Money, J. (ed.) Bronchial Hyperreactivity Perspectives in Asthma 1 Academic Press, London 1982 274 pp.; E13.50 ISBN 0-12-506450-0 This volume contains the transactions of a symposium, held in June 1982. The Editor stresses in his preface that 'susceptibility to spontaneous, or induced, changes in airway resistance is a charac teristic feature of asthma'. The main subject of the symposium was to discuss if the enhanced reactivity of asthmatics to histamine, metacholine or prostaglandin F2a

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... ls, exercise, cold air, infec tions, etc. is a prerequisite or consequence of the disease. In vivo and in vitro results were presented and discussed in an attempt to answer this basic question. This involved discussions of the mech anisms underlying allergic asthma and bronchial hyperreactivity and those which charcterize the activity of prophylactic and thera peutic agents. Research workers and clinicians concerned with asthma will find the study of the papers presented at the sympo sium and the discussions rewarding. The main question, however, remained unanswered. Morley et al. investigated asthmatics, aller gic to the house dust mite. Challenge with mite extract elicited in their patients an immediate asthmatic response and a late one, oc curring 3-7 h post-allergen exposure. Administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as indomethacin or acetylsalicylic acid, which are potent inhibitors of prostaglandin synthetase (cyclooxygenase) did not prevent the immediate response, which implies, according to the authors, that prostaglandins are not involved in the immediate bronchospastic response. Pretreatment with NSIADs, however, prevented the occurrence of the late onset response, which is ascribed lipoxygenase products, such as leukotrienes (SRS-A). These interesting results clearly show that NSIADs do not direct arachidonic acid metabolism from the cyclo oxygenase to the lipoxygenase pathway. Thus, aspirin intolerance cannot be explained by a 'switch' in arachidonic acid metabolism. According to Morley the effect of leukotrienes in vivo, and that of the lipoxygenase inhibitor benoxaprofen, are not impressive. For the critical reader the book offers many interesting and thought-pro voking details. Paul Kallós, Helsingborg Goran Möller (ed.) Immunological Reviews 70 HLA and Disease Susceptibility Munksgaard, Copenhagen 1983 218 pp.; DKr. 234.25 ISBN 87-16-09480-8 The human major histocompatibility complex, HLA, is located at the short arm of the sixth chromosome. Apart from the originally described three loci, A, B and C, the genes of which code