Summary and Acknowledgements

This necessarily brief overview shows the wide scope of inorganic chemistry in medicine. Many examples are by now well documented but the field remains an active one for research and improvement. Besides the principal references given here, many aspects of this subject are covered in specific volumes such as those of Metal Ions in Biology. Much useful information can also be found in encyclopedic handbooks. Finally it is a pleasure for me to acknowledge the assistance and understanding of all the contributors and of The Royal Society of Chemistry. 

Albert, Selective Toxicity, 6th Edn., Wiley and Sons, New York, 1979. 

da Silva and R.J.P. Williams, The Biological Chemistry of the Elements, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1991. 

5 Chelating Agents Antidotes and Antagonists, in Martindale. The Extra Pharmacopoeia, 31st Edn., Royal Pharmaceutical Society, London, 1996, p. 973. 

Moore and A.C. Sartorelli, in Inhibitors of Ribonucleotide Diphosphate Reductase Activity, International Encyclopedia of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Section 28, eds. J.G. Cory and A.H. Cory, Pergamon Press, New York, 1989, p. 203. 

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This detailed article reports on the latest advances in the field of haemo-compatible and antimicrobial coatings. Section headings include two routes to haemocompatibility, features and mechanisms, wide-ranging functions of heparin, beneficial effects of sulphonated groups, hydrophilic PEO chains, findings, advances in antimicrobial coatings, summary, and acknowledgements. 20 refs. 

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