Breast cancer continues to be a major problem. In Volume 1 of this series we dealt exclusively with topics concerned with therapy. In Volume 2 we explored various aspects of experimental biology which are critical to our developing better methods of diagnosis and treatment. In the pres ent volume, we tum to a series of individual topics of considerable interest, including systemic methods for hormonal ablation, screening for early cancer, male breast cancer, and more. The first chapter addresses the question of why some breast tumors metastasize and others do not. Based on elegant animal tumor models, Kim believes that metastasizing tumor cells are the undesirable by product of the host immune surveillance mechanism. Unstable mem brane structures lead to shedding of membrane constituents, abnormal locomotive properties, and evasion of the host defense system. Factors which alter membrane structure will therefore have to be considered in our approach to the management of early breast cancer.

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) is a pivotal piece of recent legislation, providing a route map for the use of such resources for sustainable agriculture and food security. Plant Genetic Resources and Food Security explains clearly the different interests and views at stake between all players in the global food chain. It touches upon many issues such as international food governance and policy, economic aspects of food and seed trade, conservation and sustainable use of food and agricultural biodiversity, hunger alleviation, ecological concerns, consumers' protection, fairness and equity between nations and generations, plant breeding techniques and socio-economic benefits related to food local economies. The book shows that despite the conflicting interests at stake, players managed to come to an agreement on food and agriculture for the sake of food security and hunger alleviation in the world. Published with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and with Bioversity International.

This book addresses and dissects the roles and crosstalk mechanisms for the 48 human nuclear receptors (NR) in human health and disease. After a State-of-the-Art introduction by an undisputed and celebrated field leader to provide an overview of the field and its significance, chapters are organized into six sections. The first three sections discuss NR roles in Reproduction & Development, Metabolism and Central Systems. These present to the reader our current understanding of NR signaling in the development and functioning of the reproductive system; the roles in the regulation of energy metabolism; and how NR signaling is more widely integrated into systemic functions from calcium flux to circadian rhythm. The subsequent three sections dissect how aberrant NR functions drive Cancer; how new insights into Genomic Interaction are helping to reveal how NR disruption drives disease; and finally, how Translational Efforts are exploiting this understanding from developing novel NR ligands to establishing how underlying genetic variation impacts NR function. Within these sections the chapters also illustrate emerging understanding of how the epigenome and non-coding genome combine to regulate NR function and impact dysfunction. Increasingly these insights cross-fertilize over cell and disease boundaries and it is unsurprising that NR are being explored in novel and new arenas such as the context of neurological disorders and depression. Thus, there is wide scope for re-purposing of licensed drugs and development of new NR-targeting therapies for a host of conditions and diseases. This unique book brings together many of the leading figures in NR research from across the globe, to discuss emerging roles and their implications for human health and disease. It summarizes the state of the art and shows signposts for future research to further shape this influential field.

When we set about organizing EPIA 2003 in Porto during the APPIA meeting at the previous edition of the conference, EPIA 2001, it was decided that it would be organized by Fernando Moura Pires (Fajþ e) and myself. We chose Beja as the venue to host the conference, as it provided a good support infrastructure and Fernando had a good working relationship with several people at the Beja Polytechnic Institute. Shortly thereafter, Fernando came to know that he was ailing from a disease thatwastotakehislifeinMay2003. Aswithmanyotherprojectsinwhichhegot involved, Fernando clung to the organization of this conference with dedication and perseverance, even while knowing that he might not see the results of his work. EPIA 2003 is a tribute to his work. Taking up on the successful experience gained from EPIA 2001, we decided to structure EPIA 2003 as a set of?ve distinct workshops, roughly re?ecting the panorama of AI research in Portugal. Special thanks are due to the organizers of each workshop, for the quality and timeliness of the work they carried out. The conference was all the more interesting because of the eight invited p- sentations and tutorials, by Alexander Bockmayr, Amþ?lcar Cardoso, Dario F- reano, HaroldBoley, PedroDomingos, PieterAdriaans, VeronicaDahlandVitor Santos Costa. There are short one-page abstracts included in these proceedings for some of these presentations.

A comprehensive review of the literature on steroid hormone receptor immuncytochemistry. It includes the development of the first monoclonal antireceptor antibody and initial procedures designed to localize steroid receptors in situ up to the present. The step-by-step instructions provide easy reading of topics such as tissue handling, processing, and interpretation. This text places particular emphasis on the studies of human material-especially mammary carcinoma. It presents specific details with chapters on estrogen and progesterone receptors in breast malignancies and benign breast disease. Each section of this outstanding book contains comprehensive photomicrographs that illustrate the most salient features discussed. Detailed graphs pertaining to theoretical particulars concerning technology and the relationship between image analysis and endocrine response are also included. This monograph is an excellent resource for all researchers concerned with hormone-dependent tissues, pathologists who have an interest in working with novel techniques for localizing steroid hormone receptors, and oncologists who must use assay results in the treatment of breast cancer.

Herpesviruses, classified in the family Herpesviridae, are important human and animal pathogens that can cause primary, latent or recurrent infections and even cancer. The major interest in research on herpesviruses today focuses on understanding the organization of the DNA genome, as well as on characterizing the viral genes in regard to their control and function. Modern techniques have allowed the viral DNA to become a molecular tool in the study of gene function, since it is now possible to implant the DNA into eukaryotic cells. This book contains original studies on the structure and organization of the DNA of human and animal herpes viruses. The various chapters acquaint the reader with the organization of the viral DNA, the mRNA transcripts, the replicative intermediates of the viral DNA, defective DNA genomes and their mode of synthesis, analyses of the viral DNA sequences in transformed cells, and the relationship between the presence of viral DNA fragments in the cancer cells and the transformed state of the cells.

This volume provides a comprehensive review of established and novel biomarkers across the continuum of breast cancer. The volume covers topics related to breast cancer risk and prevention, prediction of response to today’s standard therapies, and markers capable of influencing treatment decisions in the near future. Chapter authors combine their wide-ranging expertise to review the current status of the biomarker and to offer their individual perspectives on how biomarkers may be used in future treatments and research. Breast cancer continues to be the most common malignancy diagnosed in women in the Western world. While there are multiple treatment approaches for breast cancer, today more than ever we recognize that each tumor is unique. The challenge ahead is to consider how to best use validated and novel biomarkers to select the most appropriate treatment(s) for individual patients.