Immunocytochemical Aspects Of Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins And Adhesive Proteins During Activation

It was just about ten years ago that platelet membrane glycoproteins were first charac terized and their abnormalities in congenital bleeding disorders first recognized. Dur ing this decade there has been a remarkable growth in our understanding of the structure and membrane organization of the platelet surface glycoproteins, their in teractions with external ligands during the process of hemostasis, and their defects causing hemorrhagic disease. These studies have advanced the knowledge of platelet involvement in hemostasis from a cellular to a molecular level, and they have provided a model for contact interactions among other cell types. This seemed a proper time to ask those who contributed major observations and insights during these past years to review their progress and to assess the state of our present knowledge. We have planned this volume to begin with the biochemistry of platelet membrane glycoproteins themselves and proceed through their involvement in platelet function to the final considerations of the platelet's role in maintaining the integrity of the vascular system. Our aim was an integrated presentation on the blood platelet from the perspective of its highly specialized and reactive cell surface. James N. George Alan T. Nurden David R. Phillips vii Contents I. INTRODUCTION 1. Plasma Membrane Receptors and Platelet Response Ernst F. Wscher 1. Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. Platelet Receptor Functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . 2. 1. Receptors Involved in Platelet Adhesion and in Cell-Cell Contact. . . 5 2. 2. Receptors Involved in Platelet Activation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . 3. Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 II.

Stem Cells and Cancer in Hepatology: From the Essentials to Application offers basic scientists and clinicians in the fields of stem cells, hepatology and oncology an overview of the interaction between liver biology, stem cells and cancer. It discusses how the liver performs regeneration and repair, the role stem cells play in these processes, and the mechanisms by which liver cancers are initiated and developed. As the field of stem cells and cancer stem cells in hepatology is new and dynamic, thus making it difficult for researchers and clinicians to understand the most relevant historic and novel studies, this volume addresses that challenge. Addresses both the basic and clinical perspectives of the topic, including sections on normal and cancer stem cells of the liver Provides coverage of the molecular mechanisms of liver development, the proliferation of hepatic progenitor cells during development, epithelial cell plasticity, generation of hepatocytes by transdifferentiation, liver tissue engineering, and more Presents a study of hepatic stem cells that will help readers understand critical events during development, stem cell differentiation towards functional liver cell fate, and tumor initiation

The microcirculation is highly responsive to, and a vital participant in, the inflammatory response. All segments of the microvasculature (arterioles, capillaries, and venules) exhibit characteristic phenotypic changes during inflammation that appear to be directed toward enhancing the delivery of inflammatory cells to the injured/infected tissue, isolating the region from healthy tissue and the systemic circulation, and setting the stage for tissue repair and regeneration. The best characterized responses of the microcirculation to inflammation include impaired vasomotor function, reduced capillary perfusion, adhesion of leukocytes and platelets, activation of the coagulation cascade, and enhanced thrombosis, increased vascular permeability, and an increase in the rate of proliferation of blood and lymphatic vessels. A variety of cells that normally circulate in blood (leukocytes, platelets) or reside within the vessel wall (endothelial cells, pericytes) or in the perivascular space (mast cells, macrophages) are activated in response to inflammation. The activation products and chemical mediators released from these cells act through different well-characterized signaling pathways to induce the phenotypic changes in microvessel function that accompany inflammation. Drugs that target a specific microvascular response to inflammation, such as leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion or angiogenesis, have shown promise in both the preclinical and clinical studies of inflammatory disease. Future research efforts in this area will likely identify new avenues for therapeutic intervention in inflammation. Table of Contents: Introduction / Historical Perspectives / Anatomical Considerations / Impaired Vasomotor Responses / Capillary Perfusion / Angiogenesis / Leukocyte-Endothelial Cell Adhesion / Platelet-Vessel Wall Interactions / Coagulation and Thrombosis / Endothelial Barrier Dysfunction / Epilogue / References

Ultrastructural Pathology