This book is a comprehensive compendium of current knowledge on inherited and autoimmune blistering diseases that relates advances in our understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms to management of the individual diseases. The aim is to provide a detailed reference for dermatologists who care for patients with these conditions and a useful “one-stop information shop” for specialists outside of dermatology. The book opens by describing the structure and biology of the epidermis and basement membrane zone and discussing the genes and proteins that are targets for mutations and autoantibodies. The role of the various diagnostic tests is explained, and clinical manifestations of the specific diseases are presented with the aid of many high-quality illustrations. The forms of treatment appropriate in specific conditions are then described in depth, with coverage of dressings, drugs, surgical procedures, gene therapy, and other novel approaches. Helpful algorithms are included both for testing and monitoring and for treatment.

This book is devoted to innovative medicine, comprising the proceedings of the Uehara Memorial Foundation Symposium 2014. It remains extremely rare for the findings of basic research to be developed into clinical applications, and it takes a long time for the process to be achieved. The task of advancing the development of basic research into clinical reality lies with translational science, yet the field seems to struggle to find a way to move forward. To create innovative medical technology, many steps need to be taken: development and analysis of optimal animal models of human diseases, elucidation of genomic and epidemiological data, and establishment of “proof of concept”. There is also considerable demand for progress in drug research, new surgical procedures, and new clinical devices and equipment. While the original research target may be rare diseases, it is also important to apply those findings more broadly to common diseases. The book covers a wide range of topics and is organized into three complementary parts. The first part is basic research for innovative medicine, the second is translational research for innovative medicine, and the third is new technology for innovative medicine. This book helps to understand innovative medicine and to make progress in its realization.

Autoimmune bullous diseases are a group of rare skin diseases characterized by intraepidermal and subepidermal bullae formations due to autoantibodies directed against the structural proteins of the epidermis or the dermal-epidermal junction. Early and correct diagnosis and adequate treatment of autoimmune bullous diseases are important as they cause morbidity and mortality in the affected patients. This book, which gives detailed information about autoimmune bullous diseases, has two sections and nine chapters with sixteen contributing authors. The first section describes the structure and tasks of desmosomes and basement membrane zone, which consist of the major antigens of skin integrity targeted by autoantibodies. The second section is about the epidemiology, etiopathogenesis, mucocutaneous, histopathologic and laboratory findings, and therapy of autoimmune bullous diseases.

​​​ Inpatient Dermatology is a concise and portable resource that synthesizes the most essential material to help physicians with recognition, differential diagnosis, work-up, and treatment of dermatologic issues in the hospitalized patient. Complete with hundreds of clinical and pathologic images, this volume is both an inpatient dermatology atlas and a practical guide to day-one, initial work-up, and management plan for common and rare skin diseases that occur in the inpatient setting. Each chapter is a bulleted, easy-to-read reference that focuses on one specific inpatient dermatologic condition, with carefully curated clinical photographs and corresponding histopathologic images to aid readers in developing clinical-pathologic correlation for the dermatologic diseases encountered in the hospital. Before each subsection the editors share diagnostic pearls, explaining their approach to these challenging conditions. This book is structured to be useful to physicians, residents, and medical students. It spans dermatology, emergency medicine, internal medicine, infectious disease, and rheumatology. Inpatient Dermatology is the go-to guide for hospital-based skin diseases, making even the most complex inpatient dermatologic issues approachable and understandable for any clinician.

This book presents the nuances of dermatology from the African diaspora and the tropics. It not only addresses the dark pigmentation of the patient’s skin and the occurrence of tropical infections, but also the socioeconomic conditions which lead to unique features and the development of skin diseases. Chapters present numerous dermatological cases, with clear/relevant pictures, to serve as illustration of how skin conditions present in African/dark skin. Of these specific conditions, the book includes chapters on eczema, bullous diseases, hair disorders, acne, and papulosquamous disorders. Additionally, chapters address emotionally sensitive and socioeconomic-related issues such as skin bleaching and dermatological manifestations of HIV/AIDS, an infectious condition that disproportionately affects those residing in sub-Saharan Africa. Expertly written text is supplemented by hundreds of high-quality, real patient photos. Written by doctors living and treating patients in the tropical environment of Africa, Atlas of Dermatological Conditions in Populations of African Ancestry is an essential tool in broadening the scope of care for professionals and residents in dermatology alike.

A step-by-step guide to diagnosing inflammatory skin disorders with a special emphasis on clinicopathologic correlation.

This volume details our current understanding of the architecture and signaling capabilities of the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) in health and disease. The first chapters review new insights into the assembly of BCR components and their organization on the cell surface. Subsequent contributions focus on the molecular interactions that connect the BCR with major intracellular signaling pathways such as Ca2+ mobilization, membrane phospholipid metabolism, nuclear translocation of NF-kB or the activation of Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase and MAP kinases. These elements orchestrate cytoplasmic and nuclear responses as well as cytoskeleton dynamics for antigen internalization. Furthermore, a key mechanism of how B cells remember their cognate antigen is discussed in detail. Altogether, the discoveries presented provide a better understanding of B cell biology and help to explain some B cell-mediated pathogenicities, like autoimmune phenomena or the formation of B cell tumors, while also paving the way for eventually combating these diseases.