The book reviews cover two main topics: the progress in understanding Alport syndrome and the evolutionary biology of aging. 1. **Alport Syndrome:** - The review highlights significant advancements in the understanding of Alport syndrome, including the discovery of a third chain of collagen IV and the cloning of the gene responsible for this chain. - Despite these advances, many aspects of the disease's pathogenesis, the relationship between gene abnormalities and extrarenal symptoms, and the molecular genetics of other inherited nephritides remain to be elucidated. - The book poses many clinical and pathological questions that are still valid and serve as signposts for future research. 2. **Evolutionary Biology of Aging:** - The book by Michael R. Rose provides an introduction to the evolutionary approach to understanding aging processes. - It covers historical overviews, mathematical foundations, and experimental tests of evolutionary theories of aging. - The author presents evolutionary predictions positively but acknowledges the limitations of these theories in explaining aging. - The book includes a selective summary of empirical analyses supporting evolutionary theories and suggests future research directions. - While the book is accessible and well-structured, it lacks comprehensive coverage of all aspects of aging and could benefit from more diverse examples and a broader scope. - The reviewer suggests that the evolutionary paradigm, even if proven, may not provide clear mechanistic insights for gerontologists and geriatricians. 3. **Birth Defects Encyclopedia:** - The encyclopedia contains over 2,000 entries on congenital abnormalities and genetic conditions, with cross-references to thousands of other terms. - It is a significant expansion of earlier volumes, with contributions from approximately 800 authors and 75 subeditors. - Each entry includes information on various variables such as diagnostic criteria, clinical findings, occurrence, carrier detection, and gene mapping. - The volume is a useful reference but has limitations, including variable quality of entries and user unfriendliness due to its physical size and weight. - The reviewer notes the lack of explicit acknowledgment of the intellectual antecedents, particularly the earlier work by Daniel Bergsma.The book reviews cover two main topics: the progress in understanding Alport syndrome and the evolutionary biology of aging. 1. **Alport Syndrome:** - The review highlights significant advancements in the understanding of Alport syndrome, including the discovery of a third chain of collagen IV and the cloning of the gene responsible for this chain. - Despite these advances, many aspects of the disease's pathogenesis, the relationship between gene abnormalities and extrarenal symptoms, and the molecular genetics of other inherited nephritides remain to be elucidated. - The book poses many clinical and pathological questions that are still valid and serve as signposts for future research. 2. **Evolutionary Biology of Aging:** - The book by Michael R. Rose provides an introduction to the evolutionary approach to understanding aging processes. - It covers historical overviews, mathematical foundations, and experimental tests of evolutionary theories of aging. - The author presents evolutionary predictions positively but acknowledges the limitations of these theories in explaining aging. - The book includes a selective summary of empirical analyses supporting evolutionary theories and suggests future research directions. - While the book is accessible and well-structured, it lacks comprehensive coverage of all aspects of aging and could benefit from more diverse examples and a broader scope. - The reviewer suggests that the evolutionary paradigm, even if proven, may not provide clear mechanistic insights for gerontologists and geriatricians. 3. **Birth Defects Encyclopedia:** - The encyclopedia contains over 2,000 entries on congenital abnormalities and genetic conditions, with cross-references to thousands of other terms. - It is a significant expansion of earlier volumes, with contributions from approximately 800 authors and 75 subeditors. - Each entry includes information on various variables such as diagnostic criteria, clinical findings, occurrence, carrier detection, and gene mapping. - The volume is a useful reference but has limitations, including variable quality of entries and user unfriendliness due to its physical size and weight. - The reviewer notes the lack of explicit acknowledgment of the intellectual antecedents, particularly the earlier work by Daniel Bergsma.