Conazoles are a class of azole fungicides which are used for agricultural and pharmaceutical applications. This study examined two conazoles that possess a range of reproductive, carcinogenic, and neurodevelopmental effects. Sprague-Dawley rats were dosed daily by oral gavage for 14 days with triadimefon (5 or 115 mg/kg/day) or myclobutanil (10 or 150 mg/kg/day). Relative liver weight increased following high dose triadimefon and myclobutanil exposure. Weight changes were not observed in testes, nor were there significant changes in serum testosterone levels. Microarray analysis of 4,370 genes yielded forty-eight differentially expressed genes in blood. Of these, nine genes were found to be concordant with liver and testis gene expression data.

Despite rapidly expanding interest in potential applications of surrogate tissue analysis and intense competition to identify and validate biomarkers in appropriate surrogate tissues, very few peer reviewed publications describing the use of this approach have appeared in the scientific press. One of the first publications on this topic, Surrogate

Some of what we know about the health effects of exposure to chemicals from food, drugs, and the environment come from studies of occupational, inadvertent, or accident-related exposures. When there is not enough human data, scientists rely on animal data to assess risk from chemical exposure and make health and safety decisions. However, humans and animals can respond differently to chemicals, including the types of adverse effects experienced and the dosages at which they occur. Scientists in the field of toxicogenomics are using new technologies to study the effects of chemicals. For example, in response to a particular chemical exposure, they can study gene expression ("transcriptomics"), proteins ("proteomics") and metabolites ("metabolomics"), and they can also look at how individual and species differences in the underlying DNA sequence itself can result in different responses to the environment. Based on a workshop held in August 2004, this report explores how toxicogenomics could enhance scientists' ability to make connections between data from experimental animal studies and human health.

This volume of the IARC Monographs provides an assessment of the carcinogenicity of 18 chemicals present in industrial and consumer products or food (natural constituents, contaminants, or flavorings) or occurring as water-chlorination by-products. The compounds evaluated include the widely used plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and the food contaminant 4-methylimidazole. In view of the limited agent-specific information available from epidemiological studies, the IARC Monographs Working Group relied mainly on carcinogenicity bioassays, and mechanistic and other relevant data to evaluate the carcinogenic hazards to humans exposed to these agents.

The field of pharmaceutical biotechnology is evolving rapidly. A whole new arsenal of protein pharmaceuticals is being produced by recombinant techniques for cancer, viral infections, cardiovascular and hereditary disorders, and other diseases. In addition, scientists are confronted with new technologies such as polymerase chain reactions, combinatorial chemistry and gene therapy. This introductory textbook provides extensive coverage of both the basic science and the applications of biotechnology-produced pharmaceuticals, with special emphasis on their clinical use. Pharmaceutical Biotechnology serves as a complete one-stop source for undergraduate pharmacists, and it is valuable for researchers and professionals in the pharmaceutical industry as well.

Within the field of infectious diseases, medical mycology has experienced significant growth over the last decade. Invasive fungal infections have been increasing in many patient populations, including: those with AIDS; transplant recipients; and the elderly. As these populations grow, so does the diversity of fungal pathogens. Paralleling this development, there have been recent launches of several new antifungal drugs and therapies. Clinical Mycology offers a comprehensive review of this discipline. Organized by types of fungi, this volume covers microbiologic, epidemiologic and demographic aspects of fungal infections as well as diagnostic, clinical, therapeutic, and preventive approaches. Special patient populations are also detailed.