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The National Toxicology Program has recently introduced the practice of examining longitudinal histological sections of the female rodent uterus to improve the identification of non-neoplastic lesions, pre-neoplastic lesions, and uterine tumors. This practice has created a need for reference material that includes normal histology, spontaneous lesions, and inducible lesions in longitudinal as well as transverse sections of the body of the uterus, uterine horns, cervix and vagina. Using three archived NTP reproductive and developmental toxicity studies, the authors reviewed longitudinal and transverse sections of uteri from female Harlan Sprague Dawley (Hsd:SD) rats for cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH). The purposes of this review were to 1) evaluate if existing criteria for CEH in transverse uterine sections could be applied to longitudinal sections to develop diagnostic features of CEH in longitudinal uterine sections of rat uterus; and 2) create an atlas of the normal estrous cycle phases in longitudinal sections of young and mature adult Hsd:SD rat uteri. The information provided in this original article should help facilitate the examination of longitudinal sections of the uterus in future commercial and governmental rodent studies.

During the past 20 years, investigations involving endocrine active substances (EAS) and reproductive toxicity have dominated the landscape of ecotoxicological research. This has occurred in concert with heightened awareness in the scientific community, general public, and governmental entities of the potential consequences of chemical perturbation in humans and wildlife. The exponential growth of experimentation in this field is fueled by our expanding knowledge into the complex nature of endocrine systems and the intricacy of their interactions with xenobiotic agents. Complicating factors include the ever-increasing number of novel receptors and alternate mechanistic pathways that have come to light, effects of chemical mixtures in the environment versus those of single EAS laboratory exposures, the challenge of differentiating endocrine disruption from direct cytotoxicity, and the potential for transgenerational effects. Although initially concerned with EAS effects chiefly in the thyroid glands and reproductive organs, it is now recognized that anthropomorphic substances may also adversely affect the nervous and immune systems via hormonal mechanisms and play substantial roles in metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity.

The INHAND (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions in Rats and Mice) Project (www.toxpath.org/inhand.asp) is a joint initiative of the Societies of Toxicological Pathology from Europe (ESTP), Great Britain (BSTP), Japan (JSTP) and North America (STP) to develop an internationally accepted nomenclature for proliferative and nonproliferative lesions in laboratory animals. The purpose of this publication is to provide a standardized nomenclature for classifying microscopic lesions observed in the female reproductive tract of laboratory rats and mice, with color photomicrographs illustrating examples of some lesions. The standardized nomenclature presented in this document is also available electronically on the internet (http://www.goreni.org/). Sources of material included histopathology databases from government, academia, and industrial laboratories throughout the world. Content includes spontaneous and aging lesions as well as lesions induced by exposure to test materials. There is also a section on normal cyclical changes observed in the ovary, uterus, cervix and vagina to compare normal physiological changes with pathological lesions. A widely accepted and utilized international harmonization of nomenclature for female reproductive tract lesions in laboratory animals will decrease confusion among regulatory and scientific research organizations in different countries and provide a common language to increase and enrich international exchanges of information among toxicologists and pathologists.

Interrupted Life is a gripping collection of writings by and about imprisoned women in the United States, a country that jails a larger percentage of its population than any other nation in the world. This eye-opening work brings together scores of voices from both inside and outside the prison system including incarcerated and previously incarcerated women, their advocates and allies, abolitionists, academics, and other analysts. In vivid, often highly personal essays, poems, stories, reports, and manifestos, they offer an unprecedented view of the realities of women's experiences as they try to sustain relations with children and family on the outside, struggle for healthcare, fight to define and achieve basic rights, deal with irrational sentencing systems, remake life after prison; and more. Together, these powerful writings are an intense and visceral examination of life behind bars for women, and, taken together, they underscore the failures of imagination and policy that have too often underwritten our current prison system