uberraschende Heilerfolge und schwere Schadigungen, das sind die beiden Extreme in der Wirkungsweise der Rontgenstrahlen. In allen geeigneten Fallen Heilung zu erzielen, die nicht geeigneten Falle rechtzeitig von der Rontgenbehandlung auszuschliessen, und in jedem Falle eine Schadigung mit Sicherheit zu vermeiden, das ist die Forderung, deren Erfullung mit den Fortschritten in der Technik und in unserer Erkenntnis uber die Wirkungsweise der Strahlen jetzt nahe geruckt ist. Auf vielen Gebieten bringt die medizinische Literatur stets neue Erfolge der Rontgentherapie - die Chirurgie, Gynakologie, Neurologie, innere Medizin und die Dermatologie wetteifern in der Ausnutzung des neuen Heilmittels. Ein klarer Einblick und eigene Erfahrung des Einzelnen auf allen diesen Gebieten sind zur Zeit kaum mehr moglich. Eine genaue Kenntnis der einzelnen Krankheiten und ihres Verlaufes bei Anwendung aller ubrigen Heilmethoden ist erforderlich, um be urteilen zu konnen, in welchen Fallen die Rontgentherapie einen Fortschritt bedeutet. Die Haut ist dasjenige Organ, auf welches bei allen therapeuti schen Bestrahlungen unter allen Umstanden Rucksicht genommen werden muss und deshalb ist die Kenntnis von dem Verhalten der Haut gegen Rontgenstrahlen nicht nur fur den Dermatologen, sondern auch fur die ubrigen Disziplinen von Wichtigkeit. So durfte diese Arbeit, die fur Dermatologen bestimmt ist, in ihrem allgemeinen therapeutischen Teil vielleicht einen weiteren Kreis interessieren. Es ist selbstverstandlich, dass ich mich auf alle mir zugangigen Arbeiten anderer Autoren gestutzt habe; wenn trotzdem in dieser Arbeit alle Literaturangaben fehlen, so ist dies aus dem Grunde ge- IV Vorwort."

This book describes the physicochemical fundamentals and biomedical principles of drug solubility. Methods to study and predict solubility in silico and in vitro are described and the role of solubility in a medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical industry context are discussed. Approaches to modify and control solubility of a drug during the manufacturing process and of the pharmaceutical product are essential practical aspects of this book.

The interactions of cells with their surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a pivotal role in driving normal cell behavior, from development to tissue differentiation and function. At the cellular level, organ homeostasis depends on a productive communication between cells and ECM, which eventually leads to the normal phenotypic repertoire that characterize each cell type in the organism. A failure to establish these normal interactions and to interpret the cues emanating from the ECM is one of the major causes in abnormal development and the pathogenesis of multiple diseases. To recognize and act upon the biophysical signals that are generated by the cross talk between cells and ECM, the cells developed specific receptors, among them a unique set of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), known as the Discoidin Domain Receptors (DDRs). The DDRs are the only RTKs that specifically bind to and are activated by collagen, a major protein component of the ECM. Hence, the DDRs are part of the signaling networks that translate information from the ECM, and thus they are key regulators of cell-matrix interactions. Under physiological conditions, DDRs control cell and tissue homeostasis by acting on collagen sensors; transducing signals that regulate cell polarity, tissue morphogenesis, cell differentiation, and collagen deposition. DDRs play a key role in diseases that are characterized by dysfunction of the stromal component, which lead to abnormal collagen deposition and the resulting fibrotic response that disrupt normal organ function in disease of the cardiovascular system, lungs and kidneys, just to mention a few. In cancer, DDRs are hijacked by tumor and stromal cells to disrupt normal cell-collagen communication and initiate pro-oncogenic programs. Importantly, several cancer types exhibit DDR mutations, which are thought to alter receptor function, and contribute to cancer progression. Therefore, the strong causative association between altered RTK function and disease it is been translated today in the development of specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeting DDRs for various disease conditions. In spite of the accumulating evidence highlighting the importance of DDRs in health and diseases, there is still much to learn about these unique RTKs, as of today there is a lack in the medical literature of a book dedicated solely to DDRs. This is the first comprehensive volume dedicated to DDRs, which will fill a gap in the field and serve those interested in the scientific community to learn more about these important receptors in health and disease.