The Update compiles the most recent, widespread developments of experimental and clinical research and practice in one comprehensive reference book. The chapters are written by well recognized experts in the field of intensive care and emergency medicine. It is addressed to every on involved in internal medicine, anesthesia, surgery, pediatrics, intensive care and emergency medicine.

This report considers the biological and behavioral mechanisms that may underlie the pathogenicity of tobacco smoke. Many Surgeon General's reports have considered research findings on mechanisms in assessing the biological plausibility of associations observed in epidemiologic studies. Mechanisms of disease are important because they may provide plausibility, which is one of the guideline criteria for assessing evidence on causation. This report specifically reviews the evidence on the potential mechanisms by which smoking causes diseases and considers whether a mechanism is likely to be operative in the production of human disease by tobacco smoke. This evidence is relevant to understanding how smoking causes disease, to identifying those who may be particularly susceptible, and to assessing the potential risks of tobacco products.

Severe Community Acquired Pneumonia is a book in which chapters are authored and the same topics discussed by North American and European experts. This approach provides a unique opportunity to view the different perspectives and points of view on this subject. Severe CAP is a common clinical problem encountered in the ICU setting. This book reviews topics concerning the pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of SCAP. The discussions on the role of alcohol in severe CAP and adjunctive therapies are important topics that further our understanding of this severe respiratory infection.

Alcohol Use Disorders and the Lung: A Clinical and Pathophysiological Approach is an excellent resource for clinicians who care for individuals affected by alcohol use disorders in diverse settings. Although alcohol abuse alone does not cause acute lung injury, it renders the lung susceptible to dysfunction in response to the inflammatory stresses of sepsis, trauma, and other clinical conditions recognized to cause acute lung injury. In parallel, these same pathophysiological effects of alcohol abuse significantly increase the risk of a wide range of serious lung infections. Many clinicians involved in the primary treatment of alcohol use disorders, such as addiction psychiatrists, will find this text of interest as it will expand their understanding of the health consequences of alcohol use disorders. In parallel, clinicians who specialize in pulmonary and/or critical care medicine will have a unique resource that provides a comprehensive review of the pathophysiology of alcohol-related lung disorders and insights into evolving therapeutic options in these vulnerable individuals. Alcohol Use Disorders and the Lung: A Clinical and Pathophysiological Approach fills a gap in the literature and presents the evolving clinical research that may soon lead to novel therapies that can improve lung health in individuals with alcohol use disorders and co-existing conditions such as HIV infection.

The update of the Guidelines for Treatment of Drug-susceptible Tuberculosis and Patient Care is important in the context of the End TB Strategy, which recommends treatment and patient support for all people with TB. This update aims to use the best available evidence on the treatment of drug-susceptible TB and interventions to ensure adequate patient care and support in order to inform policy decisions made in these technical areas by national TB control program managers, national policy-makers, and medical practitioners in a variety of geographical, economic, and social settings. The objectives of these updated guidelines are to provide updated recommendations based on newly emerged evidence on the treatment of drug-susceptible TB and patient care as well as provide a summary of changes in the new guidelines with all the existing and valid WHO recommendations on the treatment of drug-susceptible TB and TB patient care. The key audience for these guidelines are policy-makers in ministries of health or managers of national TB programs who formulate country-specific TB treatment guidelines or who plan TB treatment programs. In addition, health professionals - including doctors, nurses, and educators working both in government services and nongovernmental organizations, such as technical agencies that are treating patients and organizing treatment services - will find these guidelines to be useful.

Chapter 1. Introduction -- chapter 2. Disease burden and 2015 targets assessment -- chapter 3. TB case notifications and treatment outcomes -- chapter 4. Drug-resistant TB -- chapter 5. Diagnostics and laboratory strengthening -- chapter 6. Addressing the co-epidemics of TB and HIV -- chapter 7. Financing -- chapter 8. Research and development -- Annexes.