This book, the proceedings of Falk Symposium No. 104, organized in collaboration with the Society of Mucosal Immunology, and held in Saarbrucken, Germany, March 5-7 1998, is centered around the immunological mechanisms of mucosal protection and their disturbances leading to intestinal inflammation and destruction. This is a rapidly expanding field involving recent knowledge of basic immunology and cell biology as well as clinical observations. The conference and this book summarize very recent data in this field and suggest strategies for future research and clinical applications, and will be of interest to both basic scientists and clinicians.

This book, the proceedings of Falk Symposium 133 on Mechanisms of Intestinal Inflammation: Implications for Therapeutic Intervention in IBD', held in Berlin, Germany, on 10-11 June 2003, summarizes present knowledge in the area of unspecific and specific immune reactions in the gut, recording the gaps in our knowledge and, in particular, presenting the possibilities of targeted intervention. The link to inflammatory bowel diseases - Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis - is always in focus. Chapters by an international panel of basic scientists, clinical researchers and clinicians also record the problems which can originate through today's possible modulation of the immune reaction, setting the basis for review of clinical problems. This book is valuable readings for all scientists and physicians, who, from different perspectives, have an interest in research on IBD and in the clinical management of these diseases.

The study of disease entities as complex as Crohn's dis ease will increasingly require comprehensive knowledge of formerly unrelated areas of the medical sciences. To promote this broad approach, a conference was organized in which geneticists, morphologists, immunologists, and virologists participated as well as clinicians whose work is focused on Crohn's disease. Ample time was given to the presentation of major new findings in each of these areas, and comments were given by the participants in the various sections. This approach yielded many new ideas, because indiv iduals with very different backgrounds were able to address old problems from fresh angles. This volume, published in January, 1981, contains the papers presented dur ing the wor kshop held in June, 1980, in Noordwijk/Leiden, The Netherlands. In addition, we have in cluded the extensive discussions, edited by experts in the field, which followed each presentation. Finally, each main category is followed by a summary of the topic covered as well as many valuable conclusions concerning the significance of recent work and ideas for new directions in research. In the Preface, J.B. Kirsner gives a comprehensive review of the material, and in an Afterword A.J.Ch. Haex deals with a num ber of other aspects. We believe that this volume will be of value to a wide spectrum of scientists and clinicians and that it will help to establ ish the mul tid isciplinary approach to Crohn' s dis ease as the one that should predominate in the future.