Encephalopathy and Nitrogen Metabolism in Liver Failure contains research reports and state-of-the-art reviews that were presented at the 11th International Symposium on Hepatic Encephalopathy and Nitrogen Metabolism in relation to liver disease, that was held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands from 30 May to 1 June, 2002. Themes covered include the metabolism of ammonia and amino acids in relation to liver disease, the assessment of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), minimal HE, animal models of HE, neuropsychiatric dysfunction in patients with chronic liver disease, the pathogenesis of HE, the astrocyte in liver disease, acute liver failure and cerebral edema, treatment of HE and artificial liver support systems. This volume provides an indispensable source of important new research findings and ideas for clinicians and biomedical scientists working in the field of HE and nitrogen metabolism in relation to liver disease.

Pruritus is a prevalent symptom in many skin conditions. However, much less is known about pruritus without primary skin disease. This problem affects most medical specialties, notably palliative care, haematology, oncology, internal medicine, hepatology, nephrology, anaesthesiology,
immunology and psychiatry. Specialists from these disciplines each see few patients with severe pruritus and therefore have only limited possibility to learn from their experience. In response, this book aims to build a bridge of knowledge and evidence between the various different specialties.
Pruritus can cause extreme discomfort in chronic cancer patients or in people who are receiving cancer treatment, as well as patients with non-malignant terminal illnesses. Knowledge about the pathophysiology of pruritus is scattered through many clinical specialties and this book brings this
information together in a readily accessible compendium of knowledge which will be of value to physicians of any specialty. An international group of contributors cover the neurophysiology, clinical assessment, and measurement of scratching activity as well as opiod-induced pruritus, pruritus in
haematological disorders, neuropathic pruritus, psychogenic pruritus and therapies and treatment.
Aimed primarily at palliative care physicians, oncologists and nurses, the book will also prove valuable to all health care professionals who require guidelines to assist with effective symptom control thereby ensuring best quality of life for their patients.

Encephalopathy and Nitrogen Metabolism in Liver Failure contains research reports and state-of-the-art reviews that were presented at the 11th International Symposium on Hepatic Encephalopathy and Nitrogen Metabolism in relation to liver disease, that was held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands from 30 May to 1 June, 2002. Themes covered include the metabolism of ammonia and amino acids in relation to liver disease, the assessment of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), minimal HE, animal models of HE, neuropsychiatric dysfunction in patients with chronic liver disease, the pathogenesis of HE, the astrocyte in liver disease, acute liver failure and cerebral edema, treatment of HE and artificial liver support systems. This volume provides an indispensable source of important new research findings and ideas for clinicians and biomedical scientists working in the field of HE and nitrogen metabolism in relation to liver disease.