Gnotobiotics summarizes and analyzes the research conducted on the use of gnotobiotes, providing detailed information regarding actual facility operation and derivation of gnotobiotic animals. In response to the development of new tools for microbiota and microbiome analysis, the increasing recognition of the various roles of microbiota in health and disease, and the consequent expanding demand for gnotobiotic animals for microbiota/microbiome related research, this volume collates the research of this expanding field into one definitive resource. - Reviews and defines gnotobiotic animal species - Analyzes microbiota in numerous contexts - Presents detailed coverage of the protocols and operation of a gnotobiotic facility

These proceedings are composed of three parts: 1) the indi vidual papers, 2) their discussions, and 3) a retrospective summa tion of the meeting's deliberations. If we were to suggest a start ing place for reading it would probably be the summation --it at tempts to place the various papers and discussions into a general context and to point out relevant ideas of current knowledge and of potentially useful avenues for further research. The papers and discussions deal more specifically with the indiviaual topics. It is hoped that the tone and tenor of the meeting are some what reflected in its proceedings. The emphasis today in biological research is quite "ecumenical" in outlook in that often techniques and conclusions from one discipline have relevance and applicability to another. For example, the elucidation of the DNA synthetic stage during interphase was first accomplished with botanical material; this technique has since had a broad and significant role in medical research. Also, the pioneering and now classical studies regarding the effects of ionizing radiation on plant chromosomes were, and still are, the foundation for studying mammalian chromosomes: it re quired only the discovery of a hypotonic medium to achieve spreading of them so that similar types of analyses were possible. Plants and plant cells have many unique features which allow them to be useful either for the study of specific botanical problems, or for studying broad biological principles.

How can you adequately honor a man of deeds with mere words? Dr. Donald Eaton Gregg is recognized throughout the scientific world for his distinguished contributions to our knowledge of the coronary circulation, his advances in experimental instrumentation and design, his scientific integrity and his lasting influence on other investigators. His research associates over the years are now liberally scattered over the entire world. Their accomplishments and activities reflect the quality of their training in his Department of Cardiorespiratory Diseases at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. The positions of prestige occupied by these men attest to Dr. Gregg's ability to select and inspire men of talent, yet in his usual modest way he insists that he was only fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. Thus, at the time of Dr. Gregg's retirement as Chief of the Department of Cardiorespiratory Diseases, a position he has held since 1950, his associates thought that a scientific symposium was the most appropriate way to honor a man of his stature. Accordingly, on March 29-30, 1973 a Symposium on Current Topics in Coronary Research was held at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Its objectives were to define our present state of knowl edge and, more importantly, define the basic questions requiring further experimentation in four major areas of coronary research, i. e.

The OHOLO conferences have been convened annually as from the spring of 1956; they have covered very wide areas from different and overlapping disciplines, as can be seen from the following list: 1956 Bacterial Genetics (not published) 1957 Tissue Cultures in Virological Research (not published) 1958 Inborn and Acquired Resistance to Infection in Animals (not published) 1959 Experimental Approach to Mental Diseases (not published) 1960 Cryptobiotic Stages in Biological Systems* 1961 Virus - Cell Relationships** 1962 Biological Synthesis and Function of Nucleic Acids** 1963 Cellular Control Mechanism of Macromolecular Synthesis** 1964 Molecular Aspects of Immunology** 1965 Cell Surfaces** 1966 Chemistry and Biology of Psychotropic Agents (not published) 1967 Structure and Mode of Action of Enzymes** 1968 Growth and Differentiation of Cells in vitro** 1969 Behaviour of Animal Cells in Culture** 1970 Microbial Toxins** 1971 Interaction of Chemical Agents with Cholinergic Mechanisms** The participants at these meetings from the different scien tific institutions of Israel and from many countries, are engaged in fields of study which represent widely divergent approaches to biology. Thus, a characteristic feature of the OHOLO meetings has been their multi-disciplinary nature. These small international conferences are distinguished by the relaxed atmosphere in which they are held, with ample time for informal as weIl as formal discussions. *Published by Elsevier Publishing Co. , Amsterdam (1960). **Published by the Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona.

The International Society for Clinical Electroretinography provides a link between scientists who are enlarging our understanding of the normal functioning of the visual pathway, and clinicians who investigate and treat visual disturbances. The chief function of the Society is to organise symposia, where, with skill born of long practice, the participants obtain the benefits of both social and scientific contact, without detriment to either. The result ing spread of information is documented both in the society's Newsletter, and by the publication of volumes such as this, the record of the 9th Symposium held at Brighton in 1971. This meeting was a joint Symposium of the ISCERG and the International Union of Physiological Sciences. The subjects covered represent merely the interests of the organisers. The biophysical studies are represented by chapters on such divers topics as the x-ray diffraction of receptor membranes and impedance properties of outer limb suspensions. Other papers deal with the problems of maintaining the retina in vitro in a physiological condition. Papers describing techniques for investigating the functional properties of the visual system shade into those which describe new aspects of human disease. In the past such serendipity has been of value as evidenced by compal-ison between this and previous volumes. In 1965 the physiological section of the Proceedings was largely devoted to a new elec trical response, the evoked potential of the visual cortex.