Clinical Immunology Of The Liver And Gastrointestinal Tract

We have been privileged to start our academic careers at the begin ning of the decade in which the immunological roles and hypersensitivity diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver have been defined. In the early 1960s IgA was reported to be the main secretory immunoglobulin, immunoblasts were shown to home to the intestinal mucosa and certain serum autoantibodies were described in patients with chronic liver disease. Shortly thereafter IgE and Australia antigen were discovered. Parallel advances in clinical investigation, in particular closed biopsy techniques, facilitated correlation of morphological changes with im munological mechanisms in disease of the gastrointestinal tract and liver. Only 10 years later, the concepts of immunity and hypersensitivity are regularly applied to the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prog nosis of many chronic diseases in these organs. In designing this book we have attempted to integrate theorectical and clinical immunology as they pertain in 1975; our ultimate aim is aptly described by Brachet as quoted by Professor Paronetto (page 319). We would like to think that this review provides a basis for the next major advances in the fields of gastrointestinal and hepatic immunology. As we see it, the outstanding problem in both sites is how to produce protective immunity without hypersensitivity.

This 1994 volume summarizes basic scientific advances in the area of the gut immune system and the immune abnormalities relevant to gastrointestinal and liver disease.

This work on liver and gastroenterology covers such topics as the regulation of the mucosal epithelial cell barrier; antigen preservation in the intestinal tract; special features of the intestinal lymphatic system; and the immunopathology of primary biliary cirrhosis.

Liver Immunology: Principles and Practice, Second Edition begins with important information about the epidemiology and mortality of liver disease worldwide. This information is followed by chapters related to basic immunology, application of liver immunology for diagnosis, and several excellent chapters that provide a solid foundation for understanding immune-mediated liver disease, including those associated with the biliary tree. A chapter on non-hepatic manifestations of immune mediated liver disease helps provide context for how these diseases affect the patient overall. In addition, chapters discuss various discrete immunologically-mediated infectious liver disorders including those related to bacteria, parasites, and all of the classic viruses. Chapters on the traditional autoimmune liver diseases -- primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis as well as overlap syndrome – are also included. The breadth of this comprehensive second edition is highlighted by chapters on alcoholic liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and drug-induced liver disease, among others. This invaluable new edition ends with a forward-looking view of future directions and how the field might meet the challenge of refractory patients. Developed by a renowned group of authors, Liver Immunology: Principles and Practice, Second Edition will again serve as a comprehensive textbook by providing an excellent overview for this rapidly evolving field. It greatly adds to the understanding of the pathogenesis of these diseases, while also providing novel insights that can be harnessed into helping improve the care of patients afflicted with various immune-mediated diseases. This volume will again be a must-read for clinicians at all levels, investigators and students.