Synopsis

PLATELETS is the definitive current source of state-of-the-art knowledge about platelets and covers the entire field of platelet biology, pathophysiology, and clinical medicine. Recently there has been a rapid expansion of knowledge in both basic biology and the clinical approach to platelet-related diseases including thrombosis and hemorrhage. Novel platelet function tests, drugs, blood bank storage methods, and gene therapies have been incorporated into patient care or are in development. This book draws all this information into a single, comprehensive and authoritative resource.

• First edition won Best Book in Medical Science Award from the Association of American Publishers

• Contains fourteen new chapters on topics such as platelet genomics and proteomics, inhibition of platelet function by the endothelium, clinical tests of platelet function, real time in vivo imaging of platelets, and inherited thrombocytopenias

• A comprehensive full color reference comprising over 70 chapters, 1400 pages, and 16,000 references

About the Author:
Dr. Alan D. Michelson is Director of the Center for Platelet Function Studies, Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine and Pathology, and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.A. He received his medical degree from the University of Adelaide, Australia in 1973. Dr. Michelson continued his medical training on a Fulbright Scholarship at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Children's Hospital, all in Boston, Massachusetts. He has published over 300 original research articles, original research abstracts, and invited reviews. He has been the principal investigator on over 70 grants. Dr. Michelson has been an invited speaker at over 100 major medical conferences worldwide. He is Chairman of the Platelet Physiology Scientific Subcommittee of the Scientific and Standardization Committee (SSC), International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH). Dr. Michelson has been an invited participant at 13 international consensus conferences and workshops, including the Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy: ACCP Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (1995 present). Dr. Michelson is the inventor of 2 U.S. patents.

Reviewer: Valerie L. Ng, PhD MD(Alameda County Medical Center/Highland Hospital)
Description: This is the second edition of a comprehensive book on everything you could ever possibly want to know about platelets. The first edition was published in 2002.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide a comprehensive, definitive, and authoritative book on platelets. These are worthy objectives, well met in this updated edition.
Audience: This book would interest anyone wanting to learn about platelets: physicians at all stages of training or practice, clinical laboratory scientists at any stage of training or practice, and basic scientists interested in learning about clinical aspects of platelets. The editor suggests a more limited audience, but I disagree. I think this book has broad appeal. The editor and authors are credible authorities, and many of them are international authorities in their respective areas.
Features: Who would have thought a cell fragment (i.e., platelet) would warrant a 1,350-page, single-spaced book? Who would have thought that there was that much known about these small pieces of cells? I must admit that I was hooked from the first chapter, "The Evolution of Mammalian Platelets." Where else can you learn about dogfish or common lizard or electric ray platelets? Or see a picture of an Australian opossum marrow? The book is divided into eight major sections, similar to the first edition, covering platelet biology, platelet function tests, platelets in disease, disorders of platelet number and function, antiplatelet therapy, therapy to increase platelet numbers and/or function, platelet transfusion medicine, and gene therapy for platelet disorders. Each of these sections is amazingly current. For example, who would have thought that recombinant FVIIa has been used to treat thrombocytopenic bleeding? Yet there's an entire chapter on this seemingly esoteric topic. In addition to the excellent information, this book is visually pretty. The figures are gorgeous and the color reproduction faithful. Of note, the first edition won the 2002 Best Book in Medical Science Award from the Association of Medical Publishers. I don't know the criteria for this award, but I do know that this book is surprisingly captivating (considering the subject matter) and will pique the interest of anyone who picks it up. The writing is consistently superb. My only negative comment about this book is its weight. It's heavy, so make sure you're sitting down with the book on your lap when reading it to minimize arm strain.
Assessment: I'm sold. This is the book I'll use whenever I have to answer any type of platelet question. If you field platelet questions, you should get this book, too.

Biography

Dr. Alan D. Michelson is Director of the Center for Platelet Function Studies, Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine and Pathology, and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.A. He received his medical degree from the University of Adelaide, Australia in 1973. Dr. Michelson continued his medical training on a Fulbright Scholarship at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Children’s Hospital, all in Boston, Massachusetts. He has published over 300 original research articles, original research abstracts, and invited reviews. He has been the principal investigator on over 70 grants. Dr. Michelson has been an invited speaker at over 100 major medical conferences worldwide. He is Chairman of the Platelet Physiology Scientific Subcommittee of the Scientific and Standardization Committee (SSC), International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH). Dr. Michelson has been an invited participant at 13 international consensus conferences and workshops, including the Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy: ACCP Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (1995 - present). Dr. Michelson is the inventor of 2 U.S. patents.