Book excerpt: The biochemistry text that every medical student must own--now in full color! Comprehensive, concise, and up-to-date, Harper's is unrivaled in its ability to clarify the link between biochemistry and the molecular basis of health and disease. The Twenty-Eighth Edition has undergone sweeping changes -- including a conversion to full-color artwork and the substantial revision and updating of every chapter -- all to reflect the latest advances in knowledge and technology and to make the text as up-to-date and clinically relevant as possible. Combining outstanding full-color illustrations with integrated coverage of biochemical diseases and clinical information, Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry offers an organization and clarity not found in any other text on the subject. Striking just the right balance between detail and brevity, Harpers Illustrated Biochemistry is essential for USMLE review and is the single best reference for learning the clinical relevance of a biochemistry topic. NEW to this edition: Full-color presentation, including 600+ illustrations Every chapter opens with a Summary of the Biomedical Importance and concludes with a Summary reviewing the topics covered Two all-new chapters: "Free Radicals and Antioxidant Nutrients" and "Biochemical Case Histories" which offers an extensive presentation of 16 clinical conditions A new appendix containing basic clinical laboratory results and an updated one with a list of important websites and online journals NEW or updated coverage of important topics including the Human Genome Project and computer-aided drug delivery