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Cellular and molecular bases of neuroendocrine processes
183
Book Reviews Cellular and Molecular
Bases of Neuroendocrine
E. ENDR&ZI 623 pp., f19.50.
Processes,
THIS
volume comprises fifty-two papers presented at the 6th Symposium of the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology held at Visegrad, Hungary in December 1975. The main aim has been the rapid publication of the articles and this has been achieved, but at the expense of a considerable number of errors and misprints which will undoubtedly annoy many readers and occasionally render a complex argument very difficult to follow. The book suffers from the usual consequences of the camera-ready method of production. A multitude of typefaces are employed and the line spacing varies, with the result that the clarity of printing is not always satisfactory. There is no uniformity in the presentation of text, figures or legends, and a particular irritating point is that, with few exceptions, the figures are assembled after the references, and occasionally the corresponding legends appear grouped together on a separate page. The subject index is very scanty and badly organised. A particular burden of accuracy and clarity rests with authors (and their typists!) when contributions are assembled in this way for publication; it is evident that some of the contributors to this volume are more careful than others. The topics presented cover a wide area of research into neuroendocrine control mechanisms. There are papers devoted to the occurrence of steroid receptors and their abundance at various sites both inside and outside the central nervous system, although one must be careful when considering this as evidence of a physiological feedback action at those sites. Several articles describe the effects of putative neurotransmitters on the secretion of hypotha-
Effects of Noise
on Hearing,
D.
(Ed.) Akademiai Kiado, Budapest (1976).
lamic releasing hormones and the use of drugs to modify this secretion. In particular the involvement of dopamine in the control of prolactin secretion is discussed by several contributors. There are papers devoted to studies on the effects of hypothalamic releasing hormones on the anterior pituitary, and to electrophysiological studies of hypothalamic neurons. Some behavioural effects of neuronal peptides in animals and man are also described. The articles range from the straightforward presentation of results to short reviews of the authors’ field of work. Almost all of the work discussed is very recent but much of it has by now been published in the relevant journals. It is unfortunate that there are no published comments or discussion and the grouping of the articles seems somewhat arbitrary. Nevertheless, the papers do indicate the present state of progress in selected areas of neuroendocrinology and illustrate the wide variety of approaches, from cell culture and electrophysiology to behavioural tests and clinical observation, employed in the study of neuroendocrine mechanisms. It is unlikely that the general reader will gain much from this book. Its value is the rapid publication of results and opinions concerning some recent advances in neuroendocrinology and the book is of great contemporary interest to those already familiar with the field. The speed of publication is commendable and a definite advantage in this rapidly expanding area. It is a pity that the disorganised layout and the many errors are a consequence of this haste. I. C. A. F.
HENDERSON, R. P. HAMERNICK, D. S. D~SANJH & J. H. MILLS
ROBINSON
(Eds.) Raven Press,
New York (1976). 565 pp., $36.00. THIS
book comprises 27 short chapters based on a symposium held in 1975 to discuss several specific issues underlying the effects of noise on hearing. The symposium was supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, held at Cazanovia, New York and attended by many of the leading experts in this field. The general topics covered include cochlear biochemistry, electrophysiology of the ear, histological and behavioural effects of noise and drugs on the hearing process, the epidemiology of noise-induced hearing loss and current legal considerations relevant to noise exposure. The book is introduced in an essentially practical manner. The first two and several of the concluding chapters are addressed to the actual problem of defining safe limits for noise exposure. Unfortunately, these are rather inconclusive and do not succeed in differentiating sufficiently clearly between the scientific problem of quantifying the relationships associating noise exposure parameters, with the various indices of hearing damage, and the ethical or political decisions required to define a practicable ‘safe’ exposure limit. The more central chapters form the core of the volume and contain more critical essays addressed to the physiological processes which are involved in noise-induced hearing loss. These chapters are excellent, containing a great deal of relevant and up-to-date information from recent
experiments in animals and humans, reflecting the latest theories on this topic. Several papers consider the mechanisms of noise-induced hearing loss, including discussion of whether temporary and permanent changes in hearing acuity have the same underlying properties. The relationships between the temporal characteristics of intermittent noise exposures and their effects on the degree of hearing loss are also debated. In some cases, however, too much weight is given to evidence derived from studies of only the temporary effects, rather than the more germane data resulting from permanent hearing loss studies. Overall, the book forms a valuable collection of papers providing a useful reference text for those involved directly in hearing research. It is also likely to be of interest to those responsible for managing hearing conservation programmes and implementing noise exposure legislation. The individual chapters contain comprehensive reference lists, and comments voiced by those attending the symposium are given. The latter are of value in that they emphasise differences of opinion which exists between experts in this field, in which the significance of many factors is as yet unknown. The book, in general, is well indexed and the standard of reproduction is high. M. E.
LUTMAN
Book Reviews Cellular and Molecular
Bases of Neuroendocrine
E. ENDR&ZI 623 pp., f19.50.
Processes,
THIS
volume comprises fifty-two papers presented at the 6th Symposium of the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology held at Visegrad, Hungary in December 1975. The main aim has been the rapid publication of the articles and this has been achieved, but at the expense of a considerable number of errors and misprints which will undoubtedly annoy many readers and occasionally render a complex argument very difficult to follow. The book suffers from the usual consequences of the camera-ready method of production. A multitude of typefaces are employed and the line spacing varies, with the result that the clarity of printing is not always satisfactory. There is no uniformity in the presentation of text, figures or legends, and a particular irritating point is that, with few exceptions, the figures are assembled after the references, and occasionally the corresponding legends appear grouped together on a separate page. The subject index is very scanty and badly organised. A particular burden of accuracy and clarity rests with authors (and their typists!) when contributions are assembled in this way for publication; it is evident that some of the contributors to this volume are more careful than others. The topics presented cover a wide area of research into neuroendocrine control mechanisms. There are papers devoted to the occurrence of steroid receptors and their abundance at various sites both inside and outside the central nervous system, although one must be careful when considering this as evidence of a physiological feedback action at those sites. Several articles describe the effects of putative neurotransmitters on the secretion of hypotha-
Effects of Noise
on Hearing,
D.
(Ed.) Akademiai Kiado, Budapest (1976).
lamic releasing hormones and the use of drugs to modify this secretion. In particular the involvement of dopamine in the control of prolactin secretion is discussed by several contributors. There are papers devoted to studies on the effects of hypothalamic releasing hormones on the anterior pituitary, and to electrophysiological studies of hypothalamic neurons. Some behavioural effects of neuronal peptides in animals and man are also described. The articles range from the straightforward presentation of results to short reviews of the authors’ field of work. Almost all of the work discussed is very recent but much of it has by now been published in the relevant journals. It is unfortunate that there are no published comments or discussion and the grouping of the articles seems somewhat arbitrary. Nevertheless, the papers do indicate the present state of progress in selected areas of neuroendocrinology and illustrate the wide variety of approaches, from cell culture and electrophysiology to behavioural tests and clinical observation, employed in the study of neuroendocrine mechanisms. It is unlikely that the general reader will gain much from this book. Its value is the rapid publication of results and opinions concerning some recent advances in neuroendocrinology and the book is of great contemporary interest to those already familiar with the field. The speed of publication is commendable and a definite advantage in this rapidly expanding area. It is a pity that the disorganised layout and the many errors are a consequence of this haste. I. C. A. F.
HENDERSON, R. P. HAMERNICK, D. S. D~SANJH & J. H. MILLS
ROBINSON
(Eds.) Raven Press,
New York (1976). 565 pp., $36.00. THIS
book comprises 27 short chapters based on a symposium held in 1975 to discuss several specific issues underlying the effects of noise on hearing. The symposium was supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, held at Cazanovia, New York and attended by many of the leading experts in this field. The general topics covered include cochlear biochemistry, electrophysiology of the ear, histological and behavioural effects of noise and drugs on the hearing process, the epidemiology of noise-induced hearing loss and current legal considerations relevant to noise exposure. The book is introduced in an essentially practical manner. The first two and several of the concluding chapters are addressed to the actual problem of defining safe limits for noise exposure. Unfortunately, these are rather inconclusive and do not succeed in differentiating sufficiently clearly between the scientific problem of quantifying the relationships associating noise exposure parameters, with the various indices of hearing damage, and the ethical or political decisions required to define a practicable ‘safe’ exposure limit. The more central chapters form the core of the volume and contain more critical essays addressed to the physiological processes which are involved in noise-induced hearing loss. These chapters are excellent, containing a great deal of relevant and up-to-date information from recent
experiments in animals and humans, reflecting the latest theories on this topic. Several papers consider the mechanisms of noise-induced hearing loss, including discussion of whether temporary and permanent changes in hearing acuity have the same underlying properties. The relationships between the temporal characteristics of intermittent noise exposures and their effects on the degree of hearing loss are also debated. In some cases, however, too much weight is given to evidence derived from studies of only the temporary effects, rather than the more germane data resulting from permanent hearing loss studies. Overall, the book forms a valuable collection of papers providing a useful reference text for those involved directly in hearing research. It is also likely to be of interest to those responsible for managing hearing conservation programmes and implementing noise exposure legislation. The individual chapters contain comprehensive reference lists, and comments voiced by those attending the symposium are given. The latter are of value in that they emphasise differences of opinion which exists between experts in this field, in which the significance of many factors is as yet unknown. The book, in general, is well indexed and the standard of reproduction is high. M. E.
LUTMAN