This book is the proceedings of Falk Symposium 129, the XVII International Bile Acid Meeting held in Freiburg, Germany, May 30-June 1, 2002, which was again dedicated to both basic and clinical aspects of bile acid research with a focus on the role of bile acids in hepatobiliary and intestinal diseases. The latest findings are presented by the leading scientists and clinicians in the field.

Chronic inflammatory bowel disease still represents a major gastroenterological challenge, in view of the unclear aetiology and unsatisfactory therapy. This book, the proceedings of a Falk Symposium held in Lubeck, Germany on 4--5 March 1994, will act as a vehicle for our current knowledge, and promote the dialogue between clinicians and those involved with the associated sciences. The book begins with international experts discussing the more recent theories concerning the aetiology and pathogenesis. Later on, the discussion turns to questions of diagnosis, and the conservative and surgical...

The advent of molecular biology and recombinant DNA technology has profoundly changed contemporary medicine. These new scientific tools have made it possible to identify and understand pathological mechanisms at cellular, subcellular and molecular levels which has added previously unimaginable novel dimensions to the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of a rapidly increasing number of diseases of the liver and biliary system. The title of this book - Acute and Chronic Liver Diseases: Molecular Biology and Clinics - expresses this epochal progress in hepatology.
A series...

There are many separate groups working in gut biology, and they feel that the gut is an excellent model for investigating general problems in differentiation, growth control, stem cell biology, and regeneration and adaptive responses. There is a pressing need to define the objectives of the next 5 to 10 years, and the meeting, Part III of the Gastroenterology Symposia Freiburg 1996 (Falk Symposium No. 94), held in Freiburg, Germany, October 25-26, brought together some of these groups with a view to identifying areas which are not being utilized and need to be exploited, such as transgenic...

Constipation and incontinence are of considerable importance to a great number of patients but many put it under taboo. Both functional disturbances comprise a wide spectrum of pathophysiological findings of neuro-muscular changes of the colon or the pelvic floor, but psychological factors may play an important role as well. In recent years much progress has been made in several disciplines which are important for the understanding and handling of constipation and incontinence. This volume, the proceedings of Falk Symposium No. 95 held in Freiburg, Germany, October 28-30, 1996, concentrates...

Most symposia on chronic inflammatory bowel disease during the last few years have focused on new aspects of aetiology and pathophysiology. However, based on such new aspects, changes in diagnosis and treatment have been developed over the last few years and some others are currently under investigation. This book, the proceedings of Falk Symposium 97, Clinical Challenges in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - Diagnosis, Prognosis and Treatment', held in Lugano, Switzerland, 18-19 April 1997, summarizes these changes and new developments, discusses their value and defines further new approaches....

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease remain a great therapeutic challenge to the medical community. In recent years knowledge about the pathogenesis of these diseases has progressed rapidly but the cause of the diseases remains completely unknown. It has become clear that dysregulation of the mucosal immune system is the basis for the chronic evolution of the diseases in a genetically susceptible population. Exciting new therapeutic approaches have been attempted in the last couple of years and cytokine and anti-cytokine treatments in particular seem very promising, especially in...

Liver cirrhosis is a major clinical problem worldwide and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality from its complications, such as liver cell insufficiency with coagulopathy and hepatic encephalopathy, portal hypertension with ascites and gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatorenal syndrome, HCC development and others. This volume, the proceedings of Falk Symposium 115 held in Basel, Switzerland, October 22-24, 1999 (Part II of the Basel Liver Week 1999; XI International Congress of Liver Diseases) covers our present knowledge of the aetiologies and early stages of liver cirrhosis...