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Avian physiology. Fourth edition
Book Reviews phenobarbital, ethosuximide, carbamazepine, valproic acid, digoxin, digitoxin, methotrexate, amikacin, gentamicin, netilmicin, tobramycin, kanamycin A, viomycin, ampicillin, disopyramide, lidocaine, procainamide, quinidine, nortriptyline, aprotinin. (2) Drugs of abuse and toxicological relevance---amphetamine, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, methadone, methaqualone, morphine, codeine, benzoylecgonine, phenycylidine, propoxyphene, A9 tetrahydrocannabinol salicyclic acid, nicotine. (3) Pesticides-organophosphate and carbamate residues in water, pesticides in plants, paraoxon in body fluids, atrazine in water, paraquat in soil. As with all the volumes in this series, full practical details are provided, together with background information and a bibliography. The first edition of this work appeared in 1962 as a single volume. The second edition in 1974 was in four volumes whilst the present 3rd edition is in 12 volumes plus a cumulative index volume. The increase in size is due to the increase in information now available on analytical methods. The full set of volumes should be in all scientific libraries.
Antigens and Antibodies Volume 2--Edited by H. U. Bergmeyer. Methods of Enzymatic Analysis, 3rd Edition, Volume XI. 508 pp. 1986. VCH Verlagsgesellschaft, Weinheim. DM 295. This volume has three main sections. (1) Antigens and antibodies in Chlamydial and bacterial diseases-Staphylococcal enterotoxins, Neisseria, Clostridium, E coli, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Brucella, Haemophilus, Legionella, Mycoplasma, Treponema, Chlamydia. (2) Antigens and antibodies in fungal and parasitic diseases--Aspergillus fumigayus, Aspergillus flavus, Candida, Babesia, Giardia, Entamoeba histolytica, Plasmodium, Pneumocystis, Toxoplasma, Trypanosoma, Toxocara, Trichinella, Schistosoma. (3) Plant viruses--barley yellow dwarf viruses, potato virus, plum pox virus, soybean mosaic virus, grapevine fanleaf virus. The chapters give full practical details of the methods used and a bibliography for further information. The book will be very useful both in the laboratory and also in the library.
Chemical Carcinogens; Some Guide Lines for Handling and Disposal in the Laboratory--M. Castegnaro and E. B. Sansome. 97 pp. 1986. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Soft cover DM 19.80. Many laboratory chemicals are dangerous (4-aminobiphenyl, azathioprine, benzene, benzidine, chlorethyl naphthylamine, chlor methyl methyl ether, myleran, chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, diethyl stilboestrol, nitrosoamines, hydrazines, melphalan, vinyl chloride, aflatoxins, benzopyrene, diethylsulphate, phenacetin, o-toluidine, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, ethylene dibromide, formaldehyde gas, etc.) and this book lists 84 chemicals that have to be treated with caution. It deals with the hazards in handling chemical carcinogens, their storage, and methods for the disposal of chemical carcinogens and spillage treatment. Read this book and take suitable action. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Avian Physiology. Fourth Edition---Edited by P. D. Sturkie. 516 pp. 1986. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. DM 148. The first edition of Avian Physiology was published in 1954 and since then there has been a considerable increase in knowledge of bird physiology and this has been reflected in the growth in size and coverage of the editions of this book. There are now 21 authors contributing to the chapters
293
providing specialized coverage. The scope of the volume is greater than indicated by the word "physiology" since there are also chapters on energy metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, protein metabolism, and lipid metabolism. There are two new chapters that were not present in previous editions, one on muscle and the other on immunophysiology. All the chapters in this edition have been expanded, brought up to date, are well illustrated and have their own bibliography. This volume maintains the high standard of the previous editions and is the first source that readers should consult on avian physiology, endocrinology, immunophysiology, and metabolism.
Principles of Physiological Measurement--James N. Cameron, 278 pp. 1986. Academic Press, Orlando. $59.50 cloth, $23.95 paper. With the present tendency to give students more and more lecture courses, and the increasing cost and trouble of teaching practical classes, many students have limited or even zero practical experience during their undergraduate training. They then have difficulty in making a practical physiological measurement and often do not understand the principle behind such measurements. This book provides the basic information about the practical measurement of oxygen, carbon dioxide, pH, ammonia, physiological gases in blood, flow and velocity, force displacement and pressure, ions, and radioisotopes. The book will be very useful to students who wish to understand the principles behind the measurement and how and why the machine works. Even if machines are updated, the principles remain the same.
Muscle relaxants; side effects and a rational approach to selection--Edited by Isaac Azar. 238 pp. 1987. Marcel Dekker, New York. ($69.75 U.S.A. Canada) $83.30. Clinical Pharmacology Series Volume 7. Succinylcholine an early muscle relaxant (MR) can cause side effects such as arrhythmias, increased intraocular pressure, prolonged apnea, damaged muscle membranes, hyperkalaemia, triggering malignant pyrexic syndrome, circulatory collapse, etc. If succinylcholine was a new drug today it is probable that the FDA would not give it approval. This multi authored volume gives details of the new MR that have fewer or diminished side effects. The chapters are; autonomic responses to MR; histamine release by MR; MR in patients with neuromuscular disorders; succinylcholine induced hyperkalemia; malignant hypothermia; MR and patients with renal and/or hepatic failure non-depolarizing MR in burned patients; prolonged apnea following succinylcholine administration. It will help the reader choose a better MR for a given patient and also tell what to do if something goes wrong.
Thrombosis and throbolysis---Edited by E. I. Chazov and V. N. Smirnov. 433 pp. 1986. Plenum Publishing Corporation, New York, $85. This is a translation from a Russian multi authored volume. It deals with present concepts of the fibrinolytic system; the role of non-enzymatic fibrinolysis in regulating hemostasis; blood coagulation; fibrin polymerization; the anticoagulant effects of fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products; the use of immobilized enzymes and directed drug transport in the treatment of thrombotic occlusions; the use of new antithrombotic agents such as streptodecase, plasmakinase, terrilytin, tricholysin, urokinin and platelet inhibitors. It provides details of work done in the U.S.S.R. on this important topic.
Antigens and Antibodies Volume 2--Edited by H. U. Bergmeyer. Methods of Enzymatic Analysis, 3rd Edition, Volume XI. 508 pp. 1986. VCH Verlagsgesellschaft, Weinheim. DM 295. This volume has three main sections. (1) Antigens and antibodies in Chlamydial and bacterial diseases-Staphylococcal enterotoxins, Neisseria, Clostridium, E coli, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Brucella, Haemophilus, Legionella, Mycoplasma, Treponema, Chlamydia. (2) Antigens and antibodies in fungal and parasitic diseases--Aspergillus fumigayus, Aspergillus flavus, Candida, Babesia, Giardia, Entamoeba histolytica, Plasmodium, Pneumocystis, Toxoplasma, Trypanosoma, Toxocara, Trichinella, Schistosoma. (3) Plant viruses--barley yellow dwarf viruses, potato virus, plum pox virus, soybean mosaic virus, grapevine fanleaf virus. The chapters give full practical details of the methods used and a bibliography for further information. The book will be very useful both in the laboratory and also in the library.
Chemical Carcinogens; Some Guide Lines for Handling and Disposal in the Laboratory--M. Castegnaro and E. B. Sansome. 97 pp. 1986. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Soft cover DM 19.80. Many laboratory chemicals are dangerous (4-aminobiphenyl, azathioprine, benzene, benzidine, chlorethyl naphthylamine, chlor methyl methyl ether, myleran, chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, diethyl stilboestrol, nitrosoamines, hydrazines, melphalan, vinyl chloride, aflatoxins, benzopyrene, diethylsulphate, phenacetin, o-toluidine, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, ethylene dibromide, formaldehyde gas, etc.) and this book lists 84 chemicals that have to be treated with caution. It deals with the hazards in handling chemical carcinogens, their storage, and methods for the disposal of chemical carcinogens and spillage treatment. Read this book and take suitable action. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Avian Physiology. Fourth Edition---Edited by P. D. Sturkie. 516 pp. 1986. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. DM 148. The first edition of Avian Physiology was published in 1954 and since then there has been a considerable increase in knowledge of bird physiology and this has been reflected in the growth in size and coverage of the editions of this book. There are now 21 authors contributing to the chapters
293
providing specialized coverage. The scope of the volume is greater than indicated by the word "physiology" since there are also chapters on energy metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, protein metabolism, and lipid metabolism. There are two new chapters that were not present in previous editions, one on muscle and the other on immunophysiology. All the chapters in this edition have been expanded, brought up to date, are well illustrated and have their own bibliography. This volume maintains the high standard of the previous editions and is the first source that readers should consult on avian physiology, endocrinology, immunophysiology, and metabolism.
Principles of Physiological Measurement--James N. Cameron, 278 pp. 1986. Academic Press, Orlando. $59.50 cloth, $23.95 paper. With the present tendency to give students more and more lecture courses, and the increasing cost and trouble of teaching practical classes, many students have limited or even zero practical experience during their undergraduate training. They then have difficulty in making a practical physiological measurement and often do not understand the principle behind such measurements. This book provides the basic information about the practical measurement of oxygen, carbon dioxide, pH, ammonia, physiological gases in blood, flow and velocity, force displacement and pressure, ions, and radioisotopes. The book will be very useful to students who wish to understand the principles behind the measurement and how and why the machine works. Even if machines are updated, the principles remain the same.
Muscle relaxants; side effects and a rational approach to selection--Edited by Isaac Azar. 238 pp. 1987. Marcel Dekker, New York. ($69.75 U.S.A. Canada) $83.30. Clinical Pharmacology Series Volume 7. Succinylcholine an early muscle relaxant (MR) can cause side effects such as arrhythmias, increased intraocular pressure, prolonged apnea, damaged muscle membranes, hyperkalaemia, triggering malignant pyrexic syndrome, circulatory collapse, etc. If succinylcholine was a new drug today it is probable that the FDA would not give it approval. This multi authored volume gives details of the new MR that have fewer or diminished side effects. The chapters are; autonomic responses to MR; histamine release by MR; MR in patients with neuromuscular disorders; succinylcholine induced hyperkalemia; malignant hypothermia; MR and patients with renal and/or hepatic failure non-depolarizing MR in burned patients; prolonged apnea following succinylcholine administration. It will help the reader choose a better MR for a given patient and also tell what to do if something goes wrong.
Thrombosis and throbolysis---Edited by E. I. Chazov and V. N. Smirnov. 433 pp. 1986. Plenum Publishing Corporation, New York, $85. This is a translation from a Russian multi authored volume. It deals with present concepts of the fibrinolytic system; the role of non-enzymatic fibrinolysis in regulating hemostasis; blood coagulation; fibrin polymerization; the anticoagulant effects of fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products; the use of immobilized enzymes and directed drug transport in the treatment of thrombotic occlusions; the use of new antithrombotic agents such as streptodecase, plasmakinase, terrilytin, tricholysin, urokinin and platelet inhibitors. It provides details of work done in the U.S.S.R. on this important topic.