Recent developments in recombinant DNA technology have led to the large-scale production of human erythropoietin and to the demonstration that it is effective in the treatment of renal and possibly some other anaemias. This has lent a new impetus to studies of the pathophysiology and pharmacology of the hormone which is reflected in this report of the proceedings of a meeting held in Liibeck in June 1988. In 15 papers, all from European centres, the broad topics covered are erythropoietin's physiology and chemistry, the patho physiology of erythropoiesis and the use of erythropoietin in the treatment of anaemia. Several of the papers include up-to-date reviews of the literature. The field is now expanding rapidly, and this volume, though not comprehensive, usefully points up many areas of recent understanding as well as others of continuing un certainty. Overall, it contains material likely to be of interest to biochemists and experimental haematologists as well as to phar macologists, clinical haematologists and nephrologists.

List of Contents

Introduction: Advances in Erythropoietin Research
Chemistry and Physiology
Chemistry and Assays of Erythropoietin
Erythropoietin Production Under Steady-State Conditions: Detection and Localization Using In Situ Hybridization
Erythropoietin Synthesis in the Anemic Mouse Kidney as Observed by Morphological Techniques
Tissue Hypoxia and the Production of Erythropoietin
Early Anemia in Mammals
Pathophysiology of Erythropoiesis
Physiological Studies of Erythropoietin in Plasma
Erythropoietin Production in Malignancy
Pathophysiology of Erythropoiesis in Renal Diseases
Renal Artery Stenosis and Renal Polyglobulia
Erythrocytosis in Renal Graft Recipients
Erythropoietin in the Treatment of Anemia
Recombinant Human Erythropoietin
Erythropoietin, Blood Viscosity, and Hypertension: Implications for Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease
Recombinant Human Erythropoietin and CIS-Retinoic Acid Therapy of Anemia in Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis Patients
Clinical Effects of Partial Correction of Anemia Using Recombinant Human Erythropoietin on Working Capacity in Dialysis Patients
In Vitro and In Vivo Regulation of Erythropoiesis.