Advances in experimental medicine and biology ;

The workshop was held in Wilson Hall on the campus of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, during the days of November 1- 2, 1976, and is the most recent of three symposia on neuroendocrinology that have been sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The first one was held on December 6 - 8, 1961, in the New Everglades Hotel at Miami, Florida. During the first meeting, much emphasis was given to the anatomical and physiological basis for the fledgling science of neuroendocrinology. The proceedings of that symposium were published under the title of Advances in Neuroendocrinology, A. V. Nalbandov (ed.), University of Illinois Press, Urbana, Illinois, 1963. The second workshop was held on January 8 -11, 1969, in the Arizona Inn at Tucson, Arizona, and was unique in several respects. It was evident to the participants that definitive identification and the determination of the chemical structure of at least one hypothalamic releasing factor was at hand (see Workshop Conference on Bioassay and Chemistry of the Hypophysiotropic Hormones of the Hypothalamus: A Critical Evaluation, J. Meites, ed. The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, Maryland, 1970). Much of what was presented at the second workshop was dedicated to methods of bioassay of the various releasing factors. With the advent of immunoassays, several of these bioassays, especially those for releasing factors which have been subsequently characterized chemically and synthesized, have been largely superseded by more precise procedures of quantification. It is worth noting that by the time of the second workshop, in contradistinction to the first one, the phrase, hypothalamic releasing factor, was well entrenched in the scientific lexicon. During the present and third workshop, the phrase hypothalamic releasing hormone and hypothalamic releasing factor were used synonomously. However, the demonstration of hypothalamic releasing hormones or factors in extrahypothalamic regions of the brain as well as in some non-neural tissues may denote a deficiency in the present nomenclature of this class of substances. This deficiency not withstanding, it was evident from the presentations of the participants that the progress in neuroendocrinology in the interval between the second and third workshops had been substantial if not extraordinary. Moreover, the accomplishments of the research endeavors of the experimental laboratories are now finding use in clinical settings. And, it is reassuring to see that what is learned in one species is so generally applicable to another, even man. Such findings increase confidence in our generalizations. Yet, those who prefer to dwell on the promises of the future rather than the bones of the past, will note that much remains to be done, as the participants stressed repeatedly.

Proceedings of the Second International Conference on [title] held in Feb. 1988. Seventeen contributions on: T cell receptors and activation; interleukin 1 and 2 receptors; B lymphocyte development and B cell activation; interleukins and B lymphocyte activation.

This volume comprises the proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium on Drugs Affecting Lipid Metabolism. Since the first of these symposia in 1960 these triennial meetings have been devoted to the exploration of new ideas, new data and new concepts related to lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. The Sixth meeting was particularly stimulating in this regard. The concept of the "protective" action of HDL was thoroughly explored within the framework of its molecular biology with data on its epidemiological as well as its in vitro mechanism(s) of action being discussed. The action of drugs on arterial and HDL metabolism was also discussed as were newer aspects of platelet aggregation, especially as related to prostaglandins. New ground was also broken in discussions of lipid mobilization and mechanisms of hypocholesteremia. We are indebted to the many organizations who contributed generously to the support of this meeting. Among the sponsors, the assistance of the Lorenzini Foundation was especially helpful. As in all meetings of this type, the hard work of the local organizing committee was instrumental in its success.

Reviews evidence that dietary fats, lipids, and hormones may play an important role in several common forms of cancer, in the hope that an improved understanding of these factors may lead to new strategies for prevention and treatment based on slowing the disease progression, and stimulate increased research into the link between nutrition and cancer. Among the topics are stromal- epithelial cell interactions in breast cancer, the metabolism of exogenous and endogenous arachidonic acid in cancer, lipid biomarkers of adherence to low fat diets, and nutritional approaches to the prevention of prostate cancer progression.

This book presents the proceedings of a conference on Nutrition and Biotechnology in Heart Disease and Cancer held in December 1993. The book is divided into four sections devoted to heart disease, cancer, heart disease, and cancer and NIH initiatives. The book contains several valuable chapters reviewing the history of studies of nutrition in heart disease and cancer. These chapters are followed by descriptions of the role of dietary and endogenous fats in the development of heart and vascular disease and of recent genetic and molecular information discovered about heart disease. The cancer section reviews the relationship between nutrition and cancer and several putative molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis. The third section discusses commonalities in role of nutrition toward development of heart disease and cancer. The purpose is to explore the commonality of nutrition in the development of heart and vascular disease and cancer. The forum from which this book derives sought to bring together presentations of greatest interest in research and therapy involving nutrition, molecular, and biotechnical advances along with a perspective on the most promising areas of future research in these fields. The audience this book is aimed at include leading researchers, administrators, students, and clinicians in the fields of heart and vascular disease, cancer, and nutrition. The book features a wide variety of views concerning the role of nutrition in development of heart disease and cancer. Understanding of these relationships at multiple levels is presented. This book reviews the current state of knowledge relating nutrition and heart disease and cancer. It presents several lines of evidencethat nutritional status has direct influence on heart disease and cancer. Suggested future directions are valuable to investigators, clinicians, and students. However, this is book ignores several additional biotechnologies that may yield valuable therapies as well as understanding of the biology of cancer and heart disease, such as PCR, transgenic animals, and antisense technology. Chapters describing many of the new molecular techniques and approaches would ably reinforce the goals of this book. One glaring omission is the lack of chapters exploring the ingestion of alcohol and tobacco and the generation of heart and vascular disease and cancer. Chapters discussing the epidemiology and molecular mechanistic links between these forms of nutrition and these two, expensive, ^^killer^^ diseases, especially in the light of Mickey Mantle's recent death, would have made this book highly relevant.