Since the exhaustive Handbook of Physiology (Alimentary Canal, Section 6, Motility) edited by CHARLES F. CODE in 1968, no complete survey of the morphological basis and the physiological control of intestinal motility has been published, in spite of the enormous amount of new data in the literature on this topic. The new techniques and methodologies, the use of electron microscopy, radioimmunoassay and binding techniques, as weIl as ever more sophisticated electrophysiological procedures have made possible areal flood of discoveries in this field. Moreover, the possibility ofnew studies ofthe endocrine cells in biopsies of human intestinal mucosa even during routine endoscopies, has opened new horizons for gastroenterologists and generated a number of important contribu tions to our knowledge of the morphology and physiopathology of the gut. As usual, new discoveries have also revealed both ignorance and many new problems. For tbis reason, although many of the data reported in this volume can be considered as firmly established, others still require confirmation, and the results of new research in this field are awaited with extreme interest. Since advances are occurring so rapidly, even experts in the specific topics need frequent comprehensive reviews. To avoid an excessively large volume, considera tions ofthe pancreas, liver, and biliary system were not included in this Handbook, which, nevertheless, has attempted to off er the reader the essence of more than 1,500 papers.

This volume places more emphasis on endogenous mediators of gut motility than on drugs used to treat patients with deranged motility. In this respect it resembles most other books on gastroenterology, for while only a relatively small number of drugs are really useful for a rational therapy, a tremendous amount of data is available on neural and hormonal factors regulating the motility of the alimentary canal. Moreover, it must be considered that some of the drugs which can routinely be employed to modify deranged motility of the digestive system are represented by pure or slightly modified endogenous compounds (e. g. , cholecystokinin, its C terminal octapeptide and caerulein), and it is easy to foresee that their number is destined to increase in the near future. Other drugs are simply antagonists of physiological substances acting on specific receptors (e. g. , histamine H -blockers 2 and opioid compounds). The real explosion of research in this field and the extreme specialization often connected with the use of very sophisticated techniques and methodologies would probably have required a larger number of experts to cover some very specific fields from both an anatomical (lower esophageal sphincter, stomach, pylorus, small and large intestine) and a biochemical (hormones, candidate hormones, locally active substances, neurotransmitters etc. ) point of view.

The gold standard in gastrointestinal pathology textbooks returns More than 34 million Americans suffer from pathologies of the digestive system, with over 20 million of these disorders chronic. Treatment of these patients is a complex multidisciplinary area of clinical medicine, drawing upon expertise not only from specialist gastroenterologists but also pathologists, immunologists, endoscopists, and more. Morson & Dawson’s Gastrointestinal Pathology has long set the standard for pathology textbooks, with its distinctive balance of clinical gastroenterology and pathology. Now fully updated to reflect the latest research in this vital field of medicine, it promises to bring this subject to a new generation of clinicians and pathologists worldwide. Readers of the sixth edition of Morson and Dawson’s Gastrointestinal Pathology will also find: Contemporary recommendations and guidelines for getting the most out of every pathology specimen and producing the best possible report for managing the patient Discussions of the evolving applications of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridisation A completely new chapter on lymphoid and other tumours of the large intestine Morson & Dawson’s Gastrointestinal Pathology is ideal for gastrointestinal pathologists, general pathologists, gastroenterologists, and any clinicians who work with or in gastrointestinal practice.

First published in 1991: This book assimilates and evaluates the rapidly accumulating information regarding neuropeptides in the gut, their chemistry; genetic control; processing in enteric nerves; the projections of their nerves; their actions at the tissue, cell, and molecular levels; and their roles in controlling gut motility in health and disease. Neuropeptide Function in the Gastrointestinal Tract is directed to scientists in all disciplines who work with neuropeptides, as well as physiologists interested in the neural and smooth muscle actions of neuropeptides.

This volume deals specifically with those antituberculosis drugs which passed the preclinical phase and have been or are used in the treatment of tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases (except leprosy) in at least some parts of the world. Despite this restriction, there are 14 such drugs, and as a result this volume has reached rather large proportions. To prevent it from becoming even larger and more unwidely, most derivatives of antituberculotics have been omitted, especially where it is claimed that they provide only better bioavailibility or tolerability. Only in the chapter on the chemotherapy of diseases due to so-called atypical mycobacteria is the clinical use of the drugs described to a certain extent. In addition to antituberculotics, also discussed are antimicrobials which have been found to be effective against these mycobacteria. The sequence in which the drugs are described is historical, reflecting not the time of discovery but rather the first clinical application. This order was selected for reasons which are now no longer relevant. In this volume less emphasis is placed on detection, biological or synthetic production of antituberculotics, and structure-activity relationships. In contrast, emphasis is put on the degree, type, and mechanism of antimyco bacterial activity, pharmacokinetics, and biotransformation in animals and man, on experimental pharmacodynamics, and on the toxicity of antituberculotics used therapeutically.

The intestine, particularly the small bowel, represents a large surface (in the adult 2 human approximately 200m ) through which the body is exposed to its environment. A vigorous substrate exchange takes place across this large surface: nutrients and xenobiotics are absorbed from the lumen into the bloodstream or the lymph, and simultaneously, the same types of substrate pass back into the lumen. The luminal surface of the intestine is lined with a "leaky" epithelium, thus the passage of the substrates, in either direction, proceeds via both transcellular and intercellular routes. Simple and carrier-mediated diffusion, active transport, pinocytosis, phagocytosis and persorption are all involved in this passage across the intestinal wall. The term "intestinal permeation" refers to the process of passage of various substances across the gut wall, either from the lumen into the blood or lymph, or in the opposite direction. "Permeability" is the condition of the gut which governs the rate of this complex two-way passage. The pharmacologist's interest in the problem of intestinal permeation is twofold: on the one hand, this process determines thebioavailability of drugs and contributes significantly to the pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics of xeno biotics; on the other hand, the pharmacodynamic effects of many drugs are manifested in a significant alteration of the physiological process of intestinal permeation.

The intestine, particularly the small bowel, represents a large surface (in the adult 2 human approximately 200 m ) through which the body is exposed to its environ ment. A vigorous substrate exchange takes place across this large surface: nutrients and xenobiotics are absorbed from the lumen into the bloodstream or the lymph, and simultaneously, the same types of substrate pass back into the lumen. The luminal surface of the intestine is lined with a "leaky" epithelium, thus the passage of the substrates, in either direction, proceeds via both transcellular and intercellular routes. Simple and carrier-mediated diffusion, active transport, pinocytosis, phagocytosis and persorption are all involved in this passage across the intestinal wall. The term "intestinal permeation" refers to the process of passage of various substances across the gut wall, either from the lumen into the blood or lymph, or in the opposite direction. "Permeability" is the condition of the gut which governs the rate of this complex two-way passage. The pharmacologist's interest in the problem of intestinal permeation is twofold: on the one hand, this process determines the bioavailability of drugs and contributes significantly to the pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics of xeno biotics; on the other hand, the pharmacodynamic effects of many drugs are manifested in a signigicant alteration of the physiological process of intestinal permeation.