Originally published in 2006, this book provides an in-depth account of trophoblast: the tissue derived from the fertilised egg that nourishes and protects the developing fetus. The cells of the trophoblast have many unique qualities, and exhibit great variability across different species. It has a fascinating role in the development of the placenta and as a regulator during early growth of the embryo. These aspects are all fully covered as well as studies on why it is not rejected by the mother as 'foreign' tissue. Disorders of trophoblast during development also manifest themselves in several clinical conditions during pregnancy, including gestational trophoblastic disease and pre-eclampsia. From stem cells through to epigenetics, implantation and X-chromosome inactivation, there is a lot to be learned about trophoblast, this volume provides a detailed summary of knowledge regarding the subject.

Carl Edward Sagan's (1934-1996) one of the famous quotation was "Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people." From past to date, well-known molecules, enzymes, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates are studied in the pathogenesis of several diseases both as a diagnostic/prognostic biomarker and therapeutic agent. The underlying mechanism of unexplained diseases and failure of therapies are frequently studied with well-known biomarkers, but remain unclear in many cases. As Dr. Sagan said other keys are still waiting to be known in some forgotten corner of a body universe, we find strength to propose that one of them can be the growth factor with cytokine activity named "Midkine" This book summarizes the extensive up-to-date literature overeview with the lastest work of experts about midkine in a detailed format that conveys its role as both a pathologic factor and therapeutic agent.

IVF is now established worldwide as a clinical service. Units are striving to improve their success rates, and many treatments are being advocated as 'yet another breakthrough'. The purpose of this book is to help clinicians to evaluate each of these new treatments. Each chapter is written by a recognized international expert in the field and the chapters are short and succinct, summarizing the latest evidence-based information for each topic and treatment. Sections cover patient selection and preparation, the role of AIH before IVF, stimulation, monitoring, laboratory techniques, embryo transfer, ancillary treatments and assessment of results. How to Improve your ART Success Rates: An Evidence-Based Review of Adjuncts to IVF is essential reading for all clinicians working with infertility and assisted reproduction, and is also a valuable addition to any medical library.

This comprehensive review of the factors that affect the harvesting and preparation of oocytes and the management of embryos will allow practitioners to make evidence-based decisions for successful IVF. The book reviews and re-considers the value of strategies and outcomes in the management of fertility and conception rates, centred on the production of oocytes, and successful development of the embryo. Authored by leading experts in the field, chapters engage with treatments and strategies that affect the production of oocytes and embryos, optimizing outcomes in the management of female fertility, conception rates, and live births. This vital guide covers controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, the role of AMH in determining ovarian reserve, and primary stimulation agents and the use of adjuncts. Integral for all clinicians and embryologists working in reproductive medicine units, readers are provided with evidence-based, comprehensive advice and review of all factors affecting the management of oocytes and the embryo that are vital for successful IVF cycles.

The development and selection of ovarian follicles is one of the most active areas of contemporary reproductive research. Relevant experimental work extends from laboratory rodents, across a wide range of domestic species, to human clinical studies, especially as related to problems of fertility and in vitro fertilisation. This 2003 volume provides comprehensive coverage of the field, integrating research findings from animal and human studies and condensing the vast published literature into a meaningful and digestible physiological account which highlights the key role played by the oocyte in influencing all stages of follicular development.

"Studies on Men s Health and Fertility "provides a comprehensive series of up-to-the-minute reviews addressing the role of oxidative stress in the aetiology of reproductive pathologies in the male. This volume represents by far the most detailed, authoritative review of the field that has been produced to date. The text encompasses the basic science of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by mammalian spermatozoa, the way in which these highly reactive molecules are processed by the germ line and the physiological significance of this redox activity in the generation of a functional gamete. The factors responsible for perturbing the delicate balance between physiological redox signaling on the one hand and oxidative stress on the other are also extensively reviewed and some of the first clues concerning the underlying mechanisms (age, heat, infection, cryostorage, aberrant lipid metabolism), clearly identified. From a clinical perspective there are chapters setting out the methods we should be using to diagnose oxidative stress in the male germ line, a clinical perspective on the aetiology of this condition and detailed considerations of the most suitable means of ameliorating such stress from a therapeutic point of view.

"Studies on Men s Health and Fertility "is intended to provide clinicians and scientists with a snap shot of the current status of this exciting, rapidly moving field. The book will be of value to clinicians interested in strategies for the management of oxidative stress in their infertility patients and scientists wishing to understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning the generation of ROS by these cells and its pathophysiological significance. It was not so long ago that the ability of spermatozoa to generate ROS was a hotly disputed topic. With the publication of this book such doubts can finally be laid to rest. There is now no doubt that these cells actively generate ROS, that oxidative stress is a major contributor to defects in male reproductive health and that the successful clinical management of this condition depends on developing a deeper understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms. In this quest, "Studies on Men s Health and Fertility "will be seen as a clear and important milestone. "

Compassionately written by an experienced team of professionals, this book offers parents and families essential information about the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of sex development, or DSD.

DSD refers to medical conditions, usually discovered at birth, in which there is disagreement between a person's genetic sex (i.e., chromosomes) and the appearance of the person's external or internal reproductive structures. After their child is diagnosed with DSD, parents need answers to a host of questions, including

- What is DSD, why does it occur, how is it identified, and how is it treated?- Did we do something to cause our child's DSD?- Is my baby a boy or a girl?- Will my child grow up to be normal and healthy?- Does my child need surgery?

This concise book answers parents' questions in a reassuring and forthright way, giving affected individuals, their families, and their health care providers a current and evidence-based picture of DSD. It offers clear explanations of how newborns with DSD are evaluated, diagnosed, and treated; describes the different kinds of DSD; and pays close attention to both psychosocial and medical aspects of DSD. This guide also includes information about the importance of support groups and education for affected individuals and their families.

In their daily work, the authors treat, support, and educate people with DSD and their families. This resource gives parents and families access to the authors' expertise so they can reach a meaningful understanding of their child's DSD and make informed decisions about their child's health.

An Introduction to Male Reproductive Medicine is written specifically for readers seeking entry into this fast-moving, complex specialty with a solid understanding of the subject. The first chapters cover the anatomy and physiology, clinical evaluation, surgery, medicine, genetics and laboratory testing involved in the current evaluation and treatment of the infertile male, and the final chapter describes the interaction of the field with female reproductive medicine. Throughout the book, references are directly made to the fourth edition of the major text in the specialty, Infertility in the Male, edited by Larry Lipshultz, Stuart Howards and Craig Niederberger, allowing readers to expand their understanding of specific areas where desired. Each chapter is written by a well-renowned expert in an easy to follow, informal style, making the text ideal for students, residents and general physicians who are seeking to increase their general knowledge of the field.

ART treatment is vulnerable to the hazard of potential infection from many different sources: patients, samples, staff and the environment. Culture of gametes and embryos in vitro provides multiple targets for transmission of potential infection, including the developing embryo, neighbouring gametes and embryos, the couple undergoing treatment and other couples being treated during the same period. This unique situation, with multifaceted opportunities for microbial growth and transmission, makes infection and contamination control absolutely crucial in the practice of assisted reproduction, and in the laboratory in particular. Originally published in 2004, this practical book provides a basic overview of microbiology in the context of ART, providing a guide to infections in reproductive medicine. The relevant facets of the complex and vast field of microbiology are condensed and focused, highlighting information that is crucial for safe practice in both clinical and laboratory aspects of ART.

This insightful and thought-provoking 2002 collection of chapters describes the rapid advances that had revolutionised reproductive medicine in the years leading up to its publication. This transformation was the result of converging and overlapping developments in reproductive biology, molecular biology and genetics. These advances allied with remarkable technical developments pushed the boundaries of this discipline ever faster forward. This volume surveys this rapid expansion as it stood in 2002 and looks ahead at exciting prospects for the future that stand at the watershed between basic science and clinical application. From oogeneis and spermatogenesis, through to fertilisation, embryogenesis and cloning, this volume looks at scientific advances. Subsequent chapters focus on infertility and its diagnosis and treatment using the full armory of assisted reproductive technologies. A concluding section surveys the impact of these developments on the provision, regulation and financing of reproductive health care in the global community.

Predicting water runoff in ungauged water catchment areas is vital to practical applications such as the design of drainage infrastructure and flooding defences, runoff forecasting, and for catchment management tasks such as water allocation and climate impact analysis. This full colour book offers an impressive synthesis of decades of international research, forming a holistic approach to catchment hydrology and providing a one-stop resource for hydrologists in both developed and developing countries. Topics include data for runoff regionalisation, the prediction of runoff hydrographs, flow duration curves, flow paths and residence times, annual and seasonal runoff, and floods. Illustrated with many case studies and including a final chapter on recommendations for researchers and practitioners, this book is written by expert authors involved in the prestigious IAHS PUB initiative. It is a key resource for academic researchers and professionals in the fields of hydrology, hydrogeology, ecology, geography, soil science, and environmental and civil engineering.

How do rapid social and technological changes shape reproductive realms today? This book considers the complex choices, anxieties and challenges that come alongside postmodern reproduction for women and men in the West. Topics include surrogacy, fatherhood, sperm banking, egg donation, contraception, breastfeeding, and postpartum body image.

This addition to the Springer Brief in Stem Cells series focuses on aspects related to the specific mechanisms that ensure and control pluripotency and cell commitment in domestic animal species. This topic is generating rapidly-increasing interest due to the great potential for domestic animal species to be used as intermediate biomedical models, between the mouse and the human. The Brief addresses why we need large animal models for regenerative medicine. It also describes early embryo development with a careful and specific analysis of the regulatory mechanisms driving cleavage, polarization and genome activation in domestic species. How pluripotency is compartmentalized in domestic species as well as the different aspects that make the derivation of stem cells in domestic species very difficult are also addressed.

In the space of one generation major changes have begun to take place in the field of human reproduction. A rapid increase in the control of fertility and the understanding and treatment of sexual health issues have been accompanied by an emerging threat to reproductive function linked to increasing environmental pollution and dramatic changes in lifestyle. Organised around four key themes, this book provides a valuable review of some of the most important recent findings in human reproductive ecology. Major topics include the impact of the environment on reproduction, the role of physical activity and energetics in regulating reproduction, sexual maturation and ovulation assessment and demographic, health and family planning issues. Both theoretical and practical issues are covered, including the evolution and importance of the menopause and the various statistical methods by which researchers can analyse characteristics of the menstrual cycle in field studies.

This concise, truncated version of Nagy, Varghese and Agarwal's Practical Manual of In Vitro Fertilization is comprised of select clinical chapters for a portable, affordable and up-to-date resource. Clinical Embryology covers a variety of topics, including: - Sperm processing methods - Embryo culture methods - Insemination procedures - Embryo evaluation - Genetic testing of embryos - Cryopreservation - Embryo transfer Also included are two new chapters on predicting embryo developmental potential and viability using automated time-lapse analysis (Eeva) and predicting embryo implantation potential using Embryoscope. (TM) Practical for both clinicians and researchers alike, Clinical Embryology brings together all of the need-to-know information about these important topics in reproductive medicine.

Leading gender and science scholar Sarah S. Richardson charts the untold history of the idea that a woman's health and behavior during pregnancy can have long-term effects on her descendants' health and welfare. The idea that a woman may leave a biological trace on her gestating offspring has long been a commonplace folk intuition and a matter of scientific intrigue, but the form of that idea has changed dramatically over time. Beginning with the advent of modern genetics at the turn of the twentieth century, biomedical scientists dismissed any notion that a mother-except in cases of extreme deprivation or injury-could alter her offspring's traits. Consensus asserted that a child's fate was set by a combination of its genes and post-birth upbringing. Over the last fifty years, however, this consensus was dismantled, and today, research on the intrauterine environment and its effects on the fetus is emerging as a robust program of study in medicine, public health, psychology, evolutionary biology, and genomics. Collectively, these sciences argue that a woman's experiences, behaviors, and physiology can have life-altering effects on offspring development. Tracing a genealogy of ideas about heredity and maternal-fetal effects, this book offers a critical analysis of conceptual and ethical issues-in particular, the staggering implications for maternal well-being and reproductive autonomy-provoked by the striking rise of epigenetics and fetal origins science in postgenomic biology today.

Pre-eclampsia is one of the leading causes of death and disability in mothers and babies. Over four million women worldwide will develop the disorder every year. This book, written by an international team of experts, focuses on both the scientific basis of pre-eclampsia and its management. The basic science section contains reviews of the most exciting research developments in pre-eclampsia. The clinical chapters provide a comprehensive review of the pertinent literature, highlighting data and ideas or developments in management. There is a section in each chapter (where relevant) that deals with practical management, giving clinicians a formulated treatment plan that they can implement directly. The book was originally published in 2007, and will have continuing relevance for all professionals interested in the reproductive sciences, and to obstetricians and physicians with an interest in pre-eclampsia.

Many books on ageing attempt to cover the whole field of gerontology. However, since gerontology is now such a diversified and rapidly expanding subject, the results of such attempts tend to be either incomprehensible compendia or encyc10pedias of disheartening size. The present book aims to be both more modest and more ambitious. It focuses on a single object (Drosophila), but attempts to off er a synthesis of all the gerontological work that has been done on it. It also aims to show the extent to which this work has led to an understanding of the biological phenomena of ageing, longevity, senescence and death in higher organisms, inc1uding man. Finally it attempts, on the basis of current knowledge, to mark out the paths that the next generation of researchers will most probably follow. Drosophila has been used as a model organism to advance our basic knowledge of the fundamentals of genetics and gerontology. It may be noted that the pioneering work on the genetics of ageing, which used Drosophila, began very early in this century, within the first decade of the rediscovery of Mendel's laws.

Sex matters! Are there differences between the sexes when it comes to brain function and the behaviours that result? This volume attempts to answer this fundamental question. If the answer is 'yes' then this should impact upon our approach to treating mental illness in humans, and to modelling it in animals, as we look for aetiological and pharmacological solutions.

With reproductive medical technologies becoming more accessible, assisted donor conception is raising new and important questions about family life. Using in-depth interviews, Petra Nordqvist and Carol Smart explore the lived reality of donor conception and offer insights into the complexities of these new family relationships.

This concise, truncated version of Nagy, Varghese and Agarwal's Practical Manual of In Vitro Fertilization is comprised of select clinical chapters for a portable, affordable and up-to-date resource. Gamete Assessment, Selection and Micromanipulation in ART covers a variety of topics, including: - Human oocyte evaluation - Sperm evaluation and selection - Micromanipulators and micromanipulation - Biopsy procedures on oocytes and embryos - Molecular insights in IVF Practical for both clinicians and researchers alike, Gamete Assessment, Selection and Micromanipulation in ART brings together all of the need-to-know information about these important topics in reproductive medicine.

From the author of the New York Times bestseller The Plant Paradox comes a groundbreaking plan for living a long, healthy, happy life. From the moment we are born, our cells begin to age. But aging does not have to mean decline. World-renowned surgeon Dr. Steven Gundry has been treating mature patients for most of his career. He knows that everyone thinks they want to live forever, until they hit middle age and witness the suffering of their parents and even their peers. So how do we solve the paradox of wanting to live to a ripe old age-but enjoy the benefits of youth? This groundbreaking book holds the answer. Working with thousands of patients, Dr. Gundry has discovered that the "diseases of aging" we most fear are not simply a function of age; rather, they are a byproduct of the way we have lived over the decades. In The Longevity Paradox, he maps out a new approach to aging well-one that is based on supporting the health of the "oldest" parts of us: the microorganisms that live within our bodies. Our gut bugs-the bacteria that make up the microbiome-largely determine our health over the years. From diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's to common ailments like arthritis to our weight and the appearance of our skin, these bugs are in the driver's seat, controlling our quality of life as we age. The good news is, it's never too late to support these microbes and give them what they need to help them-and you-thrive. In The Longevity Paradox, Dr. Gundry outlines a nutrition and lifestyle plan to support gut health and live well for decades to come. A progressive take on the new science of aging, The Longevity Paradox offers an action plan to prevent and reverse disease as well as simple hacks to help anyone look and feel younger and more vital.

This volume provides a brief resume of the history of testosterone research, from the early pioneers through to the most recent advances in the field. We discover how steroid hormones were first identified and how testosterone was shown to be essential for male development. Moving forward we explore how and where testosterone is produced, and how the body controls testosterone production. We then investigate the impact testosterone has on different body systems both during their development and function, and how perturbation of testosterone action is associated with disease. We complete our story with an exploration of the emerging roles of testosterone in clinical therapy, and the future potential for manipulation of the testosterone signaling system for human health benefit.

Proceedings of the 2nd World Conference - Hormonal and Genetic Basis of Sexual Differentiation Disorders and Hot Topics in Endocrinology. The meeting took place at The Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, 1/15/10 - 1/17-10. Endocrinology and more specifically, the area of sexual differentiation disorders is an evolving field of medicine. The diagnosis and treatment of Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) is multi-faceted.