Inflammation

This book represents an excellent, updated review on selected topics, ideas, hypotheses, and therapeutic strategies in the aetiology and pathogenesis of inflammatory phenomena. The introductory article reveals the nature of the immune status of critically ill patients and proposes the usefulness of immuno-stimulating therapy. The next series of articles deals with the role of cytokines in mediating cell functions in immunity and inflammation. The complexity of the prostaglandin function, the pathogenesis of allergic diseases and their control, as well as the inflammatory response to Mycobacteria, are critically evaluated. In addition, therapeutic strategies in infection and inflammation, including application of cytokines and anti-apoptotic factors, are proposed. These also include phage therapy, whose renaissance is associated with the recent worsening problem of resistance to antibiotics. The book is addressed to scientists involved in biomedical research, hospital doctors, and medical students interested in the immunology of inflammation.

Immune Balance in Critically Ill Patients -- T Cell Integrin Activation by Chemokines in Inflammation -- Differential Patterns of T Cell Chemokine Receptor Expression in Human Th1- and Th2-Associated Diseases -- Interleukin 15: Its Role in Inflammation and Immunity -- Cytokines and Costimulatory Molecules: Positive and Negative Regulation of the Immune Response to Cryptococcus neoformans -- Prostaglandins and Inflammation: the Cyclooxygenase Controversy -- Nuclear Import of Arachidonate 5-Lipoxygenase -- Suppression of Mast Cell Activation by Glucocorticoid -- Pathogenetic Mechanisms of Atopic Dermatitis -- Recent Advances in Understanding how Interleukin 13 Signals are Involved in the Pathogenesis of Bronchial Asthma -- The Inflammatory Response in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection -- Mechanisms of Mycobacterium avium Pathogenesis -- The Therapeutic Potential of Interleukin 10 in Infection and Inflammation -- Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: Molecular Mechanisms and Possible Therapeutic Strategies -- Bacteriophage Therapy of Bacterial Infections: an Update of Our Institute's Experience.