Indian J Med Res 141, March 2015, pp 373-375
Book Reviews
decipherable even to the layman. Chapter 3 lays the
foundation of a good diet focusing on the “eatwell
plate” concept and how it can be used as a basis for
the athletes’ diet. Besides the major nutrients, it also
discusses the importance of hydration, breakfast and
maintenance of a healthy weight.
Nutrition for sport and exercise: A practical guide,
H. Daries (Wiley - Blackwell, UK) 2012. 280 pages.
Price: not mentioned.
ISBN 978-1-4051-5354-6
With more and more interest being generated in good
health, wellness and fitness, the attention to nutrition
and its role in fitness is also gaining importance. In
this context, a practical guide on nutrition for sports
and fitness seems a very timely publication. It outlines
the fundamental principles of nutrition in relation to
sports and exercise and then applies these principles in
practice through tools such as food and nutrient lists,
recipes and menu options. The book is student friendly
and presents scientific principles in an easy to read
format.
Chapters 4-6 describe in detail the role of the
macronutrients - carbohydrates, proteins and fats
in the athletes’ diet, and how and when these should
be consumed. The appropriate tables in each chapter
and recipes at the end further add to the clarity of the
explanation. The additional appeal is the section on
successful weight management in chapter 6. Vitamin
and mineral requirements for athletes as well as non
- athletes is dealt with comprehensively in the next
chapter. Fluid and electrolyte balance is crucial for
a good athletic performance. This issue is tackled
in chapter 8. Practical hydration tips are also given.
Chapter 9 deals with ergogenic aids. The author has
very clearly outlined the common supplements and the
scientific evidence regarding their usage.
This practical guide has nine chapters. Each
chapter is divided into separate sections, each dealing
with a different concept. All chapters have a set of
key words in the beginning, food and nutrients lists
within and a chapter summary at the end. Recipes
at the end of some of the chapters help to reinforce
how to incorporate the nutrition principles described
therein into the daily diets. In addition, the book has
appendices dealing with reference values for estimated
energy expenditure, glossary, student exercises, internet
resources and references. The student exercises for
each chapter reinforce the students’ understanding of
the principles discussed in that chapter. Author and
subject index provided at the end are useful.
The book is a clear and lucid explanation of
the basic principles of sports nutrition. However, it
differs from a conventional textbook in its practical
approach. The author, being a practicing dietitian,
has been able to bring out an “easy to understand,
easy to use and easy to adopt” manual. Her practical
experience in this area is also reflected in the fact that
there is no information overload. She has restricted the
information given in each chapter to what is necessary
to enhance knowledge and skills regarding planning
and preparation of suitable diets for athletes. This
aspect would be particularly appealing to students and
practitioners of sports nutrition. However, it does not
have any India – specific recommendations, which is a
limitation to its usage among those studying the subject
in India. The food lists and recipes are also based on
western diets.
The first introductory chapter deals with the
importance of an adequate diet for an athlete and the
barriers that prevent adoption of such a diet. Chapter
2 on the energy needs of an athlete deals with the
fundamental principles of energy metabolism, effect of
exercise on energy metabolism and methods to assess
energy needs of an athlete. The methods suggested are
supported by actual calculations to make them easily
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374 INDIAN J MED RES, march 2015
Overall, this book will be of relevance to any
reader interested in fitness and sports, but is certainly
recommended to the students and faculty involved in
the disciplines of fitness, nutrition and sports sciences.
Seema Puri
Department of Food & Nutrition
Institute of Home Economics (University of Delhi)
New Delhi 110 016, India
[email protected]
Phosphate and vitamin D in chronic kidney disease,
M. S. Razzaque, editor (Karger, Basel, Switzerland)
2013. 154 pages. Price: US $ 233.00/CHF 198.00/EUR
165.00
ISBN 978-3-318-02369-5
This book describes in a comprehensive manner
the metabolism of phosphate and vitamin D in
patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). It is an
excellent compendium about recent development in
the regulation of urinary phosphate excretion and the
role of hyperphosphataemia in the development of
ectopic calcification (vascular), cardiovascular diseases
and secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with
CKD. The role of bone derived FGF23 and kidney
derived klotho on vitamin D metabolism and Na/Pi cotransporters activities is well discussed in appropriate
sections of the book.
Chapter 1, “Osteo – Renal – Cross-Talk and
Phosphate Metabolism by the FGF23 – Klotho –
System”, introduces the significance of maintaining
an adequate phosphate balance for sustenance of
essential cellular and organ functions in human body
with calcium regulatory factors (PTH and vitamin D)
that control the phosphate metabolism. The authors
introduce the prime highlight of this book, fibroblast
growth factor (FGF23) – klotho system. This calcium
independent factor plays an active role in the regulation
of phosphate metabolism as well, with both bone
derived FGF23 and kidney derived klotho system
having a negative effect on vitamin D metabolism
and Na/Pi cotransporter activities. The interaction of
FGF23 and klotho through an unknown mechanism
can suppress the activity of renal Na/Pi cotransporter
system and thus increases urinary phosphate excretion.
However, in the absence of klotho, FGF23 loses its
phosphaturic effect.
Chapter 2 discusses the signalling propensity
of extracellular phosphate. Phosphate is critical in
various biological processes including membrane
integrity, synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
and ribonucleic acid (RNA), enzyme metabolism and
intracellular signalling.
Chapter 3 describes the functional diversity of
alpha-klotho, which regulates mineral homeostasis of
phosphate and calcium ions. Thus it is a new member
of mineral regulating factors besides vitamin D and
parathyroid hormone (PTH). The complexity of
its regulation have also been well discussed in this
chapter.
The relationship between chronic kidney disease
(CKD) and klotho has been discussed in chapter 4. CKD
is a state of endocrine and renal klotho deficiency which
may contribute to CKD progression and complications
of CKD including vascular calcification, cardiac
hypertrophy and secondary hyperparathroydism.
Klotho suppresses 1, α-hydroxylase in the kidney to
regulate calcium metabolism. It appears that klotho
protein administration may have potential therapeutic
value in patients with CKD in future.
Chapter 5 discusses the role of nuclear receptors,
specifically the liver X receptor (LXR) in CKD and its
relationship with the Na/pi cotransporters. LXR agonists
are one of the recent pharmaceutical approaches for
disturbed phosphate homeostasis in CKD. The molecular
mechanism of vascular calcification and various
inducers and inhibitors of vascular calcification are
described in chapter 6 entitled “Phosphate Toxicity and
Vascular Mineralization”. Lowering serum phosphate
is associated with suppression of vascular calcification
in patients with CKD despite high levels of serum
calcium and 1, 25 (OH)2 vitamin D. It means lowering
serum phosphate concentration in CKD patients may
minimize the risk of vascular calcification.
Chapters 7 and 8 entitled “Vitamin D and Type II
Sodium–Dependent Phosphate Cotransporters” and
“Vitamin D in Chronic Kidney Disease” describe the
recent knowledge on the role of vitamin D in phosphate
cotransporter and how vitamin D deficiency in CKD
patients is involved in various clinical manifestations.
Chapter 9 entitled “Parathyroid Function in
Chronic Kidney Disease: Role of FGF23 – Klotho
Axis” describes recent observations regarding the role
of FGF23/klotho system in the genesis of secondary
hyperparathyroidism, and finally chapter 10 discusses
the approach of using salivary phosphate levels as a
biomarker for obesity.
Overall, this is a comprehensive book describing the
various aspects of recent advances and molecular basis
Book Reviews
of the mechanism of secondary hyperparathyroidism,
vascular calcification, and cardiac hypertrophy in
patients with CKD with special reference to the
role of phosphate, vitamin D and klotho protein in
these patients. All chapters are written in a lucid and
clinically relevant manner. This book will be helpful for
physicians, nephrologists, biochemists, physiologists
and researchers working in the respective fields of
experimental chronic kidney diseases.
Jai Prakash
Department of Nephrology
Institute of Medical Sciences
Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi 221 005, Uttar Pradesh, India
[email protected]
Human papillomavirus - Bench to bedside, M. K.
Ramírez-Fort, F. Khan, P. L. Rady, S. K. Tyring, editors
(Karger, Basel, Switzerland) 2014. 271 pages, Price:
US $ 258.00/CHF 219.00/EUR 183.00
ISBN 978-3-318-02526-2
Ever since the discovery of a connection between
human papillomavirus (HPV) and skin cancer, the
research on this double stranded DNA virus has unfolded
many truths about its ability to infect human cells.
The virus is responsible for benign, premalignant and
malignant lesions of ano-genital region, oro-pharynx
and skin. This book aptly highlights the relationship
between HPV and the pathological conditions and gives
an outline on how to handle the clinical manifestations
caused by this virus.
The management of HPV-related diseases often
requires a multimodal approach. This book is an
excellent source of up – to – date information on human
papillomavirus and its various clinical presentations
and also the state of the art molecular genomics of
the virus. The initial chapters discuss the structure,
types and variants and natural history of the virus and
elucidate the mechanism of carcinogenesis in human
epithelial cells by the virus. Of particular interest is the
chapter on host immune response to the virus and the
unique features of the virus that allow it to evade the
host immunity.
Detailed information on the diagnostic techniques
and treatment available feasibility for various cutaneous
benign manifestations of the virus and the HPV induced
malignancies has been provided. The book unfolds the
various treatment options available in correct approach
and also gives an outline of the preventive approach
375
towards the virus by the development of vaccine
against it. The “difficult to treat” clinical scenarios,
especially in immune compromised patients which
include transplant recipients as well as HIV – infected
individuals have been highlighted which guide us in
the best possible approach for the treatment including
destructive as well as reconstructive surgeries.
The 19 chapters of the book follow a logical
approach from introducing the virus and its present
status in taxonomy, to the management of extreme
form of this infection i.e. invasive cancer of various
parts of the human body in a detailed fashion. It covers
both basic sciences and clinical challenges faced in
day – to – day practise in a very lucid language, and
provides a thorough understanding of how and when
to select the best treatment for the widespread disease
manifestations caused by this DNA virus. It is well
referenced and contains an easy to comprehend index
at the end covering all the key words used in the book.
However, some of the chapters are quite repetitive and
have included similar information, Tables (Table 1 of
chapter 1 and Table 1 of chapter 4) and pictures (Figure
1 of chapter 1 and Figure 1 of chapter 4). The chapter
on HPV vaccination lacks pertinent information
like the safety and effectiveness of the prophylactic
vaccines and the recommendations for their use. Now
that the vaccines are available and are included in the
immunization programmes of more than 50 countries
more elaborate information would have benefitted the
practitioners.
Overall, this book is well illustrated and presented
in a simple language, well supported by plenty of
Figures and Tables. It describes recent advances in
the field of dermatology and clinical practice and
highlights the usefulness of dermoscopy in diagnosis
of HPV related diseases. Many eminent physicians of
international repute have come together and shared
their practical experience even with the description of
real cases they handled in their day- to- day practice.
This is a an updated source of information for all levels
of physicians who come across various cases of HPV
infection in their daily practice and may find it useful
in management of HPV related diseases. This book
will be of use not only to the clinicians but also to the
molecular biologists and virologists.
Dipanwita Banerjee & Partha Basu
Department of Gynecological Oncology
Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute
Kolkata 700 026, West Bengal, India
[email protected]