In 1992, the Falk Symposium No. 70 dealt with the topic Immunology and Liver'. At that time basic mechanisms of immunology as well as immunopathogenetic mechanisms in viral and autoimmune liver diseases were discussed. Now, 7 years later, the Falk Symposium No. 114, held in Basel, Switzerland, October 20-21 1999 (Part I of the Basel Liver Week 1999), focused on immunology in autoimmune liver diseases. In the first section basic mechanisms of autoimmunity are presented, including the relevance of superantigens and the role of apoptosis. A further topic is the latest developments concerning...

During the last decade, knowledge about cholestatic liver disease and concomitant diseases, such as ulcerative colitis, cholangio- and hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreas and colon cancer, has increased considerably. Studies on ursodeoxycholic acid treatment alone or in combination with immunosuppressive compounds and their positive effects on biliary liver disease as well as on so-called overlap syndromes or intestinal tumors are published in increasing numbers, and stimulate discussion on whether or not ursodeoxycholic acid is able to improve the general condition and/or life expectancy of...

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.

This book is the proceedings of the Falk Symposium No. 121 on 'Steatohepatitis (NASH and ASH)', held in Den Haag, The Netherlands, on October 14-15, 2000. The histological features of what we now call non-alcoholic steatohepatitis were described as early as 1962 by the Honorary President of the Symposium, Professor Herbert Thaler, from Vienna. Others followed, and in 1980 Jurgen Ludwig, one of the speakers of this symposium, introduced the name non-alcoholic steatohepatitis' or NASH. In a Consensus Symposium organized by the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Washington, USA, in December...

Pregnancy is the main determinant of some liver diseases in humans: acute fatty liver of pregnancy, cholestasis of pregnancy, and acute liver failure in toxaemia of pregnancy. Pregnancy also modifies the natural history of other more common hepatobiliary diseases, such as cholesterol gallstones. Sex hormones (mainly oestrogens, progesterone and/or some of its metabolites) and prolactin are considered responsible for these pathological consequences and they also appear to be influential in the outcome of several other hepatobiliary disorders, in both sexes and all ages. Although these...

Beginning in 1970, the International Bile Acid Meeting has taken place every two years and each time new progress in our understanding of the complex role of bile acids in many metabolic processes of the liver and the intestine has been revealed by a selected group of leading scientists from all over the world.
Although originally mainly physiological data on bile acid synthesis and transport were emphasized, and later on also the therapeutic benefit of bile acids in gallstone disease and cholestasis was discovered, we have come now to the molecular biology and genetic era with major...

In 1992, the Falk Symposium No. 70 dealt with the topic Immunology and Liver'. At that time basic mechanisms of immunology as well as immunopathogenetic mechanisms in viral and autoimmune liver diseases were discussed. Now, 7 years later, the Falk Symposium No. 114, held in Basel, Switzerland, October 20-21 1999 (Part I of the Basel Liver Week 1999), focused on immunology in autoimmune liver diseases. In the first section basic mechanisms of autoimmunity are presented, including the relevance of superantigens and the role of apoptosis. A further topic is the latest developments concerning...

Leber- und Gallekrankenheiten nehmen in Klinik und Praxis einen zentralen Platz ein. Deshalb ist die Kenntnis der neuesten Therapie-Fortschritte auf diesem Gebiet fur Internisten unverzichtbar. Das erfolgreiche Therapie-Handbuch bietet eine ideale Orientierungshilfe: kompakt, praxisbezogen, mit gesicherten Therapie-Empfehlungen und genauen Therapie-Anwendungen. Die Neuauflage ist komplett uberarbeitet und um neueste Erkenntnisse zur Interferon-Therapie, zur Behandlung der Hepatitiden sowie um die Standigen Empfehlungen der Impfkommission (STIKO) erweitert."