Günter Obe Bücher

An overview of the different approaches to cancer risk assessment of environmental factors - including „-omics“ technologies, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the methods in different fields. The main focus is on the carcinogenic effects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, demonstrating the difficulties in accurately assessing those factors that may or may not pose a significant cancer risk. The book extends the view to a broader context of risk assessment, highlighting various aspects of risk management. Written by leading experts in the field, this is a resource for policy makers and professionals in health risk assessment, and public health workers, as well as oncologists and researchers in academia.

The book helps the reader to better understand cytogenetics and the intricacies of the methodology. The different methods of fluorescence in situ hybridization are discussed and the results achieved are presented. The book provides a comprehensive review of basic and applied aspects of cytogenetics and thus is of intense interest to all those interested in chromosomes and their alterations by different types of mutagens, including chemical mutagens and ionizing and nonionizing radiation, with special reference to electromagnetic fields.

The role of chromosome aberrations in evolution and human health is well recognized. This volume brings together papers summarizing our current knowlege of the structure of interphase nuclei, chromosome structure, mechanisms of aberration formation and the practical application of this knowledge in radiobiology, biomonitoring of human populations and cancer research. Molecular cytogenetic techniques such as fluorescence in situ hybridization using whole chromosome and region specific painting DNA probes have been successfully used to identify and quantify chromosome aberrations, which is reflected in several papers of this volume. The mechanisms of chromosome aberration formation by different types of ionizing radiation are considered in detail. Furthermore, the important role of telomeres in maintaining chromosome integrity and their involvement in genomic instability are discussed. A final section is dedicated to the clinical relevance of chromosome aberrations in human hereditary diseases, e.g. Fanconi anemia or ataxia telangiectasia, and in many human cancers characterized by specific translocations or deletions. The study of chromosome aberrations is of great relevance in clinical genetics and oncology for diagnosis and disease prevention. Thus this publication is recommended reading for cytogeneticists, radiobiologists, oncologists, and post-graduate students of genetics and medicine.