Coronary Angioplasty. 2nd Edition

Many of these cytokines, among other capabilities, have the property of pyrogenicity, (i.e., they cause fever). Interleukin 1 in particular is now known to have at least three major effects on the body. It stimulates the proliferation of the immunocompetent cells such as the T and B lymphocytes. It also stimulates the so-called "acute phase" response to injury, which mobilizes circulating amino acids and a variety of enzymes which are essential for tissue remodelling and repair. Third, it causes the release of prostaglandin E2 at the blood-brain interface in the hypothalamic region of the brain, to cause fever. Thus, it is now recognized that fever must be viewed as merely one of a number of responses, collectively known as the "host defense response," which are all engendered by the family of polypeptides known as cytokines in response to infection and/or injury to the body. Naturally, this information has stimulated interest in a connection, if any, between fever and the immune response to infection, and may point to a possible "purpose" for the phenomenon of fever in illness. The book entitled Fever: Basic Mechanisms and Management, edited by Philip A. Mackowiak, of the University of Maryland, is thus a timely and useful monograph, which covers these and many other aspects of the subject, from scientific to clinical, in a thorough and understandable fashion. The contributors are all respected authorities in their areas, and they have provided the latest ideas and information that are circulating in the medical literature on each aspect of fever. Topics which are covered include thermoregulation, pyrogens, prostaglandins, clinical thermometry and diagnosis, immunological aspects of fever, fever in the elderly and in infants, antipyretics, cardiovascular responses in fever, fevers of unknown origin, and even the adaptive value of fever. This volume is a comprehensive monograph, which, although a little uneven in the depth of treatment afforded in some chapters, would be a valuable addition to any library, either institutional or personal, as the current standard reference on the subject of fever. CoronaryAngioplasty is a practical, detailed, informative book about percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). This book is directed to the individual who is learning or practicing coronary angioplasy. Dr. David Clark, who is an invasive cardiologist at Stanford University School of Medicine, the author of this work, has included contributions by four other health care givers at Stanford and by cardiolo-gists at three other institutions. This book begins …