Airway Smooth Muscle in Asthma and COPD provides the clinician with the most up to date information on one of the core physiological processes in airway disease, and offers insights into current and future approaches to management.

Airway Smooth Muscle in Asthma and COPD begins with contemporary techniques for evaluation of the macula, including:

• Authoritative update on key mechanisms of airway constriction in Asthma and COPD
• Relates latest research to bronchodilator therapy
• Multi-contributed text, co-coordinated by two of the leading authorities in the field

Contents

Biophysical basis of airway smooth muscle contraction and hyperresponsiveness in asthma

• Airway hyperresponsiveness
• Classical behaviour of airway smooth muscle and the balance of static forces
• Shortening velocity and other manifestations of muscle dynamics
• Biophysical characterization of airway smooth muscle: bronchospasm in culture?
• Mechanical plasticity: a nonclassical feature of airway smooth muscle
• Recent observations
• Future directions

Dynamics of cytoskeletal and contractile protein organization: an emerging paradigm for airway smooth muscle contraction

• Molecular structure and organization of conractile and cytoskeletal filaments in the airway smooth muscle cell
• Cytoskeletal dynamics and airway smooth muscle contraction

Airway smooth muscle: role in airway constrictor hyperresponsiveness

• What is airway constrictor hyperresponsiveness (AHR)?
• Is AHR ever good?
• Potential mechanisms leading to airflow obstruction
• Potential abnormalities of airway smooth muscle (ASM)
• If ASM is dysfunctional, how did it get that way?

Airway smooth muscle phenotypic and functional plasticity

• Historical perspective:smooth muscle phenotype plasticity
• Features of phenotype plasticity
• Mechanisms for phenotypic plasticity
• Functional plasticity of airway smooth muscle: role in asthma pathogenesis

Airway smooth muscle proliferation: insights into mechanisms regulating airway smooth muscle mass

• Increases in airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass and the functional consequences
• Growth factors, inflammatory mediators and cytokines modulate ASM proliferation

Airway smooth muscle bidirectional interactions with extracellular matrix

• Airway extracellular matrix (ECM) in health and disease
• Integrins
• Airway smooth muscle (ASM) as a modulator of airway ECM
• Airway ECM as modulator of ASM function
• Impact of anti-asthma therapy on ASM-ECM interactions

Airway smooth muscle interaction with mast cells

• Mast cell mediators alter smooth muscle function
• Smooth muscle cells induce mast cell chemotaxis
• Mast cells can adhere to airway smooth muscle

Airway smooth muscle synthesis of inflammatory mediators

• Lipid mediators
• Chemokines
• Growth and remodelling factors

Airway smooth muscle in experimental models

• Methods of assessment of airway smooth muscle (ASM) function
• Potential mechanisms by whick ASM properties may contribute to airway responsiveness
• Experimental models

Altered properties of airway smooth muscle in asthma

• The extracellular matrix (ECM) and the airway smooth muscle (ASM)
• ASM and integrins
• The ASM cell and inflammation
• The ASM cell and infection

The airway smooth muscle in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

• Definition and assessment of COPD
• Pathological features of COPD
• COPD mechanisms

Glucocorticoid actions on airway smooth muscle

• Airway smooth muscle (ASM) in airway smooth muscle
• Gene induction by glucocorticoid receptors (GR)
• Actions of β₂- agonists and glucocorticoids on growth, proligeration, and migreation of ASM

β₂-Adrenergic receptors: effects on airway smooth muscle

• The β₂-adrenoceptor
• β₂-Receptor activation
• β₂-Receptor signalling pathways
• Effects in airway smooth muscle(ASM)
• β₂-Receptor desensitization
• Influence of polymorphisms of the β₂-adrenoceptor in ASM
• Non-bronchodilator effects of β₂-agonists in ASM

Asthma treatments: effects on the airway smooth muscle

• Role and abnormalities of airway smooth muscle (ASM) in asthma and COPD
• Treatment of asthma

Index

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