis and Extensions -- 5 Methods in Hard and Fuzzy Clustering -- 6 Soft-Competitive Learning Paradigms -- 7 Aggregation Operations for Fusing Fuzzy Information -- 8 Fuzzy Gated Neural Networks in Pattern Recognition -- 9 Soft Computing Technique in Kansei (Emotional) Information Processing -- 10 Vagueness in Human Judgment and Decision Making -- 11 Chaos and Time Series Analysis -- 12 A Short Course for Fuzzy Set Theory.