Surgical Immunology

An understanding of the complex workings of the immune system is essential for all surgeons. Immune responses play a crucial part in the way human body reacts to infection and trauma. Immunology for Surgeons contains a high-level discussion of this difficult clinical area. The text looks at tumor immunobiology and immunotherapy as well as the worldwide results of various clinical trials. The topics discussed focus on relevant immunological and molecular biological trends for future treatment of complex surgical disease. The main objective of the text is to render a difficult area accessible for the postgraduate surgical trainee and established surgeon who is interested in immunology.

Previously published as: The Immunological basis of surgical science and practice, 1992.

In this book, the recent developments in immunology and the impact on the treatment of infections in critical care and in surgery are presented, also describing how cellular immunology influences clinical treatment. This information helps in understanding the pathogenesis of infections in surgery and critical care. The impact of a standard treatment such as antibiotic therapy is evaluated and possible future therapy modalities outlined. This book will be of interest to clinicians and immunologists as scientists of both specialties have contributed to the book.

Immunology is a rapidly expanding biological science which provides an insight into a number of disease processes in surgical practice, such as cancer, sepsis, and trauma. It also lays the foundations for new and innovative therapy including cytokine infusions in cancer, and monoclonal antibodies in organ transplantation. This book is an up-to-date, concise, and lucid account of basic immunology and its relevance to the modern practice of clinical surgery. It is essential, not only for the surgical trainee, but also for the established surgeon, to keep abreast of developments in the "new biologies". This guide also gives a timely account of the impact of AIDS, provides an overview of the principles of common assays used in immunology, and contains a valuable glossary of terms used in immunology.

R. Y.Calne Surgeons are transplanting kidneys in ever increasing numbers-more than 10000 renal allografts have now been reported to the Transplant Registry. With related donors 75% of grafted kidneys continued to function after 2 years, compared with 50% when the donors were unrelated. The therapeutic value is obvious, but the management is largely empirical and results have improved little in the past 5 years. The basic sciences related to tissue transplantation have advanced rapidly. New serological and tissue culture techniques and chemical analysis of antigens and anti bodies have produced complicated data that is almost incomprehensible to the non specialist. Mathematical treatment of genetic probabilities and of immunological kinetics are similarly difficult to follow for those not especially trained. There has always been a gulf between the practical clinician whose patients do not behave like inbred rodents and the biologist who likes carefully controlled experiments with easily observed results. Both realize, however, that predictable and safe control of rejection must involve close collaboration and co-operation between the laboratory and the clinic. Unfortwlately, the different nature of the work and the workers has widened the gap between them. The clinicians tend to improve their techniques and patient care, whilst the biologists seek clearer and more precisely deflned experi ments which lead them to use increasingly artiflcial experimental models.