Understanding the molecular basis of complex biological processes has been a major goal of biological chemistry from early on. Inflammation is one such entity, and recent years have seen exciting progress in the under­ standing of molecular interactions; there has been a long way from dolor, rubor, calor, and tumor as a fundamental description of the phenomenon to current knowledge, e.g., on the control of the respiratory burst of the granulocyte, the atomic details of protease regulation, or the interaction of cytokines. We were glad to have been given the opportunity by the Gesellschaft fUr Biologische Chemie to call upon experts in this bustling field of research for this Colloquium. The sessions were organized in the order of increasing complexity, starting with the key phenomena of the inflamma­ tory response and its modulation by cytokines to intravascular events and shock and sepsis; thus, the current attempts to apply basic knowledge on mediators of inflammation to the clinical situation were also considered. In-depth chapters presenting the state of the art in these areas are collected in this book, and we thank the authors for their efforts. We also thank the Chairmen of the sessions, Profs. C. Sorg (Munster), D. Roos (Amsterdam), S. Bhakdi (Mainz), H. J. Muller-Eberhard (Hamburg), H. G. Schwick (Marburg), K. Resch (Hannover), W. Schaper (Bad Nauheim), D. Keppler (Heidelberg), and O. Trentz (Zurich) for their input, and it is a great pleasure to acknowledge the support by Drs.

Basic Mechanisms of the Inflammatory Response.- Neutrophils, Interleukin 8, and Related Chemotactic Cytokines.- Leukotrienes and Chemotaxis-5-Lipoxygenase Activation and Control.- The Respiratory Burst Oxidase.- Cellular Activation Mechanisms: The Blood Platelet as a Model.- Platelet-Neutrophil Interactions.- Proteolysis-Induced Pathomeehanisms in Acute Inflammation and Related Therapeutic Approaches.- Complement Activation.- Proteinase-Protein Inhibitor Interaction.- Attenuation of Inflammatory Disease by Reduction of Interleukin-1 Production or Receptor Antagonism.- Interleukin-6, Its Hepatic Receptor and the Acute Phase Response of the Liver.- Transcriptional Control of Liver Acute Phase Genes by Interleukin-6 and Leukemia Inhibitory Factor.- Disturbance of the Hemostasis and Fibrinolysis Balance by Tumor Necrosis Factor.- Cellular Injury by Oxidants.- Endothelium-Derived Relaxing Factor: Nitric Oxide.- Molecular Aspects of the Chemistry and Biology of Endotoxin.- Bacterial Exotoxins and Acute Lung Failure.- Pathophysiological Aspects of Polytrauma, Shock, and Organ Failure.- Leukotrienes, Oxygen Radicals, and Cytokines in Septicemic Mice.- Baboon Model of E. Coli Sepsis: Summary of Staging, Mechanism, and Diagnostic Markers.