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Biochemical Markers for Cancer
43
Toxicology b y D a v i d P a s c o e . p p 58. E d w a r d A r n o l d , L o n d o n . 1983. £2.50 ISBN 0-7131-2862-3 Living organisms are continually being exposed to environmental pollution from industries, oil spillages, disposal of nuclear waste, pesticides, etc. The subject of toxicology has consequently grown into a large research field over a relatively short period of time. Several books have been published on the topic and this is a well written introduction to the subject. It is produced for the Institute of Biology's series 'Studies in Biology'. The introductory chapter cqncisely defines the term 'poison' and explains the occurrence of poisons and their toxic effects on enzyme systems, membranes and cellular activities. The uptake of potentially toxic compounds via the gut, skin, respiratory tract, and their transport within the body systems are discussed in the next chapter. The classical detoxication and excretory pathways and the factors that modify toxicity of poisons are covered but probably not in sufficient detail for finalyear honours students. There is a wide coverage of toxicity tests, their methodologies and values to emphasize, no doubt, their central role in the screening of drugs, cosmetics, food additives and pesticides. The inclusion of such topics as toxicity tests, economic and environmental toxicology, forensic and medical toxicology in subsequent chapters, even though some of these are not discussed in detail, makes this volume invaluable to students as these topics are hardly mentioned in standard biological textbooks. Moreover, the book is well illustrated with good photographs and diagrams. The book is of course only an introductory text and for further information, a selected list of textbooks and articles in journals is given in the bibliography. Who should read this book? I would say both lecturers and undergraduate students of biological sciences: at £2.50 in the UK it is good value for money. G I Adoga
Handbook of Neurochemistry (Second edition) E d i t e d by A L a j t h a , P l e n u m P r e s s , 1983. V o l 3 M e t a b olism in t h e N e r v o u s S y s t e m , $89.50. V o l 4 E n z y m e s in t h e N e r v o u s S y s t e m , $72.50 ISBN 0-306-41153-9, ISBN 0-306-41210-1 Such has been the rapid development of neurobiology that a completely revised, second edition of the Handbook of Neurochemistry has appeared within ten years of completion of the first edition. In Volume 1 of the first edition (published in 1969), the chapter on brain peptides was restricted to glutathione, other ~/-glutamyl peptides and N-acetyl-aspartylglutamate. The final volume of the first edition appeared two years before the discovery of the enkephalins. The new series of handbooks arc therefore very welcome. The format and style of the first edition are adhered to and, in general, the articles are thorough and well-referenced, although little material post-1981 is included. Volumes 3 and 4, which appeared in 1983, are complementary in that one deals with metabolic aspects of brain chemistry and the other with specific brain enzymes. The contents of Volume 3 broadly fall into three categories, lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism. In all cases, features characteristic of nerve tissue are emphasized. The enzymes dealt with in Volume 4 are somewhat arbitrary. For example, peptidases that degrade neuropeptides are discussed in some detail, but not the enzymes that may process the precursor forms of these peptides. Monoamine oxidase is included, but not catechol O-methyl transferase (or other methyl transferases). On the other hand, monoamine biosynthetic enzymes are
BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION 13(1) 1985
thoroughly dealt with. Other topics include aminotransferases, ATPases, acetylcholine metabolism, cyclic nucleotide metabolism and even hexokinase. In an attempt to be comprehensive, many of the chapters sacrifice readability and miss some of the excitement of modern neurobiology. This series is therefore for the reference shelf rather than for bedtime reading but extremely useful nevertheless for the research neurochemist. A J Turner
Biochemical Markers for Cancer E d i t e d by T M i n g C h u . M a r c e l D e k k e r , N Y . 1982. This is a specialist text, comprising fourteen articles by various authors involved in the study of biochemical markers for cancer. The term biochemical is taken broadly. There are chapters discussing immunological, enzymatic, endocrine, protein and polyamine cancer markers. Individual contributions range from broad overviews (eg 'Immunological Approaches to the Biochemical Markers for Cancer') to specialized reviews of single markers (eg 'Alpha Fetoprotein'). As with many multi-authored treatises, it is difficult to know to whom the book should be recommended. For the specialist in any of the given fields, the articles suffer from being dated (generally the literature is surveyed to 1978 or 1979, with some authors citing work from their own labs to 1980). Certainly in most fields of biochemistry and clinical chemistry much has happened during the past four years. On the other hand, most of the articles are rather too specialized for the biochemist or clinical chemist who wishes to dip into or get an overview of biochemical cancer markers. For myself, this is a book I might glance at - - scanning the Table of Contents and a few articles. Most of the articles do have concluding summaries - - a valuable feature for someone such as myself wanting a few tidbits to enliven my lectures. I can recommend the book to medical school libraries. Few individuals would require a personal copy. R Paselk
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry; Applications in Microbiology E d i t e d b y G O d h a m , L L a r s s o n a n d P - A M a r d h . p p 444. P l e n u m Press, N e w Y o r k a n d L o n d o n , 1984. $59.50 ISBN 0-306-41314-0 This book is a collection of twelve reviews of the application of G C - M S techniques in the field of microbiology. The first two chapters give short accounts of the basics of the techniques involved, the next three cover the analysis of lipids, carbohydrates and amino acids and peptides respectively and the remainder describe more specific applications to a variety of areas in clinical, diagnostic, quantitative and ecological fields. Mass spectrometry has been used in this area of research for many years but the advent of reliable automated instruments and novel techniques for handling unstable, polar and high molecular weight substances has brought a greatly increased interest in the technique among workers in analytical biochemistry and medicine. This volume provides a good survey of the areas in Microbiology in which the use of G C - M S can provide information unobtainable by other methods. Good surveys are given of the well established pyrolysis techniques for bacterial identification and of the use of specific analysis of cellular components, for the same purpose. A clear and fascinating account of the use of these techniques in the analysis of marine sediments provided this reviewer with a novel perspective of the range of subjects which can benefit from mass spectrometry. This is a book with much of interest both to microbiologists and to analytical biochemists in related fields. A I Mallet
Toxicology b y D a v i d P a s c o e . p p 58. E d w a r d A r n o l d , L o n d o n . 1983. £2.50 ISBN 0-7131-2862-3 Living organisms are continually being exposed to environmental pollution from industries, oil spillages, disposal of nuclear waste, pesticides, etc. The subject of toxicology has consequently grown into a large research field over a relatively short period of time. Several books have been published on the topic and this is a well written introduction to the subject. It is produced for the Institute of Biology's series 'Studies in Biology'. The introductory chapter cqncisely defines the term 'poison' and explains the occurrence of poisons and their toxic effects on enzyme systems, membranes and cellular activities. The uptake of potentially toxic compounds via the gut, skin, respiratory tract, and their transport within the body systems are discussed in the next chapter. The classical detoxication and excretory pathways and the factors that modify toxicity of poisons are covered but probably not in sufficient detail for finalyear honours students. There is a wide coverage of toxicity tests, their methodologies and values to emphasize, no doubt, their central role in the screening of drugs, cosmetics, food additives and pesticides. The inclusion of such topics as toxicity tests, economic and environmental toxicology, forensic and medical toxicology in subsequent chapters, even though some of these are not discussed in detail, makes this volume invaluable to students as these topics are hardly mentioned in standard biological textbooks. Moreover, the book is well illustrated with good photographs and diagrams. The book is of course only an introductory text and for further information, a selected list of textbooks and articles in journals is given in the bibliography. Who should read this book? I would say both lecturers and undergraduate students of biological sciences: at £2.50 in the UK it is good value for money. G I Adoga
Handbook of Neurochemistry (Second edition) E d i t e d by A L a j t h a , P l e n u m P r e s s , 1983. V o l 3 M e t a b olism in t h e N e r v o u s S y s t e m , $89.50. V o l 4 E n z y m e s in t h e N e r v o u s S y s t e m , $72.50 ISBN 0-306-41153-9, ISBN 0-306-41210-1 Such has been the rapid development of neurobiology that a completely revised, second edition of the Handbook of Neurochemistry has appeared within ten years of completion of the first edition. In Volume 1 of the first edition (published in 1969), the chapter on brain peptides was restricted to glutathione, other ~/-glutamyl peptides and N-acetyl-aspartylglutamate. The final volume of the first edition appeared two years before the discovery of the enkephalins. The new series of handbooks arc therefore very welcome. The format and style of the first edition are adhered to and, in general, the articles are thorough and well-referenced, although little material post-1981 is included. Volumes 3 and 4, which appeared in 1983, are complementary in that one deals with metabolic aspects of brain chemistry and the other with specific brain enzymes. The contents of Volume 3 broadly fall into three categories, lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism. In all cases, features characteristic of nerve tissue are emphasized. The enzymes dealt with in Volume 4 are somewhat arbitrary. For example, peptidases that degrade neuropeptides are discussed in some detail, but not the enzymes that may process the precursor forms of these peptides. Monoamine oxidase is included, but not catechol O-methyl transferase (or other methyl transferases). On the other hand, monoamine biosynthetic enzymes are
BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION 13(1) 1985
thoroughly dealt with. Other topics include aminotransferases, ATPases, acetylcholine metabolism, cyclic nucleotide metabolism and even hexokinase. In an attempt to be comprehensive, many of the chapters sacrifice readability and miss some of the excitement of modern neurobiology. This series is therefore for the reference shelf rather than for bedtime reading but extremely useful nevertheless for the research neurochemist. A J Turner
Biochemical Markers for Cancer E d i t e d by T M i n g C h u . M a r c e l D e k k e r , N Y . 1982. This is a specialist text, comprising fourteen articles by various authors involved in the study of biochemical markers for cancer. The term biochemical is taken broadly. There are chapters discussing immunological, enzymatic, endocrine, protein and polyamine cancer markers. Individual contributions range from broad overviews (eg 'Immunological Approaches to the Biochemical Markers for Cancer') to specialized reviews of single markers (eg 'Alpha Fetoprotein'). As with many multi-authored treatises, it is difficult to know to whom the book should be recommended. For the specialist in any of the given fields, the articles suffer from being dated (generally the literature is surveyed to 1978 or 1979, with some authors citing work from their own labs to 1980). Certainly in most fields of biochemistry and clinical chemistry much has happened during the past four years. On the other hand, most of the articles are rather too specialized for the biochemist or clinical chemist who wishes to dip into or get an overview of biochemical cancer markers. For myself, this is a book I might glance at - - scanning the Table of Contents and a few articles. Most of the articles do have concluding summaries - - a valuable feature for someone such as myself wanting a few tidbits to enliven my lectures. I can recommend the book to medical school libraries. Few individuals would require a personal copy. R Paselk
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry; Applications in Microbiology E d i t e d b y G O d h a m , L L a r s s o n a n d P - A M a r d h . p p 444. P l e n u m Press, N e w Y o r k a n d L o n d o n , 1984. $59.50 ISBN 0-306-41314-0 This book is a collection of twelve reviews of the application of G C - M S techniques in the field of microbiology. The first two chapters give short accounts of the basics of the techniques involved, the next three cover the analysis of lipids, carbohydrates and amino acids and peptides respectively and the remainder describe more specific applications to a variety of areas in clinical, diagnostic, quantitative and ecological fields. Mass spectrometry has been used in this area of research for many years but the advent of reliable automated instruments and novel techniques for handling unstable, polar and high molecular weight substances has brought a greatly increased interest in the technique among workers in analytical biochemistry and medicine. This volume provides a good survey of the areas in Microbiology in which the use of G C - M S can provide information unobtainable by other methods. Good surveys are given of the well established pyrolysis techniques for bacterial identification and of the use of specific analysis of cellular components, for the same purpose. A clear and fascinating account of the use of these techniques in the analysis of marine sediments provided this reviewer with a novel perspective of the range of subjects which can benefit from mass spectrometry. This is a book with much of interest both to microbiologists and to analytical biochemists in related fields. A I Mallet