Methods in Nitric Oxide Research

In their preface the editors of this book say they wished to produce a comprehensive text on the methods used in nitric oxide research. There is absolutely no doubt they have succeeded. The book is divided into nine sections. The first is an overview of nitric oxide (NO) chemistry which provides the background to the subsequent sections. The remaining sections cover the preparation of NO containing species, enzymology of NO synthases, methods to detect and localize NO synthase activity, measurement of substrate and cofactors, measurement of nitrogen oxides, measurement of NO adducts, bioassay techniques and clinical techniques. The 46 chapters are all written by well known experts from around the world. Each chapter is divided into a section on background information and a section on practical details. The editors have taken the unusual step of nearly always using two or more authors from different centres, and in many cases different countries, to write each chapter in order to get a consensus view rather than an individual's or research group's view. The editors have obviously worked hard to keep an overall consistency within the chapters. The result is a multi-author book that avoids many of the pitfalls of this genre. The style is similar throughout most of the book, as is the level detail within chapters. The background information is detailed and well referenced, and the descriptions of practical techniques are well written and laced with small details that make it apparent that the authors are very familiar with the techniques they are describing. Although the book covers many fields, from inorganic chemistry to clinical research, it is easy to read as excessive jargon is avoided. The cross referencing between chapters is good, and there is virtually no duplication. Anyone planning a multi-author text should use this one as an example! This book is a major resource for anyone involved in nitric oxide research and deserves a place on their laboratory and library bookshelves. It can be read throughout to provide a very comprehensive background on nitric oxide research, or used as a reference source. The book arrived for reviewing just as we were setting up a new nitric oxide assay, and so its quality as a reference book was tested `in the field'. It passed the test with flying colours.