Atlas of the Mammalian Ovary

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Katharina Spanel-Borowski

   Pages 1-8

3. Follicle Stages and Follicular Atresia

   • Katharina Spanel-Borowski

   Pages 9-22

4. Follicular Atresia as a Proliferative and Inflammatory Event

   • Katharina Spanel-Borowski

   Pages 23-29

5. The Cortex and Cellular Stromatolysis

   • Katharina Spanel-Borowski

   Pages 31-37

6. The Ovulatory Period as Acute Inflammatory Response to Oxidative Stress and Follicle Cell Harvest

   • Katharina Spanel-Borowski

   Pages 39-59

7. Corpus Luteum Life Cycle with Focus on Capillary Sprouting and Regression, Eosinophils, and KIT-Positive Cells

   • Katharina Spanel-Borowski

   Pages 61-79

8. Intraovarian Oocyte Release (IOR) with Severe Tissue Damage

   • Katharina Spanel-Borowski

   Pages 81-97

9. Vascular Stromatolysis and Vascular Luteolysis for Bulk Tissue Removal

   • Katharina Spanel-Borowski

   Pages 99-107

10. Polycystic and Postmenopausal Ovaries with Negligible Mast Cells

    • Katharina Spanel-Borowski

    Pages 109-114

11. Cytokeratin-Positive Cells as Dendritic-Like Cells and Potential Albumin Coexpression in Follicles and CL

    • Katharina Spanel-Borowski

    Pages 115-126

12. Aspects of Immunological Control, Novel Concepts, Challenges, and Clinical Perspectives

    • Katharina Spanel-Borowski

    Pages 127-132

13. Back Matter

    Pages 133-141

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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.

• Corpus luteum
• Cytokeratin-positive granulosa cells
• Cytokeratin-positive luteal cells
• Dendritic cells
• Follicle stages
• Follicular atresia
• Innate immunity
• Intraovarian-oocyte release
• Luteolysis
• Ovulation
• Preovulatory follicle

• , Institute of Anatomy, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

  Katharina Spanel-Borowski

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.

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