Over the last half century, a dramatic increase in allergic diseases has been observed throughout industrialized nations, which has resulted in significant worldwide socio-economic challenges. In Mouse Models of Allergic Disease: Methods and Protocols, a wide range of expert contributors provide detailed protocols for the design and execution of experiments to thoroughly analyze critical elements associated with a diverse range of allergic diseases, all through the lens of mouse models that accurately recapitulate clinically relevant aspects of the respective human disease. The volume opens with a section featuring techniques essential for effective ex vivo cell isolation and evaluation of specific cell types relevant to a diverse range of allergic diseases, and the book then moves on to cover in vivo protocols to evaluate prevalent mouse models of human allergic diseases, including mouse models of systemic anaphylaxis, contact hypersensitivity, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, as well as a collection of chapters on in vivo and ex vivo protocols used to assess indirect mediators of allergic diseases, such as the nervous system, non-hematopoietic cells, and the composition of the gut microbiome. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

This volume provides protocols for mouse models of allergic diseases and guidelines for choosing a particular strains, allergen, adjuvant, and route of sensitization. Chapters detail types of allergic disease, methods that are frequently employed to analyze pathophysiology of allergic diseases, manipulation of intestinal microbiota, and desensitization of immure responses in animal models. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Animal Models of Allergic Disease: Methods and Protocols aims to offer a comprehensive collection of protocols and experience-derived instructions to further allergic disease research.

"Allergic diseases are the result of an aberrant immune response by T helper type 2 cells to allergens. Allergic sensitization is considered to be a multifactorial process that involves among others, environmental factors, genetics and characteristics of allergens. In normal conditions, exposure to non-infectious protein antigens induces a state of tolerance, which is essential to maintain homeostasis under constant exposure to environmental antigens. A failure in the mechanisms of tolerance, leads to activation of pro-inflammatory pathways and the development of allergen specific T cell responses. The development of animal models of various allergies has been beneficial in allowing extensive investigations into mechanisms involved in the allergic pathways. These animal models can be used to predict potential risk factors as well as to test novel treatments and immunotherapy. The risk of anaphylaxis in humans is a limiting factor for the development of allergen-based immunotherapy. In this context, animal models can play an essential role in providing a platform for refining therapeutic treatments and ensuring safety, prior to application in humans. In this thesis we use animal models to address essential questions such as what makes an individual respond to allergens. We have studied this question from different perspectives and have identified a role for the capacity to cope with allergen induced oxidative stress; the role of epithelial contact with HDM allergens in the development of an IgE response; the immunological interplay between allergic immune responses directed against unrelated allergens in different compartments of the body and; the immunological interplay between cross-reactive allergens."--Samenvatting auteur.

In Eosinophil: Methods and Protocols, experts in the field of eosinophil biology comprehensively provide detailed methodological insight into the study of this fascinating cell. This book is aimed at a diverse range of basic and clinical scientists who wish to work with eosinophils or who require an update of their knowledge or to gain the information required to study a function of the eosinophil different to their current area of enquiry.​ Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Eosinophil: Methods and Protocols seeks to aid scientist in the discovery of new hypotheses and for further examination of this intriguing cell.

This major work, complete with 150 illustrations, many of them in color, bridges the gap between clinical pulmonary pathology and basic molecular science. Through a highly visual approach that features an abundance of tables and diagrams, the book offers a practical disease-based overview. The first two sections of the volume provide the reader with general concepts, terminology and procedures in molecular pathology. The remainder of the volume is subdivided into neoplastic and non-neoplastic lung diseases with detailed chapters covering the current molecular pathology of specific diseases. The book will be essential reading for pathologists, pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons and other health care providers interested in lung disease.