The Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences

NO, thereby relieving chronic angina; the identification of histochemical NADPH diaphorase reaction in brain as NO synthetase; how stimulation of excitatory pathways in brain stimulates the formation of cGMP, where NO is the intracellular messenger; and why in septic shock and chronic inflammatory disorders an excess of nitrate is excreted in the urine. The three isoforms of NO synthetase, Type I, II and III, and their genes, are clearly described. Section 2, which contains three chapters, covers the pathological implications of NO, and should be required reading for all students preparing for fellowship examinations in neurology, medicine and surgery. A unique aspect of this book is the inclusion in Sections 3 and 4 of experimental approaches, protocols, and techniques used for the measurement of nitric oxide. These are very helpful to any researcher wishing to venture into this new field. This book, in paperback and inexpensive, is highly recommended to all graduate students, clinicians, and pharmacologists. It is by far the best introduction to this unique new field of research. The biochemistry may be somewhat densely written but is worth the added effort. The figures are clear and informative. There is a helpful glossary, and the two appendices are comprehensive tables of the distribution of constitutive NO synthase as determined by immunohistochemical study of peripheral tissues in which nitric oxide is identified as a neurotransmitter. Finally, research on the basic mechanisms and role of nitric oxide in health and disease is not static, and new discoveries are bound to appear in the future.