Especially the past two decades have seen renewed interest in the vasculitides. In this volume an international expert group presents the current state of knowledge and concentrates on principles of immune modulating therapy. Drawing from their work in rheumatology, nephrology, internal medicine, connective tissue disease and clinical immunology, they present new concepts in classificiation, diagnosis and pathophysiology of the vasculitides. Evidence from experimental and clinical trials is reviewed, as well as the outlook for further research.

Research into inflammatory mechanisms that may cause damage to the Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain has now been ongoing for nearly two decades. Some two dozen clinical studies have strongly suggested that conventional anti-inflammatory drugs may be useful to delay the onset or slow the progression of the disorder. Moreover, virtually all the major systems of the innate immune response appear to be present, and most are upregulated, in pathologically-vulnerable regions of the AD brain. These new findings are described in this volume - first in overview form, followed by chapters on topics of...

In November 1998 many of the key leaders of new drug discovery for inflammatory diseases gathered at Hershey, Pennsylvania for the 9th International Conference of the Inflammation Research Association. The Conference was held over a five day period and provided a stimulating environment for the open exchange of important advances in basic inflammation research as well as new drug discovery and development. This book encompasses some of the highlights of several presentations made at the Conference. It contains some of the latest and important developments in the field of inflammation...

Airways inflammation is a complex biological phenomenon resulting from the recruitment and activation of numerous cell types. Airways inflammation contributes to the pathophysiology of airways disease. An understanding of the mechanisms that regulate inflammatory cell function is essential for the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of common respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD. This book provides a collection of valuable reviews on the major inflammatory cells involved in airways disease and examines the pharmacology of current anti-inflammatory drugs...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) ranges amongst the commonest diseases in the world. The relentless progression of the disease causes a pressing need for a better understanding of and therapies for COPD. This volume provides state-of-the-art information on the pathophysiology of COPD including an outlook on new therapies. It is of interest to researchers and clinicians in academia as well as in the pharmaceutical industry.

Many new antileukotriene drugs are now marketed as antiasthma drugs and represent the first new drugs in this field since the 1970s. This book covers the steps that have led to the discovery and development of these new drugs and offers detailed descriptions of their clinical applications. The review chapters on the main aspects of basic and applied leukotriene research are written by leading specialists in the field, and the volume takes a new approach in presenting information of particular interest to both scientists and clinicians in the fields of asthma, inflammation and allergic...

The book will provide an overview of the roles of vascular adhesion molecules in health and disease, with chapters on their cell biology, followed by chapters reviewing their importance in specific disease processes. Vascular adhesion molecules are vital for the physiological processes of leukocyte trafficking and also critically involved in the enhanced leukocyte emigration that is a key feature of all inflammatory and immune diseases. The book is designed to provide up-to-date, linked reviews of the subject suitable for postgraduate students entering the field or research workers from...

This volume will be of great value to all those researchers in the area of the inflam- matory response, notably academics, clinicians and members of the pharmaceutical industry. The book has in the main been restricted to three inducible enzymes, namely nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and hemeoxygenase (HO-l), although matrix metalloproteinases, xanthine oxidoreductase and tissue transgluta- minases are reviewed. The modulation of these enzymes is viewed as possible novel therapeutic advances in the area of inflammation and also cancer. The latter topic may well be the...

Pain and inflammation are inextricably linked phenomena. The observation that chemical mediators with combined pro-inflammatory, algesic and/or hyperalgesic activity occur at the site of inflammation is fundamental not only to our present understanding of the inflammatory process but also to our attempts to devise clini- cally useful anti-inflammatory therapies. Over a hundred years ago it was recognised that primary sensory neurones play a crucially important "dual" role in inflammation. By affecting the transfer of infor- mation from peripheral nociceptors to the spinal cord, a...

The human immune system, despite having its own sophisticated defence mecha- nisms, is inferior to bacteria and viruses with respect to adaptability. Furthermore, our immune system is increasingly exposed to detrimental effects, that is immuno- suppressive environmental consequences, unhealthy living, and chronic illnesses. Excessive chemotherapy threatens our immune system even further. This situation demands compensatory prophylactic therapeutic regimes. One of these - specific immunostimulation - is more difficult to achieve than the immunosuppression cur- rently used in transplantation...