Book Reviews 547

contains a spongy 50--250 #m mesh and the material can have a pore size so that it can exclude molecules of 500, 1000, up to 300,000 molecular weight, depending on the wall construction. In tissue culture, cells can grow on the fibre surface, with cell densities similar to that of solid tissues in vivo. Hormone secretion from cells grown on artificial capillaries is higher than that of cells grown in dishes, and hormones can be recovered from the perfusate without disturbing the cells. These fibres can be implanted into the body and used either to extract hormones that diffuse into the lumen, or tissue cultured endocrine cells (beta cells, pituitary cells etc.) can be grown in the hollow lumen and the fibre then implanted into the animal to provide a source of hormones. It is possible to make the fibre impermeable to host antibodies so that cells within the fibre remain immunologically privileged.

Recent Advances in Drug Delivery Systems--Edited by J. M. Anderson and S. W. Kim. 387pp. 1984. Plenum Press, New York. US$65.

There have been considerable advances in the binding of drugs to selected polymer matrices that will allow slow and controlled release of the drug. This volume discusses the different types of polymers that have been used and the probable new developments. For example it is possible to have a glycosylated insulin bound to Con A. The glyco- sylated inslin is displaced by glucose and the rate of glucose entry and insulin release are controlled by the relative permeabilities of the substances to the encapsulating mem- brane. Insulin release would be increased in the presence of high glucose concentrations.

Vindesine sulphate can be encapsulated into magnetic microspheres. If these are injected into a rat that has previously been injected with an ascitic form of Yoshida rat sarcoma to form a localized detectable tumor, the magnetic microspheres can be drawn to the site of the tumor by placing a magnet over the tumor for 30 min. This results in a significant decrease in the size of the tumor compared to control animals that did not have the magnet placed over the tumor, or animals not treated with vindesine.

There is considerable scope for development of controlled release systems especially those that do not go via the GI system. In the not-too-distant future it should be possible to have transdermal administration of insulin derivatives, or L-Dopa derivatives that will make life easier for the diabetic or the Parkinson patient.

Investigation of Membrane-Located Receptors--Edited by E. Reid, G. M. W. Cook, and D. J. Morre. Methodological Surveys in Biochemistry and Analysis. Volume 13. 558pp. 1984. Plenum Press, New York. US$75.

The main sections in this volume are: strategies for recep- tors, binding, size and isolation: hormonal phenomena: homing of circulation peptides, proteins and drug carriers: cholinergic and catecholamine receptors: various neu- roreceptors: methodology for neuroreceptors.

Readers who wish to find out the present state of the receptors for ACh, GABA, catechotamines, glycine, calm- odulin, sodium channels, insulin, thyroxin, calcitonin, glu- cose, lipoproteins, or opiates, will find this volume very useful.

Epidemic of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Kaposi's Sarcoma--Edited by G. Giraldo and E. Beth. 164pp. 1984. Karger AG, Basel. US$77.25.

There is reasonable evidence implicating cytomegalovirus in both AIDS and Kaposi 's sarcoma (KS). In KS 60 or 70 year old patients present with skin tumors over the limbs, usually the legs. Mucus membranes could be affected. The tumors ran an indolent course with patients surviving for 10 or

more years. Secondary tumors (lymphomas) supervened or preceded the tumor in about one third of the patients. In Africa KS often appeared in younger people with a more aggressive and intestinal involvement.

This volume contains 19 papers on the applications of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunology to the treatment of KS and AIDS in the U.S.A. and Europe. The prognosis by means of lymph node histopathology, the etiology and transmission are also discussed.

Autonomic Functions in Human Physioiogy--G. V. Thews and P. Vaupal. 384pp. 1985. Springer Study Edition. Springer Verlag, Berlin. Flexicover DM 39.80.

The subjects described in this book are blood; circulation of blood; heart function; respiration; energy balance and work physiology; thermal balance; nutrition; function of GI tract; renal function and micturition; water, electrolyte and acid base balance; hormonal regulatory systems; sexual func- tions.

The text is very well written, there are excellent illustra- tions in black and red, and the subject is presented clearly, concisely and interestingly. A first class volume for students.

Methods for Neuronal Recording in Conscious Animals-- Roger Lemon. IBRO Handbooks Series. Methods in the Neurosciences Volume 4. 162pp. 1984. Wiley, Chichester. £9.50 (paperback).

If you are interested in learning how to record the electrical activity in conscious animals and in particular recording and identifying single neurones, then this book will be very useful to you. It will also be useful to those already working in the field who will pick up some good practical tips to improve their technique. There is a useful chapter on the theoretical background to recording, i.e. what the electrodes actually detect. Descriptions are given how to anaesthetise and maintain the animal under anaesthetia; how to implant and secure electrodes in the brain, microelectrodes and microdrives, the study of interspike intervals, peri-event histograms, and reaction times. Dr A. Prochazka has written a chapter on chronic techniques for studying the neurophysiology of movement in cats.

lntracellular Perfusion of Exitable Cells--Edited by P. G. Kostyuk and O. A. Krishtal. IBRO Handbook Series: Methods in the Neurosciences. Volume 5. 133pp. 1984. Wiley, Chichester. £10 (paperback).

Using intracellular perfusion it is possible to replace the internal ionic composition of the cells with experimentally determined ionic concentrations and metabolites. In addi- tion there is little or no protoplasm left inside the cell so that the experimental events can be interpreted in terms of changes in membrane permeability and the ionic gradients across the membrane.

It describes the intracellular perfusion and dialysis of large nerve and muscle cells, oocytes, and cardiomyocytes: how to perfuse isolated neurons fixed in a plastic films: how to isolate neurons (mollscan neurons; dorsal ganglion neu- rons of frog and rat): the electrical measurements of poten- tials across the perfused cell membranes.

This volume should help transform a difficult technique into a possible and practical method that could be used in many laboratories.

Measurement of Neurotransmitter Release in vivo--Edited by C. A. Marsden. IBRO Handbook Series: Methods in the Neurosciences. Volume 6. 233pp. 1984. Wiley, Chichester. £12 (paperback).

Research interest has redeveloped into the measurement of neurotransmitter release in the living animal. The techniques