3 The help of Mr Phil Johnstone and editorial staff at Kluwer Academic Publishers in producing this book and the publication in the Journal is most gratefully acknowl- edged. INFLAMMOPHARMACOLOGY Basic and clinical studies on Inflammation and its phannacologlcal control Aim. and Scope The joumal Innammopharmacology publishes papers on all aspects of inflammation and its phannacological control, emphasizing comparisons of (a) dillerent inflammatory states, and (b) the actions, therapeutic eflicacy and safety of dr\lgs employed in the treatment of inflammatory conditions. The comparative aspects of the types of inflammatory conditions include gastrointestinal disease (e. g. ulcerative colitis, Cmhn's dsease) i , parasitic diseases, toxicological manifestations of the effects of dr\lgs and envimnmental agents, and arthritic conditions. Inflammophannacology covers all the major aspects of the experimentally-induced clinical pathology, Its bkx:hemistry and cell biology, as well as the clinical and experimental phannacology and toxk:ology of therapeutic agents. The emphasis on comparative aspects of the actions of drugs Is intended to highlight their eflicacy and toxicity pmfiles as well as the variability In their clinical response and safety.

The scientific main programmes of these series of symposia changed from time to time following the international scientific trends. The main programmes of the First Symposium were: 1. Gastric and intestinal cytoprotection; 2. Hepatoprotection; 3. Pancreatic protection. For the second one: 1. Gastrointestinal mucosal 'cytoprotection'; 2. Liver 'cytoprotection'; 3. Pancreatic 'cytoprotection'; 4. Free radicals and scavangers; 5. Computer approach to cytoprotec tion. For the third one: 1. Basic, central, peripheral and cellular mechanisms of gastrointestinaol cytoprotection; 2. Esophagal protection; 3. Gastric protection; 4. Small intestinal injury and protection; 5. Large bowel injury and protection; 6. Liver injury and protection; 7. Pancreas injury and protection. The main scientific programmes of the Fourth International Symposium on 'Cell Injury and Protection in the Gastrointestinal Tract' are: 1. General mechanisms of gastrointestinal injury and protection; 2. Cell injury and protection in the stomach; 3. Cell injury and protection in the small intestine and in the large bowel; 4. Cell injury and protection in the liver and pancreas; 5. Cell injury and protection of the premalignant status and malignant diseases in the gastrointestinal tract. The presented papers are published in this book. The abstracts of this meeting were published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences, and we record appreciation of the Editor ofthatjoumal for their publication. Some of the papers published here have appeared in Inflammopharmacology 1996;4:331-398."