Bücher der Reihe Progress in Inflammation Research

What are the different muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes and how are they distributed in the airways and molecular signalling mechanisms? What is their function in neurogenic and non-neurogenic control of the airways and in inflammatory mechanisms? How is their gene expression regulated? The great importance of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors for the pathophysiology and treatment of chronic inflammatory obstructive airways diseases calls for a comprehensive and integrated overview of the current knowledge to address such questions, to discuss the role of these receptor subtypes in diseases such as asthma and COPD, and to present novel perspectives on antimuscarinic drug development. The present book is the worthy result of this need. It points out innovative insights into the hitherto poorly understood role of postjunctional muscarinic M2 receptors in airway smooth muscle contraction and sheds some light on the novel concepts of antimuscarinic drug development, with special reference to the l

New research has shown that brain ischemia and trauma elicit strong inflammatory reactions driven by both external and brain cells. The work may have an impact on the treatment of neuroinjuries and ancillary brain diseases, and increase the understanding of the roles infections and immune reactions play in the brain milieu.

This PIR volume presents a comprehensive collection of reviews that focus on the role of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) during steady-state and inflamed conditions. Within the central nervous system (CNS) the constantly changing bloodstream is strictly separated from the CNS parenchyma by the BBB.

This book focuses on the salient features of the biology of Bone Morphogenetic Proteins and the advances in our understanding of their structure and function and of downstream signaling, as well as their governance in systems biology from bone and dentin to kidney, cancer, diabetes, iron homeostasis and angiogenesis, including rare musculoskeletal disorders. BMPs, also referred to as growth and differentiation factors, are members of the TGF-beta superfamily and are highly conserved from fruit flies to mammals and are responsible for the formation of practically every organ during embryo development and involved in adult tissue injury and repair. BMPs establish their extracellular gradient by interacting with their respective antagonists and regulate their function through SMAD-dependent down-stream signaling effector genes.This volume is aimed at scientists and professionals dealing with metabolic disorders, nutrition, systems biology diseases, rare musculoskeletal conditions, and disorders related to iron metabolism, including anemia of chronic disease, hereditary hemochromatosis and beta thalassemia.

The book serves as a comprehensive resource for scientists and clinicians studying the role of non-coding RNAs in inflammation (viral infections, wound inflammation), human inflammatory diseases (i.e.

This book discusses recent advances in new anti- and pro-inflammatory pathways in diabetic disease, and identifies new diagnostic immunological methods that offer potential companion diagnostics for diabetic diseases.

Autophagy principally serves an adaptive function to protect organisms against diverse human pathologies, including cancer and neurodegeneration. Recent developments using in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models show the involvement of the autophagy pathway in immunity and inflammation. Moreover, direct interactions between autophagy proteins and immune signalling molecules have also been demonstrated. Defects in autophagy - similar to cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and aging - through autophagy gene mutation and/or microbial antagonism, may underlie the pathogenesis of many infectious diseases and inflammatory syndromes. In spite of the increasing awareness of the importance of autophagy in these pathophysiological conditions, this process remains underestimated and is often overlooked. As a consequence, its role in the initiation, stability, maintenance, and progression of these diseases are still poorly understood. This book reviews the recent advances regarding the functions ofthe autophagy pathway and autophagy proteins in immunity and inflammation, focusing on their role in self-nonself distinction, their implications in innate and adaptive immune responses and their dysregulation in the pathology of certain inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids by lipoxygenases leads to a variety of fatty acid metabolites which play important roles in physiology but also in pathophysiology.

This book discusses recent advances in new anti- and pro-inflammatory pathways in diabetic disease, and identifies new diagnostic immunological methods that offer potential companion diagnostics for diabetic diseases.

This volume provides recent insights into the control of expression, functioning and membrane trafficking of nervous system sodium channels and reviews why sodium channel sub-types are potentially important drug targets in the treatment of pain.

Our goal for this book is to examine the contemporary therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from the increasingly important perspective of impact upon quality of life, costs and long-term health outcomes.

Heart failure research is a most active area of research in academic, industrial and government-sponsored research and receives intense clinical attention.

This volume describes recent research in the field of metalloproteinases (a family of enzymes that can catalyze tissue degradation), in particular their participation in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, reviewing the latest developments in metalloproteinase inhibitor design and the current status of clinical candidates.

This volume provides new advances regarding the involvement of MMPs in various diseases associated with inflammatory processes.

In Vivo Models of Inflammation (Vol. 1) provides biomedical researchers in both the pharmaceutical industry and academia with a description of the state-of-the-art animal model systems used to emulate diseases with components of inflammation.

TLRs are increasingly being implicated in both infectious and inflammatory diseases, notable examples being sepsis, inflammatory bowel disease, atherosclerosis and asthma.

It is evident that a defective or deregulated complement system results in kidney diseases. An important role of complement effector and regulatory proteins in pathological settings of the kidney has been demonstrated. This book discusses Molecular biology, clinics and therapy.

Recent research indicates that the immune system and inflammatory reactions are governed and regulated by powerful neuronal mediators derived from the central and peripheral nervous system.

Describes Arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism in an integrated context linking the remodeling processes with the biosynthesis of mediators and diseases. This volume describes how upstream biosynthetic pathways influence the formation of lipid mediators of inflammation, showing the metabolic interrelationship between all AA-derived mediators.

Deals with the various interactions between the central nervous system and the immune system in inflammatory conditions. Emphasising the origin of pain and stress, this book is divided into four parts: central nervous system and inflammation, stress and inflammation, sympathetic nervous system, and peripheral nervous system and inflammation.

Chemokines play an important role in recruiting inflammatory cells into tissues in response to infection and inflammation. They also play an important role in coordinating the movement of T-cells, B-cells and dentritic cells, necessary to generate an immune response (response to injury, allergens, antigens, invading microorganisms).

This volume reviews the pharmacotherapy of selected gastrointestinal inflammatory conditions chosen on the basis of their clinical importance and/or the areas in which important and exciting progress has recently been made in research.

In the last ten years, major strides have been made in defining the presence and role of inflammation in atherosclerosis as well as in injury to the tissues that occurs after episodes of ischemia and reperfusion.

Although T cells represent an important component of the cells which infiltrate the joint synovium, their contribution at a late stage of the disease remains a matter of debate. The goal of this book is to outline the major arguments and data suggesting that T cells may, or may not, be central players in the pathogenesis of chronic RA.

The next area that the book focuses on are effects at the cellular level, on cell survival versus cell death and signals critical for cell function in both normal and disease states.

Recently performed analysis of fat intake from paleolithic times has indicated that our hunter-gatherer ancestors consumed as much cholesterol as modern Western man, but strikingly less saturated fatty acid and more polyunsatu rates, including n-3 fatty acids.

The human immune system, despite having its own sophisticated defence mecha nisms, is inferior to bacteria and viruses with respect to adaptability.

The book will provide an overview of the roles of vascular adhesion molecules in health and disease, with chapters on their cell biology, followed by chapters reviewing their importance in specific disease processes.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) ranges amongst the commonest diseases in the world. The relentless progression of the disease causes a pressing need for a better understanding of and therapies for COPD. This volume provides state-of-the-art information on the pathophysiology of COPD including an outlook on new therapies.

Research into inflammatory mechanisms that may cause damage to the Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain has now been ongoing for nearly two decades.