Dupuytren's Disease

In this volume a distinguished group of internationally
renowned clinicians and basic researchers discuss the
present state of knowledge of the etiologyand pathogenesis
of Dupuytren's contracture, a disease responsible for a
considerable portion of disabilities within the working
population allover the world. Although the riddle of how
the contracture of the palmar fascia develops is still
unsolved, the data on the pathobiochemistry and clinic of
Dupuytren's Disease achieved in recent years has led to a
better understanding of the biochemical and morphological
processes underlying the deformation and malfunction of the
afflicted tissues. Research in Dupuytren's Disease now
enters the era of molecular medicine, which opens up new
experimental means of studying the pathological changes
which occur during the formation of the contracture on a
molecular level. In particular, data are presented as to the
role of specific biological macromolecules influencing the
phenotype expression of the palmar fascia cells which are
involved in autoimmune reactions and present both at the
cell surface as well as in the extracellular matrix to
regulate cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions. In
vitro cell culture models to investigate fibro-cytic
modulations are available and havebeen applied to study the
effects of specific biological molecules on isolated cells
from healthy palmar fascia and Dupuytren's contracture.
Complementary evaluations of morphological, epidemiological,
and clinical data contribute essentially to the present
understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of
Dupuytren's Disease. This comprehensive and informative
summary of the state of the art is completed by numerous
references affixed to the individual contributions.