Acute Phase Proteins covers all major aspects of acute phase proteins (APP) starting with molecular mechanisms regulating their synthesis and ending with their functional significance. The book features 36 chapters addressing such topics as acute phase response and the APP; major APP and their structure and functions; regulation of APP synthesis, the cytokines and hormones implicated in these processes, and molecular mechanisms involved; signal transduction of cytokines in hepatocytes and posttranscriptional processes; and quantitative and qualitative evaluation of APP in clinical practice. The book will be an important reference for immunologists, molecular biologists, cellular biologists, biochemists, and clinical chemists.

The discovery of C-reactive protein in the laboratory of O.T. Avery at Rockefeller University in 1929-30 was the first specific obser vation of the acute phase plasma protein response (Tillett and Francis 1930). This was one of three contributions of fundamental importance which emerged from that laboratory, the other two being the recognition that polysaccharides could act as antigens and that DNA transmits genetic information. In the course of charac terization of pneumococcal carbohydrate antigens, a somatic poly saccharide common to all Rand S forms of pneumococci was identified and designated Fraction "C" (Tillet et al. 1930). Testing of sera from patients with pneumococcal infection revealed the presence of material which precipitated with the C-polysaccharide but which differed from antibody in that calcium was required for the reaction. Furthermore, the amount of reactive material was greatest when patients were acutely ill and decreased in the convalescent phase, the precise opposite of specific anti-pneumo coccal antibodies. Subsequently, the C-reactive material was shown to be a protein and to be present in the sera of individuals who were acutely ill with other, non-pneumococcal infections and tissue damaging conditions, hence Avery coined the term "acute phase" and called the protein "acute phase protein" (Abernethy and Avery 1941; MacLeod and Avery 1941). At that time methods were too insensitive to detect C-reative protein (CRP) in sera of healthy subjects and it was considered to be a pathological product.

The magnitude and rapidity of the changes in the concentrations of APPs, together with their short half-life, suggest an important role for these proteins in the establishment of host defense. APPs are regarded as having general functions in trapping of micro-organisms and their products, in activating complement, in binding cellular remnants like nuclear fractions, in neutralizing enzymes, scavenging free radicals, and in modulating the hosts immune response. Despite vast pro- and anti-inflammatory properties ascribed to individual APPs, their function during health and disease remains incompletely defined.

This book offers a comprehensive study of C-reactive protein (CRP) belonging to the pentraxin family, including a brief history of CRP, its structure, synthesis and evolution. Focusing on the emerging role of CRP and its clinical application in the field of disease biology, it details the pathophysiological role of CRP in a host of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, rheumatoid arthritis and infectious diseases and others. It also discusses the role of innate immunity and acute phase response (APR) and their key mediators in the host body in response to tissue injury, infection, trauma or surgery, immunological disorders or neoplastic growth. CRP’s significance in inflammation is highlighted, and its importance as a clinical marker in cardiovascular disease, its functional significance in Leishmania and Plasmodium infections, its association with the development of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus, and its role in cancer are discussed in detail. The book also includes clinical data studies and presents the latest research advances to further readers’ understanding of CRP.

Entries in a practical A to Z Format Highly therapy-focused Uniform and clearly arranged entries for ease of reference Comprehensive information on symptoms and therapeutical possibilities of rheumatologic and musculoskeletal diseases as well as drugs Written by leading experts in the field

The two volumes of Acute Phase Proteins book consist of chapters that give a large panel of fundamental and applied knowledge on one of the major elements of the inflammatory process during the acute phase response, i.e., the acute phase proteins expression and functions that regulate homeostasis. We have organized this book in two volumes - the first volume, mainly containing chapters on structure, biology and functions of APP, the second volume discussing different uses of APP as diagnostic tools in human and veterinary medicine.

This volume explores some of the most exciting recent advances in basic research on animal models of molecular pathology. - This series provides a forum for discussion of new discoveries, approaches, and ideas - Contributions from leading scholars and industry experts - Reference guide for researchers involved in molecular biology and related fields