An essential component of inflammation is the migration of circulating leukocytes from blood into tissues. This process is characterized by a multistep paradigm of sequential cell adhesion and activation events that lead to the extravasation of specific leukocyte subsets to different tissues in health and disease. The first step of leukocyte extravasation, the rolling of leukocytes, is primarily mediated by the interactions of selectins and their ligands. It has recently become evident that fucosyltransferases are crucial for selectin ligand synthesis, inflammation, and skin homing. This book...

Since 1948, hydrocortisone (cortisol), the principal glucocorticoid (GC) of the human adrenal cortex has been successfully used at phar macological concentrations for the suppression of clinical manifesta tions of rheumatoid arthritis. Numerous compounds with GC activity have also been developed and used. Fifty years after their initial clinical use, GCs are still the most im portant and frequently prescribed class of anti-inflammatory drugs for various inflammatory disorders. They are administered either orally, parenterally (intravenous, intramuscular, intrathecal), or topically (cu...