Book Reviews

Mutation Research DNAging Genetic Instability and Aging

Cardiovascular Toxicology Second edition, edited by Daniel Acosta, Jr. Raven Press, New York, USA. $124, 1992

Dietary Fats: Determinants of Preference, Selection and Consumption Edited by D.J. Mela Elsevier Applied Science, 1992, ix + 192 pages Price $75.00 ISBN 1-85166-865-9

Determination of Vitamin E: Tocopherols and Tocotrienols by Claude Bourgeois Elsevier Applied Science, 1992, vi + 162 pages Price $75.00 ISBN 1-85166-7547

Biochemistry of Food Proteins Edited by B.J.F. Hudson Elsevier Applied Science, 1992, x + 419 pages Price $110.00 ISBN 1-85166-768-7

Lipid-soluble Antioxidants: Biochemistry and Clinical Applications Edited by A.S.H. Ong and L. Packer Birkhauser Verlag, 1992, xii + 640 pages Price SFR 168.00 (approx $76) ISBN 3-7643-2667-0 (Basel) ISBN 0-8176-2667-0 (Boston)     

Book Review

LEGGETT, W. F. Ancient and Medieval Dyes. 5 × 8 in. 96 pp. Cloth. Chemical Publishing Co., Brooklyn, N. Y. 1944. $2.25.

Microtechnic In General. McCARTNEY, J. E. A new immersion oil “polyric”. J. Path. & Bact., 56, 265-6. 1944.

NICKERSON, MARK. A dry ice freezing unit for rotary microtomes. Science, 100, 177-8. 1944.

Dyes And Thedx Biological Uses. BERGEIM, FRANK H., and BRAKER, WILLIAM. Homosulfanilamides. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 66, 1459. 1944.

CALDWELL, W. T., TYSON, F. T., and LAUER, LOTHAR. Substituted 2-sulfonamido-5-aminopyridines. II. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 66, 1479. 1944.

JOHNS, C. K. Dye concentration in resazurin tablets. Amer. J. Pub. Health, 34, 955-8. 1944.

SMITH, WINSLOW WHITNEY. Relative sensitivity of different phases of growth curve of Bact. salmonicida to alkaline acriflavine. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. & Med., 56, 240-2. 1844.

VAN ARENDONK, A. M., and SHOULE, H. A. Dialkylaminoalkyl derivatives of substituted quinolines and quinaldines. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 66, 1284. 1944.

WHEELER, KEITH, and DEGERING, E. F. Preparation and properties of certain derivatives of sulfamide. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 66, 1242. 1944.

Animal Microtechnic. BOARDMAN, EDWARD T. Methods for collecting ticks for study and delineation. J. Parasitology, 30, 57-9. 1944.

DICKIE, MARGARET M. A new differential stain for mouse pituitary. Science, 100, 297-8. 1944.

GOVAN, A. D. TELFORD. Fat staining by Sudan dyes suspended in watery media. J. Path. & Bact., 56, 262-4. 1944.

LILLIE, R. D., and ASHBURN, L. L. Supersaturated solutions of fat stains in dilute isopropanol for demonstration of acute fatty degenerations not shown by Herxheimer technic. Arch. Path., 36, 432. 1943.

MULLEN, J. P. A convenient and rapid method for staining glycogen in paraffin sections with Best's carmine stain. Amer. J. Clin. Path., Tech. Sect., 8, 9-10. 1944.

NYKA, W. A method for staining the rickettsiae of typhns in histological sections. J. Path. & Bact., 56, 264. 1944.

POPPER, HANS, GYORGY, PAUL, and GOLDBLATT, H. Fluorescent material (ceroid) in experimental nutritional cirrhosis. Arch. Path., 37, 161. 1944.

SMALL, C. S., and SCHULTZ, M. A. Sustaining faded tissue sections. Amer. J. Clin. Path., Tech. Sect., 7, 66-7. 1943.

YOFFEY, J. M., and PARNELL, J. The lymphocyte content of rabbit bone marrow. J. Anat., 78, 109-12. 1944.

ZIEGLER, E. E. Hematoxylin-eosin tissue stain. An improved, rapid, and uniform technic. Arch. Path., 37, 68. 1044.

Plant Microtechnic. HAASIS, FERDINAND W. Staining rubber in ground or milled plant tissues. Ind. and Eng. Chem., Anal. Ed., 16, 480. 1944.

PARRIS, G. K. A simple nuclear stain and staining technique for Helminthosporia. Phytopathology, 34, 700. 1944.

Microorganisms. DARZINS, E. Rickettsienstudien. Zentbl. Bakl., Abt. I, Orig., 151, 18-20. 1943.

GOHAR, M. A. A staining method for Corynebacterium diphtheriae. J. Bact., 47, 575. 1944.

GRAY, P. H. H. Two-stain method for direct bacteria count. J. Milk Techn., 6, 76. 1943.     

Book Review

Salmon, M. V. Practical phase-contrast microscopy. The Microscope, 6, 177-88. 1947.

Evans, Titus C. Radioautographs in which the tissue is mounted directly on the photographic plate. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol, and Med, 64, 813-15. 1947.

Tolbert, B. M., and Branch, G. E. K. The spectra of the doubly charged positive ions of some p,p'-diaminotriphenylmethane dyes. J. Amer. Chem. Soc, 69, 1083-81. 1947.

Van Wyk, J. J., and Clark, W. M. The luminosity and chromaticity of indicators as a function of pH. J. Amer. Chern. Soc, 69, 1296-1301. 1947.

Hamre, Christopher J. Hematopoiesis in the bone marrow of rats recovering from nutritional anemia. J. Lab. & Clin. Med, 32, 756-76. 1947.

Limarzi, Louis R. Evaluation of bone marrow concentration techniques. A modified method for the simultaneous preparation and staining of blood and bone marrow films. J. lab. & Clin. Med, 32, 782-40. 1947.

Heath, O. V. S. Role of starch in light-induced stomatal movement, and a new reagent for staining stomatal starch. Nature, 159, 647-8. 1947.

Cohen, H. A. A new quick method for staining Treponema pallidum. Acta Med. Orientalia, 6, 99-100. 1947.

Henry, H., and Stacey, M. Histochemistry of the Gram-staining reaction for micro-organisms. Proc. Roy. Soc, Ser. B. Biol. Sci, 133, 891-406. 1946.

Para, M. Silver impregnation of spirochetes in tissue sections. Arch. Path, 42, 649. 1946.

Ruiz, Merino, J. A method of staining capsules. Rev. Sanidad e Hig. Publ (Madrid), 20, 1112. 1946.     

Laboratory Hints from the Literature

Microscope and Other Apparatus: Bernard, J. E. The principles of fluorescence microscopy. J. Royal Micro. Soc., 57, 256-9. 1937.

Wrighton, H. A new light source for microscopy. J. Royal Micro. Soc., 57, 260-1. 1938.

Microtechhic in general: Comandon, J. and De Fonbrune, P. La chambre $aG huile. Ses avantages pour l'$eGtude des microorganisms vivants, la culture des tissus et la micromanipulation. Ann. Inst. Pasteur, 60, 113-41. 1938.     

Laboratory Hints from the Literature

DYES AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL USES Burckhalter, J. H., Jones, E. M., Holcomb, W. F., and Sweet, L. A. N-substituted 2-methoxy-6-chloro-9-aminoacridines. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 65, 2012. 1943.

Galat, Alexander. New processes for sulfanilamide. Ind. and Eng. Chem., Ind. Ed., 36, 192. 1944.

Kumler, W. D., and Daniels, T. C. The relation between chemical structure and bacteriostatic activity of sulfanilamide type compounds. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 65, 2190. 1943.

Kwartler, C. E., and Lucas, Philip. The preparation of sutfanil-amidoindazoles. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 65, 1804. 1943.

Mueller, A. C., and Hamilton, C. S. The synthesis of 1-substituted aminobenzo(f)quinolines. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 65, 1017. 1943.

Popkin, A. H. Derivatives of biphenylsulfonamides. I. Preparation of p-(o-aminopnenyl)-benzenesulfonamide. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 65, 2043. 1943.

Popkin, A. H., and Perretta, Gertrude M. Derivatives of biphenyl-sulfonamide. II. Derivatives of p-(o-aminophenyl)-benzenesulfonamide. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 65, 2046. 1943.

Shreve, R. N., and Bennett, R. B. Studies in azo dyes. I. Preparation and bacteriostatic properties of azo derivatives of 2,6-diaminopvridine. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 65, 2241. 1943.

Shreve, R. N., and Bennett, R. B. Studies in azo dyes. II. Preparation and bacteriostatic properties of azo derivatives of 8-quinolino. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 65, 2243. 1943.

Siebenmann, C., and Schnitzer, R. J. Chemotherapeutic study of p-nitrobenzoyl- and related compounds. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 65, 2127 1943.

ANIMAL MICROTECHNIC Barrett, A. M. A method for staining sections of bone marrow. J. Path & Bact., 56, 133-5. 1944.

Barrett, A. M. On the removal of formaldehyde-produced precipitate from sections. J. Path. & Bact., 56, 135-6. 1944.

Chang, Min-Chueh. Disintegration of epidymal spermatozoa by application of ice to the scrotal testis. J. Exp. Biol., 20, 16-22. 1943.

Ercoli, N., and Lewis, M. N. The age factor in response of bone tissue to alizarin dyes and the mechanism of dye fixation. Anat. Rec., 87, 67-76. 1943.

Hess, Manfred, and Hollander, Franklin. Permanent metachromatic staining of gastric mucus smears. J. Lab. and Clin. Med., 29, 321-3. 1944.

Miller, John A. A new method of staining nervous tissue. Ohio J. of Sci., 44, 31-5. 1944.     

Book Review

Toxicology of the Kidney (Second Edition) Edited by J.B. Hook and R.S. Goldstein Raven Press, New York, Pp558, 1993.

Toxicology of the Lung, Second Edition. Edited by: Gardner DE, Crapo JD, McClellan RO.

Biological Consequences of Oxidative Stress Implications for Cardiovascular Disease and Carcinogenesis Edited by L. Spatz and A.D. Bloom Oxford University Press, New York/Oxford, 1992

Toxicology of the Lung, Second Edition. Edited by: Gardner DE, Crapo JD, McClellan RO.

Biological Consequences of Oxidative Stress Implications for Cardiovascular Disease and Carcinogenesis Edited by L. Spatz and A.D. Bloom Oxford University Press, New York/Oxford, 1992     

Book Reviews

Oxygen, Gene expression and Cellular Function, Vol 105 Lung Biology in Health and Disease L. B. Clerch and D. J. Massaro Marcel Dekker, 1997

Food and Free Radicals Edited by Midori Hiramatsu, Toshikazu Yoshikawa and Masayosu Inoue Plenum Press, 1997, ISBN 0-306-45493-9 vii + 169 pages

Preventing Coronary Heart Disease: The Role of Antioxidants, Vegetables and Fruit Ed Lesley Rogers and Imogen Sharp National Heart Forum 1997 The Stationery Office London

Inducible Gene Expression Volume 1 Environmental Stresses and Nutrients Volume 2 Hormonal Signals Ed by PA Baeuerle, Birkhauser Verlag AG, Basel, 1997

Antioxidants in Science, Technology, Medicine and Nutrition Gerald Scott Albion Chemical Science Series, Ellis Horwoood Publishing Ltd, Chichester, UK, 1997

Flavonoids in Health and Diseases Eds C A Rce-Evans and L Packer Marcel Dekker Inc, New York, 1997     

Book Review

Peroxidases in Chemistry and Biology, Vols. 1 and 2 Edited by J EVERSE, K E EVERSE & M B GRISHAM CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, 1991

The Cell Biology of Inflammation in the Gastrointestinal Tract edited by T.J. Peters. Corners Publications, Hull, U.K. pp. xvii + 389. Price £39.00     

Biological Stain Commission Membership, May 1949

Officers

President, H. J. Conn, Box 269, Geneva, N. Y. (representing Society of American Bacteriologists.)

Vice-President, W. F. Windle, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. Secretary, S. I. Kornhauser, University of Louisville Medical School, Louisville

Ky. Treasurer, E. H. Stotz, University of Rochester, School of Medicine, Rochester

N. Y. (representing American Chemical Society.)     

Maternal antioxidant concentrations after uncomplicated pregnancies

Background: To analyse the post-partum concentrations of intra- and extra-cellular blood antioxidants in women with uncomplicated pregnancies.

Methods: Whole blood and plasma thiols, plasma vitamin E and C, serum cholesterol and triglyceride, ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) concentrations were compared between women delivered by caesarean section (n=17) or spontaneous delivery (n=10). A repeated mixed model was used for statistical analysis.

Results: The majority of whole blood thiols increased significantly in both groups the first days post-partum. However, within the caesarean group free cysteine, oxidised cysteine, homocysteine and glutathione and plasma cysteine and homocysteine levels dropped significantly after 24 h, while FRAP levels peaked significantly in this group. Plasma vitamin E levels decreased significantly in both groups within 24 to 48 h after delivery. Independent of the way of delivery whole blood and plasma thiols were significantly increased and vitamin E levels were significantly decreased 3 months post-partum while plasma vitamin C levels and FRAP were unchanged compared to ante-partum levels.

Discussion: Decreased plasma vitamin E levels shortly post-partum are associated with decreased lipid peroxidation. The 24 h post-partum drop of some plasma and whole blood thiols in the caesarean group may be due to prolonged fasting.     

Book Reviews

The Retinoids, Biology, Chemistry, and Medicine Second Edition, Ed. by M.B. Sporn, A.B. Roberts and De W.S. Goodman Raven Press, New York. 1994. pp. 699, price US$200.50

Free Radicals: From Basic Science to Medicine Edited by G. Poli, M. Albano and M.U. Dianzani Molecular Biology Update Series Birkhauser Verlag pp528. Price: 148 SFr

The Development of Iron Chelators for Clinical Use R.J. Bergeeron, G.M. Brittenham (Eds). CRC Press: Boca Raton. 1994 pp 416 ISBN 0-8493-8679-9     

Book Reviews

Natural Antioxidants in Human Health and Disease Edited by Balz Frei Academic Press, San Diego

In Vitro Toxicology Edited by: Shayne Cox Gad Raven Press Ltd.: New York, 290pp ISBN: 0-88167-974-7

Active Oxygen, Lipid Peroxidation and Antioxidants Edited by Kunio Yagi Japan Scientific Society Press: Tokyo ISBN 4-7622-6738-4, 1993 CRC Press: Boca Raton ISBN 0-8493-7769-2, 1993 x +372 pages Y 13, 000

Free Radicals, Cardiovascular Dysfunction and Protection Strategies R C Kukreja and M L Hess R G Landes Company: Austin, Texas, USA, 1994

Oxygen and Environmental Stress in Plants (Special issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, volume 102 1994) eds R M M Crawford, G A F Hendry and B A Goodman

Mitochondria: DNA, Proteins and Disease Eds. V. Darley Usmar and A.H.V. Schapira Portland Press Research Monograph V, London, 1994

Human Medicinal Agents From Plants Edited by A. Douglas Kinghorn and Manuel F. Balandrin ACS Symposium Series 534 American Chemical Society: Washington DC, 1993, pp. xii + 356. ISBN 08412 2705 5. $89.95.     

Application of Fluorescence Microscopy and Photomicrography to Woody Tissues

A procedure is described for making preparations of woody tissues for visual observation or photography by incident-light fluorescence microscopy. The chief advantages of the technic are the following:

(1) Reliable recognition of anatomical characteristics in wood without ordinary time-consuming histological technics.

(2) Examination of relatively larger surface areas of wood blocks than by usual methods.

(3) Visual observation and, if desired, photography of tissues and cell structure in dry or in nearly natural or fresh condition.

(4) Marked color contrast without the use of stains in many tissues, including specific types of cells comprising them.

(5) Improved color contrast by use of Congo red with aspects not usually obtained by other methods.     

Brilliant Cresyl Blue as a Stain for Plant Chromosomes

Methods are proposed for staining plant chromosomes with the dye brilliant cresyl blue, and for making these stained preparations permanent by using polyvinyl alcohol mounting medium.

The stain, which is composed of 2% brilliant cresyl blue in 45% aqueous acetic or propionic acid, is used with fixed material in making smear preparations. The technics for staining are similar to those employed in the aceto-carmine method.

The mounting medium is made by mixing 56% polyvinyl alcohol, which is diluted in water to the consistency of thick molasses, with 22% lactic acid and 22% phenol by volume. The permanent slides are made by floating off the cover slip of the temporary slide in 70% alcohol, then applying the mounting medium and replacing the cover slip.

The chief advantages of the methods described are:

1)The preparation of the stain is rapid and simple. The batch of stain will be good with the first try.

2)The staining procedure in some instances is shorter than when using aceto-carmine.

3)The stain shows a high degree of specificity for nuclear structures and gives better results than aceto-carmine when used on certain plant tissues.

4)A minimum number of cells is lost in making the slides permanent when using polyvinyl alcohol mounting medium as the slide and cover slip are run through only one solution prior to mounting.

5)The mounting medium dries rapidly and this shortens the time required before critical examination of the permanent mounts can be made.     

Book Reviews

COMPUTER SIMULATION IN BIOLOGY. A BASIC INTRODUCTION by Robert E. Keen and James D. Spain. Wiley-Liss, 1992, 498 pp.

TECHNIQUES IN FREE RADICAL RESEARCH (LABORATORY TECHNIQUES IN BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, VOL 22) by C. A. Rice-Evans, A. T. Diplock and M. C. R. Symons, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1991, 291 pp. (ISBN 0444813144).

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING SYSTEMS by John G. Scandalois, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 1992, 284 pages

IRON AND HUMAN DISEASE Edited by R B LAUFFER, 534 pp, ISBN 0-8493-6779-4 CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, USA, 1992     

Acid Versus Neutral Formalin Solution as a Neurological Fixative

The fixing action of 10% formalin solution alone and with formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, lactic, monochloracetic, dichloracetic, or trichloracetic acid was studied by means of stains with silver, osmic acid and cresyl violet. The following conclusions were reached:

1. In general, better fixation and staining was obtained with acid than without.

2. Less difference was seen in comparing one acid with another than was expected before the experiments were made.

3. Propionic, butyric, and dichloracetic showed no promise of having practical value.

4. Formic and monochloracetic acids as modifiers gave superior stains with osmic acid, while silver and cresyl violet stains of the same material were about equal to those made from formalin-acetic fixed material.

5. Lactic acid caused somewhat more distortion of tissue elements than the others but was compatible with good staining.

6. Acetic acid was most effective in concentrations of 3 to 5% while the stronger acids such as formic, monochloracetic, lactic and trichloracetic were effective in concentrations of 0.5 to 1%.     

Book Reviews

Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor: Structure and Function (NATO Advanced Science Institutes Series H: Cell Biology, Vol. 3) Edited by A. MAELICKE Springer-Verlag, Berlin

The Chemical Basis of Radiation Biology C. Von Sonntag Taylor & Francis

Advances in Free Radicals in Disease Corongiu, F.P., Tomasi, A. and Vannini

Modern Biological Theories of Aging Aging Series Vol. 31. WARNER, H.R., BUTLER, R.N., SPROTT, R.L. and SCHNEIDER     

Fibrinogen is a co-antioxidant that supplements the vitamin E analog trolox in a model system

Objective: It appears that the atherosclerotic plaque is a prooxidant environment where some molecules that are normally antioxidants, including vitamins C and E, may act as prooxidants that contribute to atherosclerosis by oxidizing LDL. Some molecules can act as co-antioxidants to eliminate this prooxidant effect by recycling or other mechanisms of supplementation. Fibrinogen and other acute phase proteins found in the plaque are antioxidants. We hypothesized that fibrinogen can act as a co-antioxidant to supplement vitamin E thereby eliminating its oxidative effect under prooxidant conditions. We tested a model system for this hypothesis using the vitamin E analogue Trolox in a cell free system.

Methods: LDL was oxidized using 5 umol/l copper. Antioxidant conditions were achieved by adding the antioxidants immediately with LDL, while prooxidant conditions were created by adding antioxidants after a 40 min delay. Oxidation was monitored as the lag phase at 234 nm.

Results: Under antioxidant conditions, the protective effect of fibrinogen and Trolox combined together were about equal to the sum of the anitioxidant effects of each alone (additive), while under prooxidant conditions the combined protection was 54-200% greater (synergistic). These effects were different than those of vitamin C with Trolox in that under antioxidant conditions fibrinogen and Trolox were additive while vitamin C and Trolox showed strong synergistic effects, and in that unlike vitamin C and Trolox fibrinogen showed no prooxidant tendencies under prooxidant reaction conditions.

Conclusions: The data indicated that fibrinogen did act as a co-antioxidant to supplement Trolox and eliminate its prooxidant effect, most probably, by directly quenching the phenoxyl radical, because unlike vitamin C, fibrinogen did not appear to recycle vitamin E. But fibrinogen may act as a universal antioxidant, since unlike Trolox and vitamin C, it showed little tendency toward becoming a prooxidant.     

Book Reviews

Analysis of Free Radicals in Biological Systems Edited by A. Favier, J. Cadet, B. Kalyanaraman, M. Fontecave and J.-L. Pierre Birkhauser Verlag AG, Basel, 1995. DM 178

Essays in Biochemistry Volume 291995 Edited by DK Apps and KF Tipton