Main description:

Originally published in 1995, this volume looks at the functioning of the vascular endothelium, and the diseases and tissue injury that arise as a result of inflammation and immunological responses. The vascular endothelium is a metabolically highly active layer of cells lining all blood vessel walls. Through its interactions with leucocytes and other mediators, it is central to the development of inflammatory foci and to lymphocyte trafficking around the body. Tissue injury may arise here as a result of abnormal inflammatory or immune responses. The potential for such injury to contribute to autoimmune disease is discussed in this book, particularly in relation to autoimmune vascular disease of the renal, rheumatological and neurological systems, as well as in organ transplantation.

Contents:

1. New concepts of mechanisms in autoimmunity; 2. Regulation of endothelial cell function by cytokines; 3. Interactions between granulocytes and endothelium; 4. The regulation of lymphocyte migration by vascular endothelium and its role in the immune response; 5. The role of the vascular endothelium in immunologically-mediated neurological diseases; 6. The role of the endothelium in systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjoegren's syndrome; 7. The role of the endothelium in rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma; 8. The role of the endothelium in systemic vasculitis; 9. Endothelial involvement in childhood Kawasaki disease; 10. The role of the endothelium in thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura and haemolytic uraemic sydrome; 11. The immunological role of the endothelium in organ transplantation; Index.