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470
BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS
Dynamic Aspects of Bioelectrolytes and Blomembranes
F. OOSAWA (Editor)
Kodansha, Tokyo, 1982,pp. 500, I5 000 yen ( f42.00)
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This volume contains the proceedings of two post-congress
symposia held after the International Biophysical Congress in
Kyoto in September 1978. The two symposia were on dynamic
properties of polyions and on electrokinetic aspects of biomembranes. Both symposia were closely related to the scientific
activities of the late Aharon Katzir-Katchalsky and the majority
of the papers presented in these symposia were actually based
on his pioneering work. Honouring the memory of A.
Katzir-Katchalsky was the main reason for publishing the
proceedings.
The volume contains a wealth of interesting material on
synthetic and biological polyelectrolytes on model and biological membranes. It contains articles on polyelectrolyte interactions, ion binding and conformational dynamics studied by
different physico-chemical methods and treated theoretically.
Another series of articles deals with membrane structure and
electrical properties, receptors on biomembranes and energy
transduction, self-assembly and morphogenesis. There are
altogether 45 articles in this volume. Seven articles discuss ion
binding of polyelectrolytes and its effect on their hydration and
configuration. Two articles deal with polymeric or polyionic
autolysis. Seventeen articles discuss conformations of proteins,
polypeptides and polymoleic acids, their dynamics, their
fluctuations and kinetics of their changes. Ten articles discuss
membrane structure potential and ionic conductance. The
subject of five other articles is membrane energetics, including
chemoreception energy transduction and redox reaction. The
last four articles in the morphogenesis section discuss electrical-field-modulated membrane structure, self-assembly and
stability.
It is a pity that a very long time elapsed between the writing of
the manuscripts and the publication. This does not make the
book obsolete, but it is not exactly-up-to-date.
I. R. MILLER
Problems of Normal and Genetically Abnormal Retinas
R. M. CLAYTON, J. HAYWOOD, H. W. READINGand
A. WRIGHT (Editors)
Academic Press,London and New York, 1982, pp. 388, El 9.00
It is always difficult to write a comprehensive review of the
proceedings of a symposium, and for this volume it is
exceptionally so, as it seems to confuse two separate symposia.
The common link is the retina, but with subjects as diverse as
molecular biology and biochemical pharmacology being placed
side by side with, but unrelated to, studies on inherited
degenerative diseases, it is difficult to define who will buy such a
book. It could have been an extremely useful exercise if editorial
links were given between sections, but as it is it will not help the
expert who has already read most of the material in original
research papers, and it can only serve to confuse the student.
Even within the book’s three subsections there appears to be an
unacceptable degree of editorial inconsistency, as individual
authors are given free range to produce either a full paper or an
extended abstract.
If this volume succeeds anywhere, it is in its final section on
inherited retinal diseases. Its major strength here is that it has
gathered together the thoughts of many of the World’s experts
on this particular problem. The contributions from American
laboratories are paramount and give some insight into the recent
advances in this exciting, and recently fast moving, area of
research. It is particularly gratifying to see that in some animal
diseases the cellular site of expression of the genetic defect has
now been determined; in this respect the contributions of Dr. M.
LaVail and Dr. G. Aguirre are particularly valuable.
In all this is an unhappy volume. It is to be hoped that
perhaps the reduction in book buying during the recession will
dissuade publishers and scientists alike from publishing collections of material such as this, in the hope that it would sell on the
basis of an attractive title.
JOHN MARSHALL
Publications Received
Advances in Microbial Ecology, K. C. Marshall (Editor),
Plenum Press, New York, 1982, pp. 240, $39.50
Advances in Myocardiology, Volume 3, E. Chazov, V. Srnirnov
and N. S. Dhalla (Editors), Plenum Press, New York, 1983,
pp. 656, $69.50
Advances in Myocardiology, Volume 4, E. Chazov, V. Saks and
G. Rona (Editors), Plenum Press, New York, 1983, pp. 649,
$69.50
Allosteric Enzymes, B. I. Kurganov, John Wiley and Sons,
Chichester, 1982, pp. 344, E29.95
Applied
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Volume 1,
Fundamentals, T. P. Moyer and R. L. Boeckx (Editors),
American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Washington,
DC, 1982, pp. 240, price not available
Bioactive Carbohydrates in Chemistry, Biochemistry and
Biology, J. F. Kennedy and C. A. White, Ellis Horwood,
Chichester, 1983, pp. 331, E32.50 (cloth), f12.50
(paperback)
The Biochemistry of Natural Pigments, G. Britton, Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, 1983, pp. 366, f30.00
3iochemistry of Selenium, R. J. Shamberger, Plenum Press,
New York, 1983, pp. 334, $42.50
Biological Control of Nitrogen in Wastewater Treatment, D.
Barnes and P. J. Bliss, E. & F. N. Spon, London and New
York, 1983, pp. 146, f15.00
Biophysics of Water, F. Franks and S. Mathias (Editors), John
Wiley and Sons, Chichester, 1982, pp. 400, f29.95
Biosynthesis of Indole Alkaloids, A.-U. Rahman and A. Basha,
Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1983, pp. 270, f27.50
Brain: Biochemistry and Inherited Metabolic Disease, N. R.
Belton, N. A. J. Carson, R. A. Harkness, R. J. Pollit and J.
Stern (Editors), MTP Press, Lancaster, 1983, pp. 128, E17.95
1983
471
BOOK REVIEWS
Branched-Chain Amino Acids, I . D. A. Johnston (Editor), MTP
Press, Lancaster, 1983, pp. 112, f6.95
Cell Biology Monographs, Volume 10, Sialic Acids, R.Schauer
(Editor), Springer-Verlag, Wien and New York, 1982, pp.
344, $65.60
Cell Interactions and Development, K. M. Yamada (Editor),
John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, 1983, pp. 287, f33.00
Clinical and Cellular Immunology, Molecular and Therapeutic
Reviews, A. A. Luderer and H. H. Weetall (Editors), Humana
Press, Clifton, NJ, 1982, pp. 391, f36.75
Current Perspectives in the Use of Lipid Emulsion, I . D. A.
Johnston (Editor), MTP Press, Lancaster, 1983, pp. 97,
€6.95
Essays in Biochemistry, Volume 18, P. N. Campbell and R. D.
Marshall (Editors), The Biochemical Society, London, 1982,
pp. 126, f8.00
Essential Oils Analysis, V. FormaEek and K.-H. Kubeczka,
John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, 1982, pp. 373, f53.50
Handbook of Neurochemistry, Volume 2, A. Lajtha (Editor),
Plenum Press, New York, 1982, pp. 475, $59.50
The Herpes Viruses, B. Roizman (Editor), Plenum Press, New
York, 1982, pp. 445, $39.50
Immunassays for Clinical Chemistry, Second Edition, W. M.
Hunter and J. E. T. Corrie (Editors), Churchill Livingstone,
Edinburgh, 1983, pp. 701, f30.00
Immunobiology of Proteins and Peptides, Part II, Advances in
Experimental Medicine and Biology, Volume 150, M. 2.
Atassi (Editor), Plenum Press, New York, 1982, pp. 230,
$35.00
Legal Protection for Microbiological and Genetic Engineering
Inventions, R. Saliwanchik, Addison Wesley, Reading, MA,
1982, pp. 256, f26.20
Macromolecular Sequences in Systematic and Evolutionary
Biology, M. Goodman (Editor), Plenum Press, New York,
1982, pp. 418, $45.00
Mammalian Neuroendocrinology, G. W. Bennett and S. A.
Whitehead, Croom Helm, Beckenham, 1983, pp. 279, f17.95
(hardback), f8.95 (paperback)
Membrane Reconstitution, G. Poste and G. L. Nicolson
(Editors), Elsevier, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1982, pp.
273, $16.50
Vol. 11
The Metabolic Basis of Inherited Disease, Fifth Edition, J.
Stanbury, J. B. Wyngaarden, D. S. Fredrickson, J. L.
Goldstein and M. S. Brown (Editors), McGraw-Hill, New
York, 1983, pp. 2032, $95.00
New Vistas in Glycolipid Research, Advances in Experimental
Medicine and Biology, Volume 152, A. Makita, S. Handa, T.
Taketomi and Y. Nagai (Editors), Plenum Press, New York,
1982, pp. 490, $62.50
Outline Studies in Biology, Glycoproteins, R. C. Hughes,
Chapman and Hall, London, 1983, pp. 95, f2.95
Organ and Species Specificity in Chemical Carcinogenesis, R.
Langenbach, S. Nesnow and J. M. Price (Editors), Plenum
Press, New York, 1983, pp. 693, $79.50
Osteoporosis, J. Menczel, G. C. Robin, M. Makin and R.
Steinberg (Editors), John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, 1982,
pp. 440, E24.95
Physiology and Biochemistry of Plant-Pathogen Interactions,
I . J . Misaghi, Plenum Press, New York, 1982, pp. 287, $32.50
Principles of Biochemistry, Seventh Edition, General Aspects,
E. L. Smith, R. L. Hill, I. R. Lehman, R. J. Lefkowitz, P.
Handler and A. White, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1983, pp.
886, f28.95
Principles of Biochemistry, Seventh Edition, Mammalian
Biochemistry, E. L. Smith, R. L. Hill, 1. R. Lehman, R. J.
Lefkowitz, P. Handler and A. White, McGraw-Hill, New
York, 1983, pp. 760, f33.95
Prostaglandins and the Kidney, M. J. Dunn, C. Patron0 and
G. A. Cinotti (Editors), Plenum Press, New York, 1983,
pp. 414, $49.50
Supplements to the Second Edition, of Rodd’s Chemistry of
Carbon Compounds, Volume III, Aromatic Compounds,
M. F. Ansell (Editor), Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1983, pp. 438,
$1 10.75
Topics in Nucleic Acid Structure, Part 2, S. Neidle (Editor),
Macmillan Press, London, 1982, pp. 309, E47.00
Tunneling Spectroscopy, P. K. Hansma (Editor), Plenum Press,
New York, 1982, pp. 493, $65.00
Uses of Synchrotron Radiation in Biology, H. B. Stuhrmann
(Editor), Academic Press, London, 1982, pp. 348, f36.40
Water, A Comprehensive Treatise, Volume 7, F. Franks
(Editor), Plenum Press, New York, 1982, pp. 484, $49.50