Book Review

Airways inflammation comprises a broad spectrum of diseases such as bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or emphysema. There is no doubt, that cellular sociology and its disturbance plays an important role in the development, course, and treatment of these diseases. The textbook tries to follow this general aspect. The first chapter gives a detailed review of the composition and integrity of pulmonary cells with specific focus on cells involved in cellular defense mechanism. The next chapters describe the role of basophils, platelets, neutrophils, eosinophils, fibroblasts, macrophages, and endothelial cells in respect to their contribution to disease and participation in different inflammatory processes. The described functions include morphological (neighborhood) and interactive aspects, the role of information transfer by transmitters and receptors, and extracellular components such as the different types of collagen. The textbook includes numerous references, and is written in an easy-to-understand manner. The included histological images demonstrate clearly the characteristic findings discussed in the text.