To celebrate the Center for Perinatal Biology¿s 40th Anniversary, an illustrious group gathered at Loma Linda University in February 2013. That gathering of experts and this volume of the proceedings are a tribute to the founder of the Center, Lawrence D. Longo, M.D. These chapters present contributions from individuals who in some way or another were influenced by Dr. Longo. Covering a wide range of topics, and illustrating the diversity of thinking and scientific interests, these proceedings address basic science through to clinical problems in the developmental programming of health and disease.

"Surprised by Joy" - Four Decades of Contributions to Developmental Physiology.- sGC-cGMP Signaling:  Target for Anticancer Therapy.- Lawrence D. Longo. From Chronic Fetal Hypoxia to Proteomic Predictors of Fetal Distress Syndrome: A life devoted to research and mentoring based on virtue-ethics.- Pregnancy Programming and Preeclampsia: Identifying a Human Endothelial Model to Study Pregnancy-Adapted Endothelial Function and Endothelial Adaptive Failure in Preeclamptic Subjects.- Regulation of Amniotic Fluid Volume: Evolving Concepts.- Gestational Diabetes, Preeclampsia and Cytokine Release: Similarities and Differences in Endothelial Cell Function.- Heart Disease Link to Fetal Hypoxia and Oxidative Stress.- Fetal Breathing Movements and Changes at Birth.- From Fetal Physiology to Gene Therapy - It All Started in Loma Linda.- 30+ Years of Exercise in Pregnancy.- Gap Junction Regulation of Vascular Tone: Implications of Modulatory Intercellular Communication during Gestation.- Effect of Preeclampsia on Placental Function: Influence of Sexual Dimorphism, microRNA's and Mitochondria.- Altitude, Attitude and Adaptation.- The Separation of Sexual Activity and Reproduction in Human Social Evolution.- The Influence of Growth Hormone on Bone and Adipose Programming.- The Fetal Cerebral Circulation: Three Decades of Exploration by the LLU Center for Perinatal Biology.- Placental Vascular Defects in Compromised Pregnancies: Effects of Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Other Maternal Stressors.- How to Build a Healthy Heart from Scratch.- Estrogen in the Fetus.- Calcitonin Gene Related Family Peptides: Importance in Normal Placental and Fetal Development.