Immunology at a Glance. J.H.L. Playfair, B.M. Chain

By John H.L. Playfair and B.M. Chain

Book Overview

Immunology at a Glance provides a user-friendly overview of the body's defence mechanisms. Ideal from day one of a medical, biomedical or life science course, the text begins with a basic overview of both adaptive and innate immunity, before progressing to applied immunological concepts, which look at what happens when things go wrong, and how, in clinical medicine, each body system can be affected by immunity.

Each double-page spread corresponds to a typical lecture and diagrammatically summarises core concepts in immunology, through accessible schematic diagrams on left-hand pages, with key points concisely summarised on the right-hand page. There are also self-assessment essay questions so you can test your knowledge.

New for this 10th edition:

Thoroughly updated and reorganised chapters offer greater clarity and easier understanding for those new to the subject New chapters on cytokine receptors and 'Immunology in the Laboratory' A completely re-written section on autoimmunity A brand new companion website featuring self-assessment questions and PowerPoint slides of images from the book, ideal for teaching and revision at www.ataglanceseries.com/immunology

Immunology at a Glance is the ideal companion for anyone about to start a new course in immunology and will appeal to medical and biomedical science students. Perfect for exam preparation, it provides the concepts and frameworks you need to succeed in your exam.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470673036
• ISBN13: 9780470673034
• Release Date: December 2012
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.5" x 10.7"

Customer Reviews

Get started learning immunology

I never learned any immunology; never took a course in it, or read the textbook, just picked up what I picked up by reading peripheral journal articles. If you are like me, then buy this short book and read it cover to cover and study the pictures and you'll be amazed how much of your scattered knowledge of immunology will get pulled together. You won't want to admit to yourself how fuzzy your grasp of lots of things about the immune system is/was.

nice diagrams

diagrams are so unique that we may not catch the meaning at first. but they are very nice & well intergrated. SO impressive! but discreted explanation is the one of draw backs. if a reader has some immunolgical back ground, this book will be good to catch complexed immune network. But no recomendation for preparing USMLE or board.

simply excellent

This is complex stuff, and I don't think it could be made any more simple and clear than it is in this book. "At a Glance" does *not* mean that you'll be able to start with zero knowledge of immunology and come away an expert after glancing at this book. It means that it's all here and that each topic is fully covered in the space of two pages. Hence, by just glancing down at the open book you will see an entire survey of, say, "Acute inflammation". There are 41 such topics in all, grouped into several categories: natural immunity, adaptive immunity, potentially useful immunity, undesirable effects of immunity, and altered immunity. The drawings are, as the author hints in the Preface, worth a million words or so (apiece). Because any given immune activity involves so many different cells, parts of cells, or molecules, the topic is far better understood through sketches of how the parts interact than through words alone. The sketches here are EXCELLENT -- clear, complete, well labeled... In short, just what any student wants. The material is right there in front of you for the pondering.Each sketch is accompanied by a few paragraphs of text and a list of terms defined.Here is what the author states in a section titled "How to use this book":"Each of the figures... represents a particular topic, corresponding roughly to a 45-minute lecture. Newcomers to the subject may like first to read through the text (left-hand pages) using the figures only as a guide.... Once the general outline has been grasped, it is probably better to concentrate on the figures one at a time" (p.7).A list of relevant textbooks, which provided some source material for this book, is provided.Very highly recommended.