Books in the Falk Symposium series

The clinical efficacy of glucocorticoids in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease has been confirmed in a multitude of controlled monocentre and multicentre studies as well as from observations of the clinical course of the disease.

This book, the proceedings of Falk Symposium 163 "Chronic Inflammation of Liver and Gut", held in Hangzhou, P.R. China, on March 14--15, 2008, presents the most recent progress in chronic inflammatory diseases of liver and gut. It focusses on molecular understanding, the therapeutic state of the art and future options of treatment. The first part of the book concentrates on basic and clinical aspects of IBD. Chapters demonstrate the role of the immune system, genetic factors and the intestinal microflora in IBD, and give an evidence-based update on the current diagnostic and therapeutic options and present future perspectives for the management of IBD. The second part is devoted to chronic liver diseases with particular focus on the liver as an immune organ, treatment strategies of viral hepatitis and liver fibrogenesis. The final part deals with basic and clinical aspects of liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and liver transplantation. The book concludes with an outlook on therapeutic options of hepatic stem cells. Throughout, international experts from the USA, the People's Republic of China and Europe contribute their experience in different aspects of the mechanisms and management of chronic inflammatory diseases of liver and gut.

Concerning the therapy of autoimmune liver diseases, corticosteroids and azathioprin remain the state of the art for autoimmune hepatitis, while bile acids have become well established in treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis as well as primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Proceedings of the Falk Symposium 153 held in Berlin, Germany, May 6-7, 2006

The main focus of the book is to highlight the role of the immune system in gut and liver diseases and potential interactions of the gut and the liver respectively.

Covers the proceedings of the Falk Workshop on 'Strategies of Cancer Prevention in Gastroenterology', held in Mainz, Germany, on 17 September 2008. This book discusses various developments and challenges in cancer prevention in gastroenterology.

In honour of Hans Popper's 100th birthday

Features the proceedings of Falk Symposium 133 on Mechanisms of Intestinal Inflammation: Implications for Therapeutic Intervention in IBD', held in Berlin, Germany, on 10-11 June 2003. This book is useful for scientists and physicians, who have an interest in research on IBD and in the clinical management of these diseases.

Based on lectures on the role of zinc in cell biology, the pathophysiology of zinc deficiency and consequently the possibilities of zinc substitution in these disorders is discussed.

Cancer chemotherapy frequently attacks the gastrointestinal tract. This book is the proceedings of the Falk Workshop 'Side-effects of Chemotherapy on the Gastrointestinal Tract: Pathogenesis and Therapy', held in Freiburg, Germany, on October 11, 2002 (Part IV of the Freiburg Gastroenterology Week).

Features the proceedings of Falk Symposium 130 on 'Gastrointestinal Inflammation and Disturbed Gut Function: The Challenge of New Concepts', held in Freiburg, Germany, on October 4-6, 2002. This book reviews work in the field and aims to stimulate research in the functional GI disorders.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a chronic disease of the intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts leading to obstructions and dilatations followed by liver cirrhosis and in some cases cholangiocarcinoma.

Cholestatic disorders of infancy and adulthood represent a major group of causes of end-stage chronic liver disease. There has been great scientific interest in these disorders in recent years, so the time has come to evaluate treatment modalities in old and even new cholestatic diseases.

Based on the proceedings of the Falk Symposium No 122 on "Inflammatory Bowel Disease - A Clinical Case Approach to Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment", held in Bologna, Italy, on June 22-23, 2001. This book deals with issues concerning Genetics of IBD, Pediatrics in IBD, Early vs Late IBD, Bacteria and Gut Inflammation, and more.

Molecular diagnosis and gene therapy are of increasing interest and importance in clinical medicine. In this sense, the book should allow basic scientists as well as clinicians to be informed about the state-of-the-art of molecular diagnosis and gene therapy and should provide a perspective for future developments in molecular medicine.

Bile Acids in Liver Diseases, the proceedings of an International Falk Workshop held in Munich, January 1995, provides insights into current concepts in bile acid chemistry, bile acid synthesis and metabolism, and transport of bile acids across the hepatocyte.

The development and clinical application of cell therapy for patients with liver disease could soon present a significant enhancement of the therapeutic options. Present concepts of cell therapy for liver diseases based on the use of primary hepatocytes have recently been considerably extended through new data on the biology of stem cells.

During the last decade, knowledge about cholestatic liver disease and concomitant diseases, such as ulcerative colitis, cholangio- and hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreas and colon cancer, has increased considerably.

Development and progression of gastrointestinal disease involves inflammatory, vascular, fibrogenetic and immune reactions accompanied by deregulation of cellular growth and death often resulting in cancer of the organs affected.

There has been a tremendous amount of scientific progress in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of transport processes in the liver within the last few years.

Concerning the therapy of autoimmune liver diseases, corticosteroids and azathioprin remain the state of the art for autoimmune hepatitis, while bile acids have become well established in treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis as well as primary sclerosing cholangitis.

The proceedings of the workshop not only discusses this, but moves on to examine its possible use in alcoholic liver disease, and moves back to re-examine its role in biliary disease.

These proceedings of Falk Symposium 110 on `Intestinal Mucosa and its Diseases - Pathophysiology and Clinics' held at Titisee/Black Forest, Germany, 16-17 October 1998, comprehensively review salient clinical as well as scientific aspects - pending or settled - of the main intestinal diseases.

Although the first description of patients with what we now call Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis was published well before 1900, both disorders seem to be diseases of the twentieth century.

Sections cover viral hepatitis, immunosuppressive approaches in liver patients, malignant liver diseases, inflammatory liver diseases and complications of liver cirrhosis.