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Longevity, senescence and the genome
Gen. Pharmac. Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 655-657, 1995
Elsevier Science Ltd. Printed in Great Britain
Pergamon
BOOK REVIEWS
Concise Encyclopedia: Chemistry--Translated and revised by M. Eagleson. 1201 pp. 1994 Walter de Gruyter, Berlin. DM 128, $69.95 This book will be very useful if you want to look up some chemical information. It covers organic, inorganic and physical chemistry in its 12,000 entries and 1600 figures. The information is concise so that you have a good chance of remembering what you have read. It has many entries of pharmacological interest (caffeine, calamus oil, calcitonin, camphor, camptothecin, cannabinoids, carbachol, carbamates, carbanilates, carboanhydrase, carboxamide fungicides, cardiac glycosides, carbutamide, carotenoids, carageenan, carvone, catalase, catecholamines, cerebrosides, ceruleine, cerul0plasmin, chemical war weapons, chloral hydrate, chloramine T, chloramphenicol, chloroform, CCK, cholesterol, choline, chymotrypsins, ciguteratoxin, cinchona alkaloids, clenbuterol, clonidine, cobalamine, cocaine, codeine, Coli titer, collagens, collidines, colloids, coniine, Convalleria glycosides, corticotropin, coumarin, curare alkaloids, cyclamates, cyclodienes, cysteamine, cysteine, cytokines, cytostatics) and these are just the "Cs". Poisons and safety factors stand out in special boxes on the page. There is also lots of chemistry. It is also very interesting to browse through the book and pick up interesting information. This book is essential for the reference library but it is also well worth considering buying for your own bookshelf.
available for clinical testing and has helped in the understanding of wound healing, reversal of catabolic states, diabetes, bone remodeling and recovery from acute renal failure.
The Cell Cycle; Regulators, Targets and Clinical Applications-Edited by V. W. Hu. 430 pp. 1994. Plenum Press, New York. $115. This is the publication of the plenary sessions of the 13th George Washington International Spring Symposium held in May 1993. It provides a good account of the research frontier and deals with; the role of oocyte maturation promoting factor (MPF); the role of protein phosphatases and D-type G1 cyclins in the cell cycle; extracellular signal regulated protein kinases (ERKS) in the transition from Go to G1; the role of statin; multiple senescence genes; cdk2 and cyclins A and B; how DNA tumor viruses trick quiescent cells into entering the S phase to replicate the viral DNA; gene expression and repair; nim l/cdr kinase and p65 phosphatase as mitotic inducers; drug induced apoptosis; the role of the cell cycle in disease. Gradually the many stages involved in cell division and the control of cell division are being understood as more and more biochemical factors are discovered. Extracellular Matrix Assembly and Structure---Edited by P. D. Yurchenco, D. E. Birk and R. P. Mecham. 468 pp. 1994. Academic Press. San Diego.
Polymeric Site-specific Pharmacotherapy--Edited by A. J. Domb. 464 pp. 1994 John Wiley, Chichester. £75. If a drug can be absorbed onto a polymer that can be applied directly to the site of the disease, the drug can be more effective and also less likely to be quickly metabolized or detoxicated. The initial use of site directed polymers was to cancer because of the extreme toxicity and lack of specificity of cancer drugs. Development of better site specific drug delivery has expanded to include bacterial infections, arthritis, heart and vascular diseases and lung diseases. This volume deals with: implantable biodegradable polymers; toxicity; drug release and delivery to brain tissue; tumor specific targeting; delivery of neurotransmitters and modulators; bone marrow targeting; perivascular delivery; cardiovascular delivery; chronic bone infections; delivery to the gastrointestinal tract, eye, lungs, peripheral nerves; prevention of surgical adhesions; regulation of implants.
About 20 collagen types, and many glycoproteins and proteoglycans have now been identified. These macromolecules play major roles in cellular adhesion, migration and differentiation during development, thrombosis, inflammation, regeneration and repair. These molecules interact and self assemble to form the extracellular matrix architecture. Many of the interactions can be done in vitro and the information for proper assembly is encoded in the monomeric units themselves. Types I, II and II collagen monomers self assembly into banded fibrils whose diameters can be controlled by co-polymerization with other collagen fibres. These self assembly systems are important themselves and also provide good models for cellular structure, repair and maintenance.
Longevity, Senescence and the Genome--C. E. Finch. 922pp. 1990 (paperback edition 1994). University of Chicago Press. Chicago. PB $51.75, £35.95.
Current Directions in Insulin-Like Growth Factor Research~ Edited by D. Le Roith and M. K. Raizada. 417pp. 1993. Plenum Press, New York. $110.
Senescence (S) and longevity (L) are two of the major problems yet to be solved. What is the relation between reproduction and L? Why do some animals have neglible S, gradual S or rapid S? Is there a correlation with metabolic rate? To what extent is the genomic DNA involved in S and L? These subjects are fully discussed in this extensive book. It provides interesting reading and gives a lot of information, though the answers to the questions remain to be discovered.
The IGF family has expanded to include insulin, IGF-I, IGF-II, IGF-I receptor, IGF-II/M-6-P receptor, six specific binding proteins (IGFBP, 1-6), insulin related receptor, and hybrid receptor dimers composed of insulin and IGF-I receptor. The IGFs are not only essential for normal growth and development but also play a role in the specialized functions of the nervous system, reproductive system, kidney and immune system. Recombinant human IGF-I is 655
Elsevier Science Ltd. Printed in Great Britain
Pergamon
BOOK REVIEWS
Concise Encyclopedia: Chemistry--Translated and revised by M. Eagleson. 1201 pp. 1994 Walter de Gruyter, Berlin. DM 128, $69.95 This book will be very useful if you want to look up some chemical information. It covers organic, inorganic and physical chemistry in its 12,000 entries and 1600 figures. The information is concise so that you have a good chance of remembering what you have read. It has many entries of pharmacological interest (caffeine, calamus oil, calcitonin, camphor, camptothecin, cannabinoids, carbachol, carbamates, carbanilates, carboanhydrase, carboxamide fungicides, cardiac glycosides, carbutamide, carotenoids, carageenan, carvone, catalase, catecholamines, cerebrosides, ceruleine, cerul0plasmin, chemical war weapons, chloral hydrate, chloramine T, chloramphenicol, chloroform, CCK, cholesterol, choline, chymotrypsins, ciguteratoxin, cinchona alkaloids, clenbuterol, clonidine, cobalamine, cocaine, codeine, Coli titer, collagens, collidines, colloids, coniine, Convalleria glycosides, corticotropin, coumarin, curare alkaloids, cyclamates, cyclodienes, cysteamine, cysteine, cytokines, cytostatics) and these are just the "Cs". Poisons and safety factors stand out in special boxes on the page. There is also lots of chemistry. It is also very interesting to browse through the book and pick up interesting information. This book is essential for the reference library but it is also well worth considering buying for your own bookshelf.
available for clinical testing and has helped in the understanding of wound healing, reversal of catabolic states, diabetes, bone remodeling and recovery from acute renal failure.
The Cell Cycle; Regulators, Targets and Clinical Applications-Edited by V. W. Hu. 430 pp. 1994. Plenum Press, New York. $115. This is the publication of the plenary sessions of the 13th George Washington International Spring Symposium held in May 1993. It provides a good account of the research frontier and deals with; the role of oocyte maturation promoting factor (MPF); the role of protein phosphatases and D-type G1 cyclins in the cell cycle; extracellular signal regulated protein kinases (ERKS) in the transition from Go to G1; the role of statin; multiple senescence genes; cdk2 and cyclins A and B; how DNA tumor viruses trick quiescent cells into entering the S phase to replicate the viral DNA; gene expression and repair; nim l/cdr kinase and p65 phosphatase as mitotic inducers; drug induced apoptosis; the role of the cell cycle in disease. Gradually the many stages involved in cell division and the control of cell division are being understood as more and more biochemical factors are discovered. Extracellular Matrix Assembly and Structure---Edited by P. D. Yurchenco, D. E. Birk and R. P. Mecham. 468 pp. 1994. Academic Press. San Diego.
Polymeric Site-specific Pharmacotherapy--Edited by A. J. Domb. 464 pp. 1994 John Wiley, Chichester. £75. If a drug can be absorbed onto a polymer that can be applied directly to the site of the disease, the drug can be more effective and also less likely to be quickly metabolized or detoxicated. The initial use of site directed polymers was to cancer because of the extreme toxicity and lack of specificity of cancer drugs. Development of better site specific drug delivery has expanded to include bacterial infections, arthritis, heart and vascular diseases and lung diseases. This volume deals with: implantable biodegradable polymers; toxicity; drug release and delivery to brain tissue; tumor specific targeting; delivery of neurotransmitters and modulators; bone marrow targeting; perivascular delivery; cardiovascular delivery; chronic bone infections; delivery to the gastrointestinal tract, eye, lungs, peripheral nerves; prevention of surgical adhesions; regulation of implants.
About 20 collagen types, and many glycoproteins and proteoglycans have now been identified. These macromolecules play major roles in cellular adhesion, migration and differentiation during development, thrombosis, inflammation, regeneration and repair. These molecules interact and self assemble to form the extracellular matrix architecture. Many of the interactions can be done in vitro and the information for proper assembly is encoded in the monomeric units themselves. Types I, II and II collagen monomers self assembly into banded fibrils whose diameters can be controlled by co-polymerization with other collagen fibres. These self assembly systems are important themselves and also provide good models for cellular structure, repair and maintenance.
Longevity, Senescence and the Genome--C. E. Finch. 922pp. 1990 (paperback edition 1994). University of Chicago Press. Chicago. PB $51.75, £35.95.
Current Directions in Insulin-Like Growth Factor Research~ Edited by D. Le Roith and M. K. Raizada. 417pp. 1993. Plenum Press, New York. $110.
Senescence (S) and longevity (L) are two of the major problems yet to be solved. What is the relation between reproduction and L? Why do some animals have neglible S, gradual S or rapid S? Is there a correlation with metabolic rate? To what extent is the genomic DNA involved in S and L? These subjects are fully discussed in this extensive book. It provides interesting reading and gives a lot of information, though the answers to the questions remain to be discovered.
The IGF family has expanded to include insulin, IGF-I, IGF-II, IGF-I receptor, IGF-II/M-6-P receptor, six specific binding proteins (IGFBP, 1-6), insulin related receptor, and hybrid receptor dimers composed of insulin and IGF-I receptor. The IGFs are not only essential for normal growth and development but also play a role in the specialized functions of the nervous system, reproductive system, kidney and immune system. Recombinant human IGF-I is 655