An ideal quick reference for primary care providers, specialists, and trainees, this accessible resource offers up-to-date assessment and management solutions for the entire range of rheumatologic diseases.

Often considered the prototypic autoimmune disease, Lupus is characterized by protean manifestations and affects a wide range of organ systems. Despite widespread availability of anti nuclear antibody testing and other technological diagnostic advances, the diagnosis of lupus can be elusive, difficult, and inexact. Treatment of the disease can also be challenging. Advances in immunology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning world of new therapies in development that offer patients the real possibility of new therapies and physicians and scientists novel insights into the pathogenesis of this complicated immunological disease. Lupus Erythematosus: Clinical Evaluation and Treatment summarizes the clinical aspects of lupus facing the general clinician in the 21st century. In this invaluable, practical book, the reader will find introductory chapters regarding general diagnostic and treatment principles, followed by chapters addressing the lupus-specific organ manifestations. Special topics regarding pregnancy and comorbidities are also presented. Written by highly experienced physicians with special expertise in lupus, Lupus Erythematosus: Clinical Evaluation and Treatment is an indispensable reference for the common and not so common problems affecting patients with lupus.

Introductory Chapter: The Contribution of Cohort Studies to Health Sciences.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus provides a practical approach to the assessment and management of patients with this complex, multisystem autoimmune disease to improve the diagnosis and treatment of the disease and its complications.

Many of the systemic autoimmune diseases seen in children are different from those seen in adults making them a special problem for physicians and scientists who care for the affected children and study their diseases. Benefiting both pediatric and adult rheumatologists, as well as physicians from other specialties, this volume covers the latest advances in pathogenesis and clinical management of common conditions seen in pediatric rheumatology practices.

This Atlas provides cutting-edge information on uveitis, which represents a major achievement in clinical studies on uveitis. It includes more than three thousand imaging photos of uveitis patients, showing the disease’s complete profile and the spectrum of variations commonly encountered. Numerous therapeutic regimens are also presented, each of which is designed for a specific form of uveitis. The Atlas also incorporates the latest advances in uveitis studies, making it a unique and valuable resource for a broad readership, including ophthalmologists, postgraduate students, medical students and doctors in ophthalmology.

Paediatric Rheumatology is an indispensible resource for the identification and management of specific rheumatological disorders. As well as covering common and rare rheumatological problems, there are also chapters on investigations and emergencies, designed for quick reference. The handbook includes dedicated topics on systemic diseases affecting rheumatology; the relevant clinical guidelines and information needed for a rheumatologist to successfully management a young patient; and, a coloured section for guidance on rash-related investigations. Paediatric Rheumatology is also fully endorsed by the British Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology and the UK Paediatric Rheumatology Clinical Studies Group.

NETosis is a unique form of cell death that is characterized by the release of decondensed chromatin and granular contents to the extracellular space. The initial observation of NETosis placed the process within the context of the innate immune response to infections. Neutrophils, the most numerous leukocytes that arrive quickly at the site of an infection, were the first cell type shown to undergo extracellular trap formation. However, subsequent studies showed that other granulocytes are also capable of releasing nuclear chromatin following stimulation. The extracellular chromatin acts to immobilize microbes and prevent their dispersal in the host. Bacterial breakdown products and inflammatory stimuli induce NETosis and the release of NETs requires enzyme activities. Histones in NET chromatin become modified by peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) and cleaved at specific sites by proteases. NETs serve for attachment of bactericidal enzymes including myeloperoxidase, leukocyte proteases, and the cathelicidin LL-37. While the benefit of NETs in an infection appears clear, NETs also figure prominently at the center of various pathologic states. Therefore, it is important for NETs to be efficiently cleared; else digestive enzymes may gain access to tissues where inflammation takes place. Persistent NET exposure at sites of inflammation may lead to a further complication: NET antigens may provoke acquired immune responses and, over time, could initiate autoimmune reactions. Recent studies identified aberrant NET synthesis and/or clearance in inflammatory/autoimmune conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), psoriasis, ANCA-positive vasculitis, gout and Felty’s syndrome. In the case of SLE, for example, it appears that LL-37 exposed in the NETs may be a significant trigger of type I Interferon responses in this disease. Recent evidence also implicates aberrant NET formation in the development of endothelial damage, atherosclerosis and thrombosis. NETosis is thus of interest to researchers who investigate innate immune responses, host-pathogen interactions, chronic inflammatory disorders, cell and vascular biology, biochemistry, and autoimmunity. As we approach the 10-year-anniversary of the initial discovery of NETosis, it is useful and timely to review the so far identified mechanisms and pathways of NET formation, their role in bacterial and fungal defense and their putative importance as inducers of autoimmune responses. We look forward to a rich and rigorous discussion of these and related issues that benefit from interdisciplinary approaches, collaborations and exciting discoveries.

Leading basic and clinical investigators from around the world summarize the most recent research on the molecular and cellular origins of lupus. Their cutting-edge articles review the mechanisms underlying abnormal immunity and introduce the powerful new concept that a disorder of multiple genes underlies the abnormal immune response, leading directly to the development of lupus. This pathophysiology is shown to involve a wide variety of cell types, including T cells, B cells, natural killer cells, macrophages/monocytes, and endothelial cells. Over time, the resulting long-term inflammation causes irreversible cell destruction and, ultimately, organ failure. Lupus: Molecular and Cellular Pathogenesis is a masterful new synthesis of all the new knowledge emerging today about lupus. Its new perspectives will sharpen the focus of research and ultimately lead to better and more effective treatment.

Surveys the biotechnologically influenced advances in the understanding of systemic autoimmune disorders, highlighting recent research using cell biology and biochemistry, the cloning of immune cells, recombinant DNA, and molecular genetics. Among the topics are the role of complement in inflammatio