This book represents a factual account of the proceedings of an international symposium on the pathophysiology of plasma protein metabolism, which was organised in October 1982 by the Plasmaprotein and Immunology Division of the C.N.R. Institute of Clinical Physiology at the University of Pisa (Italy). Several of the contributors are former members of the International Study Group on Plasma Protein Metabolism, the last meeting of which was held in Turin (Italy) in 1974, under the auspices of the scientific organisation of the same institute. The symposium took the form of a series of lectures, with the main objective of providing a positive contribution to the state of the art of several topics related to the kinetic and pathophysiological factors regulating the synthesis, distribution and degradation of plasma proteins. The first four chapters form a group, each one considering a special aspect of the kinetics of turnover and distribution of plasma proteins in general; particular attention is paid to the recent advances in the field of kinetic modelling, the choice of the best models and the optimisation of the experimental designs. The next seven chapters consider the regulation of synthesis, distribution and catab­ olism of various classes of plasma proteins including albumin, immunoglobulins, complement fractions and acute-phase proteins. The remaining chapters deal with metabolic studies of various plasma proteins (including tumour markers, coagUlation proteins and lipoproteins) in different disease states, such as malig­ nancies, coagulative disorders, malnutrition and the extensive group of athero­ sclerotic cardiovascular diseases.