The Ovary

The Ovary, Third Edition, includes more than 60% new material that highlights the clinical aspects of human ovarian functions. It covers advances in the areas of genomics, assisted reproductive technology, and cancer diagnosis and treatment. This updated edition synthesizes new information at the molecular, cellular and organismal levels, while also presenting modern ovarian physiology in a more understandable and comparative context. The book looks at ovarian function from a detailed molecular and cellular level that examines all phases of the ovarian lifecycle that places special emphasis on the pathophysiology of the human ovary, including ovarian carcinogenesis.

Key Features

    Represents an unparalleled compilation of chapters that are relevant to contemporary ovarian physiology
    Provides basic and clinical research on ovarian function, abnormalities, assisted reproductive technology, and cancer
    Highlights contemporary strategies and treatment paradigms in female factor infertility

Readership

Reproductive endocrinologists, physiologists, cell and molecular biologists, fertility/infertility specialists, as well as OB/GYNs

Table of Contents

Part I. The Ovarian Follicular Apparatus: Operational Characteristics
1. Follicle Selection in Mammalian Ovaries
2. Regulation of follicle formation and development by ovarian signaling pathway
3. Human Folliculogenesis Revisited:  The Menstrual Cycle Visualized by Ultrasonography
4. Development of the Mammalian Ovary and Follicles
5. Organization of Ovarian Steroidogenic Cells and Cholesterol Metabolism
6. Inhibin, Activin and Follistatin in Ovarian Physiology
7. Cell-cell Interactions in the Ovarian Follicles: Role of TGF-beta Superfamily Members
8. Mutations and Polymorphisms, and their Functional Consequences, in Gonadotropin and Gonadotropin Receptor Genes
9. Environmentally Induced Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance of Ovarian Disease

Part II. Oocyte Maturation and Ovulation
10. Mammalian Oogenesis – the fragile foundation of the next generation
11. Regulation of Mammalian Oocyte Maturation
12. Oocyte Meiotic Maturation
13. Gene Expression During Oogenesis and Oocyte Development

Part III. The Corpus Luteum
15. Molecular Regulation of Progesterone Production in Corpus Luteum
16. Corpus Luteum Formation
17. Luteolysis and The Corpus Luteum of Pregnancy

Part IV. Novel Experimental Models
18. Transgenic Mouse Models in the Study of Ovarian Function
19. Genome-Wide Association Studies of Ovarian Function Disorders
20. Mitchondria Research in Human Reproduction
21. The Role of Mitochondria in Reproductive Function and Assisted Reproduction

Part V. Human Ovarian Pathophysiology: Select Aspects
22. Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome
23. The Role of GnRH Agonist Triggering in GnRH Antagonist-Based Ovarian Stimulation Protocols
24. The Ovarian Factor in Assisted Reproductive Technology
25. The Role of Antimullerian Hormone in Assisted Reproductionr
26. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
27. Genetic and Environmental Factors in the Aetiology of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
28. Germ Cell Failure and Ovarian Resistance: Human Genes and Disorders
29. Environmental Contaminants and Ovarian Toxicity
30. Autologous Transplantation of Human Ovarian Tissue
31. Oncofertility: Preservation of ovarian function after a cancer diagnosis

Part VI. Human Ovarian Cancer
32. Ovarian cancers: their varied origins and pathologically implicated microenvironment
33. Phenotypic Plasticity and the Origins and Progression of Ovarian Cancer
34. Novel Therapeutic Approaches and Targets for Ovarian Cancer
35. Molecular and Cellular Basis of Chemoresistance in Ovarian Cancer

Dr. Leung is a Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and former Associate Dean in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. Dr. Leung received his PhD from Western University. After post-doctoral training at the University of California at Los Angeles and the Laval University, he joined the University of British Columbia in 1982 as a faculty member. Dr. Leung has received a number of prestigious awards, including a Scholar Award and a Scientist Award from the Medical Research Council of Canada, a Distinguished Scholar Award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research and a Senior Scientist Award from the BC Children Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Leung has served on many national and international organizations, including as President of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, Director of the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Director of the Ovarian Workshops in the USA, temporary advisor to the World Health Organization, Fellow of the Canadian Academy for Health Sciences, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Dr. Leung’s research focuses on hormonal determinants of women’s reproductive health. His publication record to date includes 400 papers, 350 abstracts, 22 book chapters and 7 monographs. Since his appointment at UBC, Dr. Leung has served as the research supervisor for more than 100 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists.