Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles, 2d ed.
Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles, 2d ed.
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衰老生物学：观察和原理，第二版。
DOI：
10.1086/302428
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发表时间：
1999
影响因子：
9.8
通讯作者：
C. Finch
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
C. Finch
罗伯特·阿金给了他的同事一本教授衰老生物学的有价值的书。第二版建立在第一版的坚实基础上，很好地捕捉了过去六年的大部分重大事件。其组织和内容非常适合衰老生物学的入门级课程。然而，与许多入门级教材不同，阿金的书将要求讲师查阅说明性示例中引用的主要论文，以免过于简单化。这是一项艰巨的任务，因为生物老年学领域广阔。考虑一下书中广泛的概念和事实材料：DNA修复、内分泌学、细胞周期调节和人类病理学，更不用说无脊椎动物的遗传学研究、人类双胞胎的寿命研究、阿尔茨海默病和其他疾病的遗传学，以及老龄化社会中不断上涨的医疗保健成本。尽管生物老年学领域在这十年中取得了显着进展，但仍远未形成一套公认的规范原则。可以公平地说，大多数衰老过程背后的机制仍然远未得到解决。每个专题都提供了一些精美的背景知识，并且本书的各部分相对独立。这本书可以被视为一本关于衰老的教科书和百科全书的结合体。潜在用户可能希望知道，这是由一位活跃的分子遗传学家撰写的关于衰老生物学的唯一入门级通用文本。阿金的研究重点是果蝇长寿的遗传学，以及通过选择晚年繁殖的个体来人工选择寿命。迈克尔·罗斯（Michael Rose）最积极地利用了这一范式，但阿金自己的贡献也得到了适当的描述。本书提供了组织良好的图形、解剖草图和表格。参考书目包括约 1,000 条完整参考文献，并且索引效果良好。我的一些批评包括需要更仔细的编辑。例如，有几个表格不包含文本中引用的同类项目，并且我在文本和参考书目中发现了一些拼写错误的名称。书中也没有提及雌激素替代疗法，该疗法可以降低骨质疏松性骨折、心脏病发作以及很可能降低阿尔茨海默病的风险，并且代表了对人类衰老的一种重要的新兴干预措施。但这些小瑕疵并没有损害这本书的整体实力。
Robert Arking has given his colleagues a valuable book for teaching the biology of aging. This second edition builds from the solid foundation of the first, nicely capturing most of the major action of the past 6 years. Its organization and content are well suited to an entry-level course in the biology of aging. However, unlike many entry-level texts, Arking's book will oblige the lecturer to consult the main papers cited in the illustrative examples, so as not to oversimplify. This is a tall order, because the field of biogerontology is vast.Consider the vast range of concepts and factual material in the book: DNA repair, endocrinology, cell-cycle regulation, and human pathology, not to mention genetic studies in invertebrates, studies of life span in human twins, the genetics of Alzheimer and other diseases, and the rising costs of health care in an aging society. The field of biogerontology, despite its remarkable progress during this decade, is still far from having a set of well-recognized canonical principles. It is fair to say that most mechanisms that underlie aging processes are still far from resolved.Some nicely written background is provided for each special topic, and sections of the book are relatively independent. The book may be considered as a chimera of a textbook and an encyclopedia on aging. Prospective users may wish to know that this is the only entry-level general text on the biology of aging written by an active molecular geneticist. Arking's research centers on the genetics of longevity in fruit flies and on artificial selection for life span by selecting for individuals that reproduce at later ages. This paradigm has been exploited most vigorously by Michael Rose, but Arking's own contributions are appropriately described.The book is well provided with nicely organized figures, anatomical sketches, and tables. The bibliography includes ∼1,000 full references, and the index works well. My few criticisms include the need for more-careful editing. For example, several tables did not include items of like kind cited in the text, and I identified some misspelled names in the text and bibliography. There is also no mention of estrogen-replacement therapy, which reduces the risk of osteoporotic fractures, heart attacks, and, quite possibly, Alzheimer disease and which represents a major emerging intervention into human aging. But these small nicks do not mar an overall strong book.