Role Of The Immune System In Renal Transplantation Importance Mechanism And Therapy

Pathophysiology is the convergence of pathology (the discipline of observed changes in a diseased state) with physiology (the mechanisms of systems operation). It represents the functional changes that occur because of injury or disease. This volume provides state-of-the-art up-to-date literature reviews on pathophysiological processes in a number of disease states. The book is organised methodically in a head-to-toe systems approach examining aspects of neuropathophysiology, endocrine pathophysiology, structural biology, renal pathophysiology and genitourinary pathophysiology. This short volume on pathophysiology is intended for general medical and biomedical students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In addition, it is a useful short update of recent advances in research and translational biology to those working in academia or healthcare science.

This book is addressed to physicians and researchers working in the ever-expanding research and practice fields of transplantation medicine. Its purpose is to present the transplantation community with a collection of works written by prominent experts in a variety of transplant-related fields, encompassing the most recent scientific and practical developments and accomplishments in the highly specialized segment of transplantation medicine, such as perioperative care for organ transplant candidates and recipients.

The Janeway's Immunobiology CD-ROM, Immunobiology Interactive, is included with each book, and can be purchased separately. It contains animations and videos with voiceover narration, as well as the figures from the text for presentation purposes.

Though kidney transplantation is considered a routine procedure, there are still significant challenges in post-transplant management. Core Concepts in Renal Transplantation is a clinically focused authoritative guide to the management of kidney transplantation. This comprehensive, state-of-the-art reference summarizes the recent changes in the field of transplantation, offering the complete range of up-to-date information on all the various aspects of basic immunobiology and the medical care of the transplant recipient. Written by a team of renowned authorities in renal transplantation, this concise resource is intended for both the nephrologist and the non-specialist with an interest in kidney transplantation.

Therapeutic immunosuppression has very broad applications in clinical medicine, ranging from prevention and treatment of organ and bone marrow transplant rejection, management of various autoimmune disorders (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis), skin disease, and asthma. Whereas traditionally only a small repertoire of immunosuppressive agents was available for clinical use, recent discoveries have significantly increased the number of approved agents, resulting in numerous trials to further evaluate their potential. In addition, products of the biotechnology industry - monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, cytokine antagonists, and other products of genetic engineering that target key molecular pathways in disease pathogenesis - have either already made, or are on the verge of making an important impact on treatment. There is also considerable interest in the potential of cell-based therapies (particularly hematopoietic stem and dendritic cell therapy) of allo- and autoimmunity. Important recent advances in the immunotherapy of allergic diseases are also covered in this book. Gene therapy offers considerable promise for suppressing pathogenic processes in either transplantation or autoimmune disorders. The possibility of combining these important new advances to maximize benefit to the patient, and to minimize possible untoward effects (which are also given extensive coverage in this book), is one of the most exciting challenges of contemporary medicine. This volume is intended both for practising physicians and surgeons and for biomedical scientists at the graduate/postdoctoral levels, and is designed to provide the theory behind these various approaches to immunosuppression, and to provide state-of-the-art reviews of current developments in each area. Each chapter is contributed by one or more experts in the field. There was a need to bring this information together in a single volume, as much of the key recent developments have been dispersed throughout the biomedical literature, largely in specialized journals. Since, as in the past, important developments in immunosuppressive therapy in one branch of medicine (i.e. transplantation) are likely to benefit another (e.g., dermatology, rheumatology, gastroenterology), cross-disciplinary coverage of the mechanistic basis of the various therapeutic strategies in a single volume is likely to convey the potential of advances in therapy in the most coherent manner possible.