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Nutritional aspects of essential hypertension
International Journal of Cardiology, 30 (1991) 251-253 0 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (Biomedical Division) 0167-5273/91/$03.50
CARD10
251
01200
Book Reviews Nutritional Aspects of Essential Hypertension R.B. Sin&t and S.S. Rastogi Medical Clinics and Hospital, Moradabad, India, 1989; 226 pp.; $40 (paperback)
is poor.
10,
From the title it appears that this monograph will provide useful information for clinicians involved in the care of hypertensives. I was, however, seriously disappointed after going through the book. Most of the chapters do not have any relevance to the title of the book. The first chapter deals with the origin of matter, the origin of life and the origin of man. The second deals with major body components, growth of body, expenditure of energy and requirement of food and energy. The third discusses higher nervous control for energy balance, while the fourth chapter is entitled “Epidemiology of life expectancy in cardiovascular diseases”. The fifth chapter is concerned with the “Mechanism of atherosclerosis” and the sixth is on mechanisms of essential hypertension. Chapter 11 deals with methods and errors in tissue electrolyte estimation. Chapter 21 is on exercise yoga and meditation. Furthermore, the contents of these chapters are also not at all satisfactory. Much better and updated articles/monographs are already available on these topics. Other chapters like alcohol, tobacco consumption, glucose intolerance, stress and behaviour deal with other cardiovascular risk factors rather than directly with nutrition or hypertension. Other chapters which could be considered relevant have not been well written. There has been no attempt at critical evaluation of available information and several important references have escaped the attention of the authors. It appears that authors are more concerned with quoting their own published work or unpublished papers presented at various conferences. I feel that much more concise, updated and useful information is available in several standard textbooks on cardiology, hypertension and nutrition. The book does not have any index which is surprising. The paper is of poor quality and in places, it is so thin that the print on the reverse side seriously interferes with reading. The printing itself
There are many errors. In several places the print is so faint that exact words cannot be made out. The front cover does not have the name of the co-author. This gives a wrong impression, to the extent that the letter from the editor asking me to review this book mentions “By: R.B. Singh,“. The preface has also been written by Dr. Singh alone and, at the end of the book, I found only the bio-data of Dr. R.B. Singh. I feel that the publisher (the wife of Dr. Singh) should not have neglected his co-author in this fashion.
Cardiology Division J.L.N. Medical College and Hospital Ajmer, Rajasthan. India
S.R. Mittal
Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Antiarrhythmic Agents Editor: Luc Hondeghem Futura Publishing Company, Mount Kisco, New York, 1989; 338 pp., $57.00; ISBN O-87993-379-8 The 15 chapters in this book, written by experts in their field, form an excellent collection, bringing together up-to-date information on basic research on the mechanism of ant&rhythmic drug action. There are authoritative chapters on the various ionic membrane channels and their molecular structure; on the gap junction between cells; on the link between receptors, G protein and channels; and, of course, on the way antiarrhythmic drugs interact with the ionic channels. only one chapter deals with a more “macroscopic” topic, the relationship between conduction of the cardiac impulse and tissue inhomogeneity. There is no doubt that, in the past decade, knowledge about the behavior of ionic channels and their interaction with drugs has vastly increased. It can also not be denied that clinical use of antiarrhythmic drugs is often based on trial and error. As Dr. Jay W. Mason writes in his foreword “The molecular and cellular
CARD10
251
01200
Book Reviews Nutritional Aspects of Essential Hypertension R.B. Sin&t and S.S. Rastogi Medical Clinics and Hospital, Moradabad, India, 1989; 226 pp.; $40 (paperback)
is poor.
10,
From the title it appears that this monograph will provide useful information for clinicians involved in the care of hypertensives. I was, however, seriously disappointed after going through the book. Most of the chapters do not have any relevance to the title of the book. The first chapter deals with the origin of matter, the origin of life and the origin of man. The second deals with major body components, growth of body, expenditure of energy and requirement of food and energy. The third discusses higher nervous control for energy balance, while the fourth chapter is entitled “Epidemiology of life expectancy in cardiovascular diseases”. The fifth chapter is concerned with the “Mechanism of atherosclerosis” and the sixth is on mechanisms of essential hypertension. Chapter 11 deals with methods and errors in tissue electrolyte estimation. Chapter 21 is on exercise yoga and meditation. Furthermore, the contents of these chapters are also not at all satisfactory. Much better and updated articles/monographs are already available on these topics. Other chapters like alcohol, tobacco consumption, glucose intolerance, stress and behaviour deal with other cardiovascular risk factors rather than directly with nutrition or hypertension. Other chapters which could be considered relevant have not been well written. There has been no attempt at critical evaluation of available information and several important references have escaped the attention of the authors. It appears that authors are more concerned with quoting their own published work or unpublished papers presented at various conferences. I feel that much more concise, updated and useful information is available in several standard textbooks on cardiology, hypertension and nutrition. The book does not have any index which is surprising. The paper is of poor quality and in places, it is so thin that the print on the reverse side seriously interferes with reading. The printing itself
There are many errors. In several places the print is so faint that exact words cannot be made out. The front cover does not have the name of the co-author. This gives a wrong impression, to the extent that the letter from the editor asking me to review this book mentions “By: R.B. Singh,“. The preface has also been written by Dr. Singh alone and, at the end of the book, I found only the bio-data of Dr. R.B. Singh. I feel that the publisher (the wife of Dr. Singh) should not have neglected his co-author in this fashion.
Cardiology Division J.L.N. Medical College and Hospital Ajmer, Rajasthan. India
S.R. Mittal
Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Antiarrhythmic Agents Editor: Luc Hondeghem Futura Publishing Company, Mount Kisco, New York, 1989; 338 pp., $57.00; ISBN O-87993-379-8 The 15 chapters in this book, written by experts in their field, form an excellent collection, bringing together up-to-date information on basic research on the mechanism of ant&rhythmic drug action. There are authoritative chapters on the various ionic membrane channels and their molecular structure; on the gap junction between cells; on the link between receptors, G protein and channels; and, of course, on the way antiarrhythmic drugs interact with the ionic channels. only one chapter deals with a more “macroscopic” topic, the relationship between conduction of the cardiac impulse and tissue inhomogeneity. There is no doubt that, in the past decade, knowledge about the behavior of ionic channels and their interaction with drugs has vastly increased. It can also not be denied that clinical use of antiarrhythmic drugs is often based on trial and error. As Dr. Jay W. Mason writes in his foreword “The molecular and cellular