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This new volume of our successful book series Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology focuses on the need for and use of animal models when studying endometriosis. Covering models ranging from rodents to baboons, it explores novel mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of endometriosis. Topics range from the role of miRNAs and environmental endocrine disrupters to pain and endometriosis-associated subfertility.Estimated to affect up to 10% of women, endometriosis is a widespread and in some cases debilitating disease. While studies on the pathophysiology of the disease and the development of treatments for endometriosis-associated subfertility are called for, acquiring appropriate tissues from women with and without endometriosis in combination with physiologically relevant in vitro and in vivo laboratory models is an essential aspect. However, control subjects with similar ages, living environments and medical histories, besides endometriosis, are hard to find and attaining suitable human reproductive tissues is linked to an ongoing ethical discussion, especially when studying embryos. Laboratory models like rodent and monkey models are therefore needed to fill the research gap and support hypothesis-driven, randomized, controlled experimental design studies. In this book we highlight the latest developments and findings in endometriosis research using animal models. The book was written for scientists, physicians and medical students working in the field of reproductive science, and for women with endometriosis.

This book provides up-to-date scientific information on the pathways by which psychosocial stress can affect the auditory system and describes current approaches to the management of patients with stress-related tinnitus. The latest evidence is presented on aspects such as the role of stress hormones in auditory function, the effects of allostatic load, circadian sensitivity to auditory trauma, and the association between stress-related biomarkers and tinnitus. The clinically oriented chapters discuss psychometric instruments of value in the tinnitus clinic and present stress-related tinnitus treatment protocols and outcome measures. It is widely acknowledged that the tinnitus percept acts as a stressor. However, it is also now evident that psychosocial stress can play a causative role in tinnitus and that the impact varies according to the level, duration, and quality of the stress. Assessment of the types and levels of stress in tinnitus patients before, during, and after treatment is therefore very important. Healthcare professionals attending tinnitus patients will benefit from the information that this book provides on the relationship between tinnitus and stress and from the practical guidance that it offers.

Genetically-engineered mouse models for cancer research have become invaluable tools for studying cancer biology and evaluating novel therapeutic approaches. This volume focuses on state-of-the-art methods for generating, analyzing and validating such models for studying aspects of human cancer biology. Additionally, these models are emerging as important pre-clinical systems in which to test cancer prevention and therapeutic strategies in order to select compounds for testing in clinical trials.

Interest in the humane and scientifically justifiable use of research animals has intensified since the publication of the 2nd edition of Animal Models in Cardiovascular Research. This completely revised and updated edition will provide information essential to any researcher interested in using animal models for cardiovascular research, or any research which requires normal cardiovascular function. The format and presentation will be changed to make the text more easy to read and use: (1) This edition is in outline format, for ease and utility. (2) The opening chapter includes more information on the cardiovascular effects of post-operative analgesia and will address the recognition of pain behavior in species commonly used in research settings, particularly rats and mice. (3) New edition includes reference material more useful to researchers using transgenic and naturally occurring animal models to dissect these mechanisms.

Leading experts provide timely and comprehensive information on methods for conditional mutagenesis in the mouse (part 1) and their application to model human physiology and pathophysiology (part 2). It illustrates how sophisticated genetic manipulations of the mouse genome are employed to model human diseases and to identify underlying molecular mechanisms. Finally the book considers the development of new drugs to treat them.

Scientists working or planning to work in the field of cardiovascular research will welcome Practical Methods in Cardiovascular Research as the reference book they have long been waiting for. Not only general aspects of cardiovascular research are well presented, but also detailed descriptions of methods and protocols and practical examples. Written by leading scientists in their field, chapters cover classical methods such as the Langendorff heart or working heart models as well as numerous new techniques and methods. Newcomers and experienced researchers alike will benefit from the troubleshooting guide in each chapter, the extensive reference lists for advanced reading and the great practical experience of the authors. Practical Methods in Cardiovascular Research is therefore a long awaited'must have'for anybody with an interest in cardiovascular research.

The first complete genome sequence of a multicellular organism, Caenorhabditis elegans, has been determined recently. Several more will follow soon, among them the genome sequences of Drosophila melanogaster and the human. With these achievements, the stage is set for the next phase of'large-scale'biology, the study of the function of genes and the interactions between their protein products. The aim of the Ernst Schering Research Foundation Workshop 29 was to discuss the contribution of research on model organisms which are particularly suited for genetic and biological research, to the understanding of gen­ eral principles of biology as well as the basis for human diseases. This area of research has not only unveiled the basic molecular mechanisms of development of higher organisms, but has also made major contri­ butions to the elucidation of complex signal transduction pathways that play crucial roles both in ontogeny and human diseases. Establishing the complete molecular anatomy of an organism is a demanding but rather well-defined task. However, compared to the technical and scientific challenges of large-scale sequencing and the bioinformatics analysis of complete genome data, the assignment of function to the genes of multicellular organisms may still seem like a fishing expedition, with no universal road to success. One approach is based on large-scale technologies. The use of mi­ croarrays for multiple gene expression analysis is one element in this effort, providing important information on the cell- or tissue-specific activation of genes over time.