The Digestive System in Systemic Autoimmune Diseases represents the state-of-the-art in the field of digestive disorders in the most common systemic autoimmune diseases.The volume consists of an introductory chapter on imaging techniques in digestive diseases, followed by eight chapters on digestive manifestations in specific systemic autoimmune diseases. The final five chapters deal with digestive diseases with an autoimmune pathogenesis and systemic manifestations.International in scope, the table of contents reads like a Who's who in clinical research on systemic autoimmune diseases. More than 20 contributors from the European Union, the United States, Mexico and South Africa share their knowledge in this detailed volume.*One book of leading international clinical and scientific experts on autoimmune and digestive diseases*A practical guide to the identification, diagnosis and treatment of digestive involvement in patients with autoimmune diseases that will be useful for all medical specialties*Several diseases and conditions not included in other text books are included, some of which are of recent emergence*Each chapter is designed to serve as a "Guide to Clinical Practice for each disease

The Digestive System in Systemic Autoimmune Diseases, Second Edition, represents the state-of-the-art in the field of digestive disorders in the most common systemic autoimmune diseases. This volume consists of an introductory chapter on imaging techniques in digestive diseases, followed by eight chapters on digestive manifestations in specific systemic autoimmune diseases. The final five chapters deal with digestive diseases with an autoimmune pathogenesis and systemic manifestations. International in scope, the table of contents reads like a Who's who in clinical research on systemic autoimmune diseases. More than 20 contributors from the European Union, the United States, Mexico, and South Africa share their knowledge in this detailed volume. The book provides an overview of our current understanding of digestive disorders in the most common systemic autoimmune diseases. - Completely updated, including five new chapters - Presents up-to-date information, giving the reader easy access to individual topics in one place - Written by leading international clinical and scientific experts on autoimmune and digestive diseases - Provides a practical guide to the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of digestive involvement in patients with autoimmune diseases that will be useful for all medical specialties - Includes several diseases and conditions not included in other texts, some of which have only recently emerged - Designed to serve as a guide to clinical practice

The Digestive System in Systemic Autoimmune Diseases, Second Edition , represents the state-of-the-art in the field of digestive disorders in the most common systemic autoimmune diseases. This volume consists of an introductory chapter on imaging techniques in digestive diseases, followed by eight chapters on digestive manifestations in specific systemic autoimmune diseases. The final five chapters deal with digestive diseases with an autoimmune pathogenesis and systemic manifestations. International in scope, the table of contents reads like a Who's who in clinical research on systemic autoimmune diseases. More than 20 contributors from the European Union, the United States, Mexico, and South Africa share their knowledge in this detailed volume. The book provides an overview of our current understanding of digestive disorders in the most common systemic autoimmune diseases. Completely updated, including five new chapters Presents up-to-date information, giving the reader easy access to individual topics in one place Written by leading international clinical and scientific experts on autoimmune and digestive diseases Provides a practical guide to the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of digestive involvement in patients with autoimmune diseases that will be useful for all medical specialties Includes several diseases and conditions not included in other texts, some of which have only recently emerged Designed to serve as a guide to clinical practice.

This Open Access book presents practical approaches to managing patients affected by various rheumatological diseases, allowing readers to gain a better understanding of the various clinical expressions and problems experienced by these patients. Discussing rheumatology from an organ systems perspective, it highlights the importance ofdetailed musculoskeletal examinations when treating patients affected by rheumatological diseases. The book first explores the latest diagnostic approaches and offers key tips for accurate musculoskeletal examinations before addressing the various treatment modalities, with a particular focus on the most common joints involved in rheumatoid arthritis: the wrists and the metacarpophalangeal joints (2nd and 3rd). Featuring easy-to-understand flow diagrams and explaining the common medical problems associated with rheumatic disease, such as shortness of breath and anemia, it is not only a valuable resource to rheumatologists, but will also appeal to medical students, junior residents, and primary healthcare physicians.

This book is the proceedings of the Falk Symposium No. 127 on `Autoimmune Diseases in Paediatric Gastroenterology' (IV International Falk Symposium on Paediatric Gastroenterology), held in Basel, Switzerland, on November 8-9, 2001. The symposium focused on the role of the immune system, both the acquired and the innate systems, in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children and adolescents. The innate system has an important fundamental role in host defence by initiating immune responses against potentially deleterious matter. However, a mutation within the innate system may elicit an immune response against the host: hence, an autoimmune response. Chronic autoimmune hepatitis occurs predominantly in young people, and especially in women. Immunological changes are conspicuous. Tissue antibodies are found in a large number of patients. This is a disease of disordered immunoregulation marked by a deficit in suppressor T cells causing the production of autoantibodies against specific hepatocyte surface antigen. Liver membrane protein is found in the sera of patients with autoimmune chronic acute hepatitis and with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). The latter condition of progressive granulomatous destruction of intrahepatic bile ducts is, in many respects, analogous to the graft-versus-host syndrome where the immune system has become sensitized to foreign HLA-molecules. Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is another condition of unknown origin. All parts of the biliary tree can be involved in a chronic, fibrosing, inflammatory process that results in obliteration of the biliary tree and ultimately in biliary cirrhosis. About half of the patients also suffer from ulcerative colitis and rarely from Crohn's disease. Circulating antibodies to some antigens are found in obstructed portal tracts, as well as increased concentrations of biliary immune complexes in patients with PBC. In all three previous Falk symposia on paediatric gastroenterology, attention was focused on the role of the innate immune system in the aetiology of IBD. It has become increasingly clear in recent years that the innate system has a much more important and fundamental role in host defence. The decision to initiate an immune response is one of the major roles of the innate system. Mutations within this system could transform it into becoming constitutively active, resulting in an inflammatory reaction and thus eliciting an autoimmune response. Following an introduction to the basic phenomena of autoimmunity, the proceedings discuss clinical aspects of autoimmune diseases. In particular, current knowledge and the state of the art about the diagnosis and treatment of the autoimmune diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are described by world-renowned experts. The book also contains the short presentations on selected topics, as well as abstracts of the mini-posters read by title, which were included in the symposium.

Autoimmune Diseases: Acute and Complex Situations provides a detailed overview of conditions associated with autoimmune diseases that are considered either life-threatening or requiring complex management. These include abdominal pain, arthritis, cutaneous ulcers, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, epilepsy, pancreatitis, stroke and white-matter CNS lesions. Autoimmune Diseases: Acute and Complex Situations addresses the latest clinical and immunological prognostic factors that may help to identify patients at higher risk of developing potentially life-threatening involvement. This book comprehensively helps the reader to diagnose these patients, in whom an early therapeutic approach is essential. Autoimmune Diseases: Acute and Complex Situations is a valuable reference tool for rheumatologists, internists, immunologists, and all the specialists involved in the multidisciplinary care of patient with rheumatic and systemic autoimmune diseases.

Gastroenterology and Hepatology encompass a vast anatomic assortment of organs with diverse structure and function and the potential for affliction from a multiplicity of diseases. Completely covering these complex and interrelated systems, Mayo Clinic Gastroenterology and Hepatology Board Review provides an in-depth examination of essential knowledge in gastroenterology, hepatology, and the integral related areas of pathology, endoscopy, nutrition, and radiology. With contributions from experts at Mayo Clinic who are currently in clinical practice and have a strong commitment to teaching, the book assists physicians-in-training to prepare for the gastroenterology board examination.

Nickeloff (skin cancer research, Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Chicago) and Nestle (cutaneous medicine and immunotherapy, King's College, London School of Medicine at Guy's, UK) assemble 19 review articles on autoimmune disease processes that affect the skin, covering both humoral and cellular immunity. The etiology, cellular and molecular mechanisms, therapeutic strategies, and pathophysiology of diseases such as psoriasis, dermatitis, cutaneous lupus erythematosus, vitiligo, and scleroderma are discussed by individuals in dermatology, genetics, immunology, and pathology who are based around the world. The book is aimed at clinical researchers, students, allergists, immunologists, dermatologists, and internists.

This is the most comprehensive review of the idiotypic network available. All the current knowledge of idiotypes of the various antibodies is incorporated in this volume. The pathogenic role of idiotypes in autoimmunity and cancer is reviewed in depth. The therapeutic part focusses on harnessing anti-idiotypes for treating autoimmunological disorders, and on the employment of idiotypes for vaccines in cancer and infectious diseases, as well as explaining the manipulation of the idiotypic network in autoimmunity and cancer idiotypes and vaccines.

This book presents research outcomes, providing a big picture of rheumatic diseases as systemic conditions, and exploring the correlation between liver dysfunction and gastrointestinal lesions. Each chapter presents the association between major rheumatic diseases and hepato-gastrointestinal lesions, including liver and gastrointestinal involvement in lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, systemic sclerosis, Bechet’s disease, and IgG4-related disease. The chapters on PBC-CREST syndrome and immunosuppressive agents broaden readers understanding and enable them to view the diseases from a systematic perspective. Although the disease is rare, it has attracted considerable attention as an intractable disease, and despite the severity of the symptoms, little has been written on the topic. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, this comprehensive volume thoroughly prepares readers for research in the field of systemic diseases. Gastrointestinal and Hepatic Manifestations of Rheumatic Diseases is a valuable resource not only for hepatologists and rheumatologists, but also clinical residents and medical students.