Immunology of the Connective Tissue Diseases, 1994 Immunology and Medicine Series, Vol. 22

Connective tissue diseases demand study because of their frequency, morbidity and mortality. They present intriguing challenges in the fields of diagnosis, management and research. Their range has now expanded enormously so that no individual can master the whole subject, particularly as this relates to their immunological basis.
Immunology of Connective Tissue Diseases has been written by experts who are either clinical or basic scientists. The book presents up-to-date reviews of the immunological basis of connective tissue diseases as it impacts on diagnosis, pathogenetic concepts, disease monitoring and management.
The book is aimed at physicians interested in understanding the immunological basis of these diseases, and at immunologists who are either entering this field for the first time and would like to have a convenient state-of-the-art account of its status, or who are researching in one area and would like to acquaint themselves with the developments which have taken place in others.

1 The role of T cells in the immunopathogenesis of the connective tissue diseases: Rheumatoid arthritis as the paradigm.- 2 B cells and rheumatoid factors in rheumatoid arthritis.- 3 The mononuclear phagocyte and rheumatoid arthritis.- 4 The HLA association with rheumatoid arthritis.- 5 Cytokines and inflammatory arthritis.- 6 Adhesion molecules involved in leukocyte—endothelial cell interactions.- 7 The complement system and connective tissue disease.- 8 The acute phase response.- 9 Animal models of systemic lupus erythematosus.- 10 Animal models of arthritis.- 11 Lyme arthritis: Pathogenetic principles emerging from studies in man and mouse.- 12 Retroviral arthritis in animals and man.- 13 Autoantibodies against DNA.- 14 Immunology of antiphospholipid antibodies.- 15 Autoantigens in connective tissue diseases.- 16 Sjögren’s syndrome: From polyclonal B cell activation to monoclonal B cell proliferation.- 17 Immunotherapy.- 18 Immune reactivity against heat shock proteins and arthritis.

' Each chapter represents, in fact, an excellent review article, written clearly and referring to the most pertinent work done in the field. Besides the valuable list of citations offered to the more ambitious reader, the beauty of this book is in the way the authors present data ... Taken together, we may only regret that we did not have the chance to get familiar with the Kluwer Immunology and Medicine series earlier. I therefore strongly recommend this book to all clinicians involved in the diagnostics and management of connective tissue diseases, as well as to immunologists seeking systematized information on a particular area in the field. 'Croatian Medical Journal, 36(1):75, 1995'It is very well thought out, the editor went to great lengths to obtain world authorities on each topic and the level of excellence is demonstrated in the individual chapters. ... I feel this book is an asset to one's library and a good contribution to the field of immunology and connective tissue diseases. It is very readable and much knowledge is gained.'The Journal of Rheumatology, 23:7 (1996)