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To celebrate the Center for Perinatal Biology's 40th Anniversary, an illustrious group gathered at Loma Linda University in February 2013. That gathering of experts and this volume of the proceedings are a tribute to the founder of the Center, Lawrence D. Longo, M.D. These chapters present contributions from individuals who in some way or another were influenced by Dr. Longo. Covering a wide range of topics, and illustrating the diversity of thinking and scientific interests, these proceedings address basic science through to clinical problems in the developmental programming of health and disease.

Ce volume, qui paraît pour les Journées annuelles de la Société française de médecine périnatale est consacré, en 2012, aux trois thématiques principales de ces 42e Journées qui auront lieu à Montpellier du 17 au 19 octobre 2012 : la trisomie 21, l'accouchement revisité, le diagnostic pré-implantatoire, la peur en médecine périnatale, la prise en charge obtétricale de la femme obèse.

Sixth Nutricia-Cow & Gate Symposium, Leuven, Belgium

L. B. STRANG The past 25 years have seen a remarkable growth in our knowledge of lung development in its structural, physiological and biochemical dimensions. Much of the impetus for research leading to new knowledge has derived from the perception that many respiratory disorders in the newborn infant are due to defective development or maladaption of some component or components of the respiratory system. Thus, to cite one example, surfac­ tant deficiency is clearly seen to be the cause of atelectasis in hyaline mem­ brane disease; and to cite another, it is widely accepted that the mechanisms controlling patency of the ductus arteriosus and pulmonary vascular resistance also determine the right-to-Ieft or left-to-right shunting frequently observed in the course of neonatal respiratory disorders. There are, however, areas of physiological knowledge - such as those relating to respiratory control and to liquid formation and absorption - which are clearly of great relevance to lung adaptation at birth but where it has not yet proved possible to link a specific clinical state to the malfunction of a particular mechanism. In planning this symposium an attempt was made to organize the material in an orderly manner, starting with the embryonic and fetal stages of growth and development, continuing with respiratory control and the role of surfactant in lung aeration at birth, and ending with the treatment of neonatal respiratory disorders.

This volume is based on presentations at the fifth course on perinatal medicine held in the International School of Medical Sciences at the Ettore Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice, Sicily, in March 1996. It has had a prolonged gestation, but the presentations have been updated and thus the book will benefit perinatologists internationally.The introductory lecture, by philosopher Donald Evans, is of great interest, discussing the issues which all those involved in reproductive medicine, in its widest sense, are dealing with all the time but seldom think about or put in context. Subsequent papers deal with understanding the development and management of the fetus and newborn along lines which represent real progress in perinatal medicine. The epilogue, based on a seminar, will be a help to all those Europeans and others struggling to present their work in English language journals and books.