Contents: B. Alcaide ? P. Almendros: Novel Aspects on the Preparation of Spirocyclic and Fused Unsual ?-Lactams.- S.S. Bari ? A. Bhalla: Spirocyclic ?-Lactams: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Heterocycles.- L. Troisi ? C. Granito ? E. Pindinelli: Novel and Recent Synthesis and Applications of ?-Lactams.- C. Palomo ? M. Oiarbide: ?-Lactams Ring Opening: A Useful Entry to Amino Acids and Relevant Nitrogen-Containing Compounds.- B. Mandal ? P. Ghosh ? B. Basu: Recent Approaches Towards Solid Phase Synthesis of ?-Lactams.- A.Arrieta ? B. Lecea ? F.P. Cossio: Computational Studies on the Synthesis of ?-Lactams Via [ 2+2] Thermal Cycloadditions.- B. K. Banik ? I. Banik ? F. F. Becker: Novel Anticancer ?-Lactams