This volume presents the work of distinguished investigators who have conducted major studies on the role of eicosanoids in inflammation. The book provides an informative appraisal of the current state of the art in leukotriene and inflammation research, integrating new basic science concepts and clinical findings. The primary focus of the book is on the evidence that leukotrienes represent a group of mediators that contribute significantly to the pathobiology of asthma and play a role in other inflammatory disorders. The information presented in this volume is of vital importance to pharmacologists, biochemists, and physiologists, as well as to clinicians treating patients with asthma and other inflammatory diseases.

This edition contains new material on receptors, including their molecular biology, and updated information on central nervous system drugs, including new drugs released through to July 1996.

The second edition of this highly acclaimed text has been extensively revised and greatly expanded to reflect the considerable advances made in our understanding of the mechanisms of asthma and rhinitis. Containing the contributions of 242 experts of international standing, presented in 133 chapters, Asthma and Rhinitis provides an up-to-date, authoritative reference for both the clinician and scientist. The global approach given in this book mirrors the universal approach to the understanding of allergic disease. The editors have carried out a thorough and radical revision of the content by adding 6 new sections and 44 new chapters. Most of this expansion is due to greatly increased coverage of the clinical aspects of asthma, with new sections on childhood asthma and on drug treatment (each drug class has its own chapter). Also, the expansion of research into the genetic basis of asthma has necessitated a whole new section on Genetics, comprising some six chapters. There are also new chapters on adult-onset asthma and the relationship of asthma to sinusitis. A new section on Asthma in Special Circumstances includes chapters on asthma in pregnancy, asthma and surgery, asthma in the elderly and asthma in the context of critical care. In bringing the Second Edition fully up to date, the book has inevitably increased in size, and is now presented in two volumes. The second edition of Asthma and Rhinitis will continue the tradition of its predecessor of providing an up-to-the-minute reference for all those involved in the management of, and research into, asthma and rhinitis.