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Immunopharmacology of the lung
438
Book Reviews
The first chapter provides an introduction to chronobiology. It is followed by accounts of the investigative methodology for studying chronobiology: Chronobiology of cellular morphology: Chronobiology of cellular proliferation with implications for cancer chemotherapy: Human chronobiology: Clinical chronopharmacology--an experimental basis for chronotherapy: Chronobiology and nutrition. The 24 hour rhythm is generally understood but its ramifications are not fully appreciated. The sequences of the metabolic processes in liver cells are programmed along the 24 hr cycle. At the end of the waking period the liver cells are rich in glycogen, there is an extensive rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) rich in ribosomes and G6P, and the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (GER) is hardly visible. The bile caniculi are narrow and their ATPase activity is low. Albumin level in the liver is low. At the end of the sleeping period all these are reversed; the stacks o f R E R have disappeared, G E R and Golgi apparatus are increased. Bile canuculi are wide and exhibit strong ATPase activity. The albumin level is high. These effects are not due to feeding since they can still be seen after 4 days of starvation. The mitotic cycle and the effects of drugs on the cell cycle have also a 24 hr peridicity. Host resistance to ara-C varies: a dose injected at one part of the 24 hr cycle may kill 78% of the animals but only kill 15% if injected at another time. Applied to leukemic mice, this enabled animals treated with ara-C at specific times of the 24 h cycle to have twice the survival time of animals treated at random times through the 24 hr cycle. The extent of allergies such as hay fever and asthma, cardiovascular disease, seizure, and inflammation all vary with the 24 hour cycle. Death in man is more common at 6 hr than it is between 18-24 hr. the spontaneous initiation of labour in 280,000 women was more frequent around midnight to 4 than it was 12 hours later in the afternoon. Myocardial infarctions in 1229 cases revealed a peak at 10hr and a trough at 22hr. Angina was more 15 times more common at 2 h r than it was at 12hr. Many drugs vary in their efficacy depending on the specific time that they are administered. This is related to the pharmacokinetics of the drug in relation to the time of day (chronokinetics) and has been shown for aspirin, indomethacin, ampicillin, digoxin, benzodiazepam, ethanol, phenacetin, propanalol, lithium, diphenylhydantoin, nortriptylin and many other compounds. Clearly it is now time that chronobiology in Man is taken more seriously.
Drug Metabolism and Distribution. Current reviews in Biomedicine 3--Edited by J. W. Lamble. 185 pp. 1983. Elsevier Biomedical Press, Amsterdam, New York and Oxford. US$17.70. £8.50. The articles published in this flexicover book were originally published in Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. They have been reset to go onto a normal 6 × 9 in. page size and so will be more convenient to handle than the original three column lay out. The topics range through microsomal drug metabolizing enzymes, cytochrome P-450 cycle, metabolism of xenobiotics by isolated pulmonary and skin cells, metabolism and inactivation of mutagens and carcinogens, functional heterogeneity of liver cells, epoxide hydrolases, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase an early marker for hepatic carcinogens, methylthiolation, adverse drug reactions, halothane hepatitis, drugs and acute porphyrias, acetylator phenotype, a dynamic approach to pharmacokinetics, plasma binding of drugs, and many others.
The articles are concise, readable, and informative. It is very helpful to have them in this volume form so that they can be easily consulted or recommended for other people to read. A very useful volume for all pharmacologists and toxicologists.
Immunopharmacology of the Lung--Edited by H. H. Newball. 544 pp. 1983. Marcel Dekker, New York. US$65.00. This is volume 19 in the series "Lung Biology in Health and Disease". Most lung diseases involve inflammatory mechanisms and the lack of potency of anti-histamines in the therapy of bronchial asthma indicates that transmitters and modulators other than histamine must be involved. The leukotrienes (SRS-A) and platelet activating factor (acetyl glyceryl ether phosphorylcholine AGEPC) are 1000 times more potent than histamine in the lung. In addition the mast cells when stimulated by the IgE system release some high molecular weight components. Heparin bound to a large proteoglycan is liberated, as are aIso a lung Hageman factor activator (LFHA), a lung prekallikrein activator (LPKA), lung kallikrein activity (LK-A), and a tosyl arginine methyl ester esterase (TAMe). These represent an immunological entrance to the plasma cascade system. These subjects together with other aspects of lung immunopharmacology are fully discussed in the 14 chapters of this volume and present a clear picture of some of the reactions of what is still a relatively unappreciated o r g a n - the lung.
Beneficial Effects of Endotoxins--Edited by Alois Nowotny. 581 pp. 1983. Plenum Press, New York. US$69.50. This volume discusses the role that endotoxins can play both in research and clinical study. Pyrogens have been used for many years to induce fevers, and with improved chemical extraction of LPS (lipopolysaccaride) from the cell walls of gram negative bacteria, greater control of the LPS can induce loss of appetite (starvation), water and salt conservation, and activation of the blood clotting system. LPS can also stimulate D N A synthesis in B cells: produce a polyclonal response: serve as an adjuvant; and exert an immunosuppresive effect. LPS can enhance the host's resistance to infective mi-. crobes and also protect against deleterious effects of radiation and decrease susceptability to post radiation infection. Endotoxins can induce the production of interferon and colony stimulating factor (CSF), enhance non specific resistance to tumors, help reduce graft rejection, and modulate graft vs host reaction. They are clearly a very important research and clinical tool and greater understanding of their mode of action will be of great value. This volume presents our knowledge of the role of endotoxins in a clear and well written manner and will do much to stimulate further research in this important subject.
Cardiac Metabolism--Edited by Angela J. Drake-Holland and Mark I. M. Noble. 552 pp. 1983. John Wiley, Chichester and New York. £39.50. This volume contains contributions from 27 authors on various aspects o f the metabolism of the heart. The topics range from excitation-contraction coupling: role of the plasmalemma; role of calcium; cardiac sarco-
Book Reviews
The first chapter provides an introduction to chronobiology. It is followed by accounts of the investigative methodology for studying chronobiology: Chronobiology of cellular morphology: Chronobiology of cellular proliferation with implications for cancer chemotherapy: Human chronobiology: Clinical chronopharmacology--an experimental basis for chronotherapy: Chronobiology and nutrition. The 24 hour rhythm is generally understood but its ramifications are not fully appreciated. The sequences of the metabolic processes in liver cells are programmed along the 24 hr cycle. At the end of the waking period the liver cells are rich in glycogen, there is an extensive rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) rich in ribosomes and G6P, and the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (GER) is hardly visible. The bile caniculi are narrow and their ATPase activity is low. Albumin level in the liver is low. At the end of the sleeping period all these are reversed; the stacks o f R E R have disappeared, G E R and Golgi apparatus are increased. Bile canuculi are wide and exhibit strong ATPase activity. The albumin level is high. These effects are not due to feeding since they can still be seen after 4 days of starvation. The mitotic cycle and the effects of drugs on the cell cycle have also a 24 hr peridicity. Host resistance to ara-C varies: a dose injected at one part of the 24 hr cycle may kill 78% of the animals but only kill 15% if injected at another time. Applied to leukemic mice, this enabled animals treated with ara-C at specific times of the 24 h cycle to have twice the survival time of animals treated at random times through the 24 hr cycle. The extent of allergies such as hay fever and asthma, cardiovascular disease, seizure, and inflammation all vary with the 24 hour cycle. Death in man is more common at 6 hr than it is between 18-24 hr. the spontaneous initiation of labour in 280,000 women was more frequent around midnight to 4 than it was 12 hours later in the afternoon. Myocardial infarctions in 1229 cases revealed a peak at 10hr and a trough at 22hr. Angina was more 15 times more common at 2 h r than it was at 12hr. Many drugs vary in their efficacy depending on the specific time that they are administered. This is related to the pharmacokinetics of the drug in relation to the time of day (chronokinetics) and has been shown for aspirin, indomethacin, ampicillin, digoxin, benzodiazepam, ethanol, phenacetin, propanalol, lithium, diphenylhydantoin, nortriptylin and many other compounds. Clearly it is now time that chronobiology in Man is taken more seriously.
Drug Metabolism and Distribution. Current reviews in Biomedicine 3--Edited by J. W. Lamble. 185 pp. 1983. Elsevier Biomedical Press, Amsterdam, New York and Oxford. US$17.70. £8.50. The articles published in this flexicover book were originally published in Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. They have been reset to go onto a normal 6 × 9 in. page size and so will be more convenient to handle than the original three column lay out. The topics range through microsomal drug metabolizing enzymes, cytochrome P-450 cycle, metabolism of xenobiotics by isolated pulmonary and skin cells, metabolism and inactivation of mutagens and carcinogens, functional heterogeneity of liver cells, epoxide hydrolases, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase an early marker for hepatic carcinogens, methylthiolation, adverse drug reactions, halothane hepatitis, drugs and acute porphyrias, acetylator phenotype, a dynamic approach to pharmacokinetics, plasma binding of drugs, and many others.
The articles are concise, readable, and informative. It is very helpful to have them in this volume form so that they can be easily consulted or recommended for other people to read. A very useful volume for all pharmacologists and toxicologists.
Immunopharmacology of the Lung--Edited by H. H. Newball. 544 pp. 1983. Marcel Dekker, New York. US$65.00. This is volume 19 in the series "Lung Biology in Health and Disease". Most lung diseases involve inflammatory mechanisms and the lack of potency of anti-histamines in the therapy of bronchial asthma indicates that transmitters and modulators other than histamine must be involved. The leukotrienes (SRS-A) and platelet activating factor (acetyl glyceryl ether phosphorylcholine AGEPC) are 1000 times more potent than histamine in the lung. In addition the mast cells when stimulated by the IgE system release some high molecular weight components. Heparin bound to a large proteoglycan is liberated, as are aIso a lung Hageman factor activator (LFHA), a lung prekallikrein activator (LPKA), lung kallikrein activity (LK-A), and a tosyl arginine methyl ester esterase (TAMe). These represent an immunological entrance to the plasma cascade system. These subjects together with other aspects of lung immunopharmacology are fully discussed in the 14 chapters of this volume and present a clear picture of some of the reactions of what is still a relatively unappreciated o r g a n - the lung.
Beneficial Effects of Endotoxins--Edited by Alois Nowotny. 581 pp. 1983. Plenum Press, New York. US$69.50. This volume discusses the role that endotoxins can play both in research and clinical study. Pyrogens have been used for many years to induce fevers, and with improved chemical extraction of LPS (lipopolysaccaride) from the cell walls of gram negative bacteria, greater control of the LPS can induce loss of appetite (starvation), water and salt conservation, and activation of the blood clotting system. LPS can also stimulate D N A synthesis in B cells: produce a polyclonal response: serve as an adjuvant; and exert an immunosuppresive effect. LPS can enhance the host's resistance to infective mi-. crobes and also protect against deleterious effects of radiation and decrease susceptability to post radiation infection. Endotoxins can induce the production of interferon and colony stimulating factor (CSF), enhance non specific resistance to tumors, help reduce graft rejection, and modulate graft vs host reaction. They are clearly a very important research and clinical tool and greater understanding of their mode of action will be of great value. This volume presents our knowledge of the role of endotoxins in a clear and well written manner and will do much to stimulate further research in this important subject.
Cardiac Metabolism--Edited by Angela J. Drake-Holland and Mark I. M. Noble. 552 pp. 1983. John Wiley, Chichester and New York. £39.50. This volume contains contributions from 27 authors on various aspects o f the metabolism of the heart. The topics range from excitation-contraction coupling: role of the plasmalemma; role of calcium; cardiac sarco-