D. Ward – Pharmacology and Pathophysiology of the Control of Breathing

Автор: D. Ward
Название книги: Pharmacology and Pathophysiology of the Control of Breathing
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Медицина
Страницы: 890
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

Exploring the functional anatomy and physiology of the ventilatory control system from the intracellular to the integrative level, this references serves as the first source to offer comprehensive coverage of the influences of various pharmacological agents on the control of breathing.

We would be seriously remiss if we did not first acknowledge the work of
the ‘‘fourth editor’’ of this volume, Debra L. Lipscomb. Without her careful
scrutiny of every chapter and her abilities to pick out problems in meaning,
grammar, spelling and references, the quality of this volume would have
been severely compromised.
Previous volumes in this series have dealt with the regulation of
breathing and it was the volume edited by Dr. Thomas Hornbein in 1981
that has served as an essential reference for us during our careers. We are
particularly gratified that he has provided a Foreword to this volume.
Subsequent volumes in this series dealing with the control of breathing, as
well as the two volumes in the American Physiological Society’s Handbook
of Physiology have provided up-to-date summaries of the field in the face of
a rapid increase in knowledge.
Pharmacology has long played an important role in the control of
breathing, both in providing tools for physiological experiments and in
understanding the ventilatory effects of pharmacological agents.
The increase in knowledge in both physiology and pharmacology has
greatly extended our knowledge of the cellular and subcellular elements
involved in controlling ventilation. Drug effects on control of breathing
were covered as a single chapter in both Hornbein’s original volume as well
as in the Handbook of Physiology. However, the increase in our understanding
of the mechanisms of action of pharmacological agents on the
control of breathing now warrants a separate volume.
We have attempted to organize this knowledge by first reviewing
the relevant physiology from a perspective of the substrate for pharmacological
action and also by reviewing pharmacology principles as they
can be applied to the control of breathing. We then have selected topics

of pathophysiology and pharmacology that are relevant to clinical
practice. It is hoped that this organization, rather than organizing by
drug, will provide a more useful reference for both clinicians and research
scientists.
There are many clinical problems both in respiratory side effects of
drugs and in finding drugs that will treat abnormalities in the control
of breathing that remain to be solved. The increased understanding of
the specific ion channels, receptors and neurotransmitters involved in
respiratory control provides important information for pharmacological
research. We hope this volume will set the stage for future research and
provide as much motivation for beginning reseachers as Dr. Hornbein’s
volume did for us.