The mechanisms that initiate labour (i. e. , the conversion of the quies- cent uterus to an active and reactive organ at term) are poorly under- stood. Of considerable importance are the factors that control preterm labour and preterm birth, with their devastating effects on society. This problem is the leading obstetrical issue. Preterm labour affects ap- proximately 10% of all pregnant women (even higher numbers are re- Abb. I. The participants of the workshop VI Preface ported for less developed countries or where prenatal healthcare is a low priority) and it is the leading cause of...

Since 1948, hydrocortisone (cortisol), the principal glucocorticoid (GC) of the human adrenal cortex has been successfully used at phar macological concentrations for the suppression of clinical manifesta tions of rheumatoid arthritis. Numerous compounds with GC activity have also been developed and used. Fifty years after their initial clinical use, GCs are still the most im portant and frequently prescribed class of anti-inflammatory drugs for various inflammatory disorders. They are administered either orally, parenterally (intravenous, intramuscular, intrathecal), or topically (cu...

Evidence accumulated over the past decade show that gonadal steroid hormones participate in an important way in the physiological and pa thophysiological regulation of the cardiovascular system. The hor monal profile appears to put males at a disadvantage biologically in terms of cardiovascular diseases. The incidence of hypertension is higher in men than in pre-monopausal women indicating an influence of gender on the hypertensive disease process. Males and females have equivalent cholesterol levels until puberty but males suffer an ex ponential increase in heart disease in their forties,...

Some of the current concepts used in transgenic research, an increasingly important tool to study the regulation and function of genes, are illustrated in this book. With these techniques, animal models can be used to study human diseases; this opens up new possibilities in both applied and basic research. Specifically, the ability to introduce genes into the germline of mice and the successful expression of the inserted gene within an organism provide new insights and opportunities for biomedical research. The discussion here shows how a detailed analysis of the underlying molecular...

Metabolic research and especially that which focuses on the monooxygenase cytochrome P450 system has gone through dramatic progressive changes within the last decade. Availability of highly sophisticated analytical techniques has contributed to increased molecular understanding of biotransformation pathways. Nowadays designer drugs are computer composable focussing on metabolic stability. The rapid development of recombinant enzymes has, in many cases, replaced the intensive work on P450 isolation from naturally occurring sources. Recombinant P450s can be expressed in cell lines and thus made...

Bone is a sex hormone-dependent organ, which has important implications for current therapeutic strategies in the prevention and possible treatment of bone loss in the elderly. This book contains the proceedings of the Schering Workshop on "Sex Steroids and Bone." The various chapters by leading experts give and overall view of current knowledge on the control of bone hemostasis by sex steroids and new ideas on how this controlcould be exerted. It was also of particular concern to integrate a general survey of in vivo experimentation and histomorphometric evaluation of bone tissue. The...

It is now widely accepted that cells have the ability to initiate a program of gene-directed death, a process called "apoptosis" which may also be used as an innovative strategy for therapeutic intervention in cancer therapy. Experts in this area report on the regulation and control of apoptosis in hormone dependent (neoplastic) tissue and the possibility to exploit active cell death for therapeutic application.

The Ernst Schering Research Foundation sponsored its 15th workshop in Berlin on October 19-21, 1994. Leading scientists from Europe and North America were invited to discuss computer-aided drug design in industrial research. Computer-aided drug design is a very exciting field and an intellec tual challenge, like playing chess. But these reasons are no longer suf ficient to justify using this method in industry, if they ever were. Fig. 1. The participants of the workshop VI Preface Therefore, when we, together with Prof. Hoyer, started to think about this workshop, our intentions quickly...

Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of late life with devastating consequences for the afflicted and their carers and poses one of the major challenges to medical research. Until recently, little hope of effective therapies capable of slowing the disease process or preventing its occurrence was apparent. With recent advances in the genetics and molecular biology of the disease processes and the demonstration of the involvement of multiple aetiological factors, however, real chances are now appearing for the identification of preventive drugs. In this discussion,...

The tyrosine kinases are frequently implicated in experimental as well as in human cancer. The best-studied receptor signaling system from this family is the EGF receptor. Experts in this area report on the involvement of the receptor in a variety of human tumors, outline underlying molecular mechanisms for aberrant receptor signaling in experimental systems and present the status of current therapies. A detailed analysis of EGF receptor signal transduction via expression of receptor, ligands, phosphatases and presence of other members of the receptor family will provide new information for...