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Iron metabolism in health and disease
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BOOK REVIEWS
As a clinician who teaches a 1-hour course in gastrointestinal immunology to first-year medical students, I believe that I represent the intended audience for this slide set. When I first began teaching this course several years ago, a comparable resource did not exist. The older outline from this series, Gut Immunology and Ecology (Unit 17), was out of date and not particularly useful. The chapters on gastrointestinal immunology in the major gastroenterology textbooks were helpful, but a great deal of work was required to convert the information into lecture slides, and the complicated figures taken from textbooks were difficult to follow because they lacked color definition. In contrast, James and Stenson have created a highquality, comprehensive course on gastrointestinal immunology and inflammation that is very user-friendly for both teachers and students. The content of the slides is enhanced by the brightly colored and well-done graphic illustrations. The accompanying legends are concise and referenced with a very up-to-date bibliography. I have found the slides to be useful not only for teaching medical students but also as a review of the background rationale for the therapeutic use of various anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and biological compounds in states of disordered intestinal immunity, such as the inflammatory bowel diseases. This slide set should be available to the faculty of all medical schools and gastroenterology training programs. It will also be a useful addition to the personal libraries of gastroenterologists and surgeons whose research or clinical interests involve conditions of gastrointestinal inflammation, such as the inflammatory bowel diseases. WILLIAM J. SANDBORN, M.D. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic Division of Gastroenterology Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota
Iron Metabolism in Health and Disease. Edited by Jeremy H. Brock, June W. Halliday, Martin J. Pippard, and Lawrie W. Powell. 495 pp. $79.00. W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1994. ISBN 0-7020-1732-9. This work attempts to bring together recent advances in both normal and disordered iron metabolism in a single, comprehensive volume. In my opinion, this challenge has clearly been met. As in other fields, there has been an impressive growth of knowledge in iron metabolism that has resulted largely from advances in molecular and cellular biology. A text of this type is much needed because, to my knowledge, there is no other comparable book available. The 14 chapters (476 pages) deal with all aspects of iron metabolism from the basic to the clinical. The readability of the book is enhanced by its organization. Each chapter is preceded by a brief outline of its contents, including page numbers for each subject heading, and provides a detailed account that focuses on recent developments in a given area of iron metabolism. The chapters are liberally referenced, and each is followed by an impressive number of literature citations, often covering 1 0 - 1 5 pages. Considering that 21 authors were involved in the writing of the 14 chapters, the editors and authors have main-
GASTROENTEROLOGY Vol. 108, No. 4
rained a remarkable uniformity of style, and repetition of material has been carefully avoided. The graphs, diagrams, and other figure aids used in this volume are for the most part adequate, but some chapters could have been improved by more liberal use of such visual aids. Chapter 10 by Britton, Tavill, and Bacon dealing with hepatocellular iron toxicity contains nine color plates of photomicrographs depicting hepatic iron deposition in various conditions, including several of carbonyl iron overload in the rat model. All are first-rate reproductions. Information in one chapter is often related to that of another, giving the reader a sense of continuity not commonly seen in a multiauthored book. Each contributor is a recognized expert in his or her area of iron metabolism; this is reflected in the authoritative tone of the writing. These and other of this book's attributes reflect the efforts of the editors who are to be congratulated for a job well done. Much of this book is directed toward the basic scientist with sections on the absorption, transport, cellular processing, and homeostasis of iron. These and other chapters will provide the investigator with an overview of recent developments in a given area. The average clinician, however, will find these sections heavy-going and will likely use them primarily to probe a specific question or subject. The book is, after all, devoted primarily to iron metabolism and not to clinical aspects of iron overload, with a few notable exceptions. The chapter by Powell, Jazwinska, and Halliday on primary iron overload and that by Pippard on secondary iron overload are clinically oriented and cover their subject matter clearly and comprehensively. These and a few other chapters provide excellent reviews for physicians seeking clinically applicable, upto-date information. Because the breadth of the work is extensive, it is likely to be used as a reference volume with attention directed toward oz~e to two chapters. It will also serve as a convenient access to recent literature on various aspects of iron metabolism. Thus, the work is likely to have wide use for the researcher, the hematologist, and the hepatologist with an interest in iron-related disorders. This compilation of up-to-date knowledge on iron metabolism provides a valuable resource. It represents a significant achievement, and we are indebted to those who made it possible. WILLIAM P. BALDUS, M.D. Division of Gastroenterology Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota
NEW
TITLES
l. Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Edited by Henry D. Janowitz. 325 pp. $35.00 Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 1994. ISBN 0-19-507830-6. 2. Gastrointestinal TNM Cancer Staging by Endosonography. Edited by T. Lok Tio. 198 pp. $149.50. Igaku-Shoin Medical Publishers Inc., New York, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-89640-267-3. 3. Liver Diseasein Children. Edited by Francis Bmnelle, Daniele Pariente, and Pierre Chaumont. 145 pp. $150.00. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, 1994. ISBN 0-387-19674-9.
BOOK REVIEWS
As a clinician who teaches a 1-hour course in gastrointestinal immunology to first-year medical students, I believe that I represent the intended audience for this slide set. When I first began teaching this course several years ago, a comparable resource did not exist. The older outline from this series, Gut Immunology and Ecology (Unit 17), was out of date and not particularly useful. The chapters on gastrointestinal immunology in the major gastroenterology textbooks were helpful, but a great deal of work was required to convert the information into lecture slides, and the complicated figures taken from textbooks were difficult to follow because they lacked color definition. In contrast, James and Stenson have created a highquality, comprehensive course on gastrointestinal immunology and inflammation that is very user-friendly for both teachers and students. The content of the slides is enhanced by the brightly colored and well-done graphic illustrations. The accompanying legends are concise and referenced with a very up-to-date bibliography. I have found the slides to be useful not only for teaching medical students but also as a review of the background rationale for the therapeutic use of various anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and biological compounds in states of disordered intestinal immunity, such as the inflammatory bowel diseases. This slide set should be available to the faculty of all medical schools and gastroenterology training programs. It will also be a useful addition to the personal libraries of gastroenterologists and surgeons whose research or clinical interests involve conditions of gastrointestinal inflammation, such as the inflammatory bowel diseases. WILLIAM J. SANDBORN, M.D. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic Division of Gastroenterology Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota
Iron Metabolism in Health and Disease. Edited by Jeremy H. Brock, June W. Halliday, Martin J. Pippard, and Lawrie W. Powell. 495 pp. $79.00. W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1994. ISBN 0-7020-1732-9. This work attempts to bring together recent advances in both normal and disordered iron metabolism in a single, comprehensive volume. In my opinion, this challenge has clearly been met. As in other fields, there has been an impressive growth of knowledge in iron metabolism that has resulted largely from advances in molecular and cellular biology. A text of this type is much needed because, to my knowledge, there is no other comparable book available. The 14 chapters (476 pages) deal with all aspects of iron metabolism from the basic to the clinical. The readability of the book is enhanced by its organization. Each chapter is preceded by a brief outline of its contents, including page numbers for each subject heading, and provides a detailed account that focuses on recent developments in a given area of iron metabolism. The chapters are liberally referenced, and each is followed by an impressive number of literature citations, often covering 1 0 - 1 5 pages. Considering that 21 authors were involved in the writing of the 14 chapters, the editors and authors have main-
GASTROENTEROLOGY Vol. 108, No. 4
rained a remarkable uniformity of style, and repetition of material has been carefully avoided. The graphs, diagrams, and other figure aids used in this volume are for the most part adequate, but some chapters could have been improved by more liberal use of such visual aids. Chapter 10 by Britton, Tavill, and Bacon dealing with hepatocellular iron toxicity contains nine color plates of photomicrographs depicting hepatic iron deposition in various conditions, including several of carbonyl iron overload in the rat model. All are first-rate reproductions. Information in one chapter is often related to that of another, giving the reader a sense of continuity not commonly seen in a multiauthored book. Each contributor is a recognized expert in his or her area of iron metabolism; this is reflected in the authoritative tone of the writing. These and other of this book's attributes reflect the efforts of the editors who are to be congratulated for a job well done. Much of this book is directed toward the basic scientist with sections on the absorption, transport, cellular processing, and homeostasis of iron. These and other chapters will provide the investigator with an overview of recent developments in a given area. The average clinician, however, will find these sections heavy-going and will likely use them primarily to probe a specific question or subject. The book is, after all, devoted primarily to iron metabolism and not to clinical aspects of iron overload, with a few notable exceptions. The chapter by Powell, Jazwinska, and Halliday on primary iron overload and that by Pippard on secondary iron overload are clinically oriented and cover their subject matter clearly and comprehensively. These and a few other chapters provide excellent reviews for physicians seeking clinically applicable, upto-date information. Because the breadth of the work is extensive, it is likely to be used as a reference volume with attention directed toward oz~e to two chapters. It will also serve as a convenient access to recent literature on various aspects of iron metabolism. Thus, the work is likely to have wide use for the researcher, the hematologist, and the hepatologist with an interest in iron-related disorders. This compilation of up-to-date knowledge on iron metabolism provides a valuable resource. It represents a significant achievement, and we are indebted to those who made it possible. WILLIAM P. BALDUS, M.D. Division of Gastroenterology Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota
NEW
TITLES
l. Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Edited by Henry D. Janowitz. 325 pp. $35.00 Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 1994. ISBN 0-19-507830-6. 2. Gastrointestinal TNM Cancer Staging by Endosonography. Edited by T. Lok Tio. 198 pp. $149.50. Igaku-Shoin Medical Publishers Inc., New York, New York, 1995. ISBN 0-89640-267-3. 3. Liver Diseasein Children. Edited by Francis Bmnelle, Daniele Pariente, and Pierre Chaumont. 145 pp. $150.00. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York, 1994. ISBN 0-387-19674-9.