this volume provides a state-of-the-art account of recent advances in the metabolism, actions and pharmacologic aspects of retinoid research and is the first comprehensive review in this rapidly moving research area. the chapters have a broad focus on the biologic uses and actions of retinoids and are written in a manner that will be useful both to readers with specialized research interests and those with only limited knowledge of this class of naturally occurring compounds and synthetic drugs individual chapters deal with rar and rxr specific agonists and antagonists, with retinoids in dermatology and oncology, with the physical properties of retinoids and how they affect retinoid actions, with retro-retinoic synthesis and functions, with the actions of retinoids in immunology and male reproduction.