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Enzymatic analysis. A practical guide
90 intended for academic staff use, rather than as a student learning aid: answers are given before the question(!) and the questions are graded as 'easy', 'average difficulty' and 'challenging'. Many criticisms are levelled at multiplechoice questions, but they do have numerous advantages, including ease of setting and marking, particularly by computers. This is ever more important given the larger n u m b e r of students entering higher education.
breaking and entering and Problem Solving in Analytical Biochemistry will be useful to staff involved in running problem-solving classes and tutorials because of its experimental data and simple clear chromatographic traces. C A Smith
Problem Solving in Analytical Biochemistrv is quite a small book (pp 139) and, again, is not a stand-alone text but arose from an extension of the end-of-chapter questions from Analytical Biochemistry by the same authors. It consists of 40 problem questions covering nine subject areas. Each section is briefly reviewed and then the problem or calculation is set. All questions are presented in a standard format: an Introduction provides some background to the problem/question which is then stated. This is followed by the experimental details and data. Sometimes a further insert, 'Solving the Problem' is added. This gives clues and guidance to solve the problem posed. Answers are provided to all but the Test Questions which are also unworked. The first chapter addresses a number of points relating to the assessment of quantitative methods and data. For example, the terms 'precision', 'accuracy', 'sensitivity' and 'specificity' are defined on p 2. Subsequent chapters deal with molecular and atomic spectroscopy, glc, hplc, ionic separation methods, eg ion-exchange chromatography and S D S - P A G E , radioisotopes, enzyme assays and, finally, problems relating to automated flow analysis. Most of the questions are numerical. ! think it likely that some of them, particularly (and unfortunately) in chapter 1, will be off-putting to students lacking in a level of mathematical expertise. There are a number of 'good' features to Problem solving. The (necessarily) brief introductions to each chapter and question are lucid explanations of essential background. The questions themselves use experimentally-derived data giving them a solid feel and an emphasis on accuracy and validation. Diagrams are clear but with a reassuringly ' h o m e - d r a w n ' appearance. Surprisingly, there is no reference to the manner in which computers (or at least microchips integrated into laboratory instruments) are used to analyse and generate derivative data. Admittedly, the emphasis here is to ensure students understand what the computer is doing, but some reference to their widespread use is surely necessary in a book with this title. I am always surprised that publishers produce question books at a profit, since I suspect very few students buy them, while academic staff can surely make do with a sir.gle copy in the Departmental library. Nevertheless, I am grateful that they do so. Such texts are valuable databanks and remove much of the drudgery and headaches involved in setting assessment and examination questions. While I have reservations regarding the value of the Solutions Manual, the Text Bank is worth a spot of
Book Review in Brief
BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION 23(2) 1995
Enzymatic Analysis. A Practical Guide by J V Passonneau and O H Lowry. pp 403. H u m a n a Press, Totowa, N J, USA. 1993 ISBN 0 - 8 9 6 0 3 - 2 3 8 - 8 The present book is a new edition of the manual: A Flexible System of Enzymatic Analysis, originally published by the authors in 1972. It is organized into three parts. Part I gives general principles on pyridine nucleotides (including data on their spectral properties and their stability), kinetics, constriction pipettes and preparation of tissues for analysis. Although a little heterogeneous, the four chapters contain valuable and useful practical information. Part II deals with 'Specific Methods and Procedures'. After a chapter devoted to enzymatic cycling, including some examples, the authors present a collection of metabolite assays (44 different metabolites) and a collection of enzyme assays (44 methods). The procedures are described in detail and are well-anotated. These two chapters represent the main part of the book (about one-half). Part II ends with an interesting chapter on improvement, modification, adaptation, troubleshooting and development of new methods. Part III is concerned with quantitative histochemistry and includes preparation of tissues and sections, dissection and histological control, presentation of the fishpole balance and histochemical analyses. This part will probably be much more appreciated by histologists than by enzymologists. The book ends with an appendix on acid-base reactions and on the preparation of some common solutions. Starting from the preparation of tissues down to the metabolite or enzyme assays, the book looks quite complete. Nevertheless, the challenge is a difficult one: how concentrate such important and precise information in 400 pages, Furthermore, very few data are given on recent or modified techniques. Less than 25 references (in 129) are later than 1980, the most recent being published in 1990. Thus although this book contains many useful and practical descriptions of procedures, I think that it could be much improved by including more modern and recent information. J Wallach
breaking and entering and Problem Solving in Analytical Biochemistry will be useful to staff involved in running problem-solving classes and tutorials because of its experimental data and simple clear chromatographic traces. C A Smith
Problem Solving in Analytical Biochemistrv is quite a small book (pp 139) and, again, is not a stand-alone text but arose from an extension of the end-of-chapter questions from Analytical Biochemistry by the same authors. It consists of 40 problem questions covering nine subject areas. Each section is briefly reviewed and then the problem or calculation is set. All questions are presented in a standard format: an Introduction provides some background to the problem/question which is then stated. This is followed by the experimental details and data. Sometimes a further insert, 'Solving the Problem' is added. This gives clues and guidance to solve the problem posed. Answers are provided to all but the Test Questions which are also unworked. The first chapter addresses a number of points relating to the assessment of quantitative methods and data. For example, the terms 'precision', 'accuracy', 'sensitivity' and 'specificity' are defined on p 2. Subsequent chapters deal with molecular and atomic spectroscopy, glc, hplc, ionic separation methods, eg ion-exchange chromatography and S D S - P A G E , radioisotopes, enzyme assays and, finally, problems relating to automated flow analysis. Most of the questions are numerical. ! think it likely that some of them, particularly (and unfortunately) in chapter 1, will be off-putting to students lacking in a level of mathematical expertise. There are a number of 'good' features to Problem solving. The (necessarily) brief introductions to each chapter and question are lucid explanations of essential background. The questions themselves use experimentally-derived data giving them a solid feel and an emphasis on accuracy and validation. Diagrams are clear but with a reassuringly ' h o m e - d r a w n ' appearance. Surprisingly, there is no reference to the manner in which computers (or at least microchips integrated into laboratory instruments) are used to analyse and generate derivative data. Admittedly, the emphasis here is to ensure students understand what the computer is doing, but some reference to their widespread use is surely necessary in a book with this title. I am always surprised that publishers produce question books at a profit, since I suspect very few students buy them, while academic staff can surely make do with a sir.gle copy in the Departmental library. Nevertheless, I am grateful that they do so. Such texts are valuable databanks and remove much of the drudgery and headaches involved in setting assessment and examination questions. While I have reservations regarding the value of the Solutions Manual, the Text Bank is worth a spot of
Book Review in Brief
BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION 23(2) 1995
Enzymatic Analysis. A Practical Guide by J V Passonneau and O H Lowry. pp 403. H u m a n a Press, Totowa, N J, USA. 1993 ISBN 0 - 8 9 6 0 3 - 2 3 8 - 8 The present book is a new edition of the manual: A Flexible System of Enzymatic Analysis, originally published by the authors in 1972. It is organized into three parts. Part I gives general principles on pyridine nucleotides (including data on their spectral properties and their stability), kinetics, constriction pipettes and preparation of tissues for analysis. Although a little heterogeneous, the four chapters contain valuable and useful practical information. Part II deals with 'Specific Methods and Procedures'. After a chapter devoted to enzymatic cycling, including some examples, the authors present a collection of metabolite assays (44 different metabolites) and a collection of enzyme assays (44 methods). The procedures are described in detail and are well-anotated. These two chapters represent the main part of the book (about one-half). Part II ends with an interesting chapter on improvement, modification, adaptation, troubleshooting and development of new methods. Part III is concerned with quantitative histochemistry and includes preparation of tissues and sections, dissection and histological control, presentation of the fishpole balance and histochemical analyses. This part will probably be much more appreciated by histologists than by enzymologists. The book ends with an appendix on acid-base reactions and on the preparation of some common solutions. Starting from the preparation of tissues down to the metabolite or enzyme assays, the book looks quite complete. Nevertheless, the challenge is a difficult one: how concentrate such important and precise information in 400 pages, Furthermore, very few data are given on recent or modified techniques. Less than 25 references (in 129) are later than 1980, the most recent being published in 1990. Thus although this book contains many useful and practical descriptions of procedures, I think that it could be much improved by including more modern and recent information. J Wallach