Main description:

Chronic inflammatory, malignant and metabolic diseases of the liver, pancreas and bile system account for substantial morbidity and mortality. Thus, new strategies to prevent, diagnose and treat such diseases are urgently needed.

This book is the proceedings of the Falk Symposium 150, ‘Disease Progression and Disease Prevention in the Gastrointestinal Tract’, held in Berlin, Germany, on 3--4 October, 2005, and focuses on the biliary system, pancreas and liver. Pathogenic processes are described as well as primary and secondary prevention and treatment of disease. Scientific and clinical experts offer a broad understanding and pave the ground for extensive interdisciplinary discussions. In this sense, the symposium generated new aspects contributing to "translation research" developing also -- at least in some aspects -- new perspectives on the various different pathogenic mechanisms in gastrointestinal organs. The present book summarizes the state of the art in these different disease entities, as presented at the meeting.

Feature:

Interdisciplinary symposium bringing together basic science and clinical applications

Up-to-date research findings at the highest scientific level

Contents:

List of principal contributors.- List of chairpersons.- Preface.- CHOLELITHASIS AND BILIARY CANCER.- 1. Molecurla mechanisms controlling bile metabolism in health and disease.- 2. Aetiology and pathogenesis of primary sclerosing cholantitis.- 3. Aetiology and pathogenesis of biliary cancer.- 4. Primary sclerosing cholantitis: diagnosis, survelliance and timing of interventions.- 5. Surgical treatment of central bile duct carcinoma.- 6. Special lecture: Genetic epidermiology and future developments in the treatment of cholecystolithiasis.- 7. Special Lecture: Future perspectives in the treatment of biliary tumour disease: a multidisciplinary approach.- PANCREATIC CARCINOMA.- 8. Genetics of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic carcinoma.- 9. Survelliance and diagnostics of chronic pancreatitis.- 10. Medical management of pancreatic cancer.- 11. Pancreatic carcinoma: surgery, palliative resection and value of lymph mode resection.- 12. Special lecture: Development compounds with different modes of action for the treatment of pancreatic and hepatocellular carcinomas: ZK 304709 and L19-IL-2.- 13. Special lecture: Anti-apoptotic intervention as a novel treatment option in lever diseases.- SECTION LIVER I: DIAGNOSIS AND SURVEILLANCE IN LIVER DISEASE.- 14. Imaging modalities in hepatic tumours.- 15. Hepatocellular tumours and tumour-like conditions: role of liver biopsy.- SECTION LIVER II: LIVER DISEASE 16. Role of insulin resistance and extra-hepatic signalling in fatty liver disease.- 17. Steatosis and hepatitis C.- 18. Hereditary haemochromatosis: the genes and the disease.- 19. Wilson disease: the impact of molecular advances.- SECTION LIVER III: VIRAL HEPATITIS.- 20. Immune pathogenesis of hepatitis B and C.- 21. Therapeutic vaccination strategies in chronic hepatitis B.- SECTION LIVER IV: HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA.- 22. Gene expression profiling of hepatocellular carcinoma: past, present and future.- 23. Hepatocellular carcinoma: a cancer of developed countries.- 24.New therapeutic approaches: anti-angiogenesis immunotherapy.- 25. Special lecture: Living donor liver transplantation: extended indications?.- Index.