Defining organs at risk is a crucial task for radiation oncologists when aiming to optimize the benefit of radiation therapy, with delivery of the maximum dose to the tumor volume while sparing healthy tissues. This book will prove an invaluable guide to the delineation of organs at risk of toxicity in patients undergoing radiotherapy. The first and second sections address the anatomy of organs at risk, discuss the pathophysiology of radiation-induced damage, and present dose constraints and methods for target volume delineation. The third section is devoted to the radiological anatomy of organs at risk as seen on typical radiotherapy planning CT scans, with a view to assisting the radiation oncologist to recognize and delineate these organs for each anatomical region – head and neck, mediastinum, abdomen, and pelvis. The book is intended both for young radiation oncologists still in training and for their senior colleagues wishing to reduce intra-institutional variations in practice and thereby to standardize the definition of clinical target volumes. ​

This book, featuring more than 180 high spatial resolution images obtained with state-of-the-art MDCT and MRI scanners, depicts in superb detail the anatomy of the temporal bone, recognized to be one of the most complex anatomic areas. In order to facilitate identification of individual anatomic structures, the images are presented in the same way in which they emanate from contemporary imaging modalities, namely as consecutive submillimeter sections in standardized slice orientations, with all anatomic landmarks labeled. While various previous publications have addressed the topic of temporal bone anatomy, none has presented complete isotropic submillimeter 3D volume datasets of MDCT or MRI examinations. The Temporal Bone MDCT and MRI Anatomy offers radiologists, head and neck surgeons, neurosurgeons, and anatomists a comprehensive guide to temporal bone sectional anatomy that resembles as closely as possible the way in which it is now routinely reviewed, i.e., on the screens of diagnostic workstations or picture archiving and communication systems (PACS).

This new volume gives a concise overview covering the most basic and exciting chapters of comparative medicine with regards to physiology and function in healthy individuals. The book includes core concepts in anatomy and physiology in human and model animals which one needs to understand to make independent contributions inthe research area of comparative medicine. During the writing process of the book the authors were in constant interdisciplinary dialogue. Theyaim to contribute to the improvement of quality of life for human and animal patients.

This chart shows medial and lateral views of the bones and ligaments of the foot and ankle, and illustrates nerve and blood supply to this region, including plantar view of arteries and nerves. It also shows common fractures and sprains and anterior impingement syndrome. Anatomy and Injuries of the Foot and Ankle describes and shows locations of forefoot, midfoot, and hindfoot injuries such as bunions, Morton's neuroma, bunionette (Tailor's bunion), hammertoe, Jones' fracture, Chopart avulsion fracture, Lisfranc dislocation, metatarsal stress fracture, Achilles' tendon rupture, tarsal tunnel syndrome (which is becoming more common among snowboarders), calcaneal fracture and plantar fasciitis with hell spurs. The chart also visually and textually describes movement about the ankle: inversion, eversion, dorsiflexion, and plantar flexion.

Despite remarkable progress in genome science, we are still far from a clear understanding of how genomic DNA is packaged without entanglement into a nucleus, how genes are wrapped up in chromatin, how chromatin structure is faithfully inherited from mother to daughter cells, and how the differential expression of genes is enabled in a given cell type. Exploring and answering these questions constitutes one of the next frontiers in the 21st century. We are just beginning to appreciate how Multifarious DNA structures provide additional structural and functional dimensions to chromatin organization and gene expression. DNA Conformation and Transcription is the first book that compiles the fruits of the studies that have been performed to date to solve the riddle 'written' in DNA conformation ("conformation code"). This book provides a comprehensive overview of the field by covering history of the field, up-to-date topics, clarifications of present day research, and future perspective of what is still to be discovered. Thus, it serves as an invaluable source of information on the "conformation code".

Complex physiopathological relationships have been proven to exist between two of the body's most vital organs; the brain and the heart. In Cell Cycle Regulation and Differentiation in Cardiovascular and Neural Systems Antonio Giordano, Umberto Galderisi and a panel of the most respected authorities in their field offer an in-depth analysis of the differentiation process in two systems that have profound relationships with one another. The text looks at several aspects of the cardiovascular and nervous systems from a new point of view, describing the differences and similarities in their differentiation pathways with an emphasis on the role of cell cycle regulation and cell differentiation. Topics discussed include neurogenesis in the central nervous system, neural stem cells, and the basic-helix-loop-helix transcription factors in neural differentiation. Ground-breaking and authoritative, Cell Cycle Regulation and Differentiation in Cardiovascular and Neural Systems is a must have for all researchers in cardiovascular medicine and neuroscience and will prompt the scientific community to perceive cell cycle regulation and differentiation under a novel and more comprehensive light.

Of the approximately 640 muscles in the human body, over 10% of them are found in the craniofacial region. The craniofacial muscles are involved in a number of crucial non-locomotor activities, and are critical to the most basic functions of life, including vision, taste, chewing and food manipulation, swallowing, respiration, speech, as well as regulating facial expression and controlling facial aperture patency. Despite their importance, the biology of these small skeletal muscles is relatively unexplored. Only recently have we begun to understand their unique embryonic development and the genes that control it and characteristic features that separate them from the skeletal muscle stereotype. This book is the most comprehensive reference to date on craniofacial muscle development, structure, function, and disease. It details the state-of-the-art basic science of the craniofacial muscles, and describes their unique response to major neuromuscular conditions. Most importantly, the text highlights how the craniofacial muscles are different from most skeletal muscles, and why they have been viewed as a distinct allotype. In addition, the text points to major gaps in our knowledge about these very important skeletal muscles and identified key gaps in our knowledge and areas primed for further study and discovery.

The author describes in his unique style the anatomical variants of the brain and skull. This atlas is a continuation of his last work on "Neuronavigation and Neuroanatomy". Most anatomical reference volumes show a large number of common and rare variations. This atlas concentrates on well known and little known variants which are especially important for the clinicians, in particular the neurosurgeons and the radiologists. The variants have been grouped after areas of trepanation. The author presents also a number of so far unknown variants gathered from his personal theoretical and clinical experience of 50 years. Exact knowledge of anatomical variations which the surgeon may encounter helps to plan operations and to avoid unexpected complications. Variants of no clinical relevance, even rather common ones, have not been included.

This manual not only provides reliable, up-to-date protocols for lab use but also the theoretical background of molecular biology, allowing users to better understand the principles underlying these techniques. It covers a wide range of methods, including the purification of nucleic acids, enzymatic modification of DNA, isolation of specific DNA fragments, PCR, cloning techniques, and gene expression. A Springer Lab Manual

This book was written in an attempt to fill a serious gap in medieal literature. A coneise anatomieal text, incorporating an atlas of the vaseular anatomy of the vertebral column and spinal cord, it has been designed to suit the needs of ort ho- pedie surgeons, neurosurgeons, and neurologists. We also fee! that this work will he!p give direetion to further studies on the morphology and physiology of spinal eirculation. The book begins with a diseussion of the origins of the arteries whieh supply the vertebral eolumn. It eontinues with adescription of the various regions of the spine, the eervieal, thoraeie, and lumbar, and of the arteries which supply the meninges and spinal cord, the veins of the verte- bral column, and venous and arterial distribution within the spinal cord. Anatomie studies of the eireulation both in bones and in the spinal cord require the use of teehniques whieh are erude and time consuming. Essential to sueeess is aecess to fresh postmortem human bodies, so that injeetions into the vaseular systems may be attempted before any disseetion has been made in the course of the routine pathologie examination. Permission to pursue these partieular anatomie studies eannot be obtained as a matter of routine. Beeause of the restrieted availability of speeimens therefore, only random sam pIes can be obtained.

This book provides a comprehensive review of the literature available on satureja covering the ethnomedicine, micromorphology, the main secondary metabolites in its various species, as well it's important biological and pharmacological activities and the underlying mechanism of action for some of its medicinal properties. There is also discussion of the pharmacological evidence for the various therapeutic activities of Satureja spp., especially on the basis of traditional usage, the treatment of muscle pains, cramps, diarrhea, stomach pain, and blood pressure along with some new areas such as cytoprotection and anti-hyperlipidemia. This book offers a useful guide for researchers in the field of pharmaceutical sciences and natural medicines as well as students and residents in the fields of pharmacognosy and phytochemistry.

This monograph has been written in the hope that it will prove of value to medical students and clinicians, to Honours undergradu ates in appropriate branches of the natural sciences, and to repro ductive biologists in general. It would be pleasing if the text also caught the attention of veterinary undergraduates, since there is much information bearing on reproduction in domestic animals. First and foremost, however, the intended audience is a medical one, for scientific studies of human reproduction have been cata lyzed by the intense interest in procedures of fertilization in vitro. Some would judge that this very activity has narrowed our view of physiological events occurring within the Fallopian tubes. The pre sent work may therefore serve as a useful counterbalance to the overwhelming series of publications on procedures of in vitro fer tilization, and offer opportunities to those in the clinical field for extending their knowledge of the scientific background to much of the current work.

Eleven years ago the circular DNA of a novel single-stranded virus has been cloned and partially characterized by Nishizawa and Okamoto and their colleagues. According to the initials of the patient from whom the isolate originated, the virus was named TT virus. This name has been subsequently changed by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) into Torque teno virus, permitting the further use of the abbreviation TTV. Although initially suspected to play a role in non A E hepatitis, subsequent studies failed to support this notion.

Within a remarkably short period of time it became clear that TT viruses are widely spread globally, infect a large proportion of all human populations studied thus far and represent an extremely heterogeneous group of viruses, now labelled as Anelloviruses. TT virus-like infections have also been noted in various animal species. The classification of this virus group turns out to be difficult, their DNA contains between 2200 and 3800 nucleotides, related so-called TT-mini-viruses and a substantial proportion of intragenomic recombinants further complicate attempts to combine these viruses into a unifying phylogenetic concept. "

In addition to the traditional cytogenetics still used as the basic methodology for everyday clinical diagnosis, new molecular cytogenetic techniques provide a useful basis for routine diagnosis. Flourescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has become a standard technique, and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), spectral karyotyping (SKY), and multi-color FISH have shown their potential for diagnostic purposes. Following a section on tissue culture, chromosome staining and basic information about karyotyping, nomenclature and quality standards, protocols of relevance for comprehensive cytogenetic diagnostics are presented.

Combiningtwodifferentscienti?cdisciplines-morphologyandimmunochemistry- immunohistochemistryhasdevelopedasanimportantinstrumentinresearchand clinicalpathology. A basicunderstandingofunderlying principlesandpotential problemsisunavoidableifyouwanttobesuccessfulinyouruseofimmunohis- chemistry,aswellasingettingyourpaperspublishedandyourresearchgrants funded. Whilemanyexcellenttextsandmonographsexistwhichcovervariousaspects ofimmunohistochemistry,thelackofaconcisecomprehensiveguidetousing thesemethodswasamajormotivationforwritingthisbook. Ourintentionwasto createaneasy-to-readandfocusedresourcebasedonstate-of-the-artinformation forabroadaudiencerangingfromstudentsandtechnicalassistantstoexperienced researchers. Thishandbookhasaconciseformat,withprotocolsandinstructionsfor methodsimmediatelyfollowingtheshortintroductorytheoreticalmaterialineach chapter. BeingconsciousofthegrowingroleofInternetasaninformationsource, wehavefounditreasonableinmanycasestosubstitutecitingbooksandjournal publications with corresponding Internet websites. Where possible, commercial sourcesofreagents,kits,andequipmentarelistedthroughoutthetextinsteadof inaseparateindex. Thougheachchapterissmallandintroductory,thishandbook itself is self-suf?cient and provides a comprehensive look at the principles of immunohistochemistry. For readers wanting further depth of knowledge, each chapterisbackedupbyashortlistofcarefullyselectedoriginalarticles. Duringthelastdecade,pioneeringeffortsofhistochemistshaveledtoan- menseimprovementinthereagentsandprotocols. Theresearcherisurgedalwaysto determinethereasonforeverymethodandstepbeforedoingit. Thishandbookis intendedtohelpreaderstoavoidtroublesinthechoiceofanadequatemethod,which happenswhenusingstandardtextbooks. Forthishandbook,wecarefullyselected establishedmethodsandeasy-to-adoptprotocols,payingattentiontomoderndev- opmentsinimmunohistochemistry,suchasantigenretrieval,signalampli?cation, the use of epitope tags in immunohistochemistry, multiple immunolabeling or diagnosticimmunohistochemistry. Eachofthemethodsdescribedinthishandbook v vi Preface was provedby the authors; many of these methods are routinely used in daily practiceintheirinstitute. Allthepracticalmethodsadvocatedareclearlydescribed, withaccompanyingtables,andtheresultsobtainableareillustratedwithcolour micrographs. Acknowledgements We thank Vera Samoilova forthe perfect technical assistance and other colleaguesfromtheMunsterUniversityClinicforsharingprobesandreagents. IgorB. BuchwalowandWernerBocker Munster Contents 1 AntibodiesforImmunohistochemistry ...1 1. 1 StructureofAntibodies ...2 1. 2 PolyclonalAntibodies ...4 1. 3 MouseMonoclonalAntibodies ...4 1. 4 RabbitMonoclonalAntibodies ...5 1. 5 ProteinAandProteinGinImmunohistochemistry ...7 References ...8 2 AntibodyLabelingandtheChoiceoftheLabel ...9 2. 1 CovalentLabelingofAntibodies ...9 2. 2 Non-CovalentLabelingofPrimaryAntibodieswith LabeledFabFragments ...10 2. 3 EnzymeLabelsforLightMicroscopy ...13 2. 4 FluorophoreLabelsforFluorescenceMicroscopy ...15 2. 5 ColloidalGoldLabelsforElectronMicroscopy ...16 References ...17 3 ProbesProcessinginImmunohistochemistry ...19 3. 1 FixationinImmunohistochemistry ...19 3. 1. 1 FixationinAlcoholsandAcetone ...20 3. 1. 2 FixationinFormaldehyde ...20 3. 1. 3 EffectofFormaldehydeFixationon Antigen-nster Contents 1 AntibodiesforImmunohistochemistry ...1 1. 1 StructureofAntibodies ...2 1. 2 PolyclonalAntibodies ...4 1. 3 MouseMonoclonalAntibodies ...4 1. 4 RabbitMonoclonalAntibodies ...5 1. 5 ProteinAandProteinGinImmunohistochemistry ...7 References ...8 2 AntibodyLabelingandtheChoiceoftheLabel ...9 2. 1 CovalentLabelingofAntibodies ...9 2. 2 Non-CovalentLabelingofPrimaryAntibodieswith LabeledFabFragments ...10 2. 3 EnzymeLabelsforLightMicroscopy ...13 2. 4 FluorophoreLabelsforFluorescenceMicroscopy ...15 2. 5 ColloidalGoldLabelsforElectronMicroscopy ...16 References ...17 3 ProbesProcessinginImmunohistochemistry ...19 3. 1 FixationinImmunohistochemistry ...19 3. 1. 1 FixationinAlcoholsandAcetone ...20 3. 1. 2 FixationinFormaldehyde ...20 3. 1. 3 EffectofFormaldehydeFixationon Antigen- immunohistochemistryhasdevelopedasanimportantinstrumentinresearchand clinicalpathology. A basicunderstandingofunderlying principlesandpotential problemsisunavoidableifyouwanttobesuccessfulinyouruseofimmunohis- chemistry,aswellasingettingyourpaperspublishedandyourresearchgrants funded. Whilemanyexcellenttextsandmonographsexistwhichcovervariousaspects ofimmunohistochemistry,thelackofaconcisecomprehensiveguidetousing thesemethodswasamajormotivationforwritingthisbook. Ourintentionwasto createaneasy-to-readandfocusedresourcebasedonstate-of-the-artinformation forabroadaudiencerangingfromstudentsandtechnicalassistantstoexperienced researchers. Thishandbookhasaconciseformat,withprotocolsandinstructionsfor methodsimmediatelyfollowingtheshortintroductorytheoreticalmaterialineach chapter. BeingconsciousofthegrowingroleofInternetasaninformationsource, wehavefounditreasonableinmanycasestosubstitutecitingbooksandjournal publications with corresponding Internet websites. Where possible, commercial sourcesofreagents,kits,andequipmentarelistedthroughoutthetextinsteadof inaseparateindex. Thougheachchapterissmallandintroductory,thishandbook itself is self-suf?cient and provides a comprehensive look at the principles of immunohistochemistry. For readers wanting further depth of knowledge, each chapterisbackedupbyashortlistofcarefullyselectedoriginalarticles. Duringthelastdecade,pioneeringeffortsofhistochemistshaveledtoan- menseimprovementinthereagentsandprotocols. Theresearcherisurgedalwaysto determinethereasonforeverymethodandstepbeforedoingit. Thishandbookis intendedtohelpreaderstoavoidtroublesinthechoiceofanadequatemethod,which happenswhenusingstandardtextbooks. Forthishandbook,wecarefullyselected establishedmethodsandeasy-to-adoptprotocols,payingattentiontomoderndev- opmentsinimmunohistochemistry,suchasantigenretrieval,signalampli?cation, the use of epitope tags in immunohistochemistry, multiple immunolabeling or diagnosticimmunohistochemistry. Eachofthemethodsdescribedinthishandbook v vi Preface was provedby the authors; many of these methods are routinely used in daily practiceintheirinstitute. Allthepracticalmethodsadvocatedareclearlydescribed, withaccompanyingtables,andtheresultsobtainableareillustratedwithcolour micrographs. Acknowledgements We thank Vera Samoilova forthe perfect technical assistance and other colleaguesfromtheMunsterUniversityClinicforsharingprobesandreagents. IgorB. BuchwalowandWernerBocker Munster Contents 1 AntibodiesforImmunohistochemistry ...1 1. 1 StructureofAntibodies ...2 1. 2 PolyclonalAntibodies ...4 1. 3 MouseMonoclonalAntibodies ...4 1. 4 RabbitMonoclonalAntibodies ...5 1. 5 ProteinAandProteinGinImmunohistochemistry ...7 References ...8 2 AntibodyLabelingandtheChoiceoftheLabel ...9 2. 1 CovalentLabelingofAntibodies ...9 2. 2 Non-CovalentLabelingofPrimaryAntibodieswith LabeledFabFragments ...10 2. 3 EnzymeLabelsforLightMicroscopy ...13 2. 4 FluorophoreLabelsforFluorescenceMicroscopy ...15 2. 5 ColloidalGoldLabelsforElectronMicroscopy ...16 References ...17 3 ProbesProcessinginImmunohistochemistry ...19 3. 1 FixationinImmunohistochemistry ...19 3. 1. 1 FixationinAlcoholsandAcetone ...20 3. 1. 2 FixationinFormaldehyde ...20 3. 1. 3 EffectofFormaldehydeFixationon Antigen-AntibodyBinding ...21 3. 2 Paraf?nSectionsforImmunohistochemicalAnalysis ...22 3. 2. 1 EmbeddingandCutting ...22 3. 2. 2 MountingParaf?nSectionsontoSlides ...23 3. 3 CryosectionsforImmunohistochemicalAnalysis ...24 3. 4 BuffersforWashingandAntibodyDilution ...25 3. 5 MountingFollowingImmunohistochemicalStaining ...27 3. 6 StorageFollowingImmunohistochemicalStaining ...28 References ...28 vii viii Contents 4 WorkingwithAntibodies ...31 4. 1 DirectImmunostainingMethod ...31 4. 2 IndirectImmunostainingMethod ...33 4. 3 TheChoiceofAntibodies ...35 4. 3. 1 TheChoiceofPrimaryAntibodies ...35 4. 3. 2 TheChoiceofSecondaryAntibodies ...

The integument plays an important role in the survival of meta zoans by separating and protecting them from a hostile environ ment. Its function ranges from protection against injury and in fection, participation in the regulation of body temperature and water balance, to respiratory activity, monitoring of the environ ment and production of signals related to behaviour. All these result from specific structural, biochemical and physiological properties of intra-and extracellular components of the integu ment. Thus its characterization can be best accomplished by a multidisciplinary approach with authors specialized in different fields of science. This multi-author book, in two volumes, provides an up-to date survey of the literature. The first volume deals with the integument of invertebrates, the second with that of vertebrates, both organized primarily on a phylum basis. As the level of knowledge on the integument of phyla differs considerably, the information provided is correspondingly either limited or con densed. For some of the smaller groups of invertebrates little information is available, as often only a few electron micrographs are to be found in the literature ; on the other hand, from the large body of knowledge existing for vertebrates, particularly for mammals, no complete overview can be provided, but publica tions giving access to further information have been reviewed critically.

This book covers the proceedings of the 32nd scientific meeting of the International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissue (ISOTT) in Bari, Italy, August 21-26, 2004. It covers all aspects of oxygen delivery to tissue, including blood flow and its regulation as well as oxygen metabolism. Special emphasis is placed on methods of oxygen measurement in living tissue and application of these technologies to understanding physiological and biochemical basis for pathology related to tissue oxygenation. The event hosted was a multidisciplinary meeting designed to bring together experts and students from a range of research fields.

The preceding volumes of Cell and Muscle Motility have focused on various aspects of motile systems in both muscle and non muscle cells. These essays have been critical reviews on topics of current interest and, hopefully, have provided a base from which future investigations may develop. During the past decade, however, much attention in the fields of biochemistry and cell biology has focused on motile systems in non muscle cells. Our current under- standing of the three-dimensional organization of the cytoplasm involve three major fibrous proteins which are collectively known as the cytoskeletal system. These polymorphic cytoskeletal proteins are microtubules (25-nm diameter), microfilaments (6-nm diameter), and intermediate filaments (lO-nm diame- ter). Microtubules consist of tubulin and several well-characterized micro- tubule associated proteins (MAPs) including MAP , MAP , tau, and others. l 2 Microfilaments consist of actin and associate with actin-binding proteins in- cluding a-actinin, filamin, myosin, tropomyosin, vinculin, and others. Inter- mediate filaments (lO-nm filaments) consist of at least five different tissue- specific classes, including desmin or skeletin (muscle), prekeratin (epithelial), vimentin (mesenchymal), neurofilament (nerve), and glial acidic fibrillary protein (astrocytes). These major fibrous proteins apparently interact with each other as well as other cytoplasmic components and appear to be inti- mately associated with such biological processes as cell shape changes, growth, motility, secretion, cell division, and uptake of materials from the exterior of the cell.

This book is about calreticulin, a multifunctional calcium binding protein first discovered over 20 years ago. The protein has been described in various locations: endoplasmic reticulum, nuclear envelope, cytoplasmic granules, nucleus, cell surface and even secreted into the blood stream. This volume outlines the newly discovered functions for calreticulin including its control of calcium homeostasis, modulation of steroid-sensitive gene expression, control of viral RNA replication, modulation of nuclear transport, role in T lymphocyte activation and cytotoxic killing, chaperone function, control of adhesion-dependent signaling via integrins, possible role in the biology of ticks, in the pathology of autoimmune diseases and in blood function.

Ever since television became practical in the early 1950s, closed-circuit television (CCTV) in conjunction with the light microscope has provided large screen display, raised image contrast, and made the images formed by ultraviolet and infrared rays visible. With the introduction of large-scale integrated circuits in the last decade, TV equipment has improved by leaps and bounds, as has its application in microscopy. With modem CCTV, sometimes with the help of digital computers, we can distill the image from a scene that appears to be nothing but noise; capture fluorescence too dim to be seen; visualize structures far below the limit of resolution; crispen images hidden in fog; measure, count, and sort objects; and record in time-lapsed and high-speed sequences through the light microscope without great difficulty. In fact, video is becoming indispensable for harnessing the fullest capacity of the light microscope, a capacity that itself is much greater than could have been envisioned just a few years ago. The time seemed ripe then to review the basics of video, and of microscopy, and to examine how the two could best be combined to accomplish these tasks. The Marine Biological Laboratory short courses on Analytical and Quantitative Light Microscopy in Biology, Medicine, and the Materials Sciences, and the many inquiries I received on video microscopy, supported such an effort, and Kirk Jensen of Plenum Press persuaded me of its worth.

The Ninth Annual Pezcoller Symposium entitled "The Biology of Tumors" was held in Rovereto, Italy, June 4-7, 1997. It focused on the genetic mechanisms underlying het erogeneity of tumor cell populations and tumor cell differentiation, on interactions be tween tumor cells and cells of host defenses, and the mechanisms of angiogenesis. With presentations at the cutting edge of progress and stimulating discussions, this symposium addressed issues related to phenomena concerned with cell regulation and cell interactions as determined by activated genes through the appropriate and timely media tion of gene products. Important methodologies that would allow scientists to measure dif ferentially genes and gene products and thus validate many of the mechanisms of control currently proposed were considered, as were the molecular basis of tumor recognition by the immune system, interactions between cells and molecular mechanisms of cell regula tion as they are affected by or implemented through these interactions. The molecular and cellular mechanisms of tumor vascularization were also discussed. It was recognized that angiogenesis provides a potential site of therapeutic intervention and this makes it even more important to understand the mechanisms underlying it. We wish to thank the participants in the symposium for their substantial contribu tions and their participation in the spirited discussions that followed. We would also like to thank Drs."

The genus Pseudomonas represents a large group of medically and envi ronmentally important bacteria. Interest in these bacteria is reflected in the extensive number of publications devoted to original research, re views, and books on this subject. In this volume selected areas of Pseu domonas research are presented in depth by persons who have been active in their fields over many years. The extensive reviews presented are an effort to provide a balanced perspective in a number of areas not readily available in the current literature. In the style of the previous Biotechnology Handbooks most of these topics have not been reviewed at all, and several are also presented from a new direction. For example, in addition to structural and compositional aspects, the chapter on lipids provides shifts in lipid parameters that result from environmental changes. This information will be invaluable to a cross section of Pseu domonas researchers in pathogenesis and bioremediation. The chapters presented include basic aspects of plasmid biology and carbohydrate metabolism and regulation. A major emphasis is placed on the Pseudomonas aeruginosa cell surface. Chapters cover lipo polysaccharide, capsular polysaccharide and alginate, the outer mem brane, transport systems, and the flagellum. Uptake of iron is also neces sarily an important portion of the chapter on iron metabolism.

The papers in this book, illustating the present status of knowledge related to the vacuolar compartment of fungi and plants, were presented at an Advanced Research Workshop entitled "Plant Vacuoles. Their Importance in Plant Cell Compartmentation and their Applications in Biotechnology" held in Sophia-Antipolis, France, on July 6-11, 1986. The organizers were fortunate in being able to assemble representative leaders of all the above fields of research concerning this compartment. These scientists from all over the world were invited to present their latest results and to exchange views and plans for continued research in this highly exciting field, which is very important for the improving the industrial aspect of plant biotechnology related to the production of molecules with a high added value. To ensure maximal flexibility and opportunity for dicussion, the chairmen of the various sessions were asked to introduce their respective topics, after which they were given the freedom of organizing their sessions in a more or less improvised fashion, with brief presentations of relevant new information by participants following a schedule fixed relatively shortly before the workshop. This procedure proved to be highly successful, giving rise to most productive and stimulating discussions among the representatives of the various fields.

Although cell fusion is an omnipresent process in life, to date considerably less is still known about the mechanisms and the molecules being involved in this biological phenomenon in higher organisms. In Cell Fusion in Health and Disease Vol 1 & Vol 2 leading experts will present up-to-date overviews about cell fusion in physiological and patho-physiological processes, which further covers the current knowledge about cell fusion-mediating molecules. Volume 1 deals with Cell Fusion in Health and will cover aspects of cell fusion in fertilization, placentation, in C. elegans, in skeletal muscle development and tissue repair, and the use of cell fusion for cellular reprogramming and cancer vaccine development. Volume 2 focuses on Cell Fusion in Disease with a particular emphasis on the role of cell fusion in cancer development and progression. Thus, Cell Fusion in Health and Disease Vol 1 & Vol 2 represents a state-of-the-art work for researchers, physicians or professionals being interested in the biological phenomenon of cell fusion and beyond.