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Polin and Fox Fetal and Neonatal Physiology, 2-Volume Set

  • 7th Edition - August 18, 2026
  • Latest edition
  • Editors: Richard Polin, Steven H. Abman, David H. Rowitch, William Benitz
  • Language: English

A must-have resource for all clinicians who work with sick and premature infants, Polin and Fox Fetal and Neonatal Physiology, 7th Edition, provides the comprehensive, authorita… Read more

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Description

A must-have resource for all clinicians who work with sick and premature infants, Polin and Fox Fetal and Neonatal Physiology, 7th Edition, provides the comprehensive, authoritative information needed for effective management of this vulnerable patient population. This trusted two-volume text synthesizes recent advances in the field into definitive guidance for today’s busy practitioner, focusing on the foundational knowledge of fetal and newborn physiology necessary for board review, clinical rounds, scientific research, and day-to-day practice.

Key features

  • Focuses on the developmental physiology of the fetus and newborn, offering expert guidance on how to effectively manage the many health problems seen in newborn and premature infants
  • Provides comprehensive updates throughout, including new knowledge of the genetic underpinnings of physiologic processes and many new and improved tables and figures
  • Contains new chapters covering genetic control of development, multi-omics, sleep, neuroinflammation, climate change, intrauterine inflammation, and gas transport in the blood
  • Features 1,000 full-color diagrams, graphs and anatomic illustrations, nearly 170 chapters, and more than 350 global contributors
  • Includes chapters devoted to clinical correlation that help explain the implications of fetal and neonatal physiology, as well as clinical applications boxes throughout
  • Shares the knowledge and fresh perspectives of many new authors, as well as new co-editor Dr. Wendy Chung, who brings further expertise in genetics and genomics to the editorial board
  • An eBook version is included with purchase. The eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references, with the ability to search, make notes and highlights, and have content read aloud. Additional digital ancillary content may publish after the publication date

Readership

Neonatology fellows and specialists

Table of contents

SECTION 1 GENETICS AND EMBRYOLOGY

1. Basic Genetic Principles

2. Epigenetics

3. Gene Regulation During Development

4. Basic Embryology

5. Regulation of Embryogenesis

6. Multiomics in Fetal and Neonatal Development

7. The Extracellular Matrix in Development

8. Angiogenesis

9. Prenatal Diagnosis

SECTION 2 PLACENTA AND INTRAUTERINE ENVIRONMENT

10. Placental Development

11. Regulation of the Placental Circulation

12. Mechanisms of Transfer Across the Human Placenta

13. Endocrine and Paracrine Function of the Huma Placenta

14. Intraamniotic Infection/Inflammation and the Fetal Inflammatory Response Syndrome

15. Fetal Origins of Adult Disease

16. Placental Function in Intrauterine Growth Restriction

SECTION 3 DEVELOPMENTAL PHARMACOLOGY

17. Basic Pharmacologic Principles

18. Principles of Pharmacokinetics

19. The Physiology of Placental Drug Disposition

20. Pharmacogenomics

21. Drug Distribution in Fetal Life

22. Drug Transfer During Breastfeeding

SECTION 4 INTRAUTERINE AND POSTNATAL GROWTH

23. Placental and Fetal Circulatory, Metabolic, and Transcriptomic Changes Accompanying Fetal Growth Restriction

24. Endocrine Factors Affecting Neonatal an Growth

25. Human Milk Composition and Function in the Infant

SECTION 5 PERINATAL IRON, MINERAL, AND VITAMIN METABOLISM

26. Fetal and Neonatal Iron Metabolism

27. Fetal and Neonatal Calcium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium Homeostasis

28. Zinc in the Fetus and Neonate

29. Vitamin A Metabolism in the Fetus and Neonate

30. Vitamin E Nutrition in Pregnancy and From Infancy to Early Life

31. Vitamin K Metabolism in the Fetus and Neonate

SECTION 6 LIPID METABOLISM

32. Maternal-Fetal Transfer of Lipid Metabolites

33. Brown Adipose Tissue: Development and Function

34. Lipids as an Energy Source for the Premature and Term Neonate

35. Ketone Body Metabolism in the Newborn

36. Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Neurobehavioral Development

SECTION 7 CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM

37. Glucose Metabolism in the Fetus and Newborn and Methods for Its Investigation

38. Role of Glucoregulatory Hormones in Hepatic Glucose Metabolism During the Perinatal Period

39. Cell Glucose Transport and Glucose Handling During Fetal and Neonatal Development

SECTION 8 PROTEIN METABOLISM

40. General Concepts of Protein Metabolism

41. Placental Transfer and Fetal Requirements of Amino Acids

SECTION 9 THERMOREGULATION

42. Temperature Control in Newborn Infants

SECTION 10 SKIN

43. Embryonic and Fetal Development

44. Structure and Function of Newborn Skin

SECTION 11 FETAL AND NEONATAL CARDIOVASCULAR PHYSIOLOGY

45. Cardiovascular Development

46. Developmental Electrophysiology in the Fetus and Neonate

47. Developmental Biology of the Pulmonary Vasculature

48. Development of the Gastrointestinal Circulation in the Fetus and Newborn

49. Physiology of Congenital Heart Disease in the Neonate

50. Regulation of Cardiovascular Function During Fetal and Newborn Life

51. Nutritional and Environmental Effects on the Fetal Circulation

52. Mechanisms Regulating Closure of the Ductus Arteriosus

53. Umbilical Circulation

SECTION 12 THE LUNG

54. Normal and Abnormal Structural Developmen of the Lung

55. Regulation of Alveolarization

56. Physiologic Mechanisms of Normal and Altere Lung Growth Before and After Birth

57. Molecular Mechanisms of Lung Development and Lung Branching Morphogenesis

58. Upper Airway Structure, Function, Regulation, and Development

59. Regulation of Lower Airway Function

60. Functional Development of Respiratory Muscles

61. Mechanics of Breathing

62. Pulmonary Gas Exchange in the Developing Lung

63. Oxygen Transport and Delivery

64. Control of Breathing in Fetal Life and Onset and Control of Breathing in the Neonate

65. Basic Mechanisms of Oxygen Sensing and Adaptation to Hypoxia

66. Mechanisms of Neonatal Lung Injury

67. Impaired Lung Growth After Injury in Preterm Lung

68. Antenatal Factors That Influence Postnatal Lung Development and Injury

69. Regulation of Pulmonary Circulation

SECTION 13 SURFACTANT

70. Historical Perspective

71. Developmental Biology of Lung Stem Cells

72. Surfactant Homeostasis: Composition and , Function of Pulmonary Surfactant Lipids and Proteins

73. Structure and Development of Alveolar Epithelial Cells

74. Regulation of Surfactant-Associated Phospholipid Synthesis and Secretion

75. Antenatal Hormonal Therapy for Prevention of Respiratory Distress Syndrome

76. Surfactant Treatment

77. Genetics and Physiology of Surfactant Dysfunction Disorders

SECTION 14 PHYSIOLOGY OF GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT IN THE FETUS AND NEONATE

78. Trophic Factors and Regulation of Gastrointestinal Tract and Liver Development

79. Organogenesis of the Gastrointestinal Tract

80. Development of Gastric Secretory Function

81. Development of the Enteric Nervous System and Gastrointestinal Motility

82. Development of the Endocrine and Exocrine Pancreas

83. Digestive-Absorptive Functions in Fetuses and Infants

84. Development of the Microbiome

SECTION 15 LIVER AND BILIRUBIN METABOLISM

85. Organogenesis and Histologic Development of the Liver

86. Bile Acid Metabolism During Development

87. Fetal and Neonatal Bilirubin Metabolism

SECTION 16 THE KIDNEY

88. Development of the Kidney: Morphology and Mechanisms

89. Functional Development of the Kidney in Utero

90. Development and Regulation of Renal Blood Flow in the Neonate

91. Postnatal Development of Glomerular Filtration Rate in Neonates

92. Renal Transport of Sodium During Development

93. Potassium Homeostasis in the Fetus and Neonate

94. Role of the Kidney in Calcium and Phosphorus Homeostasis

95. Transport of Amino Acids in the Fetus and Neonate

96. Organic Anion Transport in the Developing Kidney

97. Concentration and Dilution of Urine

98. Urinary Acidification

99. Response to Nephron Loss in Early Development

SECTION 17 FLUID AND ELECTROLYTE METABOLISM

100. Fluid Distribution in the Fetus and Neonate

101. Regulation of Acid-Base Balance in the Fetus and Neonate

SECTION 18 DEVELOPMENTAL HEMATOPOIESIS

102. Developmental Biology of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

103. Neutropoiesis and Homeostasis

104. Developmental Erythropoiesis

105. Developmental Megakaryopoiesis

SECTION 19 HEMOSTASIS

106. Developmental Hemostasis

SECTION 20 DEVELOPMENTAL IMMUNOBIOLOGY

107. Host Defense Mechanisms Against Bacteria

108. Host Defense Mechanisms Against Fungi

109. Host Defense Mechanisms Against Viruses

110. T-Cell Development

111. B Cell Development

112. Mononuclear Phagocyte System

113. Normal and Abnormal Neutrophil Physiology the Fetus and Newborn

114. The Complement System of the Fetus and Newborn

115. Immunology of Human Milk

116. Neonatal Pulmonary Host Defense

SECTION 21 NEUROLOGY

117. Development of the Nervous System

118. Mechanisms of Cell Death in the Developing Brain

119. Development of the Blood-Brain Barrier

120. Developmental Aspects of Pain

121. Neonatal Sleep in Brain Development and Injury

122. Cerebellar Development—The Impact of Preterm Birth and Comorbidities

123. Electroencephalography in the Preterm and Term Infant

124. Intraventricular Hemorrhage in the Neonate

125. Pathophysiology of Neonatal Cerebral White and Gray Matter Injury

126. Fetal and Neonatal Physiology: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Neonatal Brain Injury and Neuroprotection

127. Neuroimmune Interaction in Brain Development and Diseases

128. Neuroprotective Therapeutic Hypothermia

SECTION 22 SPECIAL SENSORY SYSTEMS IN THE FETUS AND NEONATE

129. Early Development of the Human Auditory System

130. Gustatory Sensation (Taste)

131. Development of Olfaction

SECTION 23 ENDOCRINE FUNCTION

132. Hypothalamus: Neuroendometabolic Center

133. Growth Factor Regulation of Fetal Growth

134. Growth Hormone, Prolactin, and Placental Lactogen in the Fetus and Newborn

135. Luteinizing Hormone and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Secretion in the Fetus and Newborn Infant

136. Development of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary- Adrenal Axis in the Fetus

137. Fetal and Neonatal Adrenocortical Physiology

138. Fetal and Neonatal Thyroid Physiology

SECTION 24 OVARY AND TESTIS

139. Genetics of Sex Determination and Differentiation

140. Differentiation of the Ovary

141. Testicular Development and Descent

SECTION 25 PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF NEONATAL DISEASES

142. Physiology of Twin-Twin Transfusion

143. Physiology of Neonatal Resuscitation

144. Pathophysiology of Neonatal Sepsis

145. Pathophysiology of Neonatal Hypoglycemia

146. Pathophysiology of Cardiomyopathies

147. Pathophysiology of Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn

148. Pathophysiology of Shock in the Fetus and Neonate

149. Pathophysiology of Apnea of Prematurity and Intermittent Hypoxemia

150. Pathophysiology of Respiratory Distress Syndrome

151. Pathophysiology of Meconium Aspiration Syndrome

152. Pathophysiology of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

153. Pathophysiology of Ventilator-Dependent Infants

154. Pathophysiology of Gastroesophageal Reflux

155. Pathophysiology and Prevention of Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis

156. Pathophysiology of Acute Bilirubin Encephalopathy and Kernicterus Spectrum Disorders

157. Pathophysiology of Neonatal Acute Kidney Injury

158. The Pathophysiology of Pulmonary Edema in the Developing Lung

159. Pathophysiology of Retinopathy of Prematurity

160. Pathophysiology of Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemi Brain Injury

161. Pathophysiology of Neonatal Acute Bacterial Meningitis

162. Pathophysiology of Neural Tube Defects

163. Pathophysiology of Preeclampsia

164. Pathophysiology of Preterm Birth

165. Climate Change Stressors and Impacts on Pregnancy

166. Pathophysiology of Chorioamnionitis: Host Immunity and Microbial Virulence

167. Pathophysiology of Genetic Neonatal Disease

168. Genetic Variants and Neonatal Disease

169. Understanding Fetal and Neonatal Responses to Hypoxia

Review quotes

Review of the previous edition:
"The Virginia Apgar Award represents the highest honor that our Section bestows to an individual whose cumulative career accomplishments have had a profound and continuing influence on the well-being of neonates. Richard Polin is the 2021 Virginia Apgar Award recipient, honoring a remarkable career in the field of Neonatology spanning over 40 years.” --AAP Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Summer 2021

"This is a unique reference and a "must have" for any neonatal caregiver. There are no comparable books that are this comprehensive and describe the physiology and pathophysiology of neonatal disease in such detail. The insight on genetics and future directions of this field of medicine are harbingers of how we will be practicing in the future." --©Doody’s Review Service, 2022, Jay P. Goldsmith, MD (Tulane University School of Medicine) Doody's Score: 5 Stars!

Product details

  • Edition: 7
  • Latest edition
  • Published: October 9, 2026
  • Language: English

About the editors

RP

Richard Polin

Richard Polin is William T. Speck Professor and Vice-Chair of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, New York-Presbyterian, New York.
Affiliations and expertise
William T. Speck Professor and Vice-Chair of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, New York-Presbyterian, New York, NY, USA

SA

Steven H. Abman

Affiliations and expertise
Professor of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine; Director, Pediatric Heart Lung Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Denver, Colorado, USA

DR

David H. Rowitch

Affiliations and expertise
Professor of Paediatrics, Department of Paediatrics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK

WB

William Benitz

Affiliations and expertise
University - Emeritus faculty, Department: Pediatrics - Neonatology, Position: Emeritus Faculty-Med Ctr Line, Division of Neonatal Medicine, USA