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Antibiotic and chemotherapy. Sixth edition
TiPS -November
‘4xl of their signals within the target CdS. But m&ion
this also
wealth poses
of
new
ifihr-
a challenge
to
contributors: how much of the current knowledge - which would easily fill a book of its own - is necessary for the understanding of the toxicological responses of the endocrine system? Fortunately, the authors have succeeded admirably in presenting the basics of endocrinology, have avoided oversimplification, and have provided instructive graphs that are certain to end up as oftenused slides, not only in pharmacology and toxicology lectures. A second challengewas the task of defining the scope of endocrine toxicology. Obviously, an important goal in research was to describe the responses of the endocrine glands to unwanted effects of chemicals,and their distinction from often similar changes occurring as a consequence of aging, spontaneous diseases, diet and other extraneous factors. These responses manifest themselves frequently as increases in size of the endocrine glands due to hypertrophy, hyperplasia and neoplasGctransformation,and are often caused by excessive functional demands due, for example, to prolonged overstimulation by higher endocrine or nervous regulatory centres, or, as in the case of the thyroid, accelerated catabolism of the hormones. Hyperplastic and neoplastic changes of the endocrine glands are among the most commonly encounter& adverse effects, particularly in long-term toxicity studies in rats. One of the immediate pay-offs of modern endocrine toxicology,well documented in this book, has been a better understanding of the biological mechanisms of these proliferative reactions, permitting a more rational assessment of human risk Long lists of chemicals found guilty as perpetrators of endocrine toxicity are contained in many chapters and will be particularly useful to professional toxicologists. Another, much less welldefined goal of endocrine toxicology is the study of responses of target organsother than the endocrine glands themselves that are mediated by primary effects of chemicals on hormone homeostasis. Recent examples, well t&
22
1992 Wol. 131
described in this book, are mammary turnouts induced in rodents through induction of hyperprolactinaemia, and neuroendocrine tumours in the gastric mucosa occurring at the end of a sequence of a hormonal dysregulation, starting with sustained chemically induced inhibition of gastric acid secretion. As a consequence of this extensive interpretation of endocrine toxicology, the reader of the book is rewarded with a comprehensive documentation on a broad range of adverse effects, including two well-conceived chapters on toxic responses of the male and female reproductive systems, in which
the many pathways of functional, biochemical and structural injuries are, to a greater or lesser extent, related to disturbances of sex hormone regulation and production. Endocrine Toxicology is an excellent and timely contribution to a fast-moving and important field of practical toxicology. The only deficiency I have noted is neglect of the islets of Langerhans and their hormones, insulin and glucagon.
New edition
cussed, followed by an account of each individual agent. Each chemically distinct group is treated in a separate section, and the whole arranged alphabetically. The second part retains many of the organ-based chapter divisions of previous editions but includes new chapters on infection in the immunocompromised host, on a variety of unusual infections not previously given full consideration, and on chemoprophylaxis of infection.
Antibiotic and Chemotherapy. Sixth edition by Harold P. Lambert and Francis W. O’Grady, Churchill Livingstone, 1992. E60.00 (561 pages) MN 0 443 03203 3 Again divided into two parts, but almost entirely rewritten, the first part is now a mini-encyclopaedia of antibiotics in which the characteristics of each group are dis-
G. ZBINDEN
Institut fiir Toxikologie, Eidgenossischen Technische Hochschule, Schorenstrusse 16, Schwerzenbach CH-8603, Switzerland.
TiPS May 1992
Drugs of Abuse special issue Additional copies of the special issue on Drugs of Abuse may be purchased for UKf8.501 US$15.00 per copy. Discounts avaiiable on bulk orders. Contact: Special Issue Sales Department, Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Crown House, Linton Road, Barking, Essex, UK IGII 8JU. Fax: +44 81 594 5942.
‘4xl of their signals within the target CdS. But m&ion
this also
wealth poses
of
new
ifihr-
a challenge
to
contributors: how much of the current knowledge - which would easily fill a book of its own - is necessary for the understanding of the toxicological responses of the endocrine system? Fortunately, the authors have succeeded admirably in presenting the basics of endocrinology, have avoided oversimplification, and have provided instructive graphs that are certain to end up as oftenused slides, not only in pharmacology and toxicology lectures. A second challengewas the task of defining the scope of endocrine toxicology. Obviously, an important goal in research was to describe the responses of the endocrine glands to unwanted effects of chemicals,and their distinction from often similar changes occurring as a consequence of aging, spontaneous diseases, diet and other extraneous factors. These responses manifest themselves frequently as increases in size of the endocrine glands due to hypertrophy, hyperplasia and neoplasGctransformation,and are often caused by excessive functional demands due, for example, to prolonged overstimulation by higher endocrine or nervous regulatory centres, or, as in the case of the thyroid, accelerated catabolism of the hormones. Hyperplastic and neoplastic changes of the endocrine glands are among the most commonly encounter& adverse effects, particularly in long-term toxicity studies in rats. One of the immediate pay-offs of modern endocrine toxicology,well documented in this book, has been a better understanding of the biological mechanisms of these proliferative reactions, permitting a more rational assessment of human risk Long lists of chemicals found guilty as perpetrators of endocrine toxicity are contained in many chapters and will be particularly useful to professional toxicologists. Another, much less welldefined goal of endocrine toxicology is the study of responses of target organsother than the endocrine glands themselves that are mediated by primary effects of chemicals on hormone homeostasis. Recent examples, well t&
22
1992 Wol. 131
described in this book, are mammary turnouts induced in rodents through induction of hyperprolactinaemia, and neuroendocrine tumours in the gastric mucosa occurring at the end of a sequence of a hormonal dysregulation, starting with sustained chemically induced inhibition of gastric acid secretion. As a consequence of this extensive interpretation of endocrine toxicology, the reader of the book is rewarded with a comprehensive documentation on a broad range of adverse effects, including two well-conceived chapters on toxic responses of the male and female reproductive systems, in which
the many pathways of functional, biochemical and structural injuries are, to a greater or lesser extent, related to disturbances of sex hormone regulation and production. Endocrine Toxicology is an excellent and timely contribution to a fast-moving and important field of practical toxicology. The only deficiency I have noted is neglect of the islets of Langerhans and their hormones, insulin and glucagon.
New edition
cussed, followed by an account of each individual agent. Each chemically distinct group is treated in a separate section, and the whole arranged alphabetically. The second part retains many of the organ-based chapter divisions of previous editions but includes new chapters on infection in the immunocompromised host, on a variety of unusual infections not previously given full consideration, and on chemoprophylaxis of infection.
Antibiotic and Chemotherapy. Sixth edition by Harold P. Lambert and Francis W. O’Grady, Churchill Livingstone, 1992. E60.00 (561 pages) MN 0 443 03203 3 Again divided into two parts, but almost entirely rewritten, the first part is now a mini-encyclopaedia of antibiotics in which the characteristics of each group are dis-
G. ZBINDEN
Institut fiir Toxikologie, Eidgenossischen Technische Hochschule, Schorenstrusse 16, Schwerzenbach CH-8603, Switzerland.
TiPS May 1992
Drugs of Abuse special issue Additional copies of the special issue on Drugs of Abuse may be purchased for UKf8.501 US$15.00 per copy. Discounts avaiiable on bulk orders. Contact: Special Issue Sales Department, Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, Crown House, Linton Road, Barking, Essex, UK IGII 8JU. Fax: +44 81 594 5942.