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Transfusion and Hematopoietic Stem Cells—Proceedings of the 6th Hokkaido Symposium on Transfusion Medicine
248
Pathology (1997), 29, May
BOOK REVIEWS
contents section at the front. However the book does not seek to review any literature concerning the treatment of excessive lead exposure or toxicity. Inclusion of this infonnation may have made it an even more comprehensive reference text.
John Coakley Department of Clinical Biochemistry The New Children's Hospital, NSW
Essential Clinical Pathology. DINAH V PARUMS, Editor. Blackwell Science Ltd. Oxford, 1996. ISBN 0 632 030887, pp xxv + 707 AUD$75.00. This new multi-author textbook of pathology is an outcome of a ten week pathology course introduced at Oxford University in 1991. Based on the lectures and demonstrations given by the 15 authors who contributed to the course, the book represents the essentials of clinical laboratory medicine and claims to be produced in the spirit of changes in medical education, the new core curriculum and evidence-based medicine. This is an outstanding. addition to the large range of pathology text books available. There are three parts to the text. Part I deals with essentials of laboratory medicine, covering the basic laboratory and diagnostic principles of each major specialty of pathology viz anatomical pathology, microbiology, immunology, hematology and chemical pathology. This 78 page section deals with many of the techniques and approaches to diagnosis and management of disease in each of these disciplines. Part 2 deals with multi-system disease processes, including chapters on clinical genetics, degenerative, metabolic and nntritional diseases, tropical and imported (from the British point of view) infectious diseases, the immune system and deficiency diseases. neoplasia, blood and bone marrow diseases and diseases of fluid balance, sodium, potassium and acid-base biochemistry. After this 153 page section, there are 13 chapters in Part 3 dealing with what is called 'Essential Systemic Pathology'. These 'systems chapters' have been structured according to the old and worthwhile 'pathological sieve', going through nOl1llal structure and function, to congenital or acquired diseases, thence through clinical presentation, infective, inflammatory/immune, vascular/ hematological, drugs/toxins, neoplasia and traumatic/surgical/degenerative disease. The book includes a glossary, a list of abbreviations (with some typographical errors, vide ALL and SIDS) and a somewhat variable list of recommended texts for further reading. It is illustrated with many good full-color macroscopic and microscopic figures and simple diagrams. In the early part of the book, there are some cartoons which are cute but a bit inane, and in the first chapter, there are photographs of anatomical pathologists and other staff members which one might expect to see in an annual medical school magazine, rather than a text of pathology. The page setup is confusing in some instances: for example; in the chapter on breast disease, we have the heading 'Diseases of the Male Breast' near the bottom of the left hand column of page 589, then in the next column we meet two tables dealing with the staging and prognosis of (predominantly female) breast disease. Another minor criticism is the page layout which explains abbreviations somewhat distractingly, immediately below many of the excellent Tables. The title 'Essential Clinical Pathology' is fine in the British tradition of including all aspects within the tel1ll Pathology. The British are correct, but unfortunately in North America and many parts of Europe, "Pathology" is taken to mean only anatomical pathology, in contradistinction to clinical pathology or laboratory medicine. These minor detractions aside, it is a long time since I have so enjoyed reviewing a new text book of pathology. The editor, who is a Senior Lecturer and Consultant Histopathologist at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School and Hammersmith Hospital, has produced an excellent multiauthor work which is homogeneous and consistent, stimulating, infol1llative and up to date. As usual, Blackwells in Oxford have reason to be proud of adding this text to their extensive list of excellent medical publications. This book can be highly commended to all medical students and to candidates for higher examinations in other disciplines.
Peter B. Herdson ACT Pathology The Canberra Hospital, ACT
Oral Pathology Actual Diagnostic and Prognostic Aspects. GERHARD SElFERT, Editor. Springer, Gel1llany, 1996. ISBN 3 540 60987 3, pp viii +246. This recent volume in the Current Topics in Pathology series comprises
eight reviews of important growth areas in research in oral pathology. Without exception, the international panel of authors are active researchers in their field, resulting in authoritative and scholarly chapters which are both comprehensive and up-la-date. Most chapters are well illustrated with clinical, histological and immunohistological material as appropriate. The bibliographies of references are full and up-to-date. D M Williams surveys vesiculobullous disorders of the oral mucosa and the oral manifestations of del1llatoses. This includes the clinical, histological findings, the diagnostic usefulness of immunofluorescence and the underlying genetic and molecular defects where known. The full range of oral diseases known or hypothesised to be caused by viruses is discussed by Scully. Extra-nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the oral cavity by Jordan and Speight is a particularly readable account of this potentially confusing oral group of oral malignancies including lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), nasofacial lymphomas and plasma cell dyscrasias. With the gradual acceptance of immunohistological methods as a valid method of assessing cell proliferation, their use in assessment of the potential for malignant transfol1llation in leukoplakia has received considerable attention, although the focus of interest has latterly shifted to oncogenes. Scholes and Field include much of their own important work in their review of the rapidly developing research on genomic instability in head and neck cancer, and this is likely to yield important insights. The astonishing variety of oral diseases associated with HIV and AIDS is indicated by Reichart. This includes the previously unrecognised oral hairy leukoplakia due to the Epstein-Barr virus which has no malignant potential, first discovered by John Greenspan's group in North American homosexuals, although cases in other immunocompromised groups such as transplant recipients are now on record. Oral Kaposi's sarcoma was exceedingly rare until the advent of HIV infection. The commonest oral manifestation of HIV infection, thl1lsh, is given due emphasis. The significance of p53 mutations in head and neck cancer is evaluated by Slootweg. Finally Burkhardt covers what is currently known of oncogenes and growth factors in oral cancer and precancer. Despite the (in my opinion, rather misleading) title, this is rwt the book for busy general pathologists wishing to increase their expertise in diagnostic oral pathology. However, although Medline access to the literature is now so easy, researchers in oral pathology will find this book a valuable resource and my postgraduate students have already appropriated my copy.
D. Murray Walker Dental Clinical School Westmead Hospital, NSW
Transfusion and HeTlUltopoietic Stem Cells-Proceedings of the 6th Hokkaido Symposium on Transfusion Medicine. S. SEKIGUCHI, editor. Blackwell Science Ltd, Oxford, 1996. ISBN 0 86542 911 I, pp. x + 278. AUS$ 127.00. This volume comprises the edited proceedings of a symposium held in July 1994 under the auspices of the Red Cross Blood Center of Hokkaido (Japan) and edited by its director. Two thirds of the participants, acknowledged in the edition, were from Japan with the remainder coming primarily from the USA. Divided into nine sections the book concentrates on two major topics; peripheral blood stem cell collection and transplantation, and the characteristics of hemopoietic stem cells, focusing upon regulation of differentiation, purification and in vitro expansion. The major sections consist of the text and diagrams of three to five papers. each of which is followed by the text of the discussion that followed the individual paper. In addition there are three single chapter sections covering the topics: current status of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in Japan; placental blood stem cell transplantation; and gene therapy. Finally there is the text of a panel discussion entitled 'The future of transfusion and research on hemopoietic stem cells'. One of the problems with the publication of meeting proceedings such as these is that by the time the end product reaches its potential consumers much of the infol1llation may have become dated. This is particularly so in rapidly evolving fields such as peripheral blood stem cell and cord blood transplantation and gene thcrapy. Thus this volume will have limited appeaL Those interested in the basic biology of hemopoietic stems and in particular where this basic biology applies to aspects of transplantation may well find it of some use, if only for a historical perspective. One other caveat is that the volume's perspective is (necessarily) biased toward research perfol1lled in Japan. Despite the smattering of international participants it cannot be considered to encompass the global perspective of 1993-4. On the plus side the book is well organised and well produced with
BOOK REVIEWS
good quality illustrations. I aIso liked the reproduction of the discussion at the end of each presentation which often provided additional insights. John Gibson Institute of Hematology Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, NSW
Perinatal Pathology. 2nd edition. JONATHAN S. WIGGLESWORTH. W.B.
Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1996. ISBN 0 7216 4252 7, pp. xii + 400. AUS$159-.
This book represents the second edition of a text originally published in 1984 as part of the Major Problems in Pathology series. It provides an overview of fetal and perinatal pathology aimed specifically at trainees and nonspeciaIist pathologists who may be called upon to assess complex perinatal cases. The text is 400 pages in length and is divided into chapters based on practical approaches to various aspects of the field, with a system by system review of the various diseases, maIformations and disorders that may be encountered. Although the text of the new edition is largely unaltered from the previous issue, new chapters havc been added, some text modification has occurred, additional photographs have been provided and each chapter provides an increased number of references. Given the current emphasis that is placed on the assessment of the previable fetus, one of the newly added chapters is entitled 'Study of the Embryo and Early Fetus'. There is also another new chapter dealing with the hydropic fetus, and the skeletal system and skin have been placed in separate chapters. The
249
chapter dealing with SIDS and sudden death in infancy has been appropriately deleted given the availability of alternative texts which deal with this subject in far greater detail. While one criticism might be the brevity of certain sections, for example the approach to an AIDS case with details of expected and possible findings, it must be recognised that the author is constrained both by limitations on the size of the text and by the expressed aim of providing an overview which will complement standard larger texts. For this reason the author favours references which are texts or reviews rather than specific papers. One of the great advantages of this text is the emphasis that is placed on the practicaI approach to fetal and perinatal pathology with guidelines to the performance of an autopsy in this age range. It is interesting to note that the author has modified and changed some of his approaches since the original text was published. For example, the author now advocates using a posterior sagittal scalp incision when removing the brain, rather than the traditional coronaI incision, as he finds the former to be less disfiguring. Problem areas such as maceration and complex maIformations are again well explained in this second edition. The text is clearly written and provides an excellent guide to those who are unfamiliar with the nuances and idiosyncrasies of fetaI and perinataI pathology. It should be included in all departmental libraries where fetal and perinatal autopsies may be performed as it very successfully complements the larger and more detailed texts that are available. Robert Byard Department of Histopathology Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital, SA
Pathology (1997), 29, May
BOOK REVIEWS
contents section at the front. However the book does not seek to review any literature concerning the treatment of excessive lead exposure or toxicity. Inclusion of this infonnation may have made it an even more comprehensive reference text.
John Coakley Department of Clinical Biochemistry The New Children's Hospital, NSW
Essential Clinical Pathology. DINAH V PARUMS, Editor. Blackwell Science Ltd. Oxford, 1996. ISBN 0 632 030887, pp xxv + 707 AUD$75.00. This new multi-author textbook of pathology is an outcome of a ten week pathology course introduced at Oxford University in 1991. Based on the lectures and demonstrations given by the 15 authors who contributed to the course, the book represents the essentials of clinical laboratory medicine and claims to be produced in the spirit of changes in medical education, the new core curriculum and evidence-based medicine. This is an outstanding. addition to the large range of pathology text books available. There are three parts to the text. Part I deals with essentials of laboratory medicine, covering the basic laboratory and diagnostic principles of each major specialty of pathology viz anatomical pathology, microbiology, immunology, hematology and chemical pathology. This 78 page section deals with many of the techniques and approaches to diagnosis and management of disease in each of these disciplines. Part 2 deals with multi-system disease processes, including chapters on clinical genetics, degenerative, metabolic and nntritional diseases, tropical and imported (from the British point of view) infectious diseases, the immune system and deficiency diseases. neoplasia, blood and bone marrow diseases and diseases of fluid balance, sodium, potassium and acid-base biochemistry. After this 153 page section, there are 13 chapters in Part 3 dealing with what is called 'Essential Systemic Pathology'. These 'systems chapters' have been structured according to the old and worthwhile 'pathological sieve', going through nOl1llal structure and function, to congenital or acquired diseases, thence through clinical presentation, infective, inflammatory/immune, vascular/ hematological, drugs/toxins, neoplasia and traumatic/surgical/degenerative disease. The book includes a glossary, a list of abbreviations (with some typographical errors, vide ALL and SIDS) and a somewhat variable list of recommended texts for further reading. It is illustrated with many good full-color macroscopic and microscopic figures and simple diagrams. In the early part of the book, there are some cartoons which are cute but a bit inane, and in the first chapter, there are photographs of anatomical pathologists and other staff members which one might expect to see in an annual medical school magazine, rather than a text of pathology. The page setup is confusing in some instances: for example; in the chapter on breast disease, we have the heading 'Diseases of the Male Breast' near the bottom of the left hand column of page 589, then in the next column we meet two tables dealing with the staging and prognosis of (predominantly female) breast disease. Another minor criticism is the page layout which explains abbreviations somewhat distractingly, immediately below many of the excellent Tables. The title 'Essential Clinical Pathology' is fine in the British tradition of including all aspects within the tel1ll Pathology. The British are correct, but unfortunately in North America and many parts of Europe, "Pathology" is taken to mean only anatomical pathology, in contradistinction to clinical pathology or laboratory medicine. These minor detractions aside, it is a long time since I have so enjoyed reviewing a new text book of pathology. The editor, who is a Senior Lecturer and Consultant Histopathologist at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School and Hammersmith Hospital, has produced an excellent multiauthor work which is homogeneous and consistent, stimulating, infol1llative and up to date. As usual, Blackwells in Oxford have reason to be proud of adding this text to their extensive list of excellent medical publications. This book can be highly commended to all medical students and to candidates for higher examinations in other disciplines.
Peter B. Herdson ACT Pathology The Canberra Hospital, ACT
Oral Pathology Actual Diagnostic and Prognostic Aspects. GERHARD SElFERT, Editor. Springer, Gel1llany, 1996. ISBN 3 540 60987 3, pp viii +246. This recent volume in the Current Topics in Pathology series comprises
eight reviews of important growth areas in research in oral pathology. Without exception, the international panel of authors are active researchers in their field, resulting in authoritative and scholarly chapters which are both comprehensive and up-la-date. Most chapters are well illustrated with clinical, histological and immunohistological material as appropriate. The bibliographies of references are full and up-to-date. D M Williams surveys vesiculobullous disorders of the oral mucosa and the oral manifestations of del1llatoses. This includes the clinical, histological findings, the diagnostic usefulness of immunofluorescence and the underlying genetic and molecular defects where known. The full range of oral diseases known or hypothesised to be caused by viruses is discussed by Scully. Extra-nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the oral cavity by Jordan and Speight is a particularly readable account of this potentially confusing oral group of oral malignancies including lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), nasofacial lymphomas and plasma cell dyscrasias. With the gradual acceptance of immunohistological methods as a valid method of assessing cell proliferation, their use in assessment of the potential for malignant transfol1llation in leukoplakia has received considerable attention, although the focus of interest has latterly shifted to oncogenes. Scholes and Field include much of their own important work in their review of the rapidly developing research on genomic instability in head and neck cancer, and this is likely to yield important insights. The astonishing variety of oral diseases associated with HIV and AIDS is indicated by Reichart. This includes the previously unrecognised oral hairy leukoplakia due to the Epstein-Barr virus which has no malignant potential, first discovered by John Greenspan's group in North American homosexuals, although cases in other immunocompromised groups such as transplant recipients are now on record. Oral Kaposi's sarcoma was exceedingly rare until the advent of HIV infection. The commonest oral manifestation of HIV infection, thl1lsh, is given due emphasis. The significance of p53 mutations in head and neck cancer is evaluated by Slootweg. Finally Burkhardt covers what is currently known of oncogenes and growth factors in oral cancer and precancer. Despite the (in my opinion, rather misleading) title, this is rwt the book for busy general pathologists wishing to increase their expertise in diagnostic oral pathology. However, although Medline access to the literature is now so easy, researchers in oral pathology will find this book a valuable resource and my postgraduate students have already appropriated my copy.
D. Murray Walker Dental Clinical School Westmead Hospital, NSW
Transfusion and HeTlUltopoietic Stem Cells-Proceedings of the 6th Hokkaido Symposium on Transfusion Medicine. S. SEKIGUCHI, editor. Blackwell Science Ltd, Oxford, 1996. ISBN 0 86542 911 I, pp. x + 278. AUS$ 127.00. This volume comprises the edited proceedings of a symposium held in July 1994 under the auspices of the Red Cross Blood Center of Hokkaido (Japan) and edited by its director. Two thirds of the participants, acknowledged in the edition, were from Japan with the remainder coming primarily from the USA. Divided into nine sections the book concentrates on two major topics; peripheral blood stem cell collection and transplantation, and the characteristics of hemopoietic stem cells, focusing upon regulation of differentiation, purification and in vitro expansion. The major sections consist of the text and diagrams of three to five papers. each of which is followed by the text of the discussion that followed the individual paper. In addition there are three single chapter sections covering the topics: current status of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in Japan; placental blood stem cell transplantation; and gene therapy. Finally there is the text of a panel discussion entitled 'The future of transfusion and research on hemopoietic stem cells'. One of the problems with the publication of meeting proceedings such as these is that by the time the end product reaches its potential consumers much of the infol1llation may have become dated. This is particularly so in rapidly evolving fields such as peripheral blood stem cell and cord blood transplantation and gene thcrapy. Thus this volume will have limited appeaL Those interested in the basic biology of hemopoietic stems and in particular where this basic biology applies to aspects of transplantation may well find it of some use, if only for a historical perspective. One other caveat is that the volume's perspective is (necessarily) biased toward research perfol1lled in Japan. Despite the smattering of international participants it cannot be considered to encompass the global perspective of 1993-4. On the plus side the book is well organised and well produced with
BOOK REVIEWS
good quality illustrations. I aIso liked the reproduction of the discussion at the end of each presentation which often provided additional insights. John Gibson Institute of Hematology Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, NSW
Perinatal Pathology. 2nd edition. JONATHAN S. WIGGLESWORTH. W.B.
Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1996. ISBN 0 7216 4252 7, pp. xii + 400. AUS$159-.
This book represents the second edition of a text originally published in 1984 as part of the Major Problems in Pathology series. It provides an overview of fetal and perinatal pathology aimed specifically at trainees and nonspeciaIist pathologists who may be called upon to assess complex perinatal cases. The text is 400 pages in length and is divided into chapters based on practical approaches to various aspects of the field, with a system by system review of the various diseases, maIformations and disorders that may be encountered. Although the text of the new edition is largely unaltered from the previous issue, new chapters havc been added, some text modification has occurred, additional photographs have been provided and each chapter provides an increased number of references. Given the current emphasis that is placed on the assessment of the previable fetus, one of the newly added chapters is entitled 'Study of the Embryo and Early Fetus'. There is also another new chapter dealing with the hydropic fetus, and the skeletal system and skin have been placed in separate chapters. The
249
chapter dealing with SIDS and sudden death in infancy has been appropriately deleted given the availability of alternative texts which deal with this subject in far greater detail. While one criticism might be the brevity of certain sections, for example the approach to an AIDS case with details of expected and possible findings, it must be recognised that the author is constrained both by limitations on the size of the text and by the expressed aim of providing an overview which will complement standard larger texts. For this reason the author favours references which are texts or reviews rather than specific papers. One of the great advantages of this text is the emphasis that is placed on the practicaI approach to fetal and perinatal pathology with guidelines to the performance of an autopsy in this age range. It is interesting to note that the author has modified and changed some of his approaches since the original text was published. For example, the author now advocates using a posterior sagittal scalp incision when removing the brain, rather than the traditional coronaI incision, as he finds the former to be less disfiguring. Problem areas such as maceration and complex maIformations are again well explained in this second edition. The text is clearly written and provides an excellent guide to those who are unfamiliar with the nuances and idiosyncrasies of fetaI and perinataI pathology. It should be included in all departmental libraries where fetal and perinatal autopsies may be performed as it very successfully complements the larger and more detailed texts that are available. Robert Byard Department of Histopathology Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital, SA