| Summary: | Recent exciting advances in molecular genetics and in our understanding of the molecular basis for cardiovascular disease have now made it possible to use genetic tests to identify and provide early treatment for those patients at risk for heart disease. In Congenital Heart Disease: Molecular Diagnostics, prominent researchers and clinicians describe in detail the latest laboratory techniques currently used to define the molecular genetic basis for congenital malformations of the heart, cardiomyopathies, cardiac tumors, and arrythmias in human patients. In particular, the methods can be used to identify in clinical samples those genetic mutations responsible for such congenital abnormalities as Marfan syndrome, Williams-Beuren Syndrome, Alagille syndrome, Noonan syndrome, and Friedreich ataxia. The authors also discuss the limitations of identifying patients with congenital heart disease using these techniques during both pre- and postnatal periods. The protocols follow the successful Methods in Molecular Medicine series format, each offering step-by-step laboratory instructions, an introduction outlining the principles behind the technique, lists of the necessary equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting, experimental design, and avoiding known pitfalls. Comprehensive and highly practical, Congenital Heart Disease: Molecular Diagnostics not only updates the reader with state-of-the-art information about the genetic basis of cardiovascular disease, but also provides the techniques for early diagnosis and treatment of patients afflicted with heart disease.
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