Cytokines : A Practical Approach

From The Critics

Reviewer: John A. Robinson, MD(Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine)
Description: This is a single editor, second edition "cookbook" of cytokine assays and molecular biologic recipes related to cytokines provided in step-by-step protocol form in a boxed format accompanied by brief overviews of the method and cytokine involved. The purpose of this edition is to provide a unified source of cytokine methodology for interested parties from diverse disciplines and, as the devoted Doody reader already knows, it's always difficult for me to negatively critique immunologic/biologic volumes from the U.K., but, unfortunately, I must do so in this instance.
Purpose: This book does not fulfill its purpose. Indeed it would be a Sisyphean task only because of the rapidly changing methods and upgrades in molecular biology occurring in the field of cytokines.
Audience: It is difficult to target what kind of audience would be interested in this book. It is almost, by definition, too obsolescent even at the time of press for the cutting-edge molecular biologist because of the print time, it doesn't have enough current text to justify recommending it to graduate students who are going to be focusing in a specific area of cytokine research, and it is too brief for those interested in historical perspective or general information.
Features: One glaring example that jumps out at the reader is the sheep red blood cell rosetting technique for the isolation of T-cells. This could be of historical interest only, and the inclusion of the technique itself would be of no interest to a contemporary immunologist. In an attempt to balance my jaundiced view, I disseminated several of the chapters to molecular biologists who are working actively within the discussed area. I received negative reviews from all.
Assessment: I believe the authors of this book assumed an impossible task. In contrast, the success of Current Protocols in Molecular Biology is testimony to the futility of this effort. In the latter manual, the appropriate authors who have either changed and modified or promoted the technique provide upgrades, changes, and modifications on a more frequent basis in a format that can rapidly replace the current technology from the prior year.

John A. Robinson

This is a single editor, second edition ""cookbook"" of cytokine assays and molecular biologic recipes related to cytokines provided in step-by-step protocol form in a boxed format accompanied by brief overviews of the method and cytokine involved. The purpose of this edition is to provide a unified source of cytokine methodology for interested parties from diverse disciplines and, as the devoted Doody reader already knows, it's always difficult for me to negatively critique immunologic/biologic volumes from the U.K., but, unfortunately, I must do so in this instance. This book does not fulfill its purpose. Indeed it would be a Sisyphean task only because of the rapidly changing methods and upgrades in molecular biology occurring in the field of cytokines. It is difficult to target what kind of audience would be interested in this book. It is almost, by definition, too obsolescent even at the time of press for the cutting-edge molecular biologist because of the print time, it doesn't have enough current text to justify recommending it to graduate students who are going to be focusing in a specific area of cytokine research, and it is too brief for those interested in historical perspective or general information. One glaring example that jumps out at the reader is the sheep red blood cell rosetting technique for the isolation of T-cells. This could be of historical interest only, and the inclusion of the technique itself would be of no interest to a contemporary immunologist. In an attempt to balance my jaundiced view, I disseminated several of the chapters to molecular biologists who are working actively within the discussed area. I received negative reviews from all. I believethe authors of this book assumed an impossible task. In contrast, the success of Current Protocols in Molecular Biology is testimony to the futility of this effort. In the latter manual, the appropriate authors who have either changed and modified or promoted the technique provide upgrades, changes, and modifications on a more frequent basis in a format that can rapidly replace the current technology from the prior year.

2 Stars from Doody