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Analytical Morphology; Theory, Applications and Protocols
448
Cell Biology International, Vol. 23, No. 6, 1999
with regards to the ‘death’ side of the growth equation, on which it is regrettably weak. Indeed, death is briefly mentioned on about 10 occasions, never dealt with properly as (to use the authors’ own words) ‘a different process from growth’; furthermore, virtually no mechanistic insight is proffered. If we truly do have to go ‘back to the drawing board’, I would prefer to start with the help of a book which presented a much better balanced perspective. And next I remained unpersuaded by the authors that there is indeed a lack of collective progress in our understanding the control of cell proliferation and cancer, a view which belittles some of the great strides forward made from the molecular biology of cell cycle regulation, to which I have already alluded. Denys Wheatley University of Aberdeen 1999 Academic Press Article No. cbir.1999.0360
Oxidative Stress in Skeletal Muscle Edited by A. Z. Renik, L. Packer, Sen et al. Birkhauser, Verlag, Basle, 1999, 1988. Pp. 340. 178 Sw Fr. ISBN 9-78764-358204. This book is an interesting introduction to and at the same time a competent overview and recent update on problems of oxidative stress in the skeletal muscle written by experts in the field. A good introduction to the problems of biology of free radicals and other reactive oxygen and nitrogen species is provided by a compact but very informative chapter by Barry Halliwell, followed by description of oxidative metabolism of the skeletal muscle and strategies employed to assess oxidative stress. What seems the main advantage of this book is the multisided and non-biased attitude to the problem. The key issue of the role of oxidative stress in the physiology of exercise is thoroughly reviewed. Many pathological situations have been postulated to involve oxidative stress in the muscle including anoxia-reoxygenation, atrophy induced by immobilization, some human and animal diseases, cachexia, abuse of ethanol and some drugs. All these situations are presented and evidence for the occurrence of oxidative stress and its contribution to the pathological effects critically discussed. If oxidative stress is important in various physiological and pathological situations, then administration of antioxidants should ameliorate its harmful effects. This question is also
addressed in several chapters. In a multi-author books it is hard to avoid differences in the degree of generality, some repetitions, overlaps and divergent views. The latter is not a drawback since it illustrates current controversies over non-resolved problems. A couple of small errors may be annoying. Palmitate is not an ‘eight carbon fatty acid’ (p. 35). Reaction rate given in moles/sec is meaningless without specifying conditions (p. 47). A strange statement of the strange kinetics of superoxide dismutase and catalase ‘lacking Km values’ (p. 104) is followed by presentation of the Km value for catalase on a next page; however, this value is erroneous; it is estimated to be of an order of 1 rather than 1 m. It should be added that half-life values reported for superoxide dismutase on p. 110 refer to the enzyme introduced to the circulation and not to intracellular enzyme. However, these are details which are not important for a newcomer into the free radical field and do not mislead an experienced free radical researcher. Bibliography, with full titles, enables reaching source publications. A subject index is helpful in this broadsubject book. Summarizing, I find this book useful for both students and professionals interested in muscle research and physiology. Grzegorz Bartosz University of Ło´ dz´ 1999 Academic Press Article No. cbir.1999.0370
Analytical Morphology; Theory, Applications and Protocols Edited by J. Gu Birkhauster Verlag, Basle, 1999. Pp. 264. 178 Sw Fr. ISBN: 0-8176-3957-8. On receiving this book to review, my first thought was Wow! At last, a contemporary ‘how to do it’ book on Analytical Morphology to update the seminal works of Williams (Autoradiography and Immunocytochemistry, and Quantitative Methods in Biology), and Meek & Elder, eds (Analytical and Quantitative Methods in Microscopy) published exactly 20 years previously. However, I was soon slightly disappointed to read in the Editor’s Preface a narrowed definition of the field to the ‘analysis of shape, size and colour arrangement of cell and tissue components by means of a variety of analytical maneuvers’ and the assumption that this was a
Cell Biology International, Vol. 23, No. 6, 1999
‘new’ science. The book does not in fact cover all these defined areas but what it does cover, in the most part, it does well and is topical. The 12 independent chapters arise from updated and enhanced articles originally contributed to Cell Vision—Journal of Analytical Morphology by active American and European researchers, many of whom have developed techniques in this research area. They cover a number of immunocytochemical topics (antigen retrieval or unmasking, autometallography, background staining elimination), microwave methods, in situ hybridization (quantification of gene localization, FISH, RISH and PCR), neural-network assisted cervical screening, neuronal tract tracing, confocal microscopy, and DNA cytometry. All the chapters tried to adhere to the subtitle and cover theory, applications and detailed protocols although the latter was somewhat limited in the final two chapters probably rightly so due to equipment variability. In particu-
449
lar, Shi et al.’s coverage of antigen retrieval was outstanding in accounting not only for the history of the subject, but providing tabulated references to techniques for over 180 antibodies. The book should appeal both to the research cell biologist and microscopist and appear on the shelf of every active histopathology laboratory since it contains a plethora of hints and tips and references to cytochemical techniques. At over 260 pages plus 31 pages of colour plates for about £78/$124 it also represents reasonable value. For the general cell biologist and students it should be on everyone’s ‘further reading’ list in the library to be dipped in to and appreciated in general for which techniques are now possible. It is certainly going on the list for my morphology students even if it does only cover part of the course. Mike Mahon Manchester 1999 Academic Press
Cell Biology International, Vol. 23, No. 6, 1999
with regards to the ‘death’ side of the growth equation, on which it is regrettably weak. Indeed, death is briefly mentioned on about 10 occasions, never dealt with properly as (to use the authors’ own words) ‘a different process from growth’; furthermore, virtually no mechanistic insight is proffered. If we truly do have to go ‘back to the drawing board’, I would prefer to start with the help of a book which presented a much better balanced perspective. And next I remained unpersuaded by the authors that there is indeed a lack of collective progress in our understanding the control of cell proliferation and cancer, a view which belittles some of the great strides forward made from the molecular biology of cell cycle regulation, to which I have already alluded. Denys Wheatley University of Aberdeen 1999 Academic Press Article No. cbir.1999.0360
Oxidative Stress in Skeletal Muscle Edited by A. Z. Renik, L. Packer, Sen et al. Birkhauser, Verlag, Basle, 1999, 1988. Pp. 340. 178 Sw Fr. ISBN 9-78764-358204. This book is an interesting introduction to and at the same time a competent overview and recent update on problems of oxidative stress in the skeletal muscle written by experts in the field. A good introduction to the problems of biology of free radicals and other reactive oxygen and nitrogen species is provided by a compact but very informative chapter by Barry Halliwell, followed by description of oxidative metabolism of the skeletal muscle and strategies employed to assess oxidative stress. What seems the main advantage of this book is the multisided and non-biased attitude to the problem. The key issue of the role of oxidative stress in the physiology of exercise is thoroughly reviewed. Many pathological situations have been postulated to involve oxidative stress in the muscle including anoxia-reoxygenation, atrophy induced by immobilization, some human and animal diseases, cachexia, abuse of ethanol and some drugs. All these situations are presented and evidence for the occurrence of oxidative stress and its contribution to the pathological effects critically discussed. If oxidative stress is important in various physiological and pathological situations, then administration of antioxidants should ameliorate its harmful effects. This question is also
addressed in several chapters. In a multi-author books it is hard to avoid differences in the degree of generality, some repetitions, overlaps and divergent views. The latter is not a drawback since it illustrates current controversies over non-resolved problems. A couple of small errors may be annoying. Palmitate is not an ‘eight carbon fatty acid’ (p. 35). Reaction rate given in moles/sec is meaningless without specifying conditions (p. 47). A strange statement of the strange kinetics of superoxide dismutase and catalase ‘lacking Km values’ (p. 104) is followed by presentation of the Km value for catalase on a next page; however, this value is erroneous; it is estimated to be of an order of 1 rather than 1 m. It should be added that half-life values reported for superoxide dismutase on p. 110 refer to the enzyme introduced to the circulation and not to intracellular enzyme. However, these are details which are not important for a newcomer into the free radical field and do not mislead an experienced free radical researcher. Bibliography, with full titles, enables reaching source publications. A subject index is helpful in this broadsubject book. Summarizing, I find this book useful for both students and professionals interested in muscle research and physiology. Grzegorz Bartosz University of Ło´ dz´ 1999 Academic Press Article No. cbir.1999.0370
Analytical Morphology; Theory, Applications and Protocols Edited by J. Gu Birkhauster Verlag, Basle, 1999. Pp. 264. 178 Sw Fr. ISBN: 0-8176-3957-8. On receiving this book to review, my first thought was Wow! At last, a contemporary ‘how to do it’ book on Analytical Morphology to update the seminal works of Williams (Autoradiography and Immunocytochemistry, and Quantitative Methods in Biology), and Meek & Elder, eds (Analytical and Quantitative Methods in Microscopy) published exactly 20 years previously. However, I was soon slightly disappointed to read in the Editor’s Preface a narrowed definition of the field to the ‘analysis of shape, size and colour arrangement of cell and tissue components by means of a variety of analytical maneuvers’ and the assumption that this was a
Cell Biology International, Vol. 23, No. 6, 1999
‘new’ science. The book does not in fact cover all these defined areas but what it does cover, in the most part, it does well and is topical. The 12 independent chapters arise from updated and enhanced articles originally contributed to Cell Vision—Journal of Analytical Morphology by active American and European researchers, many of whom have developed techniques in this research area. They cover a number of immunocytochemical topics (antigen retrieval or unmasking, autometallography, background staining elimination), microwave methods, in situ hybridization (quantification of gene localization, FISH, RISH and PCR), neural-network assisted cervical screening, neuronal tract tracing, confocal microscopy, and DNA cytometry. All the chapters tried to adhere to the subtitle and cover theory, applications and detailed protocols although the latter was somewhat limited in the final two chapters probably rightly so due to equipment variability. In particu-
449
lar, Shi et al.’s coverage of antigen retrieval was outstanding in accounting not only for the history of the subject, but providing tabulated references to techniques for over 180 antibodies. The book should appeal both to the research cell biologist and microscopist and appear on the shelf of every active histopathology laboratory since it contains a plethora of hints and tips and references to cytochemical techniques. At over 260 pages plus 31 pages of colour plates for about £78/$124 it also represents reasonable value. For the general cell biologist and students it should be on everyone’s ‘further reading’ list in the library to be dipped in to and appreciated in general for which techniques are now possible. It is certainly going on the list for my morphology students even if it does only cover part of the course. Mike Mahon Manchester 1999 Academic Press