Molecular genetic investigations on Austria's patron saint Leopold III.

The successful marriage policy of margrave Leopold III increased the importance of the House of Babenberg in late medieval Austria (12th century). Historical documentation is inconclusive in providing evidence whether or not his eldest son Adalbert derived from an earlier relationship or from the marriage with King Henry IV's daughter Agnes of Waiblingen, with whom Leopold is considered to have had 17 children. As a matter of fact Adalbert was ignored in the line of succession in favor of a younger brother, Leopold IV, which has led to long term historical discussions. Human remains attributed to these individuals were subjected to DNA analysis. Autosomal, Y-chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA analyses brought successful results, which suggested that Leopold III, Agnes and Adalbert were related in parent-son constellation, in contrast to historical considerations. A possible mix-up of Adalbert's remains with those of his younger brother Ernst could not be confirmed by DNA analysis.

Entities and eponyms: two each, and a painter--"175" years on.

Time frames are always dictated by the calendar. Kaposi was born 175 years ago, Carl Heitzmann one year before, and lupus erythematosus (LE) just one year later. Strawberry Hill and its lord played not too small a role in unraveling some details of LE and the "hemorrhagic sarcoma to-be." Kaposi (1837-1902) lent his name to one of the above two syndromes, but he published extensively on both in the same year, same journal, and same volume (German Archives, volume 4, 1872). The literary "birth" of chronic discoid LE (CDLE) (1838) trails the master's by one year. Carl Heitzmann's birth precedes it, also by one--justification enough to deal with the three in one.

Skin and sensibility: the story of bullae on the human surface.

This review presents a concise delineation of the historical roots of nomenclature and first reports of entities recognized today as immunoblistering dermatoses. The scope of the perspective of terminology is the time from Hippocrates BC to past mid-twentieth century AD, and pemphigus is the core of the matter. Researchers in this field may find these important historic facts interesting and useful as a quick reference.

A historical interlock: Danube and Fuji-San, early 19th to late 20th century.

The face of the world changed quite a lot within the past two centuries. In this article, I looked around the relation between Austria and Japan from medical, political and cultural aspects and describe it briefly in a sketch style. Each sketch presents, at one time a scholar, another time a political or cultural situation, but finally focuses on dermatological relations between Austria and Japan.

Jean-Claude Bystryn 1938-2010. An obituary.

Jean-Claude Bystryn, M.D., passed away on 19 August, 2010. Dr. Bystryn's research interests encompassed a large group of dermatologic conditions. He has earned a worldwide recognition for his innovative works on autoimmune blistering diseases, melanoma and alopecia areata. The most significant impact Dr. Bystryn's research has made is on our understanding of the mechanisms of epidermal cell detachment (acantholysis) in pemphigus and development of adequate treatment. During the last decade, he chaired the Medical Advisory Board of the International Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation. Dr. Bystryn was an innovative physician-scientist whose scientific contributions will be long recalled and admired both by patients and colleagues.

David Gruby 1810-1898: unveiling of a portrait bust in his birthplace.

David Gruby (1810-1898) was an early mycologist, the most prominent between Agostino Bassi (1773-1856) who discovered the fungus on silk worms and Raymond Sabouraud (1864-1938) who wrote the first textbook in the field.