Maternal-Fetal Nutrition During Pregnancy and Lactation


Book Description

With the aim to improve clinicians' understanding of the important effects nutrition can have on maternal health and fetal and neonatal development, Maternal-Fetal Nutrition During Pregnancy and Lactation defines the nutritional requirements with regard to the stage of development and growth, placing scientific developments into clinical context.




The IGF System


Book Description

It has been over 40 years since the original report by Salmon and Daughaday demon strating that the ability of GH to stimulate sulfation of cartilage was mediated by a "sulfation factor. " In the ensuing decades, it has become apparent that this "sulfation factor activity" encompasses a complex system ofligands (IGFs), receptors, and carrier proteins that are, in tum, responsible for a wide array of cellular actions. The IGF system has been demonstrated to be critically involved in both intrauterine and postnatal growth, and to have important implications in cancer biology as well, owing to the ability of the IGFs to function in endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine modes and given the wide distri bution of IGFs in virtually every organ system. The contributions to The /GF System reflect the wide span of interest in the IGF system and its implications for normal and abnormal growth and metabolism. The chapters have been divided into four broad sections: I. Molecular biology of the IGF system; II. Bio logical actions of the IGFs; III. IGF physiology; and IV. Clinical aspects of the IGFs. We have made every effort to highlight the major contemporary themes in IGF biology, but as is inevitable in such a fast-moving field, perspectives will continue to change as new information is accumulated.




The Placenta and Human Developmental Programming


Book Description

Developmental programming is a rapidly advancing discipline of great importance to basic scientists and health professionals alike. This text integrates, for the first time, contributions from world experts to explore the role of the placenta in developmental programming. The book considers the materno-fetal supply line, and how perturbations of placental development impact on its functional capacity. Chapters examine ways in which environmental, immunological and vascular insults regulate expression of conventional and imprinted genes, along with their impact on placental shape and size, transport, metabolism and endocrine function. Research in animal models is integrated with human clinical and epidemiological data, and questions for future research are identified. Transcripts of discussions between the authors allow readers to engage with controversial issues. Essential reading for researchers in placental biology and developmental programming, as well as specialists and trainees in the wider field of reproductive medicine.




Leptin and Reproduction


Book Description

The isolation of leptin in 1994 and its characterization as a factor influencing appetite, energy balance, and adiposity, immediately thrust the polypeptide into the rapidly growing body of literature centered on the physiology of obesity. The growing clinical awareness of obesity as a major health risk in developed societies dovetailed perfectly with any of a number of roles that leptin might play in this abenant physiological condition. Almost unnoticed amidst the excitement generated by early leptin publications was the suggestion that the "fat hormone" might also regulate a wide range of systems and events important to reproduction, including pubertal development, gonadal endocrinology, fettility, and pregnancy. Recognizing this potential, a relatively small cadre of researchers began to examine leptin specifically as a reproductive hormone, thus creating a new and fertile field of investigation. Interest in this area has since gained momentum and an increased number of participants have now made significant contributions to our understanding of many leptin-related mechanisms that are relevant to reproductive biology. Leptin and Reproduction is the first major volume to specifically address leptin as a reproductive hormone and closely examines the advances made in the short time since this field of interest developed. Preeminent researchers ti'om many of the subdisciplines working within this area present a welcomed compendium of the wealth of related literature and voice novel interpretations of cun'ent advances.




Endocrinology of Pregnancy


Book Description

A comprehensive, cutting-edge review of the complex interactions between maternal and fetal-placental tissues that control the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, the proper development of the fetus, the birth process, and the behavioral aspects of bonding between mother and newborn. Expert researchers review the endocrine and physiological events that culminate in the delivery of offspring, and provide a solid base of comparative information on the menstrual cycle of primates, including humans. They also discuss the sources and functions of both steroid and protein hormones from the placenta and the details of their effects on uterine function, placental development, fetal growth and well-being, and maternal responses to pregnancy. This book will become the standard reference source not only for reproductive scientists, but also for those clinicians who want better to understand the complex factors that affect pregnancy-and their pregnant patients.




Brook's Clinical Pediatric Endocrinology


Book Description

The seventh edition of Brook's Clinical Pediatric Endocrinology has been compiled by an experienced editorial team and internationally renowned contributors; it presents basic science and clinical management of endocrine disorders for all involved in the care of children and adolescents. It provides treatments for a variety of hormonal diseases, including diabetes and hypoglycaemia, growth problems, thyroid disease and disorders of puberty, sexual differentiation, calcium metabolism, steroid metabolism and hypopituitarism.




Clinical Maternal-Fetal Medicine


Book Description

Maternal-fetal medicine has evolved over the last three decades to become a well-established discipline. The current understanding of maternal physiology and pathophysiology has allowed us to obtain more accurate diagnoses and to provide more effective treatments of medical, surgical, and obstetrical maternal complications. More importantly, the fetus has become a distinct individual whose in utero environment has become much more accessible to study, diagnose, and treatment. Clinical Maternal-Fetal Medicine addresses the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of common medical and obstetrical maternal complications and fetal complications. It provides a concise and timely review of clinically relevant topics in this discipline. The textbook is a comprehensive reference covering the wide range of disciplines that make up maternal-fetal medicine.




Systems, Part A


Book Description

This volume deals with some of the multiple systems that growth factors and cytokines affect. The role of growth factors and cytokines on foetal development, in the immune and haemopoietic systems as well as in the skeletal and reproductive systems are covered. Various cancers are examined in a number of the chapters. This is the third and concluding volume of the treatise on growth factors and cytokines in health and disease.




The Human Placenta


Book Description

The placenta is fascinating and complex. Basically foreign to the maternal body, it can be thought of as an organ transplanted onto the mother's host tissue. As such it embodies all the principles of tissue acceptance and rejection. Many of the risks of pregnancy and labor have now been eliminated and the placenta is likely to be at the root of many of the dangers to the unborn child that remain. A breakdown of the relationship between the placenta and the maternal tissue may turn out to be the cause of the majority of early lost pregnancies.




Williams Textbook of Endocrinology


Book Description

For more than 65 years, Williams Textbook of Endocrinology has been the gold standard in the field, delivering authoritative guidance on every aspect of adult and pediatric endocrine system disorders. The 13th Edition has been thoroughly updated by Drs. Shlomo Melmed, Kenneth S. Polonsky, P. Reed Larsen, and Henry M. Kronenberg, to bring you state-of-the-art coverage of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, thyroid disease, testicular disorders, and much more, all designed to help you provide optimal care to every patient. Bridging the gap between basic science and clinical information, it is an essential, relevant resource for endocrinologists, endocrine surgeons, gynecologists, internists, and pediatricians - any clinician who needs the most reliable coverage available on the diverse features across the spectrum of endocrine disease. Obtain a better understanding of both scientific insight and clinical data from the classic reference that delivers the current information you need in a highly illustrated, user-friendly format. Stay up to date with expanded discussions of autoimmune thyroid diseases, mechanisms, and the appropriate treatment of the ophthalmopathy of Graves' disease; a new section on the interpretation of fine needle aspiration results in patients with thyroid nodules; and new coverage of when and when not to use radioiodine in the treatment of patients with thyroid cancer. Update your knowledge and skills with all-new chapters on Genetics of Endocrine Disease, Endocrinology of Population Health, and Laboratory Techniques for Recognition of Endocrine Disorders. Confidently manage any clinical endocrinopathy you may encounter thanks to new information on recent FDA-approved drugs for pituitary disorders, a new focus on pediatrics, and new content on diabetes, obesity, and appetite control. Benefit from the expertise of dynamic new contributors who offer fresh perspectives throughout.