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Reviewing current strategies and methods to treat and manage patients suffering with ventilatory dysfunction, this reference provides a critical overview of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and outcomes of COPD-describing techniques to prevent and reduce the development of symptoms, improve patient quality of life, and slow the progres

This book providesa practical approach to bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and its analyses, which are used worldwide in both research and clinical settings. It includes useful guidelines with a theoretic background and provides details on microscopic and flow cytometric measurements for all known differential diagnostics made with BAL analyses, from chronic diseases like COPD and ILD via infectious diseases to inherited illnesses like cystic fibrosis. It includes BAL in both adult and pediatric medicine. The text is supported throughout by illustrations and clinical cases, serving as an invaluable resource for respiratory medicine and infectious disease clinicians and trainees.Key features: Uses BAL in the infectious diseases field and the search for respiratory viruses using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. Presents contributions from worldwide experts. Clarifies the BAL technique and its diagnostic utility to respiratory physicians, cytologists, and pathologists involved in the diagnosis of pulmonary disease. Provides an updated perspective on the future applications of BAL techonology to research and clinical medicine.

Inflammatory Cells and Mediators in Bronchial Asthma provides reviews and summaries regarding state-of-the-art articles that examine the role of various inflammatory cells and their mediators in the pathogenesis of asthma. Topics include pharmacological and biochemical regulation of the airways; involvement of key inflammatory cells and the release and effect of their mediators in airway function; and the characteristics of receptors for leukotriene B4, C4, and D4, adenosine, platelet-activating factor, sensory and inflammatory peptides, and the effect of various anti-asthmatic drugs on airway inflammation. Physicians, allergists, immunologists, and pulmonary disease research scientists will find this book to be an invaluable reference resource.

Asthma is a disease of high prevalence that has shown a trend toward increasing incidence, morbidity, and mortality over the last three decades despite apparently effective drug treatments and increasing awareness of the need for better disease management. Often the inflammatory component of asthma is studied; however, the tissue remodelling process is a significant process that should not be overlooked. This valuable reference synthesizes current data and concepts developed to determine the relationship between airway wall remodelling and the pathogenesis of asthma. It discusses evidence for structural changes in asthmatic airway, the relationship between airway thickening and hyperresponsiveness, the relationship between cytokine production and tissue remodelling and inflammation, the significance of epithelial changes and the extracellular matrix, and in vivo and in vitro experimental approaches to the assessment of remodelling. Pharmacological and biochemical mechanisms that control cell proliferation are also examined. The consequences of airway wall remodelling for airway hyperresponsiveness is the unique focus of this volume, offering a fresh perspective of advances in asthma research.

This authoritative text on occupational lung disorders builds upon the fundamentals, including clinical, epidemiological, and predictive approaches. It discusses interstitial and malignant diseases, airways diseases, and other respiratory issues, such as diving, working at high altitudes, and abnormal sleep conditions. It also covers related long-term conditions, such as asthma and COPD. This edition has been completely revised and brought up to date for all physicians dealing with pulmonary disorders caused by the environment or the workplace.Print Versions of this book also include access to the ebook version.

The lungs provide a significant opportunity for the introduction of both therapeutic and toxic chemicals into the human body. In occupational and domestic environments, hazardous chemicals can enter the body through the lungs via gases, aerosols, and particulates from natural and anthropogenic sources. Fully updated with new research and discoverie

Responding to the substantial growth that has taken place in the field over the past decade, this reference provides an in-depth overview of current thought on the genetics and genomics of asthma and COPD in relation to their pathogenesis and treatment. With contributions by an esteemed team of international authorities on the topic, this source sp

The literature on cytokine genetics is vast, so vast that it is now practically beyond the time or logistical constraints of most scientists to successfully keep pace with it. A compilation of the latest research, Cytokine Gene Polymorphisms in Multifactorial Conditions brings together, reviews, and structures up-to-date information on polymorphism