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In the era of molecular biology, an atlas that allows a rapid understanding of the complexity of ovarian processes is urgently needed. In this book, the author draws upon her own research, conducted over the past three decades, to provide a unique compilation of high-quality illustrations that offer illuminating insights in a readily accessible form. The ovarian follicles, the corpus luteum, and the interstitial cortex are presented as precisely controlled homeostatic compartments. Physiologic cell death forms and leukocyte subtypes are clearly depicted, and the various steps in the ovulatory process are demonstrated in detail. Further topics addressed include the microvascular bed, the plasticity of intraovarian nerves as part of the remodelling processes in the polycystic and the menopausal ovary, and the role of cytokeratin-positive cells as messengers of innate immunity. This atlas will be a fascinating and informative resource for both trainees and more experienced professionals.
List of contents
Introduction.- Follicle stages and follicular atresia without and with irradiation.- Follicular atresia as proliferative and inflammatory event.- Cortex and cellular stromolysis.- The ovulatory period as acute inflammatory response to oxidative stress and follicle cell harvest.- Corpus luteum cycle with focus on capillary sprouting and regression, eosinophils and KIT-positive cells.- Intraovarian oocyte release (IOR) with severe tissue damage.- Vascular stromolysis and vascular luteolysis for bulk tissue removal.- Polycystic and postmenopausal ovaries and negligible mast cells.- Cytokeratin-positive cells as dendritic-like cells and potential albumin-coexpression in follicles and corpus luteum.- Aspects of immunological control, novel concepts, challenges and clinical perspectives.
About the author
Katharina Spanel-Borowski studied human medicine at Bonn from 1963 to 1969. She subsequently specialized in Pathology and Anatomy at Ulm, Lübeck, and Basel, in Germany and Switzerland, before serving as head of the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Leipzig from 1997 to 2009. She has published on the functional morphology of the ovary since 1980 and has promoted the concept of innate immunity control in the ovary on the basis of retrospective analysis performed during early retirement.
