Bücher der Reihe Falk Symposium

This volume is the proceedings of the symposium 'Trends in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapy 1999' held in Vancouver, Canada, August 27-29, 1999, and sponsored by the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada and Axcan Pharma. It is the seventh international IBD symposium to be held in Canada and focuses on all areas of IBD therapy.Topics include: genetics; pathogenesis with reference to the role of autoimmunity, bacterial factors and neutrophil -- epithelial interactions; special clinical problems such as difficult diagnoses and challenges presented by children and the elderly; bone disease in IBD; an overview of current therapy; and a discussion of alternative therapy.

There is no single truth regarding the recognition and management of IBD. In this regards the old dictum ¿there is no disease but the patient¿ should be the golden rule. Nowadays, more complicated Crohn's disease cases at relatively young ages are not unusual. Various clinical and extraintestinal manifestations have been seen rarely until now. The evolution of the therapeutic armamentarium is now a double-edged sword since ¿more drugs¿ may mean ¿more side-effects, less compliance and a more critical attitude of health authorities towards the cost of treatment¿. Education of the patient and the family, creation of empathy and a positive rapport with the patient and a careful analysis of confounding/contributing factors to the disease behaviour are essential elements of optimal therapy of IBD patients.This book contains the proceedings of Falk Symposium 159, entitled IBD 2007 -- Achievements in Research and Clinical Practice, held in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 4--5, 2007, where opinion leaders with worldwide reputations discuss IBD and related issues in a less well-known part of the world with respect to prevalence, disease behaviour and patient characteristics, as well as the difficulties faced in differential diagnosis and management.

Between the 1950s and 1980s, Europe and North America saw an increase in the incidence of Crohn¿s disease in adults. The incidence of paediatric Crohn¿s disease has grown and we are now entering a new era, in which inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is emerging in the Asia-Pacific nations. This book presents the first major text where "East meets West" in IBD. The issues in the regions where IBD is a relatively common disease include the role of genetic and environmental factors in pathogenesis and disease expression, the application of diagnostic tools, and the use of biological agents in therapy. In contrast, key issues in the nations where IBD is at present relatively rare include characterising the nature and behaviour of IBD in those populations, developing ways of differentiating IBD from infective bowel conditions, eg. tuberculosis, how to apply standard treatment regimens, and the role of traditional therapies, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, in the management of IBD.

The first gene responsible for Crohn's disease has now been identified and the pathophysiological understanding of inflammatory bowel disease as well as its practical treatment have made much progress in recent years. Thus it is obviously important to consider the targets and the aims of treatment in context. The Falk Symposium No. 131 (Part II of the Gastroenterology Week Freiburg 2002), held in October 2002 in Freiburg, Germany, in its first part was dedicated to newly defined and partly alternative therapeutic targets. In addition, an attempt was made to learn from experts from other fields such as pneumology or dermatology. The second part was dedicated to the aims of treatment in daily practice. Aside from general treatment, aims such as amelioration of symptoms, pre-conditions of treatment, the view of the patients, and aspects of life quality were dealt with. This volume is the proceedings of the symposium and is important reading for both clinicians and basic scientists.

Portal hypertension is causally related to major complications of chronic liver disease like upper GI tract bleeding, ascites formation, portosystemic encephalopathy and bacterial infections. In recent years, new approaches have increased our knowledge of the underlying pathobiological events of these complications. Accordingly, new promising treatment modalities have been developed and introduced into clinical trials. This book, the proceedings of the 79th Falk Symposium in Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Germany, 17--19 June 1994, presents the latest developments in the field, including a section which describes the role of portal hypertension in the pathogenesis of complications of chronic liver disease. Also covered is the therapeutic management of portal hypertension and its consequences as well as the latest endoscopic, interventional and surgical treatment options. This book is essential reading for those whose interests range from anatomy and pathobiology through to practical recommendations for treatment of portal hypertension.

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 Jürgen 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 1998, NASH was recognized as one of the most common liver diseases in Western countries when viral hepatitis and heavy alcohol consumption were excluded. ASH, or alcoholic steatohepatitis, is more common than NASH, since alcohol is omnipresent in Western as well as Eastern cultures. Histologically NASH and ASH are similar or even identical. Morphological findings range from fatty degeneration to inflammation and fibrosis, and may end up in liver cirrhosis. In spite of the well-defined morphological features, our knowledge of epidemiology, aetiology, and pathogenesis is full of gaps, especially for NASH. Therefore, it is the purpose of this book to show the state of the art, to discuss recent scientific data, and to suggest possible treatment strategies, hoping to stimulate clinicians as well as scientists.

The aetiology of the chronic inflammatory bowel diseases - Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis - is still enigmatic. The therapeutic approach has therefore traditionally focused on anti-inflammatory principles, including corticosteroids and aminosalicylates. Since a significant proportion of patients is steroid-dependent or refractory and because of the problematic side-effects of long-term systemic steroids, active immunosuppression has gained acceptance in the field. The classical immunosuppressants azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine have long been evidence-based in IBD, but underused. Recently, methotrexate and cyclosporine have also been proven to be effective in certain situations. Newer drugs like tacrolimus, mycophenolate and others may be similarly useful but their potential is still unclear. Finally, the immune modifiers including IL-10 and TNF-antibodies have been successfully subjected to controlled trials. Other experimental drugs discussed in this book are on the horizon. This volume is the Proceedings of Falk Symposium 119 held in Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Germany, October 3-4, 2000, and covers systematically the field of immunosuppression in inflammatory bowel diseases. It is hoped that it will further the prudent use of these drugs in the proper clinical situations by increasing our understanding of both the mechanisms of action and the clinical benefit to the patient.

Hardly any other part of the human body is of such interdisciplinary interest as the anal, perianal and rectal region. Gastroenterologists, dermatologists, urologists, general practitioners and surgeons specialising in proctology, phlebology, and coloproctological surgery are involved in this region between the ectoderm, transitional zone, and entoderm. Diagnostic procedures, such as endoscopy, radiology, sonography, manometry, electromyography, and histopathology are even more diverse, in particular where the differential diagnosis of non-neoplastic conditions of the anorectal region is concerned. The Falk Symposium No. 118, held in Freiburg, Germany, on October 1-2, 2000, focused on the morphology and function of the pelvic floor and its dysfunction, radiation damage in proctology, haemorrhoidal complaints, and chronic inflammatory rectal diseases, as well as conditions of the anal and perianal region. These proceedings will be of interest to all research physicians and colleagues working in hospitals or in their own practice who are involved in the diagnosis and treatment of anorectal pathologies.

Chronic hepatitis has been in the focus of intense scientific research for decades. Recently, considerable progress and exciting new insights into pathogenesis and resulting therapeutic strategies have been made. Replication of hepatitis B and C viruses and details of life cycle in the host have been well characterised. Immunology in general and immunopathology of the liver in viral and autoimmune hepatitis have shown more specific mechanisms of host defence and new models of autoimmune aggression have been developed. The role of apoptosis in liver damage is now well appreciated and has been analyzed precisely. Essential steps of fibrogenesis as a consequence of chronic liver damage are better understood by now and new strategies for its prevention have evolved. Chronic hepatitis is the leading cause of liver cell carcinoma, the molecular basis of which has been more clearly elucidated. This increasing knowledge will provide a sound basis for more effective therapy in chronic hepatitis and its life-threatening consequences. This book, the proceedings of the Falk Workshop on Chronic Hepatitis, held in Cologne, Germany, on January 27-28, 2000, brings together experts from different fields of research such as virology, immunology, pathology, cell and molecular biology, as well as clinical medicine, and disusses in depth the novel findings in basic and clinical research.

In the last decade, some outstanding progress has been made in the field of neurogastroenterology, a term which has been introduced to account for the crucial role of the enteric, autonomic and central nervous system in the regulation of gastrointestinal functions in health and disease. These proceedings of Falk Symposium No. 112 on Neurogastroenterology - From the Basics to the Clinics, held in Freiburg, Germany, on 21-22 June 1999, reviews and discusses the fast-growing knowledge in this field in order to initiate more interdiscliplinary discussions along with new research. Contributors include basic scientists, clinicians of various specialities, morphologists, physiologists, molecular biologists, embryologists, pharmacologists, surgeons, gastroenterologists and behavioural scientists interested in the central and the autonomic nervous system in relation to the gastrointestinal tract.

Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases represent an important medical problem, since they have a devastating impact on the quality of life and require longstanding medical care. Many medical disciplines are involved in tackling the immensely complex studies on pathogenesis, clinical expression and treatment possibilities. This book, the proceedings of the Falk Symposium 105 on `Innovative Concepts in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases', held in Rostock, Germany, on April 30 - May 2, 1998, brought together experts from different fields of science to allow a unified view on clinical and basic research. The main themes of the meeting were genetics, animal models, immunology, epithelial cells, endotoxin, diagnostic procedures, malignancy, medical therapies, and surgery. In each section of the book experts present state-of-the-art reviews with the very latest developments in the respective research areas followed by chapters on different aspects of inflammatory bowel diseases. They provide suggestions concerning future research and clinical management of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.

Although cell turnover in normal adult liver is extremely low, hepatic tissue is notorious for its almost infinite capacity to regenerate in cases of viral, toxic or traumatic damage. Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most frequent malignancies worldwide and causes more than a million deaths per year. The mechanisms governing normal proliferation and malignant transformation of liver cells are of utmost interest for the understanding of regeneration and hepatocarcinogenesis and for the development of new therapeutic strategies. Therefore, the International Falk Workshop held in Halle, Germany, on January 29-30 1998, focused on the issues of normal and malignant liver cell growth. Knowledge in this area of research has expanded rapidly during recent years. This book of proceedings summarizes the latest advances both in basic science and clinical research. Stimulating discussion set the basis for the development of new strategies in diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and for the manipulation of regeneration in cases of acute or chronic loss of functional liver tissue.

Most symposia on chronic inflammatory bowel disease during the last few years have focused on new aspects of aetiology and pathophysiology. However, based on such new aspects, changes in diagnosis and treatment have been developed over the last few years and some others are currently under investigation. This book, the proceedings of Falk Symposium 97, `Clinical Challenges in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - Diagnosis, Prognosis and Treatment', held in Lugano, Switzerland, 18-19 April 1997, summarizes these changes and new developments, discusses their value and defines further new approaches. The topics include primary diagnosis, definition of different patient groups, special problems of these patients in daily life and very new therapeutic principles. This volume opens new possibilities of diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease to physicians and provides stimulation for further development.

There are many separate groups working in gut biology, and they feel that the gut is an excellent model for investigating general problems in differentiation, growth control, stem cell biology, and regeneration and adaptive responses. There is a pressing need to define the objectives of the next 5 to 10 years, and the meeting, Part III of the Gastroenterology Symposia Freiburg 1996 (Falk Symposium No. 94), held in Freiburg, Germany, October 25-26, brought together some of these groups with a view to identifying areas which are not being utilized and need to be exploited, such as transgenic and knockout approaches, retrovirus delivery systems, and model cell/tissue systems. The main themes of the book are gastrointestinal development and differentiation, gut stem cell biology, and the control of gut growth in normal and abnormal situations. Basic research findings are related to clinical situations, and the book will appeal not only to gut cell and molecular biologists, but also to gastroenterologists interested in the potential applications of these subject areas.

In recent years functional gastrointestinal disorders have attracted much interest. These disorders are extremely common. They are characterized by symptoms and the lack of structural lesions that can be identified with clinically available routine diagnostic tests. Several functional abnormalities are now believed to play a role in the development of the symptoms. This book summarizes the presentations at the International Falk Symposium No. 99 `Functional Dyspepsia and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Concepts and Controversies' that took place on May 27-28, 1997. This symposium brought together clinical and basic researchers and clinicians to improve interdisciplinary communication. The meeting comprehensively covered basic and clinical aspects of these disorders, and it not only summarized the current knowledge, but also identified scientific questions that need to be addressed in the future.

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease remain a great therapeutic challenge to the medical community. In recent years knowledge about the pathogenesis of these diseases has progressed rapidly but the cause of the diseases remains completely unknown. It has become clear that dysregulation of the mucosal immune system is the basis for the chronic evolution of the diseases in a genetically susceptible population. Exciting new therapeutic approaches have been attempted in the last couple of years and cytokine and anti-cytokine treatments in particular seem very promising, especially in intractable disease. The format of the Falk Symposium 106 on `Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases', held in Brussels, Belgium, June 18-20, 1998, was somewhat innovative as each session attempted to link the new insights into pathogenetic mechanisms with new therapeutic approaches, resulting in optimal information transfer. The classic therapeutic schemes were updated with a special focus on step-wise build-up of therapy.

This book, the proceedings of Falk Symposium No. 125 on 'Cytokines in Liver Injury and Repair' (Progress in Gastroenterology and Hepatology Part II), held in Hannover, Germany, on September 30 - October 1, 2001, provides an update of our current knowledge on the role of cytokines in various human and experimental liver diseases and on their present and prospective use in therapeutic trials. The book contains chapters by most well-known experts in the field who have contributed significantly to our present knowledge on cytokines in liver injury and repair.

Treating patients with abdominal symptoms secondary to colonic diverticula is daily practice for general practitioners, gastroenterologists, surgeons and other physicians. At first sight, diagnosis and therapy seem to be straightforward. Nevertheless, discussions on details concerning understanding and management of this disorder often reveal differing views and immediately demonstrate that many questions remain unresolved.An approach to diverticular disease that is generally accepted is lacking. One reason may be that there is a certain paucity of scientific discussion. In contrast to other topics, diverticular disease is rarely found on the agenda of meetings and symposia.The book, the proceedings of Falk Symposium 148 on Diverticular Disease: Emerging Evidence in a Common Condition, held in Munich, Germany, on 17¿18 June 2005, covers many aspects of diverticular disease, from new scientific knowledge to exchange of clinical experience, and will provide much-needed information to basic scientists and clinicians alike.

Proceedings of the Falk Symposium 153 held in Berlin, Germany, May 6-7, 2006

This book contains the proceedings of the XIIIth International Bile Acid Meeting (Falk Symposium 80), an official satellite meeting of the World Congress of Gastroenterology, held in San Diego, California, U.S.A., September 30--October 2, 1994.

Gallstones and gallstone diseases, therefore, are a frequent and important clinical problem. The book addresses the basic aspects of gallstone pathogenesis as well as the non-surgical and surgical treatment of gallstone diseases.