Handbook of Hormones: Comparative Endocrinology for Basic and Clinical Research collates fundamental information about the structure and function of hormones from basic biology to clinical use. The handbook offers a rapid way to obtain specific facts about the chemical and molecular characteristics of hormones, their receptors and signalling pathways, and the biological activities they regulate. The evolution of hormones and gene families is also covered both in the text and in online ancillaries. Users will find simple and visual ways to learn key molecular information. Chapters and online ancillary resources integrate additional sections, providing a comparative molecular, functional, and evolutionary consideration.

Eel of the genus Anguilla is an extraordinary fish, which due to its particular life cycle has fascinated biologists and physiologists ever since the pioneering works of Homer H. Schmidt in the 1930s. The Eel has become an excellent model for various aspects of adaptive physiological research. Despite that, several books dealing with eel biology, aquaculture, fishing, etc., have been published, but there still is a need for a text dealing with eel physiology. This book fills a void in eel literature by presenting various aspects of eel physiology in one comprehensive volume. With its numerous figures and tables and an extensive up-to-date bibliography, it will be of interest not only to researchers and students but also to people engaged in applied research in fishery and aquaculture. Eel is a commercially important fish, but it must be protected from over-exploitation; as such, conservation measures are necessary. It is hoped that this book will stimulate and suggest new lines of research.

The renin-angiotensin system and the mechanisms regulating this system developed during the adaptive evolution of verte brates, along with many other systems involved in the in tegrated survival of the organism. Because animal species have evolved from common ancestral populations, a basis for the comparison of body structures and physiological processes ex ists among animal groups belonging to different classifications. The comparative approach provides a better understanding of the structure and function of adaptive systems and facilitates the development of general principles governing these systems among animal groups; further, this approach reveals significant characteristics specific to certain animal groups. As the evolu tion of adaptation of animals to environmental conditions is explored, directions for future research are suggested. In this book, advances in research on the renin-angiotensin system are described with emphasis on the comparative aspects. However, since studies on the renin-angiotensin system of birds, reptiles, amphibians and fishes are limited compared with those con ducted in mammals, in some chapters descriptions are con cerned primarily with mammals. It has taken a long time to write this volume, and the topic is a broad one, with new data always emerging; therefore, certain aspects, and sometimes the most recent information, may not be included. Chapters 1-3 and sections 8. 1-8. 4,8. 6, 8. 7 were written by H. K. ; Chapters 4-7 and Section 8. 5 by Y. T. ; Chapter 9 was written by both authors. H. Uemura, M. Nozaki, Y. Okawara, We are indebted to Drs.