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Progress in nonmammalian brain research, volume III
172
BOOK REVIEWS Edited by N. FABRIS, E. GARACI, and N. A. MITCHISON. Plenum Press, New York and London, 1983. ix + 477 pp. ; Illustr.; Subject index, $62.50.
Immunoregulation. JOHN HADDEN,
Progress III.
in Nonmammalian Brain Research, Volume Edited by GIUSEPPE NISTICO and LIANA
BOLIS. CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, 1983. 245 pp.; Illustr.; Subject index, $79.00.
There are many points at which the immune Under this uninformative title, the editors, system and the endocrine system interact, Nistico and Bolis, have assembled a surand yet this area has received relatively prisingly focused and valuable volume that little attention from endocrinologists. The deals with neuroendocrine regulation of pirelationship between stress, corticostetuitary hormone secretion in only two verroids, and quantitative features of the im- tebrate groups, the fishes and the birds. mune response are well known. Less well The opening chapter, by A. D. Munro and known are the endocrine factors from the J. M. Dodd, is the longest, taking up almost thymus (e.g., thymosin) and from certain of a third of the book, and is the only one that the leucocytes (lymphokines, monokines). deals with the various tish groups. What The lymphoid and accessory structures will make this chapter valuable to the stuthemselves display specific receptor activ- dent is that the discussion of physiology of ities for insulin, histamine, prostaglandins, adenohypophysial control is preceded by a catecholamines, corticosteroids, estrogens, well-organized and well-illustrated review and androgens. This book largely deals of the anatomy of the brains of agnathan, with these relationships and, in fact, coins holocephalian, elasmobranch, and bony words such as “immunoendocrinology” fish. The bibliography of this chapter conand ‘ ‘neuroimmunoendocrinology, ” and tains 600 entries. takes up in several chapters the field of neuFour of the remaining five chapters, alroendocrine immunoregulation. The style is most completely devoted to the birds, disrelatively informal and reading, for a en- cuss in the separate chapters the neuroendocrinologist who finds himself in strange docrine hypothalamic control of secretion territory, is easy. of individual adenohypophysial hormones. A short quotation from the text should The chapter by Peter Sharp that deals with remind us of our dereliction (page 141): regulation of avian gonadotropin secretion “But in addition to its influence upon im- is a succinct gem and also will be apprecimunity, it is apparent that the thymus gland ated by students. is also inter-associated with endocrine It is unfortunate that the ambiguous title physiology; a reciprocal association that is of this book will fail to attract the attention frequently ignored in the thymic literature. of the audience that would find it most It is ironic that this omission has occurred, useful. The book should be available to since the earliest literature concerned with comparative endocrinologists and their stuthymic extracts describes their effects upon dents and should be a most useful part of non-immunologic phenomena. These range their libraries. from delayed metamorphosis in tadpoles to retarded reproductive function in rodents. ’ ’ Comparative endocrinologists could do well to heed this veiled invitation to reEndocrinology of Calcium Metabolism (Comprehensearch with the well-developed thymuses sive Endocrinology). Edited by JOHN A. PARand other pharyngeal epitheliod organs of SONS. Raven Press, New York, 1982. xiii + 522 uncertain functions in lower vertebrates. pp.; Illustr.; Subject index, $75.00. We are neglecting even more than the mamThe reader will find here a wide range of malian and clinical endocrinologist experitopics in calcium regulation, from the commental study in this important field.
BOOK REVIEWS Edited by N. FABRIS, E. GARACI, and N. A. MITCHISON. Plenum Press, New York and London, 1983. ix + 477 pp. ; Illustr.; Subject index, $62.50.
Immunoregulation. JOHN HADDEN,
Progress III.
in Nonmammalian Brain Research, Volume Edited by GIUSEPPE NISTICO and LIANA
BOLIS. CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, 1983. 245 pp.; Illustr.; Subject index, $79.00.
There are many points at which the immune Under this uninformative title, the editors, system and the endocrine system interact, Nistico and Bolis, have assembled a surand yet this area has received relatively prisingly focused and valuable volume that little attention from endocrinologists. The deals with neuroendocrine regulation of pirelationship between stress, corticostetuitary hormone secretion in only two verroids, and quantitative features of the im- tebrate groups, the fishes and the birds. mune response are well known. Less well The opening chapter, by A. D. Munro and known are the endocrine factors from the J. M. Dodd, is the longest, taking up almost thymus (e.g., thymosin) and from certain of a third of the book, and is the only one that the leucocytes (lymphokines, monokines). deals with the various tish groups. What The lymphoid and accessory structures will make this chapter valuable to the stuthemselves display specific receptor activ- dent is that the discussion of physiology of ities for insulin, histamine, prostaglandins, adenohypophysial control is preceded by a catecholamines, corticosteroids, estrogens, well-organized and well-illustrated review and androgens. This book largely deals of the anatomy of the brains of agnathan, with these relationships and, in fact, coins holocephalian, elasmobranch, and bony words such as “immunoendocrinology” fish. The bibliography of this chapter conand ‘ ‘neuroimmunoendocrinology, ” and tains 600 entries. takes up in several chapters the field of neuFour of the remaining five chapters, alroendocrine immunoregulation. The style is most completely devoted to the birds, disrelatively informal and reading, for a en- cuss in the separate chapters the neuroendocrinologist who finds himself in strange docrine hypothalamic control of secretion territory, is easy. of individual adenohypophysial hormones. A short quotation from the text should The chapter by Peter Sharp that deals with remind us of our dereliction (page 141): regulation of avian gonadotropin secretion “But in addition to its influence upon im- is a succinct gem and also will be apprecimunity, it is apparent that the thymus gland ated by students. is also inter-associated with endocrine It is unfortunate that the ambiguous title physiology; a reciprocal association that is of this book will fail to attract the attention frequently ignored in the thymic literature. of the audience that would find it most It is ironic that this omission has occurred, useful. The book should be available to since the earliest literature concerned with comparative endocrinologists and their stuthymic extracts describes their effects upon dents and should be a most useful part of non-immunologic phenomena. These range their libraries. from delayed metamorphosis in tadpoles to retarded reproductive function in rodents. ’ ’ Comparative endocrinologists could do well to heed this veiled invitation to reEndocrinology of Calcium Metabolism (Comprehensearch with the well-developed thymuses sive Endocrinology). Edited by JOHN A. PARand other pharyngeal epitheliod organs of SONS. Raven Press, New York, 1982. xiii + 522 uncertain functions in lower vertebrates. pp.; Illustr.; Subject index, $75.00. We are neglecting even more than the mamThe reader will find here a wide range of malian and clinical endocrinologist experitopics in calcium regulation, from the commental study in this important field.