IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
CONTENTS CHAPTER I THE RISK OF INFECTION IN PATIENTS TREATED WITH INFLIXIMAB CHAPTER II INFLIXIMAB IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE CHAPTER III INFLIXIMAB: UP-TO-DATE ON INDICATIONS AND WARNINGS CHAPTER IV INFLIXIMAB IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES: PHARMACOLOGY, USES AND LIMITATIONS CHAPTER V EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF INFLIXIMAB DURING PREGNANCY AND BREASTFEEDING IN WOMEN WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE CHAPTER VI ANTI TNF’S FOR POSTOPERATIVE RECURRENCE OF CROHN’S DISEASE: THE STATE OF THE ART CHAPTER VII CONTINUATION RATE WITH INFLIXIMAB THERAPY FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS DOES NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT EFFICACY OF THERAPY IN REAL-WORLD PRACTICE CHAPTER VIII MECHANISM OF DISEASE AMELIORATION ON INFLIXIMAB TREATMENT; NOVEL EFFECTER MOLECULES FOR PATHOGENESIS OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS CHAPTER I THE RISK OF INFECTION IN PATIENTS TREATED WITH INFLIXIMAB ABSTRACT TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA (TNF-?) IS A CYTOKINE WITH PLEIOTROPIC EFFECTS THAT THEY DEPEND UPON THE SERUM CONCENTRATIONS OF THIS MOLECULE IT HAS AN INMURORREGULADOR EFFECT, INHIBITING THE PROGENITORS OF THE MYELOID SERIES, STIMULATING T CELL ACTIVATION AND PROLIFERATION OF LYMPHOCYTES B IT IS ABLE OF TARGETING THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE AND INDUCES EXPRESSION OF ADHESINS IN LEUKOCYTES AND THESE RECEPTORS IN THE ENDOTHELIUM MOREOVER, IT ACTIVES INTRACELLULAR DEFENSE SYSTEM AGAINST MICROORGANISMS AND PERPETUATES THE FORMATION OF GRANULOMAS TNF-? ENCOURAGES THE PRODUCTION AND SECRETION OF OTHER INTERLEUKINS (IL) INVOLVED IN INFLAMMATION SUCH AS INTERFERON ?, IL1, IL6, IL8 OR THE TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR (TGF) ? TNF-? AND IL-6 ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT MOLECULES INVOLVED IN THE INFLAMMATORY PROCESS THIS PROCESS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PATHOGENESIS OF