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Books recieved March 1990
Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 1990, 97:353
353
Elsevier
Book review
Antiepileptic Drug Interactions, b y W i l l i a m H . P i t l i c k ( E d . ) , D e m o s P u b l i c a t i o n s , N e w Y o r k , 1989, 138 p a g e s . P r i c e n o t s t a t e d . This book deals with changes in the pharmacological properties of one or more co-administered drugs, causing the ultimate effects on target tissue or other tissues, to be different than when one or more of these drugs is administered alone while exogenous (antibiotics, ethanol, etc.) and endogenous (enzymes, hormones, proteins, fatty acids) factors may cause important antiepileptic drug (AED) interactions. Because both desired efficacy and toxicity can be effected by such interactions the knowledge of these interactions is most important in clinical practice. The book is divided into 4 sections, each of them with five or more chapters including the last of each section summarizing the previous chapters. The first part of this monograph is a practical help in day-to-day treatment as well as in clinical investigation and development of new AEDs. The next five chapters are devoted to implications of interactions of AEDs in clinical testing, in the design of efficacy studies and in statistical problems in study design when drugs interact. Chapters 11 to 23 are devoted to basic mechanisms of drug interaction. In the first of these chapters is illustrated how human liver microsomes and purified enzyme from human liver were used to explain the mechanism of interaction between valproic acid and carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide. That the degree of inhibition of epoxide hydrolase associated with therapeutic concentrations of valproate is the same in vivo, in human liver microsomes and in purified enzyme preparations suggest the possibility to develop in vitro strategies to screen for enzyme inhibition drug interactions. Various facets of pharmacokinetic drug interactions have received attention and a small portion is devoted to pharmacodynamic drug interactions. The question whether it will be possible to achieve a certain degree of prediction of drug interaction in man remains unanswered. Over all, this multi-author comprehensive text on interactions of AEDs is informative and well written by 48 experts. I can highly recommend this book to clinicians who manage patients with epilepsy and to all researchers involved in the development of AEDs. J. OVERWEG
Books received March 1990: * William Koller and George Paulson: Therapy of Parkinson's Disease. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1990, 608 pages, US$125.00. * Bryan Kolb and Ian Whishaw: Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology, 3rd edition. W.H. Freeman & Co., Oxford, UK, 1989, 910 pages, £24.95. * Barry Green, Russel Mason and Morley Kare: Chemical Senses, vol. 2: Irritation. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1989, 361 pages, US$99.75 (USA and Canada). N.A. Sharif and M.E. Lewis: Brain Imaging- Techniques and Applications. Saunders, West Sussex, UK, 1989, 286 pages, US$32.50. Robert Currier, Russel DeJong and Robert Crowell: Yearbook of Neurology and Neurosurgery (Annual). Yearbook Medical Publishers, Boston, MA, 1990, 440 pages, US$56.10. Milan R. Dimitrijevic, Patrick D. Wall and Ulf Lindblom: Recent Achievements in Restorative Neurology, 3: Altered Sensation and Pain. Karger, Basel, 214 pages, US$132.00.
* Book already sent for review.
353
Elsevier
Book review
Antiepileptic Drug Interactions, b y W i l l i a m H . P i t l i c k ( E d . ) , D e m o s P u b l i c a t i o n s , N e w Y o r k , 1989, 138 p a g e s . P r i c e n o t s t a t e d . This book deals with changes in the pharmacological properties of one or more co-administered drugs, causing the ultimate effects on target tissue or other tissues, to be different than when one or more of these drugs is administered alone while exogenous (antibiotics, ethanol, etc.) and endogenous (enzymes, hormones, proteins, fatty acids) factors may cause important antiepileptic drug (AED) interactions. Because both desired efficacy and toxicity can be effected by such interactions the knowledge of these interactions is most important in clinical practice. The book is divided into 4 sections, each of them with five or more chapters including the last of each section summarizing the previous chapters. The first part of this monograph is a practical help in day-to-day treatment as well as in clinical investigation and development of new AEDs. The next five chapters are devoted to implications of interactions of AEDs in clinical testing, in the design of efficacy studies and in statistical problems in study design when drugs interact. Chapters 11 to 23 are devoted to basic mechanisms of drug interaction. In the first of these chapters is illustrated how human liver microsomes and purified enzyme from human liver were used to explain the mechanism of interaction between valproic acid and carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide. That the degree of inhibition of epoxide hydrolase associated with therapeutic concentrations of valproate is the same in vivo, in human liver microsomes and in purified enzyme preparations suggest the possibility to develop in vitro strategies to screen for enzyme inhibition drug interactions. Various facets of pharmacokinetic drug interactions have received attention and a small portion is devoted to pharmacodynamic drug interactions. The question whether it will be possible to achieve a certain degree of prediction of drug interaction in man remains unanswered. Over all, this multi-author comprehensive text on interactions of AEDs is informative and well written by 48 experts. I can highly recommend this book to clinicians who manage patients with epilepsy and to all researchers involved in the development of AEDs. J. OVERWEG
Books received March 1990: * William Koller and George Paulson: Therapy of Parkinson's Disease. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1990, 608 pages, US$125.00. * Bryan Kolb and Ian Whishaw: Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology, 3rd edition. W.H. Freeman & Co., Oxford, UK, 1989, 910 pages, £24.95. * Barry Green, Russel Mason and Morley Kare: Chemical Senses, vol. 2: Irritation. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1989, 361 pages, US$99.75 (USA and Canada). N.A. Sharif and M.E. Lewis: Brain Imaging- Techniques and Applications. Saunders, West Sussex, UK, 1989, 286 pages, US$32.50. Robert Currier, Russel DeJong and Robert Crowell: Yearbook of Neurology and Neurosurgery (Annual). Yearbook Medical Publishers, Boston, MA, 1990, 440 pages, US$56.10. Milan R. Dimitrijevic, Patrick D. Wall and Ulf Lindblom: Recent Achievements in Restorative Neurology, 3: Altered Sensation and Pain. Karger, Basel, 214 pages, US$132.00.
* Book already sent for review.