This book combines the two major functions of fatty acids in skin biol ogy. Fatty acids play an important role in the barrier function of ski n and represent a major source of proinflammatory mediators such as pr ostaglandins, leukotrienes and other lipids in inflammatory skin disor ders (e.g. proinflammatory eicosanoids which play a role in psoriasis and a topic dermatitis). The pharmacological inhibition of eicosanoid biosynthesis is also reviewed.

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 imm une diseases. The book will provide an overview of the roles of vascul ar adhesion molecules in health and disease, with chapters on their ce ll biology, followed by chapters reviewing their importance in specifi c disease processes. The book is designed to provide up-to-date, linke d reviews of the subject suitable for postgraduate students entering t he field or research workers from...

Summarizes the state of information on chemokines focusing on skin diseases. The first three chapters of the text deal with the structure and molecular biology of chemokines and their receptors. The following three review information on the interaction of chemokines with lymphocytes, mast cells and eosinophilic granulocytes. One chapter deals with the expression of chemokines in several inflammatory skin diseases. The final chapter reports on in vitro evidence for a growth-promoting activity of chemokines in skin-derivied tumour cells. The text shold be of relevance to scientists interested...

What are the different muscarinic acetylocholine receptor subtypes and how are they distributed in the airways and molecular signalling mechanisms? What is their function in inflammatory mechanisms and in neurogenic and non-neurogenic control of the airways? How is their gene expression regulated? The importance of muscarinic acetylocholine receptors for the pathophysiology and treatment of chronic inflammatory obstructive airways diseases calls for a comprehensive and integrated overview of knowledge to address such questions, to discuss the role of these receptor subtypes in diseases such...

Literally thousands of papers have been published on nitric oxide over the past ten years. But there is no single recent monograph available that has attempted to summarize the important features of the roles of nitric oxide in inflammation. The voluminous literature regarding the incredible range of chemical and biological effects of nitric oxide and reactive nitrogen oxide species, RNOS, may present a tangle of confusing information to the researcher. This volume brings together experts from nitric oxide and inflammation research and presents a concise up-to-date overview as well as future...

For some years, international guidelines on the management of asthma have stressed the importance of early intervention with anti-inflammatory drugs to prevent acute asthma exacerbations and to avert chronic inflammatory damage to the airway. Introduced by a broad survey of the targets for anti-inflammatory drugs, this book proceeds to bring together the most recent research into the mechanisms and clinical benefits of presently available anti-inflammatory treatments including corticosteroids, cromones, and theophylline. For the first time, these drugs are discussed alongside the newly...

Twenty years ago, the idea that Alzheimer's disease (AD) involved any sort of inflammatory or immune component seemed implausible. Now, there are hundreds of laboratories world-wide that are pursuing basic research in this area, and multi-site clinical trials are underway. How this dramatic sea-change came about is made clear in this book, both through overviews of the field and through focused papers on specific topics of recent interest. Complement, cytokines and the complex host of other acute phase reactants are covered, as are summaries of many epidemiologic and clinical-pathological...

Literally thousands of papers have been published on nitric oxide over the past ten years. But there is no single monograph available that has previously attempted to summarize the important features of the roles of nitric oxide in inflammation. The voluminous literature regarding the incredible range of chemical and biological effects of nitric oxide and reactive nitrogen oxide species, RNOS, may present a tangle of confusing information to the researcher. This volume brings together experts from nitric oxide and inflammation research and presents a concise up-to-date overview as well as...

Cytokines have become established as key mediators of the signs and symptoms of inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, dermatitis, asthma and multiple sclerosis. Furthermore, they are involved in the cascade of events leading to cardiovascular shock and are major regulators of the function of immune cells. This book reviews recent advances in the development of new anti-inflammatory drugs. It addresses different therapeutic intervention possibilities for new drugs, such as the cellular source of cytokines, specific receptors which induce cytokine synthesis, intracellular regulators of...

Over the past ten years, a number of cytokines and growth factors have proven to be as effective therapeutics. While these products have certainly established recombinant biologics as a major pharmaceutical growth sector, the continued interest in this class of drugs arises from the fact that today we have a far better understanding of the human immune response, both at a cellular and molecular level. This has resulted in a more methodical characterisation of these factors which has given clinical researchers an opportunity to plan Phase 1 clinical trials that can provide substantial...