Allergy and allergic diseases : the new mechanisms and therapeutics

In Allergy and Allergic Diseases: The New Mechanisms and Therapeutics, a distinguished international panel of researchers and clinicians review the latest findings on the cellular and molecular foundations of allergic diseases, particularly those of the airway, skin, and bowel. The key topics treated span the range from epidemiology and the mechanisms of inflammation, to signaling in pathogenesis and allergic reactions. Each contributor treats the pathophysiology of allergy in various organ-based diseases and syndromes, emphasizing important new findings from cellular and molecular biology that illuminate these diseases, but also reveal important leads for the development of novel drugs and therapeutic strategies. Allergy and Allergic Diseases: The New Mechanisms and Therapeutics highlights the interface between basic and clinical science in allergic disease. Its up-to-date, clinically relevant approach constitutes the new standard knowledge base in clinical immunology and allergy, not only for specialists, but also for internists, for scientists studying the cellular and molecular biology of inflammation and immunity, and for researchers focused on drug discovery and therapeutics. Authoritative and timely, Allergy and Allergic Diseases is clearly the today's indispensable new resource for all physicians and investigators seeking a deeper understanding of allergy in both its basic and clinical aspects. Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Molecular Mechanisms of Isotype Switching to IgE....Pages 3-11 Cytokines and IgE Regulation....Pages 13-40 Environmental Allergens....Pages 41-60 Ontogeny of Allergy....Pages 61-82 Front Matter....Pages 83-83 The Role of the Bone Marrow in Allergic Disease....Pages 85-102 The Role of Mast Cells in Inflammation and Homeostasis....Pages 103-125 Human Langerhans Cells....Pages 127-137 Eosinophils....Pages 139-165 Role of Basophils in Allergic Reactions....Pages 167-174 Neurogenic Inflammation in Allergic Disease....Pages 175-194 Inflammation....Pages 195-210 T-Cells in the Pathogenesis of Asthma and Allergic Diseases....Pages 211-227 Role of CD8 + T-Cells in the Regulation of Immunoglobulin E....Pages 229-241 Airway Wall Structure....Pages 243-280 Epithelium....Pages 281-303 Front Matter....Pages 305-305 Proinflammatory Cytokines in Allergic Disease....Pages 307-329 Hemopoietic Cytokines....Pages 331-350 Adhesion Receptors in Allergic Disease....Pages 351-371 Cell/Cytokine Interactions....Pages 373-382 Front Matter....Pages 383-383 Signaling in Mast Cells....Pages 385-393 Front Matter....Pages 383-383 Signaling in Human Basophils....Pages 395-413 Eosinophil Signal Transduction....Pages 415-441 Front Matter....Pages 443-443 Pathogenesis of Allergic Rhinitis....Pages 445-457 Pathogenic Mechanisms of Urticaria....Pages 459-480 Atopic Eczema....Pages 481-492 Pathogenesis of Asthma....Pages 493-508 Pathogenesis of Allergic Conjunctivitis....Pages 509-519 Front Matter....Pages 521-521 Glucocorticoids (Corticosteroids)....Pages 523-539 Beta-Agonists....Pages 541-557 Sodium Cromoglycate and Nedocromil Sodium....Pages 559-566 Airway Remodeling and Repair....Pages 567-579 Back Matter....Pages 581-599

This concise handbook of practical information regarding the diagnosis and treatment of pain is organized to give the busy practitioner rapid access to relevant data for the diagnosis and treatment of pain in every kind of disorder. Written by a multidisciplinary team of highly experienced clinicians, the book concisely discusses the differential diagnosis of pain throughout the body, describes appropriate diagnostic tests that will confirm the diagnosis, and presents the key treatment options in practical terms, complete with recommended medications and doses. The Pain Management Handbook will assist both primary care providers and specialists in the rapid diagnosis and treatment of pain. It provides all the information clinicians need to develop strategies that optimize pain management in their patients.

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A practical guide to help clinicians develop strategies for managing their patients' pain without either letting them suffer needlessly or over-prescribing dangerous medication. Contributors represent a wide range of specialties. The topics include assessing the patient with pain, pain in specific body parts and systems, comprehensive pain management in patients with cancer, pain by etiology, treatment, and legal issues. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Those who do not feel pain seldom think that it is felt. SAMUEL JoHNSON, The Rambler, no. 48 (September 1, 1750) Who among us has not experienced the suffering of a patient with chronic disease, who in addition to the vicissitudes of fatigue, anxiety, and frustration, must also deal with the suffering of pain? Who among us has not considered, and then reconsidered, whether a patient's complaints are worthy of a narcotic and thence worried about the social and legal implications of chronic use? Who among us has not refused pain medications to our patients for fear that use was turning into abuse? Finally, who among us would not have liked a clinical guide to a myriad of syndromes, all of which have pain as their common denominator, in the hopes of developing some strategy to prioritize treatment. Our purpose in preparing The Pain Management Handbook is to provide the informa­ tion needed by clinicians to develop strategies that optimize pain management. It is the goal of the editors and authors that the present handbook, above all else, will be clinically useful. Its aim is to provide practical information regarding the diagnosis and treatment of disorders causing pain, along with tables and graphics to provide the busy practitioner with rapid access to relevant data. Seasoned clinicians comprehensively, yet succinctly, summarize their years of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic pain across a wide variety of medical conditions. Drawing on their extensive personal knowledge of internal medicine, family practice, rheumatology, neurology, cardiology, as well as of urology, oncology, neurology, physical medicine, and gastroenterology, they provide all the practical information needed by busy practitioners to initiate appropriate diagnostic tests and therapy-without having to consult other references. Treatment is presented in practical terms, with specific but full information given on medications and dosages