Wiley Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Crossroads of Microbes, Epithelium and Immune Systems: 263 (Novartis Foundation Symposia)

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises a group of idiopathic diseases of the intestine characterized by chronic inflammation of the bowel with periods of exacerbation and remission. Although the exact cause of IBD remains undetermined, the condition appears to be related to a combination of genetic and environmental factors resulting in an aberrant activation of the mucosal immune system. This book contains a series of interdisciplinary discussions between clinical and basic scientists focusing on key issues such as: Epithelial cell and molecular biology, including apoptosis, necrosis and cell survival The role of bacterial milieu and mucosal bacteria in the IBD and of prebiotic and probiotic therapy The progress towards the identification of susceptibility genes and phenotype-determining genes The pharmacogenetics of IBD Mucosal immunology and therapeutic strategies stemming therefrom Review "This is a well written book that provides a succinct, easy to read summary of the current concepts in IBD. The discussions following each chapter are invaluable." ( Doody's Book Review Service) From the Inside Flap Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises a group of idiopathic diseases of the intestine characterized by chronic inflammation of the bowel with periods of exacerbation and remission. The two major categories of IBD are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. In their classical forms, they differ both clinically and histologically but it is still uncertain whether they are distinct diseases. Although the exact cause of IBD remains undetermined, the condition appears to be related to a combination of genetic and environmental factors that result in aberrant activation of the mucosal immune system. Whilst chemotherapeutic treatments are usually effective in most patients in maintaining prolonged remission and decreasing the length of active disease periods, such treatments have side effects and a significant number of people still require surgery. This important book draws together four fundamental strands in IBD research: genetics, bacteriology, epithelial biology and immunology. The identification of genes that confer susceptibility to IBD is likely to translate into a more detailed and complete understanding of disease pathogenesis and of the nature of the key interactions with environmental insults. This could lead to better diagnosis and more rational and appropriate treatment. From the Back Cover Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises a group of idiopathic diseases of the intestine characterized by chronic inflammation of the bowel with periods of exacerbation and remission. The two major categories of IBD are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. In their classical forms, they differ both clinically and histologically but it is still uncertain whether they are distinct diseases. Although the exact cause of IBD remains undetermined, the condition appears to be related to a combination of genetic and environmental factors that result in aberrant activation of the mucosal immune system. Whilst chemotherapeutic treatments are usually effective in most patients in maintaining prolonged remission and decreasing the length of active disease periods, such treatments have side effects and a significant number of people still require surgery. This important book draws together four fundamental strands in IBD research: genetics, bacteriology, epithelial biology and immunology. The identification of genes that confer susceptibility to IBD is likely to translate into a more detailed and complete understanding of disease pathogenesis and of the nature of the key interactions with environmental insults. This could lead to better diagnosis and more rational and appropriate treatment. About the Author Derek J. Chadwick and Jamie A. Goode are editors for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Crossroads of Microbes, Epithelium and Immune Systems and other scientific titles.