A great deal of experimental, clinical and epidemiological data have been gathered to confirm the strict and causal correlation between plasma lipoproteins and coronary heart disease. However, as usually happens in research, many more interesting issues are being studied, opening new fields of research for the future. These new advances, together with the combined efforts of cell biologists and lipoprotein chemists, have set the pace for an exciting period of research and clinical applications of diets and drugs affecting plasma and cell lipids. This volume, which includes the work of many of the leading world labortories, represents an authoritative and up-to-date appraisal of the status of the art and a stimulus to future research at the laboratory and clinical level in a fascinating area of clinical and preventive medicine.

The objective of the program committee of the Fifth International Symposium on Atherosclerosis was to bring together experts in many disciplines to broaden the scope of the attack on this disease and to foster interaction. Our hope was that such interaction would accelerate the eradication of the disease. The symposium achieved that objective and con tinued the tradition of the previous symposia in providing a forum for summaries of recent research developments in the study, treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis. The leading authorities and researchers in this field and in the related areas of interest have presented the newest information, concepts and ideas that have evolved in the past three years since the previous meeting in Tokyo. The most promising fields for future investigation are clearly identified, as are the nature of the controversies that persist in some highly important aspects of treatment of this disease. The appearance of these proceedings so soon after the meeting will greatly enhance the impact of the symposium on current research in atherosclerosis. The program committee is particularly indebted to the excellent response of the inves tigators for their willingness to participate in the symposium and for their successful efforts in bringing high quality to their presentations. Their cooperation in the expeditious delivery of manuscripts for this volume has been particularly gratifying. The efforts of Ms. Barbara Allen in preparing this volume bear special note."

Phillip Beaushack heads out of the metropolis of Crumbleton on what he thinks will be a quick personal business trip. Along the way he runs into Gretchen, a quirky storyteller in a small town on top of Fence Mountain. As Phillip listens to Gretchen entertain a small group of locals with an adventurous tale, something stirs him. On impulse, Phillip decides to stick around and dig for more about the tale and more about its teller. As the story behind the story begins to unfold, it unveils chance encounters and selfish motives that have been woven into guarded secrets, secrets that are ready to be told. From the top of Fence Mountain a methodical businessman, a quirky storyteller, an elementary school teacher, and a seasoned soldier discover their lives are more connected than they realized, and that the end of a story is sometimes a really good place to begin again.