الصفحة 1
الصفحة 1
Neonatal Immunity
New advances in cellular immunology, molecular biology, recombinant DNA and proteins, and the function of cytokines and chemokines have revolutionized the study of neonatal immune responsiveness. In Neonatal Immunity, Constantin Bona, MD, critically reviews the classic, as well as most recent-and quite seminal-findings concerning the phenotypic and molecular characteristics of both fetal and neonatal B and T cells, the cells that mediate antibody and cellular immune responses in newborns and infants. Dr. Bona shows how the antibody response of neonates is modulated by maternal antibodies and how, in certain cases, this can cause transient or life-threatening neonatal autoimmune disease. He also describes the characteristics of neonatal tolerance induced by foreign allo- and self-antigens, which are the basis for understanding impaired infant immune response and which provide a rationale for the development of efficient neonatal vaccines. By making clear the characteristics and differences between the immune system and the immune responses of both newborns and infants, compared to those of adults, Dr. Bona offers insights and challenging hypotheses that promise to help overcome the poor responses of neonates to various antigens. Authoritative and forward-looking, Neonatal Immunity critically reviews what we know of the neonatal immune response today, and how this is dramatically opening new therapeutic horizons in such areas as infant vaccination, stem cells, gene therapy, and transplantation.
Innate and Adaptive Immunity in the Tumor Microenvironment
Recent studies, indicate that the tumor microenvironment is unique in providing both supportive and inhibitory factors that determine the fate of the tumor and its host. Accordingly, microenvironmental immunity that operates inside and around a tumor plays a crucial role in cancer development and progression. The aim of the present volume is to compile reviews on innate and adaptive immune responses at the tumor microenvironment with emphasis on positive and negative outcomes that affect the progression of the disease. These reviews have been solicited from experts in the field who published original research studies focusing on these issues.
Immunobiology of natural killer cell receptors
Natural Killer (NK) cells are large granular lymphocytes of the innate immune system. They are widespread throughout the body, being present in both lymphoid organs and non-lymphoid peripheral tissues. NK cells are involved in direct innate immune reactions against viruses, bacteria, parasites and other triggers of pathology, such as malignant transformation, all of which cause stress in affected cells. Importantly, NK cells also link the innate and adaptive immune responses, contributing to the initiation of adaptive immune responses and executing adaptive responses using the CD16 FcgRIIIA immunoglobulin Fc receptor. Such responses are mediated through two major effector functions, the direct cytolysis of target cells and the production of cytokines and chemokines. The authors focus here on the nature of recognition events by NK cells and address how these events are integrated to trigger these distinct and graded effector functions.
Imaging in Transplantation
This book covers all topics related to the imaging of organ transplantation. An introductory section addresses such issues as organ procurement, patient selection, immune responses, and ethical and economic considerations. The main part of the book then offers in-depth coverage of heart, renal, liver, lung, bone marrow and pancreatic and intestinal transplantation.
Human Cytomegalovirus
The golden age of cytomegalovirus research was ushered in during the late 1970s and early 1980s by a set of powerful new technologies that included restriction enzymes, DNA cloning, DNA sequencing, and open reading frame prediction. The genetic manipulation and propagation of novel CMV strains was accelerated with the app- cation of bacterial artificial chromosome technology. Today, we still struggle to understand the full spectrum of disease associated with human CMV. To the molecular biologist, CMV is a master of regulation in the eukaryotic cell where it either replicates or remains latent. To the immunologist, CMV is a master of immune evasion with tools to escape both the innate and acquired immune responses. The use of animal models with non-human CMVs has become significantly more sophisticated and tied to a more certain understanding of the interrelationships of non-human and human CMV genes.
Hepatitis C virus-host interactions and therapeutics : Current insights and future perspectives
The burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on the public health care system continues to remain significant despite the remarkable progress made in HCV therapeutics in the recent past. There are now almost a dozen oral interferon-free direct-acting antivirals available for the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection. Despite advances in the treatment of HCV, therapeutic gaps remain that are yet to be fully explored. Researchers and scientists still strive to understand virus-host interactions to map the disease’s progression along with extrahepatic manifestations and virus invasion strategies impacting the host’s immune system. This book briefly discusses the biology of HCV infection, virus-host interactions, molecular epidemiology of the infection, and the full spectrum of immune responses to hepatitis C. It also provides in-depth information about HCV, clinical diagnostics, and therapeutic knowledge to all stakeholders involved in HCV screening, diagnosis, treatment, and management.
Hepatitis C Virus Disease
Emphasizes the most recent advances on the Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) moving from basic research to clinical application. In spite of the numerous studies on HCV infection, its pathogenesis and medical treatment have not been fully explained. The first chapters of this volume analyize the full spectrum of immune responses to HCV taking into account either innate or adoptive immunity involvement. The volume also includes a series of contributions which explain the state of art of IFN-alpha treatment in HCV patients and the effectiveness of therapy also in relation to HCV genotypes. The use and applications of pegylated IFNs will also be discussed as well as the complicated HCV disease and its treatment. Hepatitis C Virus Disease: Immunobiology and Clinical Applications is an ideal volume for researchers, scientists, professionals, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of infectious disease, immunology, virology, microbiology, pharmacology and medicine.
Heat shock proteins : Potent mediators of inflammation and immunity
Written by leaders in the field of heat shock protein immunobiology, the chapters systematically and in a step wise fashion takes the reader through the fascinating sequence of events by which heat shock proteins activate immune responses and provides answers as to its biological significance to the host.
General Principles of Tumor Immunotherapy : Basic and Clinical Applications of Tumor Immunology
Brings together the world’s leading authorities on tumor immunology. This book describes the basic immunology principles that form the foundation of understanding how the immune system recognizes and rejects tumor cells. The role of the innate and adaptive immune responses is discussed and the implications of these responses for the design of clinical strategies to combat cancer are illustrated through both experimental clinical trials and review of current standard of care therapeutic agents. This information will be invaluable to both students of immunology and cancer research and practicing physicians who have patients with cancer. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the field, demonstrates how advances in basic immunology can and are being applied to cancer, and describes the current status of approved immunotherapy regimens.
Effector-triggered immunity : methods and protocols
Presents a collection of protocols to study effector-triggered immunity (ETI) in both plants and animals from eminent groups in the field. Cover topics such as genetic manipulation of plant and animal pathogens, host cells, and the analysis of key host responses; and techniques used for the analysis of inflammasome activation, cell death pathways, and mitochondria damage in response to pathogens. All of these topics cover a broad spectrum of immunological, biochemical, cell biological, and structural biology approaches to examine ETI.
Dendritic Cells in Clinics
Great advances have taken place in basic research and the clinical usefulness of dendritic cells (DCs). It has now been clearly established, for instance, that these cells play a crucial role in immune responses against infectious diseases and cancers. Antigen-presenting DCs are widely distributed in the body and regulate both immunity and immune tolerance. Experimental studies have provided important insights into DCs and how they can be used for treating animal models of various diseases that occur in humans. The role of these cells in pathogenesis and the treatment of human diseases is elaborately set forth in this valuable book. Researchers in the field are optimistic that DCs, already in use for treating patients with cancers, soon can be used therapeutically for patients with chronic infections, autoimmune diseases, and allergic manifestations. This volume provides a working definition of DCs and also explains the phenotypes and functions of DCs so that these can be readily understood not only by clinicians but by immunologists, researchers, and students as well.
Crossroads between Innate and Adaptive Immunity
This compilation presents minireviews derived from work presented at the Aegean Conference, which occurred October 9-14, 2005 at the Hilton Conference. Center on the island of Rhodes, Greece. The conference included sessions dedicated to host recognition of and response to pathogens, innate immune networks, antigen presentation, and adaptive immune responses, each headlined by a leading scientist at the forefront of that field. The intimate networking and interaction of dendritic cells, T cells, B cells, NK cells, NK-T cells, and complement during the host response to pathogens and tumors are only now starting to be elucidated.
Latency Strategies of Herpesviruses
This is the first book dealing with the intricate epigenetic mechanisms (DNA methylation, histone modification, alteration of chromatin structure) that regulate latency-associated transcription. Special attention is given to immune evasion "tricks" blocking immune responses to herpesvirus infected cells and viral RNAs and proteins involved in malignant transformation.
Chemokines and Viral Infection
This edition of Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology examines the role of chemokines and chemokine receptors in host defense and disease development following viral infection. Chemokines represent a family of over 40 small proteins that, for the most part, are secreted into the environment and function by binding to G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that are expressed on numerous different cell types. When initially identified close to 30 years ago, these molecules were associated with various human inflammatory diseases and it was recognized that expression may be integral in leukocyte recruitment to inflamed tissue. There are now four sub-families of chemokines identified based on defined structural criteria relating to the positional location of conserved cysteine residues within the amino-terminus of the protein. Chemokines are now recognized as important in numerous biological processes ranging from maintaining the organizational integrity of secondary lymphoid tissue to participating in various aspects of both innate and adaptive immune responses following microbial infection. With this in mind, this book highlights the functional roles of chemokines and their receptors in participating in various aspects of the immune response against well-known viral pathogens.
Analyzing T cell responses : How to analyze cellular immune responses against tumor associated antigens
Active specific immunotherapy is a promising but investigational modality in the management of cancer patients. Currently, several different cancer vaccine formulations such as peptides, proteins, antigen-pulsed dendritic cells, whole tumor cells, etc. in combination with various adjuvants and carriers are being evaluated in clinical trials (1-3). To determine the optimal cancer
