This book contains a compilation of papers presented during a satellite symposium to the 50th Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production (EAAP), held in Zurich (Switzerland) in August 1999. The scientific programme was organised in association with the European Association of Animal Production Commission on Animal Physiology. The papers included, present the latest advances in the field of pancreas development, of its secretions and of the role of these secretions in digestion and nutrient metabolism, with particular emphasis on domestic species used for animal production. Included are a variety of approaches to the biology of the pancreas, from the cellular aspects of pancreatic development and the mechanisms controlling its endocrine and exocrine secretions, including knowledge obtained in rodents, to the effect of pancreatic secretion on growth and performance in domestic species used for meat production.
In general, the 26 review articles of this book, authored by outstanding basic scientists and recognized pancreatologists, should serve as an excellent, comprehensive source of the most current information concerning the growth, development and function of the pancreas in growing animals. This book may also be of help for clinical pancreatologists in understanding the physiological and biochemical basis of disordered pancreatic function in man.