Novartis Foundation

Although normally thought of as a sex hormone, recent research has highlighted the numerous and significant effects that oestrogen has on the CNS, extending far beyond its important reproductive role. It has been shown that oestrogen acts as a neural growth factor with important influences on the survival, plasticity, regeneration and ageing of the...

This title provides an extremely helpful analysis of genes that may be associated with autoimmunity, and answers questions such as how these genes can be identified, and how the functions of the gene products can be elucidated.Incorporating data on disease-associated chromosomal loci that has been accumulated from inbred mice, the title:* descibes...

Novartis Foundation SymposiumThis book explores existing and potential strategies for using the genome sequences of human, mouse, other vertebrates and human pathogens to solve key problems in the treatment of immunological diseases and chronic infections.  The assembled genome sequences now provide important opportunities for solving these...

A number of chronic respiratory diseases including chronic bronchitis, asthma, cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis are characterized by mucus hypersecretion. Following damage to the airway epithelium, a repair process of dedifferentiation, regenerative proliferation and redifferentiation takes place that is invariably accompanied by mucus...

Smooth muscle contraction is a vital component of the functioning of blood vessels, the uterus, airways and the bladder. Its malfunction can lead to serious pathological conditions, such as hypertension and pre-term labour. The calcium ion plays a central role in smooth muscle function, increasing in concentration for contraction and decreasing for...

Bridging the GapsSeemingly simple behaviours turn out, on reflection, to be discouragingly complex. For many years, cognitive operations such as sensation, perception, comparing percepts to stored models (short-term and long-term memory), decision-making and planning of actions were treated by most neuroscientists as separate areas of research....