- Email: [email protected]
Textbook of immunopharmacology
249
Immunology Today, voL 5, No. 8, 1984
H] (,ook,
)
T e x t b o o k of Immunopharmacology edited by M. Maureen Dale and John C. Foreman, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1984. £18.50 (xv + 407 pages) I S B N 0 632 00859 8 This multi-authored book grewout of the immunopharmacology course for students in the pharmacology department of University College, London. The scope and limitations of its 29 chapters are clearly indicated in its introduction. The first chapter describes host defense through inflammatory processes. Seven chapters are then devoted to the cells involved, with much space given to mast ceils or platelets, whereas antibody production and its role are summarized in three pages. Five chapters describe the
Detection of ImmuneAssociated Genetic Markers of Human Disease (Practical Methods in Clinical Immunology: Vol. 7) by Malcolm J. Simons and Brian D. Tait, Churchill Livingstone, 1984. £24. O0 (xiii + 147 pages) I S B N 0 443 02096 5 This is the Seventh volume of the series Practical Methods in Clinical Immunology. In separate chapters Drs Simons and Tait or their colleagues give step by step methods for the serological detection of HLA-A,B,C and D R antigens; the electrophoretic separation of C2, C4, factor B, glyoxalase I and phosphoglucomutase locus 3 variants (by N. M. Blake and P. R. Radford) and the demonstration of immunoglobulin allotypes with haemagglutination inhibition techniques (by D. N. Propert). The authors cite various reported techniques and then concentrate on the procedures with which they have direct experience in their own laboratories.
phenomena of inflammation, adequately on the whole, with comprehensive data on mediators and drugs which modify inflammation. The book ends with 10 chapters on the drug manipulation of inflammatory and immune responses. Anti-allergic drugs, anti-inflammatory (steroid or nonsteroidal) agents, cyelosporine, cyclophosphamide and D-peniciLlamine are well covered. However, the sideeffects and toxicity of interferon are not described in the pages 363-369) devoted to the therapeutic use of interferon, an omission which might suggest to the naive reader that these drawbacks do not exist. Recently developed agents even if in practical use, such as inosiplex - are not described and in my view muramyl dipeptide and its analogs deserve more than a few lines (chapter 27). Authoritative opinions on these and other immunomodifiers would have been useful, and not only for students. At the end of each chapter, there is a short list of 5-10 references for further
Many practical tips are provided concerning the handling of reagents and several clear illustrations of the procedures are provided. The methods are detailed enough for investigators with a basic training in immunology to immediately apply in the laboratory. A beginner, however, will have to refer to the original sources for certain details, such as the concentration of pespin and incubation conditions for the production of F(ab') 2 fragments from IgG. These chapters on laboratory procedures are followed by two chapters by J. D. Mathews discussing statistical considerations in making correlations between typing data and disease incidences. Although not informative enough to allow one to circumvent the advice of an experienced statistician, these pages do give one an appreciation of the possible errors and false assumptions that a statistician can help one avoid. The book's first and last chapters describe the present and future state of HLA typing. These chapters provide a necessary framework for the
reading. As it is understandable, the authors' choice does not always coincide with the reviewer's. However, only 25 references are dated 1981, 5 are from 1982 and 7 from 1983, out of a total of 167. In such fast moving areas as, for example, lymphocytes, eosinophits, kinins, interferon or immunostimulants it would have been useful, for up-todate further reading, to provide 1982 and 1983 references. Nonetheless, these are limited criticisms. T h e book fulfils its editors' intention by being in essence, a book for students on the pharmacology of inflammation. From this standpoint, it could be useful for biologists from other disciplines and beginner students with some background in biological chemistry. GERARD RENOUX
Gerard Renoux is Professorof lmmunology at the Favultd de Mddicine, 2 bis, Boulevard Tonnelld, BP 3223, 37032. Tours Cedex, France.
book, but they are brief and will be quickly superseded by the rapid progress in such areas as M H C class-II serology on the one hand and the development of DNA probes for direct genetic analysis on the other. This book is intended primarily 'for laboratory workers entering the field of immunogenetics'. For these individuals it will be a very useful manual of basic information in one thin volume. The authors also hope the book will be read by clinicians, but, with the exception of the first and last chapters, its orientation is too methodological for this purpose. These individuals may be better served by several recent reviews which include more complete presentations of the newest probes for genetic markers as well as discussions of possible mechanisms to account for disease association with these markers. W. M. BALDWIN M. Baldwin is in the NephrologyDepartment, University Hospital, R~nsburgerweg 10, 2333 AA Leiden, The Netherlands.
Immunology Today, voL 5, No. 8, 1984
H] (,ook,
)
T e x t b o o k of Immunopharmacology edited by M. Maureen Dale and John C. Foreman, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1984. £18.50 (xv + 407 pages) I S B N 0 632 00859 8 This multi-authored book grewout of the immunopharmacology course for students in the pharmacology department of University College, London. The scope and limitations of its 29 chapters are clearly indicated in its introduction. The first chapter describes host defense through inflammatory processes. Seven chapters are then devoted to the cells involved, with much space given to mast ceils or platelets, whereas antibody production and its role are summarized in three pages. Five chapters describe the
Detection of ImmuneAssociated Genetic Markers of Human Disease (Practical Methods in Clinical Immunology: Vol. 7) by Malcolm J. Simons and Brian D. Tait, Churchill Livingstone, 1984. £24. O0 (xiii + 147 pages) I S B N 0 443 02096 5 This is the Seventh volume of the series Practical Methods in Clinical Immunology. In separate chapters Drs Simons and Tait or their colleagues give step by step methods for the serological detection of HLA-A,B,C and D R antigens; the electrophoretic separation of C2, C4, factor B, glyoxalase I and phosphoglucomutase locus 3 variants (by N. M. Blake and P. R. Radford) and the demonstration of immunoglobulin allotypes with haemagglutination inhibition techniques (by D. N. Propert). The authors cite various reported techniques and then concentrate on the procedures with which they have direct experience in their own laboratories.
phenomena of inflammation, adequately on the whole, with comprehensive data on mediators and drugs which modify inflammation. The book ends with 10 chapters on the drug manipulation of inflammatory and immune responses. Anti-allergic drugs, anti-inflammatory (steroid or nonsteroidal) agents, cyelosporine, cyclophosphamide and D-peniciLlamine are well covered. However, the sideeffects and toxicity of interferon are not described in the pages 363-369) devoted to the therapeutic use of interferon, an omission which might suggest to the naive reader that these drawbacks do not exist. Recently developed agents even if in practical use, such as inosiplex - are not described and in my view muramyl dipeptide and its analogs deserve more than a few lines (chapter 27). Authoritative opinions on these and other immunomodifiers would have been useful, and not only for students. At the end of each chapter, there is a short list of 5-10 references for further
Many practical tips are provided concerning the handling of reagents and several clear illustrations of the procedures are provided. The methods are detailed enough for investigators with a basic training in immunology to immediately apply in the laboratory. A beginner, however, will have to refer to the original sources for certain details, such as the concentration of pespin and incubation conditions for the production of F(ab') 2 fragments from IgG. These chapters on laboratory procedures are followed by two chapters by J. D. Mathews discussing statistical considerations in making correlations between typing data and disease incidences. Although not informative enough to allow one to circumvent the advice of an experienced statistician, these pages do give one an appreciation of the possible errors and false assumptions that a statistician can help one avoid. The book's first and last chapters describe the present and future state of HLA typing. These chapters provide a necessary framework for the
reading. As it is understandable, the authors' choice does not always coincide with the reviewer's. However, only 25 references are dated 1981, 5 are from 1982 and 7 from 1983, out of a total of 167. In such fast moving areas as, for example, lymphocytes, eosinophits, kinins, interferon or immunostimulants it would have been useful, for up-todate further reading, to provide 1982 and 1983 references. Nonetheless, these are limited criticisms. T h e book fulfils its editors' intention by being in essence, a book for students on the pharmacology of inflammation. From this standpoint, it could be useful for biologists from other disciplines and beginner students with some background in biological chemistry. GERARD RENOUX
Gerard Renoux is Professorof lmmunology at the Favultd de Mddicine, 2 bis, Boulevard Tonnelld, BP 3223, 37032. Tours Cedex, France.
book, but they are brief and will be quickly superseded by the rapid progress in such areas as M H C class-II serology on the one hand and the development of DNA probes for direct genetic analysis on the other. This book is intended primarily 'for laboratory workers entering the field of immunogenetics'. For these individuals it will be a very useful manual of basic information in one thin volume. The authors also hope the book will be read by clinicians, but, with the exception of the first and last chapters, its orientation is too methodological for this purpose. These individuals may be better served by several recent reviews which include more complete presentations of the newest probes for genetic markers as well as discussions of possible mechanisms to account for disease association with these markers. W. M. BALDWIN M. Baldwin is in the NephrologyDepartment, University Hospital, R~nsburgerweg 10, 2333 AA Leiden, The Netherlands.