Lung Epithelial Biology in the Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Disease provides a one-stop resource capturing developments in lung epithelial biology related to basic physiology, pathophysiology, and links to human disease. The book provides access to knowledge of molecular and cellular aspects of lung homeostasis and repair, including the molecular basis of lung epithelial intercellular communication and lung epithelial channels and transporters. Also included is coverage of lung epithelial biology as it relates to fluid balance, basic ion/fluid molecular processes, and human disease. Useful to physician and clinical scientists, the contents of this book compile the important and most current findings about the role of epithelial cells in lung disease. Medical and graduate students, postdoctoral and clinical fellows, as well as clinicians interested in the mechanistic basis for lung disease will benefit from the books examination of principles of lung epithelium functions in physiological condition. Provides a single source of information on lung epithelial junctions and transporters Discusses of the role of the epithelium in lung homeostasis and disease Includes capsule summaries of main conclusions as well as highlights of future directions in the field Covers the mechanistic basis for lung disease for a range of audiences

This book covers the identification and role of endogenous lung stem cells in health and disease, particularly the most recent advances. In addition, it discusses the rapidly growing field of stem cells and cell therapy as it relates to lung biology and disease as well as ex vivo lung bioengineering. Such approaches may provide novel therapeutic approaches for lung diseases. Human pluripotent stem cell differentiation to model the pulmonary epithelium and vasculature is also discussed. World-recognized scientists who specialize in studying both the lung epithelium and pulmonary vasculature contribute the chapters. Topics covered include: stem cell niches in the lung, the role of progenitor cells in fibrosis and asthma, iPSC in modeling lung disease, vascular repair by endothelial progenitor cells and circulating fibrocytes in pulmonary vascular remodeling. This volume of the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine series is essential reading for researchers and clinicians interested in stem cells, lung biology and regenerative medicine. It is also an invaluable resource for advanced students studying cell biology, regenerative medicine and lung physiology.

"This is essential reading for everyone who would like to update their knowledge of the pulmonary epithelium. It offers a comparison between laboratory animal models and human lungs, highlighting the differences and the similarities between the two, which will be particularly useful to researchers." –Doody's, April 2009 The past two decades have seen extraordinary advances in our understanding of the role of the pulmonary epithelium in airway health and disease. Our understanding of epithelial biology has expanded exponentially in the past decade. This book provides a unique comprehensive description of the structure of the epithelium, its damage by various agents and the mechanism of epithelial repair. In addition, it's detailed coverage includes not only the multiple ways in which the epithelium contributes to host defence, but also the nature and functional consequences of the interactions of inhaled pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, allergens and pollutants. the role of the epithelium in regulating airway inflammation and structure is also discussed, as is the role of the epithelium as a target for inhaled medications and as a route for novel drug delivery. Containing chapters on multiple aspects of epithelial function in health and disease, each one is written by a leader in the field. This is essential reading for pulmonary researchers and physicians requiring detailed advanced understanding of the epithelium as well as those working in allergy, biomedical and pharmaceutical research.

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.

Pulmonary Biology in Health and Disease was conceived as a companion to a handful of expensive, multivolume textbooks. This is part of the promising trend to publish shorter textbooks on the subjects of lung biology and remodeling. Whoever is familiar with human biology and the far-reaching consequences of the genome and postgenome revolutions is apt to concede that the centerpiece in remodeling lies in the ?eld of m- ecular cardiobiology. The ?eld of molecular cardiobiology includes the syndrome of chronic heart failure as well as ischemic cardioprotection. By analogy, the centerpiece in pulmonobiology is chronic asthma. Key topics in the present volume include s- naling mechanisms regulating the endothelium and smooth muscle cells,in?ammatory cells, mediators, airway surface liquid, and pharmacological therapy that focuses on how in?amed airways are altered. Written primarily for predoctoral and postdoctoral graduates in the basic medical sciences, the medical student and postdoctoral physician, graduates in the allied s- ences, nurses, pulmonologists, and physicians in critical care medicine, this book p- vides many of the fundamentals of contemporary pulmonology. It is divided into several parts devoted to the control of respiration, arterial chemoreceptors,muscles of ventilation, pulmonary physiology, and gas exchange in health, exercise, and disease. Special emphasis is placed on emphysema and its pathobiology, acute lung injury, asthma and inhaled toxicants. Because the ?eld is always evolving, each chapter includes recommended readings that lead the reader to sources of additional information, such as the review on remodeling of the blood gas barrier by West and Mathieu-Costello.