Due to the worldwide epidemic of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the past ten years have witnessed a flurry of activity in the chemotherapy of viral diseases. Unprecedented scientific efforts have been made by scientists and clinicians to combat infections of human immunodeficiency virus (HIY), the causative agent. Looking back over the past ten years, we have made remarkable progress toward the treatment of the viral disease: isolation of HIV only two years after the identification of the disease, plus major strides in the areas of the molecular biology and virology of the retrovirus, etc. More remarkably, the discovery of the chemotherapeutic agent AZT (Retrovir) was made within two years after the isolation and identification of the virus, followed by unprecedented drug development efforts to culminate in the FDA approval of AZT in twenty-three months, which was a record-breaking time for approval of any drug for a major disease. The last six to seven years have particularly been an exciting and productive period for nucleoside chemists. Since the activity of AZI' was established in 1985, nucleoside chemists have had golden opportunities to discover additional anti-HIV nucleosipes, which are hoped to be less toxic and more effective than AZT, and the opportunity continues. As we all are aware, AZT possesses extremely potent anti-HIY activity, and no other nucleoside or non nucleoside has surpassed the potency of AZT in vitro.

The book covers up-to-date information on nucleosides and antiviral chemotherapy contributed by the world experts in the field of nucleoside. This book is the result of a meeting honoring Dr. Jack J. Fox, who was one of the pioneers in nucleoside chemistry and chemotherapy. This book consists of 15 excellent chapters in the area, which include topics from recent synthetic methodologies, nucleoside kinase implicated in chemotherapy and drug design, excellent reviews on antiviral agents, nucleoside metabolism/mode of action in parasites, new compounds under clinical and pre-clinical trials, IMPDH inhibitors to review on nucleoside prodrugs.

Playback is the technique of rebroadcasting natural or synthetic signals to animals and observing their response. The ability to present a putative signal in isolation, without the potential confounding effects of other activities of the signaller, is the main reason for the depth and range of our knowledge of communication systems. To date, playback of sound signals has predominated, but playback of electric signals and even video playback of visual signals suggests that playback will become just as prevalent in studies of communication in other sensory modalities. This book is one of the outcomes of a workshop on playback held at Thombridge Hall in the Peak District National Park, England during August 1991. There were two reasons for organising the workshop. First, the considerable and lively debate in the literature about the design and analysis of playback experiments -the pseudoreplication debate -was in danger of generating more heat than light. A workshop forum seemed the obvious place to clarify and, if possible, resolve the debate. Second, with the number of new playback and analysis techniques increasing rapidly, it seemed an opportune moment to discuss these techniques and to review some rapidly developing areas of interest in sound communication.

• Up-to-date review on the chemistry and biology of nucleosides • Modern synthetic methodology • Comprehensive coverage of antiviral nucleosidesThis book summarizes the recent advances in nucleosides chemistry and chemotherapy over the past 10-15 years. It covers recently discovered nucleoside antiviral agents, their therapeutic aspects and biochemistry, and also extensive reviews on their chiral synthesis.

Nucleosides, Nucleotides, and Their Biological Applications contains the proceedings of the Fifth International Round Table on Nucleosides, Nucleotides, and Their Biological Applications held at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina on October 20-22, 1982. Contributors focus on the biological applications of nucleosides and nucleotides, along with advances in synthetic chemistry. Topic range from fast-moving biochemical subjects such as the 2',5'-oligoadenylates and their relationship to interferons; adenosine and adenine nucleotide receptors; and nucleosides with selective antiviral action. This volume is organized into 11 chapters and begins with an overview of nucleosides that are used as antiviral agents and their mechanism of action, including idoxuridine, vidarabine, and trifluridine. The discussion then shifts to the chemical and biological properties of nucleosides of purines and ring analogs; 2'-fluoroarabinosyl pyrimidines and purine-like C-nucleosides; and the potential of 2',5'-oligoadenylates as chemotherapeutic agents. The reader is also introduced to receptors for adenosine and adenine nucleotides; the function of pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine nucleosides in polynucleotides; and unusual nucleoside synthons and oligonucleotide synthesis. A chapter on the synthesis of versatile C-nucleoside precursors and certain C-nucleosides concludes the book. This book will be of value to chemists, biologists, and those with an interest in nucleosides and nucleotides.

This publication contains the Review Lectures given at a joint NATO Advanced Study Institute and a FEB S Advanced Study Course, held at Sogesta (Nr. Urbino), Italy from the 7th - 18th May 1979. The Course entitled "Nucleoside Analogues : Chemistry, Biology and Medical Applications" was held for several reasons. In the past few years, many useful and potentially-useful nucleoside analogues have either reached the stage of clinical use or are undergoing clinical trials. Many more compounds have been synthesised by the organic chemist and little more has been done with them other than possibly a few perfunctory biological tests. This is often due to either a lack of interest or an inadequate knowledge of the testing proced ures available or a lack of communication between the chemist, biochemist, pharmacologist and the clinician such that few compounds receive the testing and evaluation which they deserve. The aim of this meeting was to gather together many of the experts in the different scientific disciplines which are involved in the design, synthesis, testing and clinical use of nucleoside analogues, primarily as anti-viral and anti-cancer agents, and to discuss in depth the fundamental principles of each discipline so that participants could understand each other's problems and be more aware of the information required and that which can be obtained.