Annual Review of Physiology, vol. 58.

Each volume of the Annual Review of Physiology is organized by an editor and editorial committee who invite qualified researchers to contribute critical articles reviewing important developments within several major disciplines of physiology. The 1996 annual review is a broad collection of review articles covering topics in respirator-y, neurological, cardiovascular, cell, endocrine, and gastrointestinal physiology. As an example, the titles in the cardiovascular section include "Thin Filament-Mediated Regulation of Cardiac Contraction," "Inherited Diseases of the Vasculature," and "Polyclonal Origin of Myocyte Lineages."

Essentially all of the critical reviews are decidedly oriented to molecular and cellular aspects of physiology. However, as the editor noted in the preface, these types of studies may "represent in a real sense a `new physiology' linking whole-animal functions to molecular counterparts." In addition, he notes that "the growth of insight and understanding of physiological processes is limited by the inabilities of our colleagues at all levels to utilize expeditiously developments in other related fields." This book is intended for research scientists, research-oriented clinicians, and those practitioners who can see the value and effect basic science has on clinical practice.

This book contains a special topic section with chapters devoted to the topic of molecular motors in eukaryotic cells. This section provides reviews about three superfamilies of motor proteins: kinesin and dynein, used in microtubule motility, and myosin, used in action microfilament motility. One chapter looks at the biochemistry and structure of the active site in myosin. A second chapter provides a review of the movement of kinesin along microtubules. The third chapter presents a comparison of the ATPase properties of kinesin, dynein, and myosin. The last chapter reviews the insights into normal function gained by looking at various mutations in the motor proteins.

Each annual review contains an auto-biographical section written by someone who has made significant contributions to the field of physiology. This year, HE Huxley wrote "A Personal View of Muscle and Motility Mechanism." The article provides some interesting insights into how and why Huxley found his way into the field of biology after being trained as a physicist. In addition, this section provides a historical and personal perspective of some of the steps he took over the past 45 years to understand the structural mechanism of muscle contractions.

This book is highly recommended for those individuals looking for a current and in-depth review, with an extensive bibliography, on a specific research-related topic.