Book Review

Cytokines in Health and Disease

Inflammation: Basic Principles and Clinical Correlates

N Engl J Med 1993; 329:1433-1434November 4, 1993

Article

Cytokines in Health and Disease
Edited by Steven L. Kunkel and Daniel G. Remick. 568 pp., illustrated. New York, Marcel Dekker, 1992. $185. ISBN: 0-8247-8648-3

Inflammation: Basic Principles and Clinical Correlates
Second edition. Edited by John I. Gallin, Ira M. Goldstein, and Ralph Snyderman. 1186 pp., illustrated. New York, Raven Press, 1992. $185. ISBN: 0-88167-880-5

A prodigious amount of information is available regarding the biochemistry, structure, and function of cytokines and their contribution to immune and inflammatory events associated with different diseases. Cytokines in Health and Disease provides a succinct compilation of the literature and presents the information in a readily digestible form. Several chapters review the structure and function of cytokines. Others discuss the role of cytokines in septic shock, viral and bacterial infections, malaria, lung injury, transplantation, skin diseases, cancer therapy, and rheumatic diseases. There are very strong sections on the functional roles of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-1, 6, and 8 in different diseases. All the chapters are well written and include extensive references. Another positive aspect of this book is the inclusion of a chapter that describes the analysis of cytokines by bioassays or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. A thoughtful discussion includes pitfalls in cytokine assays and even the catalogue numbers of the indicator cell lines required for the bioassays.

Understandably, there are some omissions. For example, certain cytokines, such as interleukin-10, are not discussed with respect to their basic properties or possible biologic functions. The index is also somewhat disappointing. However, this minor complaint is more than compensated for by the high caliber of the book.

The combination of chapters that provide basic information about cytokines with those that summarize the role of cytokines in various diseases makes this book very useful to investigators in the cytokine field as well as to readers who are less familiar with the complexities of these pleiotropic polypeptide mediators. The information is well presented and includes topics that are engaging and pertinent.

It is an enormous undertaking to put together a textbook dealing with a subject as vast and diverse as inflammation. This task has been completed in impressive fashion in a book that will become the predominant reference in its field. Inflammation: Basic Principles and Clinical Correlates has the necessary features to fulfill such a position. It contains comprehensive chapters by noted experts, and it integrates mechanistic explanations of recent developments with more established information.

The organization of the book is well conceived. Chapters build on information provided by other chapters. For example, there are excellent chapters that describe, with unmistakable attention to detail, the chemistry and pathways, biologically active products, and molecular genetics of complement. Similarly, the chapters on soluble mediators that are important in inflammation, such as arachidonic acid metabolites, neuropeptides, histamine, serotonin, and cytokines, provide a convenient and reliable source of information. They provide considerable background for subsequent chapters on various inflammatory diseases and syndromes. The complementary organization of chapters is also apparent in the discussions of the mechanisms of the cellular basis of inflammation, since there are chapters that address the cell biology and developmental aspects of neutrophils, eosinophils, and macrophages and explain how chemoattractants and adhesion molecules influence inflammation.

The book follows multidisciplinary guidelines. Perspectives of immunology, biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacology are evident and often combined -- for example, in the discussion of ion channels in leukocytes. There is no doubt that this book will be a valuable reference for students, fellows, clinicians, and basic scientists interested in inflammation.

Nicholas R. Ferreri, Ph.D.
New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595