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The healing and scarring of atheroma advances in experimental medicine and biology, vol. 168
Camp. Biockem. Pkysiol. Vol. Printed in Great Britain
81A,No.4,pp.l945-950,
1985 Pergamon
$3.00+0.00 Press Ltd
BOOK REVIEWS The visual display of quantitative information-by E. R. TUFTE. 197~~. 1983. Graphics Press, Cheshire, CT. $34, &25. As readers of this journal are aware, graphical representation of data is a very important method of presenting results clearly and quickly. One graph may be better than a thousand words. Though tables may have greater accuracy, very few readers will go carefully through a table, but most people who actually look at the pages of a journal will look at a graph. especially if it is eye-catching and informative. This book tells you how to make your graphs accurate, informative and eye-catching. It is an interesting and entertaining volume that presents its information in a painless manner. It should be read by all scientists and could do much to improve the quality of scientific papers and research theses.
and progesterone can reduce the incidence of atheroma by activating a lipid storage system and so preventing active scar formation. Model systems in pigs have shown that atheroma can undergo regression associated with the involvement of hydrolytic enzymes. In monkeys the atheroma induced by high cholesterol feeding levels can often be reduced if the plasma cholesterol level is lowered to less than 200mg/100ml of blood for a considerable time. This is considered in relation to the control of atheroma in man. These topics are discussed in detail in this book, which provides the experimental data to support the data and indicate future lines of investigation. Oxygen transport to tissue-V. Advances in experimental medicine and biology, Vol. 169-edited by D. W. LUBBERS, H. ACKER, E. LENINGER-FOLLERT and T. K. GOLDSTICK. 942~~. 1984. Plenum Press, New York. $125.
Purine metabolism in man-IV. Advances in experimental medicine and biology, Volumes 165 A/B-edited by C. H. M. M. DE BRUYN,H. A. SIMMONDSand M. M. MULLER. 165A Clinical and therapeutic aspects; regulatory mechanisms. 555~~. 1984. Plenum Press, New York. $75. 165B Biochemical, immunological and cancer research. 520~~. 1984. Plenum Press, New York. $69.50. These volumes are the proceedings of the fourth symposium held on purine metabolism in man, and the two volumes contain two hundred contributions. Previous meetings have discussed hyperuricaemia, clinical gout and urolithiasis. The new information on these topics is discussed here, together with newer topics such as the purine metabolism of lymphocytes and their role in immunomodulation and leukaemia chemotherapy. There are differences in the pathways of ATP metabolism in normal cardiac and skeletal muscles, and these may help the understanding of some pathological conditions of these tissues. Purines are now considered to play a role as modulators of neural and muscular activity, and may also be involved in trophic activity as well as modifying transmission of excitation. Parasites such as Leishmania. Trichomonas and Plasmodium may have differences in the purine pathways to those present in Man and this offers a strategy for developing new chemotherapies. The increase in knowledge of the genes controlling purine metabolism allows the development of the use of recombinant DNA techniques. The two volumes provide a good picture of the present state of our knowledge concerning purine metabolism in health and disease and will enable the reader to keep up-todate with this rapidly developing subject. The healing and scarring of atheroma--edited by M. WOLMAN. 156~~. 1984. Plenum Press, New York. $32.50. Advances in experimental medicine and biology, Vol. 168. The proliferation of the smooth muscle in atherosclerosis is considered to be a variant of basic pathological mechanisms and does not require the involvement of a somatotropin, mitogen or mutagen. In many cases dilation should overcome the effect of the atheroma. Atheroma could also be due to an imbalance between the amounts of lipids absorbed, synthesized or secreted by the intima. Some of these lipids could be taken up by macrophages and stimulation of the macrophages by BCG and other RES activitators might affect the atheroma. The timing of the injection of BCG was important. If injected before giving an atherogenic diet, the atheroma was reduced. However if they were given during the feeding of an atherogenie diet, then the atheroma was increased. There is some indication that the presence of oestrogens 945
This is the published proceedings of the Fifth meeting of the International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissues. The first 100 pages are taken up with the invited lectures on the topics of: Facilitated diffusion of oxygen; Muscle oxygen gradients from Hb to cytochrome; Metabolic rate and microcirculation; Tissue oxygen supply under normal and pathological conditions: Relationship between steady redox state and brain activation induced NAD/NADH redox responses. The rest of the volume contains papers grouped under the headings: Theoretical aspects; Blood and oxygen transport; Brain; Heart; Muscle; Abdominal organs; Tumor; Other organs; Oxygen chemoreceptors; Microcirculation; Practical aspects; Instrumentation and methods (reflectance spectroscopy, oxygen electrodes: fluorescence photometric indicators). The volume provides a very good picture of the present state of research in the measurement and evaluation of oxygen supply to the different tissues of the body under normal and pathological conditions. The editor in the preface states that few people ever read the preface to a book and those that do read the preface realize that nothing of any substance is said. However, it would certainly help the general reader to have a preface or introduction in which the main highlights of the meeting are picked out so that the reader can see what is new and important. This though difficult to do, would make the volume of more use to the non-specialist. Possibly it can be done in the next meeting. Contractile mechanisms in muscle. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, Vol. 170-edited by G. H. POLLACK and H. Suer. 921~~. 1984. Plenum Press, New York. $125. This is the published proceedings of the second international symposium on cross bridge mechanisms in muscle contraction. The papers are grouped into the sections: Structure of the myofilaments; Do thick filaments shorten?; X-ray diffraction approaches to structural dynamics; Structural basis of forces in resting muscle; The composition of the intracellular milieu; Do cross bridges rotate during contraction?; Length -tension relations; Activation of the myofilaments: Tension transients and stiffness; Influence of myofilament lattice dimensions on contractile function; Contraction dynamics; Cardiac muscle mechanics; Energetics. This meeting produced clear evidence that the physiologi-
81A,No.4,pp.l945-950,
1985 Pergamon
$3.00+0.00 Press Ltd
BOOK REVIEWS The visual display of quantitative information-by E. R. TUFTE. 197~~. 1983. Graphics Press, Cheshire, CT. $34, &25. As readers of this journal are aware, graphical representation of data is a very important method of presenting results clearly and quickly. One graph may be better than a thousand words. Though tables may have greater accuracy, very few readers will go carefully through a table, but most people who actually look at the pages of a journal will look at a graph. especially if it is eye-catching and informative. This book tells you how to make your graphs accurate, informative and eye-catching. It is an interesting and entertaining volume that presents its information in a painless manner. It should be read by all scientists and could do much to improve the quality of scientific papers and research theses.
and progesterone can reduce the incidence of atheroma by activating a lipid storage system and so preventing active scar formation. Model systems in pigs have shown that atheroma can undergo regression associated with the involvement of hydrolytic enzymes. In monkeys the atheroma induced by high cholesterol feeding levels can often be reduced if the plasma cholesterol level is lowered to less than 200mg/100ml of blood for a considerable time. This is considered in relation to the control of atheroma in man. These topics are discussed in detail in this book, which provides the experimental data to support the data and indicate future lines of investigation. Oxygen transport to tissue-V. Advances in experimental medicine and biology, Vol. 169-edited by D. W. LUBBERS, H. ACKER, E. LENINGER-FOLLERT and T. K. GOLDSTICK. 942~~. 1984. Plenum Press, New York. $125.
Purine metabolism in man-IV. Advances in experimental medicine and biology, Volumes 165 A/B-edited by C. H. M. M. DE BRUYN,H. A. SIMMONDSand M. M. MULLER. 165A Clinical and therapeutic aspects; regulatory mechanisms. 555~~. 1984. Plenum Press, New York. $75. 165B Biochemical, immunological and cancer research. 520~~. 1984. Plenum Press, New York. $69.50. These volumes are the proceedings of the fourth symposium held on purine metabolism in man, and the two volumes contain two hundred contributions. Previous meetings have discussed hyperuricaemia, clinical gout and urolithiasis. The new information on these topics is discussed here, together with newer topics such as the purine metabolism of lymphocytes and their role in immunomodulation and leukaemia chemotherapy. There are differences in the pathways of ATP metabolism in normal cardiac and skeletal muscles, and these may help the understanding of some pathological conditions of these tissues. Purines are now considered to play a role as modulators of neural and muscular activity, and may also be involved in trophic activity as well as modifying transmission of excitation. Parasites such as Leishmania. Trichomonas and Plasmodium may have differences in the purine pathways to those present in Man and this offers a strategy for developing new chemotherapies. The increase in knowledge of the genes controlling purine metabolism allows the development of the use of recombinant DNA techniques. The two volumes provide a good picture of the present state of our knowledge concerning purine metabolism in health and disease and will enable the reader to keep up-todate with this rapidly developing subject. The healing and scarring of atheroma--edited by M. WOLMAN. 156~~. 1984. Plenum Press, New York. $32.50. Advances in experimental medicine and biology, Vol. 168. The proliferation of the smooth muscle in atherosclerosis is considered to be a variant of basic pathological mechanisms and does not require the involvement of a somatotropin, mitogen or mutagen. In many cases dilation should overcome the effect of the atheroma. Atheroma could also be due to an imbalance between the amounts of lipids absorbed, synthesized or secreted by the intima. Some of these lipids could be taken up by macrophages and stimulation of the macrophages by BCG and other RES activitators might affect the atheroma. The timing of the injection of BCG was important. If injected before giving an atherogenic diet, the atheroma was reduced. However if they were given during the feeding of an atherogenie diet, then the atheroma was increased. There is some indication that the presence of oestrogens 945
This is the published proceedings of the Fifth meeting of the International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissues. The first 100 pages are taken up with the invited lectures on the topics of: Facilitated diffusion of oxygen; Muscle oxygen gradients from Hb to cytochrome; Metabolic rate and microcirculation; Tissue oxygen supply under normal and pathological conditions: Relationship between steady redox state and brain activation induced NAD/NADH redox responses. The rest of the volume contains papers grouped under the headings: Theoretical aspects; Blood and oxygen transport; Brain; Heart; Muscle; Abdominal organs; Tumor; Other organs; Oxygen chemoreceptors; Microcirculation; Practical aspects; Instrumentation and methods (reflectance spectroscopy, oxygen electrodes: fluorescence photometric indicators). The volume provides a very good picture of the present state of research in the measurement and evaluation of oxygen supply to the different tissues of the body under normal and pathological conditions. The editor in the preface states that few people ever read the preface to a book and those that do read the preface realize that nothing of any substance is said. However, it would certainly help the general reader to have a preface or introduction in which the main highlights of the meeting are picked out so that the reader can see what is new and important. This though difficult to do, would make the volume of more use to the non-specialist. Possibly it can be done in the next meeting. Contractile mechanisms in muscle. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, Vol. 170-edited by G. H. POLLACK and H. Suer. 921~~. 1984. Plenum Press, New York. $125. This is the published proceedings of the second international symposium on cross bridge mechanisms in muscle contraction. The papers are grouped into the sections: Structure of the myofilaments; Do thick filaments shorten?; X-ray diffraction approaches to structural dynamics; Structural basis of forces in resting muscle; The composition of the intracellular milieu; Do cross bridges rotate during contraction?; Length -tension relations; Activation of the myofilaments: Tension transients and stiffness; Influence of myofilament lattice dimensions on contractile function; Contraction dynamics; Cardiac muscle mechanics; Energetics. This meeting produced clear evidence that the physiologi-