This two-volume treatise, the collected effort of more than 50 authors, represents the first comprehensive survey of the chemistry and biology of the set of molecules known as peptide growth factors. Although there have been many symposia on this topic, and numerous publications of reviews dealing with selected subsets of growth factors, the entired field has never been covered in a single treatise. It is essential to do this at the present time, as the number of journal articles on peptide growth factors now makes it almost im anyone person to stay informed on this subject by reading the possible for At the same time it is becoming increasingly apparent that primary literature. these substances are of universal importance in biology and medicine and that the original classification of these molecules, based on the laboratory setting of their discovery, as "growth factors," "lymphokines," "cytokines," or "colony-stimulating factors," was quite artifactual; they are in fact the basis of a common language for intercellular communication. As a set they affect es sentially every cell in the body, and in this regard they provide the basis to develop a unified science of cell biology, germane to all of biomedical research.

This two-volume treatise, the collected effort of more than 50 authors, represents the first comprehensive survey of the chemistry and biology of the set of molecules known as peptide growth factors. Although there have been many symposia on this topic, and numerous publications of reviews dealing with selected subsets of growth factors, the entire field has never been covered in a single treatise. It is essential to do this at the present time, as the number of journal articles on peptide growth factors now makes it almost impossible for anyone person to stay informed on this subject by reading the primary literature. At the same time it is becoming increasingly apparent that these of universal importance in biology and medicine and that the substances are original classification of these molecules, based on the laboratory setting of their discovery, as "growth factors," "lymphokines," "cytokines," or "colony stimulating factors," was quite artifactual; they are in fact the basis of a com mon language for intercellular communication. As a set they affect essentially every cell in the body, and in this regard they provide the basis to develop a unified science of cell biology, germane to all of biomedical research. This treatise is divided into four main sections. After three introductory chapters, its principal focus is the detailed description of each of the major peptide growth factors in 26 individual chapters.

Receptors: Models for Binding, Trafficking, and Signaling bridges the gap between chemical engineering and cell biology by lucidly and practically demonstrating how a mathematical modeling approach combined with quantitative experiments can provide enhanced understanding of cell phenomena involving receptor/ligand interactions. In stressing the need for a quantitative understanding of how receptor-mediated cell functions depend on receptor and ligand properties, the book offers comprehensive treatments of both basic and state-of-the-art model frameworks that span the entire spectrum of receptor processes--from fundamental cell surface binding, intracellular trafficking, and signal transduction events to the cell behavioral functions they govern, including proliferation, adhesion, and migration. The book emphasizes mechanistic models that are accessible to experimental testing and includes detailed examples of important contemporary issues. This much-needed book introduces chemical engineers and bioengineers to important problems in receptor biology and familiarizes cell biologists with the insights that can be gained from engineering analysis and synthesis. As such, chemical engineers, researchers, and advanced students in the fields of biotechnology, biomedical sciences, bioengineering, and molecular cell biology will find this book to be conceptually rich, timely, and useful.

Molecular Aspects of Placental and Fetal Membrane Autacoids critically reviews current paradigms and working models concerning the regulation and function of placental and fetal membrane autacoids. These topics include cytokines; growth factors, such as EGF, TGF, IGF, PDGF, and the products of the prolactin-growth hormone gene family; eicosanoids and eicosanoid-forming enzymes; relaxin, imhibin, PTHRP, LHRH, endothelin, steroid-synthesizing enzymes and steroid receptors; and acetylcholine. The book is an excellent contemporary reference for researchers and students in reproductive biology, endocrinology, perinatology, and obstetrics.

Written by experts worldwide, this book provides the current knowledge of growth factors and their receptors in cancer metastasis. It covers basic cellular and molecular biology of growth factors and their receptors, as well as their role in cancer and cancer metastasis in clinical settings. The book is intended for cancer biologists, cell biologists, biochemists, geneticists, oncologists, surgeons and physicians. It is also a valuable reference for those who work in the area of cancer research, cancer therapies, cancer care, pharmaceutical industry. Postgraduates and undergraduates who pursue a research career in cancer and growth factors will find it an extremely useful reference book.

In the past decade it has become apparent to many who teach undergraduates or conduct graduate programs in prenatal development that there is a need for an up-to-date, -omprehensive textbook on the physiology of the fetus. Although there is an ever-increasing number of sources of information on specific aspects of fetal development, there is no single, all embracing text which focuses on the fetus and its physiological relationship to its mother. The Textbook of Fetal Physiology fills that need. This book succinctly presents the principles of fetal physiology, with clear illustrations. The chapters are be broad in scope, and their relevance to clinical practice is addressed where relevant.

Written by a group of international experts with the intention of furthering the understanding of cytokines' progress in recent years. Coverage includes new cytokines continually being cloned plus recent studies of their interaction and control.