Growth and maturation factors, Volume 3. G. Guroff (Ed.). Wiley, New York, 1985. No. of pages: 346....
1
HEMATOLOGICALONCOLOGY, VOL. 3,283 (1985) BOOK REVIEWS GROWTH AND MATURATION FACTORS, Volume 3. G. Guroff (Ed.). Wiley, New York, 1985. No. of pages: 346. Price: E82.60, $99.10, ISBN 471 097 071. These volumes are a collection of reviews which deal not only with specific growth factors, but also with analytical procedures applicable to the study of such factors and their receptors and the con- tinued interaction of several factors in an organ system. Volume 3 is distinguished by excellent articles on the role of growth factors in occular growth and in fetal development. The latter is par- ticularly interesting in its discussion of epidermal growth factor, the physiological role of which is still an enigma. Changes in ion transport across the plasma membrane is one of several candidates for the biochemical mechanism by which growth factors act and this topic, as well as the effect of retinoids, is well discussed. Three chapters deal with specific activities attributed respectively to fibroblast, glial and B-cell growth factors which have not yet, however, been fully chemically characterized. The usefulness of these accounts is limited as the literature is, for the most part, only covered until 1983 and there have been major developments since then, not least in terms of puri- fication and the recognition that the biological activity of some so-called factors is the product of several polypeptides. This applies in particular to the brain and pituitary derived factors which are described, for historical reasons, as fibroblast growth factors but their action is predominantly on endothelial cells. One chapter is devoted to the mitogenic effect of proteases, but it does not do justice to this fascinating and important topic. Hopefully, another reviewer will return to this topic in a later volume of this series. The long article on determination of the size of receptors by target analysis is also unsatisfactory. Fifty years ago, radiobiologists attempted to determine the molecular sizes of biologically active macromolecules by exposing them to ionizing radiation and determining the dose needed for inactivation. The mathematics for calculating the size of the target is straightforward and the attrac- tion of the method is that molecular dimensions can be obtained without purification. However, the values obtained are unreliable because of phenomena such as energy transfer, repair of damage by hydrogen transfer and potentiation of damage by oxygen which were not appreciated at the time target theory was developed. In this @ 1985 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. review the subject is discussed as if there had been no advance in understanding of the interaction of radiation with matter since B. E. Lea published his famous monograph on this topic in 1946, to which, incidentally, there is no reference. PETER ALEXANDER Southampton General Hospital, Southampton CURRENT THERAPY IN HEMATOLOGY-ONCOLOGY 1985-1986. M. C. Brain and P. Carbone (Eds). Decker, 1985. Distributed in Europe by Blackwell Scientific Publications. No. of pages: 318, 8 illus- trations. Price: E44.00. ISBN 0 80160741. This must almost be a record, 99 authors and 2 editors to produce this 302 page textbook! The list of authors is a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ of Hematology and Oncology. Topics covered range from iron deficiency anaemia through haemo- philias to principles of cancer management, detailed descriptions of chemotherapy in various solid tumours and, of course, the treatment of lymphoma. With 80 chapters on such diverse topics, coverage of some must necessarily be superficial. This is a pity, especially in Oncology, where we still do not yet know the optimum way to treat breast cancer for example. Contributors have been asked to present their particular views and this does make for a clearer style, but limits self criticism and the acknowledgement of alternative approaches. Coupled with the lack of reference lists the uncritical reader may be misled into think- ing the approaches are definitive. It would perhaps have been better to eliminate some of the more general chapters, especially in Hematology. These are much better covered in other present-day text- books; more contentious areas could then be expanded. On the whole the chapters are well written, the book has been well edited and the chapters laid out very clearly. Its main appeal must be in the U.S.A.; at E44.00 it has little to recommend it for the U.K. market; there are better alternatives available. ALASTAIR G. SMITH Royal South Hants Hospital, Southampton
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Transcript of Growth and maturation factors, Volume 3. G. Guroff (Ed.). Wiley, New York, 1985. No. of pages: 346....
HEMATOLOGICAL ONCOLOGY, VOL. 3,283 (1985)
BOOK REVIEWS GROWTH AND MATURATION FACTORS, Volume 3. G. Guroff (Ed.). Wiley, New York, 1985. No. of pages: 346. Price: E82.60, $99.10, ISBN 471 097 071.
These volumes are a collection of reviews which deal not only with specific growth factors, but also with analytical procedures applicable to the study of such factors and their receptors and the con- tinued interaction of several factors in an organ system. Volume 3 is distinguished by excellent articles on the role of growth factors in occular growth and in fetal development. The latter is par- ticularly interesting in its discussion of epidermal growth factor, the physiological role of which is still an enigma. Changes in ion transport across the plasma membrane is one of several candidates for the biochemical mechanism by which growth factors act and this topic, as well as the effect of retinoids, is well discussed. Three chapters deal with specific activities attributed respectively to fibroblast, glial and B-cell growth factors which have not yet, however, been fully chemically characterized. The usefulness of these accounts is limited as the literature is, for the most part, only covered until 1983 and there have been major developments since then, not least in terms of puri- fication and the recognition that the biological activity of some so-called factors is the product of several polypeptides. This applies in particular to the brain and pituitary derived factors which are described, for historical reasons, as fibroblast growth factors but their action is predominantly on endothelial cells. One chapter is devoted to the mitogenic effect of proteases, but it does not do justice to this fascinating and important topic. Hopefully, another reviewer will return to this topic in a later volume of this series.
The long article on determination of the size of receptors by target analysis is also unsatisfactory. Fifty years ago, radiobiologists attempted to determine the molecular sizes of biologically active macromolecules by exposing them to ionizing radiation and determining the dose needed for inactivation. The mathematics for calculating the size of the target is straightforward and the attrac- tion of the method is that molecular dimensions can be obtained without purification. However, the values obtained are unreliable because of phenomena such as energy transfer, repair of damage by hydrogen transfer and potentiation of damage by oxygen which were not appreciated at the time target theory was developed. In this
@ 1985 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
review the subject is discussed as if there had been no advance in understanding of the interaction of radiation with matter since B. E. Lea published his famous monograph on this topic in 1946, to which, incidentally, there is no reference.
PETER ALEXANDER Southampton General Hospital,
Southampton
CURRENT THERAPY IN HEMATOLOGY-ONCOLOGY 1985-1986. M. C . Brain and P. Carbone (Eds). Decker, 1985. Distributed in Europe by Blackwell Scientific Publications. No. of pages: 318, 8 illus- trations. Price: E44.00. ISBN 0 80160741.
This must almost be a record, 99 authors and 2 editors to produce this 302 page textbook! The list of authors is a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ of Hematology and Oncology. Topics covered range from iron deficiency anaemia through haemo- philias to principles of cancer management, detailed descriptions of chemotherapy in various solid tumours and, of course, the treatment of lymphoma.
With 80 chapters on such diverse topics, coverage of some must necessarily be superficial. This is a pity, especially in Oncology, where we still do not yet know the optimum way to treat breast cancer for example. Contributors have been asked to present their particular views and this does make for a clearer style, but limits self criticism and the acknowledgement of alternative approaches. Coupled with the lack of reference lists the uncritical reader may be misled into think- ing the approaches are definitive. It would perhaps have been better to eliminate some of the more general chapters, especially in Hematology. These are much better covered in other present-day text- books; more contentious areas could then be expanded.
On the whole the chapters are well written, the book has been well edited and the chapters laid out very clearly. Its main appeal must be in the U.S.A.; at E44.00 it has little to recommend it for the U.K. market; there are better alternatives available.
ALASTAIR G. SMITH Royal South Hants Hospital,
Southampton
