Preface

Animals have been used in biological and medical research for thousands of years in order to advance the comprehension of living beings and to study the origin and basic principles of life. Furthermore, animal models have contributed significantly to a better understanding of general anatomy, physiology, pathology and pharmacology, as they can be utilized to create controlled situations and simulate specific physiological or pathological conditions.

Without a doubt, animal models have played essential roles in the most important advances in numerous medical and biological fields. From Louis Pasteur's demonstration of the germ theory of disease using anthrax in sheep and Thomas Hunt Morgan's work with the fruit fly *Drosophila melanogaster* identifying chromosomes as the vector of inheritance for genes, to Jonas Salk's studies on rhesus monkeys to isolate the polio virus, which led to the creation of a polio vaccine and modern medical advances such as organ transplant techniques and the heart–lung machine, animal models have significantly contributed to improvement in the quality of human life. New drugs, vaccines and treatment protocols for human and animal diseases have also been developed thanks to diverse animal models. The progress achieved thanks to the creation and use of animal models is indubitable, as the majority of Nobel Prize awardees in Physiology and Medicine used animal experiments in their breakthroughs.

This book is a collection of 13 state-of-the-art chapters written by renowned experts from all over the world. It represents a compilation of scientific and clinical data that emphasize findings in a wide variety of specialties, such as neurology, psychiatry, cardiology, and behavioral data including the eyes and ears, pediatrics, skin disorders, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems, reproduction, chronic diseases, epidemiology, and pain and inflammation management.

The book provides basic, up-to-date background on the topics as well as deals with clinical aspects, providing insightful information related to the use of animal models in the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of action of various diseases.

A critical objective of the book is to provide real-time experimental approaches and data to scientists, clinicians, researchers and students for the identification of new therapeutic targets and biomarkers using animal models as well as investigate the pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies of human diseases.

We want to express our sincere gratitude to all of the authors who helped write the outstanding chapters in this book. Our special appreciation goes to Author Service Manager, Dajana Pemac, for her outstanding support from the beginning to the end. The editors are also thankful to the Slovak Research and Development Agency (15-0544) and the Department of Science and Technology-Science and Engineering

**II**

**Chapter 9 151**

**Chapter 10 167**

**Chapter 11 183**

**Chapter 12 195**

**Chapter 13 219**

Spermatogenesis in *Drosophila melanogaster*: Key Features and the Role

A Porcine Model of Neonatal Hypoxia-Asphyxia to Study Resuscitation

*by Megan O'Reilly, Po-Yin Cheung, Tze-Fun Lee and Georg M. Schmölzer*

High-Resolution Ultrasound Imaging System for the Evaluation of the Vascular Response to Stent or Balloon Injuries in the Rabbit Iliac Arteries *by Aurélien Frobert, Guillaume Ajalbert, Jérémy Valentin, Stéphane Cook* 

Impact of Oxidative Stress on Inflammation in Rheumatoid and Adjuvant Arthritis: Damage to Lipids, Proteins, and Enzymatic

Effects of Morphometric Indicators on Incubation Values of Eggs

Antioxidant Defense in Plasma and Different Tissues *by Silvester Ponist, Miloslav Zloh and Katarina Bauerova*

and Sex of the Chicks of the Light Hen Hybrids *by Milena Milojević, Živan Jokić and Sreten Mitrović*

of the NXF1 (Nuclear Export Factor) Protein

*and Ludmila Mamon*

Techniques in Newborn Infants

*and Marie-Noëlle Giraud*

*by Elena Golubkova, Anna Atsapkina, Anna K'ergaard* 

Research Board, India for their support in this important endeavor. We are truly honored to be able to bring this book to you.

> **Eva Tvrdá** Slovak University of Agriculture, Slovakia
