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“The brain is wider than the sky…”

Introduction

1 Rita Levi-Montalcini and the nerve growth factor

Luigi Aloe and George N. Chaldakov (Italy and Bulgaria)

REVIEWS

3 Nerve growth factor: basic findings and clinical trials

Luigi Aloe and Alessandra Micera (Italy)

15 Neurotrophins and their receptors in the skin: a tribute to Rita Levi-Montalcini

Olle Johansson and Yong Liang (Sweden)

25 Neurotrophic factors in the testis

Dieter Muller, Ralf Middendorff, and Michail S. Davidoff (Germany)

31 Neurotrophic properties of leptomeninges

Mami Ishizaka, Kinuko Shibata, Tomoko Senbongi, and Koichi Ishikawa (Japan)

37 Neuroimmune hypothesis of atherosclerosis

George N. Chaldakov, Marco Fiore, Ivan S. Stankulov, Viviana Triaca, Peter I. Ghenev, and Luigi Aloe (Bulgaria and Italy)

45 Stimulation of neurotrophin synthesis by 4-methylcatechol: a promising approach for neuroprotection

Shoei Furukawa, Atsumi Nitta, and Yoshiko Furukawa (Japan)

55 Expression of Trk neurotrophin receptors in nonneuronal tissues and cancer

Hirotaka Koizumi (Japan)

69 Cytokines and neurotrophins in psychiatric disorders

Futoshi Shintani (Japan)

75 Spinal cord repair strategies: Schwann cells, neurotrophic factors, and biodegradable polymers

Martin Oudega and Sandrine E. Gautier (USA and Belgium)

89 The underlying roles of macrophage populations in myocardial fibrosis

Jyoji Yamate, Shunji Nakatsuji, and Adashige Sakuma (Japan)

DANCE ROUND

107 Contemporary neurotrophic factor research: towards a more human paradigm

Dimiter T. Tomov (Bulgaria)

111 Neurolipidology: interactions of nerves, neurotrophic factors, and lipids

George N. Chaldakov and Luigi Aloe (Bulgaria and Italy)

Program of Biomedical Forum 9 (inside back cover)