Sebastian L. Johnston – författare

Asthma is one of the most important diseases affecting our society. It is an extremely common condition that reduces quality of life, and acute exacerbations can be life-threatening. It affects a disproportionate number of children. With the overwhelming volume of research being carried out in this field specialists need a method of keeping up-to-date with current opinion.

As with the other ''Challenges'' books, ''Challenges in Asthma'' is aimed at hospital specialists and therefore assumes a certain level of knowledge about the disease. It builds on this by discussing only areas of controversy and uncertainty in both the basic understanding of asthma and its management. An international author list will provide stimulating debate with, and ultimately draw some conclusions from, existing data which will benefit readers in their day-to-day practice.

Medicine and Surgery is an exciting new book that contains the core information needed by medical students in the run up to exams.This is the only book available that covers both medicine and surgery. It encompasses all of the major systems and core subjectsEvery condition is discussed under the key headings of definition, epidemiology, aetiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, investigations, management and prognosisThe content follows a very consistent and familiar style, so that information is easily accessible, digestible and memorableEach chapter opens with an overview of clinical method before discussing the most common conditions relevant to that specialityMedicine and Surgery: A Concise Textbook is written specifically for medical students as essential revision preparation, for junior doctors as a refresher on the wards and for other allied health professionals who want a quick reminder of key facts and data.Reviews"I like the way the book goes through each disease using the same system of definition, aetiology etc. This makes it easier to learn.... The content is exactly what the undergraduate brain needs."—Final year student, University of Oxford

There is growing interest in the pronounced variability in the incidence and severity of chronic respiratory diseases such as Asthma, observed to occur in any particular patient over a given period of time. It is now known that acute exacerbations are multi-factorial in origin, with pollution, allergens and viruses all implicated, and effective treatment requires a similarly complex approach that addresses each of the component causes. In this new volume, leading authorities review what is known of these causative factors and the mechanisms by which they exacerbate the symptoms of pulmonary disease both singly and in combination. The authors evaluate the individual efficacy of current treatments in the light of this knowledge and present new recommendations for formulating effective therapeutic regimens.Short Contents