Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, characterized by progressive chronic airflow obstruction, is a common respiratory disorder and cause of death in adults, but has received little attention compared with other respiratory diseases such as asthma and lung cancer. Current treatment offers some symptomatic relief, but does not address the underlying process. As smoking cessation is the only intervention known to alter the rate of disease progression, there is a great need for the development of superior therapies for symptomatic relief and disease modification. This book reviews and...

Insect-Plant Interactions and Induced Plant Defence
Chair: John A. Pickett, 1999

This book examines the sophisticated mechanisms that plants use to defend themselves against attack by insects and pathogens, focusing on the networks of plant signalling pathways that underlie these defences. In response to herbivory, plants release a complex blend of as many as 100 volatile chemicals, known as semiochemicals ('sign chemicals'). These act as an airborne SOS signal, revealing the presence of the herbivore to the predators and parasitoids that are its natural enemies. Plants also...