Book reviews

Environmental Biology of Fishes -     

Pathomorphological reactions and noradrenalin content of the heart after administration of depot angiotensin in trained and untrained rats

A 14-days' training of rats designed to adapt the animals to the procedure of blood-pressure measurement caused in the myocardium a decrease, in serum an increase in noradrenaline ( NA) content. The latter remained unchanged following 3 days of treatment with 2.5 mg depot angiotensin II (AII) but decreased by more than one-half in the myocardium of untreated animals, and increased in serum. Despite the considerable difference in myocardial NA content and blood-pressure behaviour, both trained and untrained rats showed the same morphological reactions following administration of A II. These myocardial alterations which largely correspond to the so-called epinephrine myocarditis should not therefore be due solely to NA action; rather, the involvement of A II should be considered also.     

Functional expression of the calcium release channel from skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor cDNA

Combined patch-clamp and fura-2 measurements were performed to study the calcium release properties of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with the rabbit skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor cDNA carried by an expression vector. Both caffeine (1-50 mM) and ryanodine (100 microM) induced release of calcium from intracellular stores of transformed CHO cells but not from control (non-transfected) CHO cells. The calcium responses to caffeine and ryanodine closely resembled those commonly observed in skeletal muscle. Repetitive applications of caffeine produced characteristic all-or-none rises in intracellular calcium. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) neither activated the ryanodine receptor channel nor interfered with the caffeine-elicited calcium release. These results indicate that functional calcium release channels are formed by expression of the ryanodine receptor cDNA.     

Temporal study of the staphylococci and micrococci of normal infant skin

Staphylococcus and Micrococcus populations were collected from the healthy skin of 10 infant subjects. Infants were sampled from 1 day to 32 weeks of age. Species were characterized by approximately 30 different morphological, physiological, and biochemical characters. Staphylococci were the predominant inhabitants of normal skin, whereas micrococci were found only occasionally in this environment. Staphylococcus epidermidid, S. haemolyticus, and S. hominis were the predominant and persistent staphylococci. These species constituted a high percentage of the total aerobic bacterial flora of infant skin. Micrococcus luteus and M. kristinae were the prevalent micrococci found on infant skin. Only limited correlation between Staphyloccus and Micrococcus populations and infant age or body area sampled was indicated by this study.     

Mammography: a surgeon's experience.

Most reports advocating mammography have been written by radiologists rather than by clinicians who are frequently confronted by women with breast complaints. The value of mammography in managing patients with breast problems was studied by reviewing its role in 1026 breast consultations; there were 129 patients with cancer. Mammography was performed in 95 patients. The procedure hastened the diagnosis of one comedocarcinoma, and in another patient was suspicious 3 years before she presented with a locally advanced lesion. It missed six cancers. In seven patients it recognized clinically obvious cancers, though in one of these it had given negative results 10 months before the patient presented with a lesion 15 cm in diameter. It also falsely suggested the possibility of cancer in 28 women. In the other 52 patients the clinical diagnosis of a benign condition was usually fairly evident. The morbidity caused by mammography does not seem to have been widely appreciated, no doubt because of the hope that clinically unrecognized cancers would be found by it. Most breast problems can be diagnosed without mammography.     

Changes in the ionization equilibrium of erythrocyte suspension under heating]

The effects of ionic strength, urea, calcium and fluorine ions, ouabain and cholinesterase inhibitors on the changes in the ionization equilibrium of an erythrocyte suspension under heating were studied. Proton release by erythrocytes was compared to a release of potassium ions and hemoglobin from the cells. The proton release under heating is mainly determined by the physico--chemical properties of superficial structures of erythrocytes and does not depend on the activity of cholinesterase, ATPase and glycolytic processes.