Preface

Diagnosis is one of the milestones of medical assistance and an important research area in biological and medical sciences. Even considered as a subdiscipline of analytical chemistry, bioanalysis is a complex and translational field in charge of the investigation of biotics and xenobiotics structures in biological contexts.

In this book, readers will find different multidisciplinary studies in three sections.

Section 1, "Pharmacology and Drugs Biomarkers," includes interesting reviews on pharmacokinetics markers and multidrug resistance. Chapter 1 by Dr. Ashok Palaniappan, et al. brings us an understanding of computational studies, describing homology modeling, differential ligand affinity, and receptor-ligand docking, among other subjects. Chapter 2 by Dr. Raman Sureshkumar, et al. reports the mechanism of natural inhibitors using P-glycoprotein transporters as a representation to describe a mechanism of action model. Chapter 3 by Dr. Wai-Kit Ma, et al. presents a specific and well-done study about the urological effects of ketamine abuse. This subject provides understanding of the use of biomarkers as monitoring tools for clinical aims.

Section 2, "Nephrology and Renal Physiology," includes three chapters that link basic and clinical backgrounds using renal failure to demonstrate the diversity of bioanalysis applications and its uses in the medical environment. Chapter 4 by Professor Silvia De Rosa, et al. discusses nutritional status, muscle mass, and muscle wasting through serum creatinine analysis. Chapter 5 by Professor Jiang Liu is a comprehensive review of the impact of Na+/K+-ATPase signaling in the renal proximal tubule and its outcome on natriuresis, cardiotonic steroids, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Chapter 6 by Dr. Henrique Muela, et al. discusses hypertension, salt intake, and the effect of salt dietary restriction in vascular scenarios.

Section 3, "Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology," presents studies that merge different aspects of basic sciences. In Chapter 7, Dr. David Mole, et al. presents his study on hypoxia, through the analysis of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway, and its effects over clear cell renal cancer. Chapter 8 by Dr. Ernest Anyabolu describes urine excretion, using creatinine as a reference, and the differences on its mechanism comparing HIV and non-HIV subjects. Chapter 9 by Dr. Tatyanny Fucci, et al. focuses on the DNA polymorphisms related to thromboembolism and the significance of molecular screening as a strategy for following up patients with COVID-19.

This project was launched in early 2019. During this period, the world faced the most important public health issue of the century, the COVID-19 pandemic. As an academic editor, I had the pleasure of reviewing high-level proposals and, at the same time, taking part in a tremendous effort to control the pandemic in different countries through collaborations and voluntary work.

For that reason, I wish to dedicate this book to all scientists and health workers who played an important role in this historical moment. Beyond them, I also wish to

dedicate this book to all patients and their families. Each life, saved or lost, makes a difference and contributes to the improvement of health sciences.

I am grateful to all authors, contributors, and experts who took considerable effort to ensure that each chapter provides updated and innovative data. I wish to thank the team at IntechOpen for their support, especially Sara Debeuc and Lucija Tomicic-Dromgool.

The scope of this work goes beyond this preface. I wish you all an excellent reading and learning from *Biomarkers and Bioanalysis Overview*.

> **Ane C.F. Nunes, Ph.D.** University of California, Irvine, USA

Section 1
