With contributions by numerous experts

Fibroproliferative diseases are a broad spectrum of entities from organ-specific involvement (e.g., pulmonary, heart, liver, and kidney fibrosis) to multi-system diseases such as systemic sclerosis and sclerodermatous graft vs. host disease. These diseases also encompass pathophysiologies not readily recognizably related, such as macular degeneration and cancer metastasis. Fibroproliferative diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality and can affect all tissues and organ systems. Remarkable progress in elucidating the pathogenesis of these common diseases with fibrotic components, including the critical roles of myofibroblasts and the molecular mechanisms driving the transcriptional activation involved in the induction of fibrosis. As the importance of these processes is realized in the long-term recovery and treatment of diseases, effective anti-fibrotic therapies targeting the underlying ongoing disease processes are lacking. The complexity of discovering and applying therapies to fibroproliferative disease may be due to the diversity of the systems the pathogenesis of disease itself involves. By nature, fibroproliferative diseases are interdisciplinary, involving multiple cell types (organ-specific epithelial cells), immune cells, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts. Bone marrow, cytokines, and organ-specific pathologies further speckle both the clinical and scientific disciplines in such a way that communication is often limited to the clinical or scientific tribes we live in, despite the greatest access to information known to man available today. Therefore, the primary focus of this text is to bring together authors from a diversity of both clinical, scientific, and therapeutic backgrounds for readers to more fully appreciate that fantastic platform that is available to build upon to lessen the isolation of the clinical and scientific disciplines. With advances in the discovery of pre-clinical therapeutic targets (at least 20+ to date) involving TGF-beta (and other cytokines), transcription factors, and downstream kinases, it’s important to both recognize the broader impact and potential opportunities that exist even today. This book will serve as a state-of-the-art resource for physicians and translational medical researchers alike who are interested in the rapidly evolving field of fibroproliferative diseases. The book will provide new insight into the fundamental mechanisms of classic fibrotic pathophysiologic processes like myocardial infarction, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, chronic kidney disease, wound healing, and systemic sclerosis. It will also highlight the many new areas of therapeutic investigation currently underway. Lastly, we will touch upon newly emerging fields investigating the role of fibrosis in macular degeneration and cancer metastasis. The chapters will be written by established experts in their fields, including clinicians (cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, pathologists, and general practitioners) and translational biomedical researchers in a wide range of disciplines. However, the material will certainly have a broader audience including medical residents, fellows, and general practitioners as well as M.D. or Ph.D. post-doctoral research fellows. While comprehensive, we'll attempt to present the material in a manner that simplifies the complex pathophysiologic mechanisms that underlie common fibroproliferative diseases while making it appealing to a broad audience.

The partition of fluid between the vascular and interstitial compartments is regulated by forces (hydrostatic and oncotic) operating across the microvascular walls and the surface areas of permeable structures comprising the endothelial barrier to fluid and solute exchange, as well as within the extracellular matrix and lymphatics. In addition to its role in the regulation of vascular volume, transcapillary fluid filtration also allows for continuous turnover of water bathing tissue cells, providing the medium for diffusional flux of oxygen and nutrients required for cellular metabolism and removal of metabolic byproducts. Transendothelial volume flow has also been shown to influence vascular smooth muscle tone in arterioles, hydraulic conductivity in capillaries, and neutrophil transmigration across postcapillary venules, while the flow of this filtrate through the interstitial spaces functions to modify the activities of parenchymal, resident tissue, and metastasizing tumor cells. Likewise, the flow of lymph, which is driven by capillary filtration, is important for the transport of immune and tumor cells, antigen delivery to lymph nodes, and for return of filtered fluid and extravasated proteins to the blood. Given this background, the aims of this treatise are to summarize our current understanding of the factors involved in the regulation of transcapillary fluid movement, how fluid movements across the endothelial barrier and through the interstitium and lymphatic vessels influence cell function and behavior, and the pathophysiology of edema formation. Table of Contents: Fluid Movement Across the Endothelial Barrier / The Interstitium / The Lymphatic Vasculature / Pathophysiology of Edema Formation

New updated edition first published with Cambridge University Press. This new edition includes 29 chapters on topics as diverse as pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, vascular haemodynamics, haemostasis, thrombophilia and post-amputation pain syndromes.

This book provides a comprehensive account of the pathogenesis and treatment of intestinal fibrosis, covering both the clinical and molecular aspects of the disease. It begins by describing the epidemiology and genetics of fibrostenosing IBD in Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis as well as the epigenetics and cellular and molecular mechanisms of the disease. Readers will obtain an in-depth overview of the disease from biomarkers and histology to surgical intervention, imaging and current and future drug therapies. Medical management of fibrosis, endoscopy and imaging as well as surgical approaches are all discussed. Through the links to videos contained in the book, the reader will become familiar with interventional procedures such as endoscopic balloon dilation and surgical techniques for stricturing IBD, such as resection and strictureplasties. This is an indispensable volume for anyone working on fibrostenotic IBD, such as gastroenterologists, internists, radiologists, colorectal surgeons, pathologists and researchers. It has been written by a team of top experts from North America, Asia and Europe.