Continuing the Respiratory Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy series, this volume explores the pathophysiology and therapy of rhinitis. The volume is introduced by a chapter describing the normal anatomy and physiology of the nose and sinuses. Against this background the contributing authors describe and discuss the immunological and pathological changes which occur in rhinitis. The various causes and the types of rhinitis - such as allergic, vasomotor, and infectious - are discussed as are the treatments available (pharmacotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery). The book concludes with a description...

Building on the existing titles in the "Airways Smooth Muscle" sub-series, the sixth volume explores physiological and pharmacological processes in the lung in vivo. The various animal models available for studying the bronchospasm and inflammation associated with human asthma are thoroughly reviewed by internationally recognised scientists. Specific chapters focus on the problems of administering drugs to animal airways, the mechanics of assessing lung function in the models, and describe in detail the species used, from rodents to primates. The use of genetically altered animals, an area of...

Continuing the Respiratory Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy series, this volume explores the pathophysiology and therapy of rhinitis. The volume is introduced by a chapter describing the normal anatomy and physiology of the nose and sinuses. Against this background the contributing authors describe and discuss the immunological and pathological changes which occur in rhinitis. The various causes and the types of rhinitis - such as allergic, vasomotor, and infectious - are discussed as are the treatments available (pharmacotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery). The book concludes with a description...

Most studies on autonomic innervation of smooth muscle have focused on the short-term mechanisms involved in neurotransmission in physiological and pathophysiological conditions. However recent obser- vations of the long-term plasticity of this system, i. e. its capacity for regeneration and for compensatory change in pattern of innervation and expression of cotransmitters and receptors in ageing, following surgery, trauma or in disease, have indicated that an understanding of the mechanisms involved could influence the design of therapeutic regimes. There is increasing evidence for long-term...

Building on the existing titles in the "Airways Smooth Muscle" sub-series, the sixth volume explores physiological and pharmacological processes in the lung in vivo. The various animal models available for studying the bronchospasm and inflammation associated with human asthma are thoroughly reviewed by internationally recognised scientists. Specific chapters focus on the problems of administering drugs to animal airways, the mechanics of assessing lung function in the models, and describe in detail the species used, from rodents to primates. The use of genetically altered animals, an area of...

1. 1. Invasive versus Non-Invasive Clinical Measurements in Medicine Clinical measurement has become an essential complement to traditional physical diagnosis. An ideal clinical measurement should be quantitative, have a high level of reliability and accuracy, be safe, acceptable to the patient, easy to perform and non-invasive. The latter demands that the technique should not break the skin or the lining epithelium and should be devoid of effects on the tissues of the body by the dissipation of energy or the introduction of infection 1]. It is therefore logical that for a given measurement,...

Many factors may influence the release of neurotransmitters from airway nerves 1]. This is likely to be important in physiological control of airway functions and may be particularly relevant in airway diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Neural elements in airways interact in a complex manner and the activation of certain neural pathways may profoundly influence the release of transmitters from other neural pathways. Similarly inflamma- tory mediators released from inflammatory cells in the airways may also modulate neurotransmitter release. There are...