Lung Injury Book

Progressing from general scientific principles and concepts to in-depth topical discussions of current research and treatment methods, this comprehensive reference defines the cellular and molecular mechanisms contributing to inflammatory lung injury and repair. Extensive coverage is provided on key mediators and pathways important in acute and chronic pulmonary inflammation and lung injury, as well as the mechanistic pathophysiology of related diseases ranging from clinical acute lung injury (ALI) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other subacute and chronic conditions. Additional chapters also address vascular dysfunction, surfactant dysfunction, reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, and cell and animal models of acute and chronic lung injury.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Jay P. Goldsmith, MD(Tulane University School of Medicine)
Description:This book provides an overview of basic concepts, mechanisms of injury and potential therapy of acute and chronic lung inflammation and injury. The chapters are written separately by individual authors but the editors have attempted to integrate all areas emphasizing a connection between lung research and therapy. The major emphasis, except for some small areas of discussion on lung development and surfactants, deals with older children and adults, not newborns.
Purpose:The book brings together the latest research on mechanisms of injury and potential therapies for acute and chronic lung injury. These are worthy, if not challenging objectives. For the most part these objectives are met except for the short attention given to the immature lung of the newborn where different mechanisms may have a major role in life-long pulmonary disability. While the developing lung is mentioned in many chapters, the thrust of the book is research and therapy of the mature lung in the older child and adult.
Audience:The target audience is mostly adult pulmonologists, basic medical researchers, and physician scientists working in pulmonary disease. Despite sections on lung development and growth, the book has limited interest for pediatric subspecialists except those interested in basic science.
Features:The book begins with an overview of the subject by the three editors. It then focuses on the etiologies, pathophysiology, and mediators of acute and chronic lung injury. The middle chapters cover three aspects of lung injury, pathophysiology (reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, vascular dysfunction and surfactant dysfunction) and models of studying these factors including potential therapies and interventions. The last third of the book deals with current and future therapies using a basic science concept. Each chapter begins with an overview and ends with a summary, making this scientific treatise more user-friendly.
Assessment:This is a unique book written and edited by the top authorities in the field. It will have great interest among basic scientists, especially those in adult pulmonary biology but probably have limited appeal to clinicians. This is a first edition and complements other volumes in the Lung Biology in Health and Disease Series.