Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Debates in Sociology: David Morgan and Liz Stanley (eds) The Ethics of Social Research: Roger Homan The Politics of Truth: from Marx to Foucault: Michèle Barrett Derrida: A Critical Reader: David Wood (ed.) Baudrillard's Bestiary: Baudrillard and Culture: Mike Gane The Two Sovereigns: Social Contradictions of European Modernity: Keith Tester Narrating Our Pasts: The Social Construction of Oral History: E. Tonkin Other Histories: Kirsten Hastrup (ed.) Introducing Women's Studies: Feminist Theory and Practice: Diane Richardson and Victoria Robinson (eds) Gender and Bureaucracy: M. Savage and A. Witz, (eds) Women's Employment and the Capitalist Family: Ben Fine Of Mice and Women: Aspects of Female Aggression: Kaj Bjordkqvist and Pirkko Niemela (eds) Men In the Public Eye: Jeff Hearn Discovering Men: David Morgan Body Matters: Essays on the Sociology of the Body: Sue Scott and David Morgan, (eds) Youth and Inequality: Inge Bates and George Riseborough, (eds) Down On Their Luck: A Study of Homeless Street People: David A. Snow and Leon Anderson Race, the City, and the State: Malcolm Cross and Michael Keith, (eds) Symbolic Interactionism and Cultural Studies: The Politics of Interpretation: Norman K. Denzin From Class Structure to the Politics of Pleasure; The Effects of Gramscianism on Cultural Studies: David Harris The Sports Process; A Comparative and Developmental Approach: E. Dunning, J. Maguire and R. Pearton (eds)     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Method in Social Science: A Realist Approach Andrew Sayer The Perspective of Ethnomethodology Douglas Benson and John A. Hughes Soeiology, Ethnomethodology and Experience Mary F. Rogers The Social Dimension: European Developments in Social Psychology Henri Tajfel (ed.) Rethinking Cognitive Theory Jeff Coulter Beyond the State? Dominant Theories and Socialist Strategies Boris Frankel War, State and Society M. Shaw (ed.) Prisons and the Process of Justice Andrew Rutherford Regulating Society: Marginality and Social Control in Historical Perspeetive Ephraim H. Mizruchi Terrorism in Northern Ireland Alfred McClung Lee Classes in Contemporary Japan Rob Steven School Leavers and their Prospects: Youth and the Labour Market in the 1980s Kenneth Roberts Unfairly Structured Cities Blair Badcock Urban Social Research: Problems and Prospects (Sociological Review Monograph: 30) 169 Valdo Pons and Ray Francis (eds) Research in the Sociology of Work, Volume 2 I.H. Simpson and R.L. Simpson (eds) Work and Family: Changing Roles of Men and Women P. Voydanoff (ed.) Women and Education S. Acker, J. Megarry, S. Nisbet and E. Hoyle (eds) Talk: An Analysis of Speech and Non-Verbal Behaviour in Conversation Geoffrey Beattie British Social Attitudes. The 1984 Report R. Jowell and C. Airey (eds) The Age of the Dream Palace: Cinema and Society in Britain 1930-1939 Jeffrey Richards     

Book Reviews

Knowledge, Ideology and Discourse: A Sociological Perspective Tim Dent Heterology and the Postmodern: Julian Pefanis A Sociology of Monsters: Essays on Power, Technology and Domination: John Law, (ed.) Max Weber: from History to Modernity: Bryan S. Turner Erving Goffman: Tom Burns Ethnomethodology and the Human Sciences: Graham Button (ed.) Family and the State of Theory: David Cheal Families and Households: Divisions and Change: C. Marsh and S. Arber, (eds) The British Population: Patterns, Trends and Processes: David Coleman and John Salt Eugenics, Human Genetics and Human Failings: The Eugenics Society, Its Sources and Its Critics in Britain: Pauline M. H. Mazumdar Towards a New Sociology of Social Work: Roger Sibeon Corporate Society: Class, Property and Contemporary Capitalism: J. McDermott Deconstructing America: Representations of the Other: Peter Mason Unwrapping Japan: Society and Culture in Anthropological Perspective: E. Ben-Ari, B. Moeran, and J. Valentine (eds) Enterprise and Heritage: Crosscurrents of National Culture: John Corner and Sylvia Harvey (eds) In a Lonely Street: Film Noir, Genre, Masculinity: Frank Krutnik Fieldwork in Educational Settings: Methods. Pitfalls and Perspectives: S. Delamont     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: ONG, Jin Hui, Chan Kwok BUN and Chew Soon BENG (Editors) Crossing Borders: Transmigration in Asia Pacific WICKRAMASEKARA, Piyasiri (Editor) The Gulf Crisis and South Asia: Studies on the Economic Impact BOTTOMLEY, Gillian From Another Place: Migration and the Politics of Culture EXTRA, Guus, and Ludo VERHOEVEN (Editors) Immigrant Languages in Europe ROGERS, Rosemarie, and Emily COPELAND Forced Migration: Policy Issues in the Post-Cold War World STARK, Oded The Migration of Labor Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Migration and Development: New Partnerships for Cooperation MENSKI, Werner (Editor) Coping with 1997: The Reaction of the Hong Kong People to the Transfer of Power HAMILTON, K.A. (Editor) Migration and the New Europe OGATA, Sadako, Daniel COHNBENDIT, Adrian FORTESCUE, Rafiq HADDAOUI, Igor V. KHALEVINSKI Towards a European Immigration Policy KEEN, David Refugees: Rationing the Right to Life – The Crisis in Emergency Relief ZED Books.     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Introduction to the Sociology of Developing Societies Hamza Alavi and Teodor Shanin (eds) Sub-Saharan Africa Chris Allen and Gavin Williams (eds) T.S. Kuhn and Social Science, Barry Barnes. Art Worlds Howard S. Becker Black Youth in Crisis Ernest Cashmore and Barry Troyna (eds) English Country Houses and Landed Estates Heather A. Clemenson In the Active Voice Mary Douglas The Civilized Body P. E. S. Freund Classes, Power and Conflict: Classical and Contemporary Debates Anthony Giddens and David Held (eds) Sport, Culture and Ideology J. Hargreaves (ed.) Social Mobility Anthony Heath Social Mobility: a Study of Social Control and Insatiability Earl Hopper Social Relations and Human Attributes P. Hirst and P. Woolley The Development of Underdevelopment in China: A Symposium Philip C. C. Huang (ed.) A Third World Proletariat? Peter Lloyd The Politics of the Second Electorate: Women and Public Participation J. Lovenduski and J. Hills (eds) Max Weber and Karl Marx Karl Löwith Old Mistresses: Women, Art and Ideology, Rozsika Parker and Griselda Pollock Work and Retirement Stanley Parker The Transition from School to Work Michael West and Peggy Newton (eds)     

Book Reviews>

Alexandratos, Nikos (ed.) World Agriculture: Towards 2010. An FAO Study Apffel-Marglin, Frédérique and Marglin, Stephen A. (eds) Decolonizing Knowledge: From Development to Dialogue Brown, Lester R. Tough Choices. Facing the Challenge of Food Scarcity Brown, Lester R. Who Will Feed China? Wake-Up Call for a Small Planet Brown, Lester R., Renner, Michael and Flavin, Christopher Vital Signs 1997 Datt, Gaurav Bargaining Power, Wages and Employment: An Analysis of Agricultural Labour Markets in India Eyzaguirre, Pablo Agriculture and Environmental Research in Small Countries FAO The Sixth World Food Survey Garnaut, Ross, Shutian, Guo and Guonan, Ma (eds) The Third Revolution in the Chinese Countryside Georgiou, Stavros, Whittington, Dale, Pearce, David and Moran, Dominic Economic Values and the Environment in the Developing World Hermes, Niels and Lensink, Robert (eds) Financial Development and Economic Growth: Theories and Experiences from Developing Countries Howe, John Transport for the Poor or Poor Transport? Hulme, David and Edwards, Michael (eds) NGOs, States and Donors: Too Close for Comfort? International Food Policy Research Institute, A 2020 Vision for Food, Agriculture and the Environment Laothamatas, Anek (ed.) Democratization in Southeast and East Asia Ling, Zhu and Zhongyi, Jiang Public Works and Poverty Alleviation in Rural China MacPherson, Stewart and Cheng, Joseph Y.S. (eds) Economic and Social Development in South China Manzungu, Emmanuel and van der Zaag, Pieter (eds) The Practice of Smallholder Irrigation: Case Studies from Zimbabwe Mitchell, Donald O., Ingco, Merlinda D. and Duncan, Ronald C. The World Food Outlook Peebles, Gavin and Wilson, Peter The Singapore Economy Rapley, John Understanding Development: Theory and Practice in the Third World Roett, Riordan (ed.) The Mexican Peso Crisis: International Perspectives Schelhas, J. and Greenberg, Russell (eds) Forest Patches in Tropical Landscapes Schlyter, Ann (ed.) A Place to Live: Gender Research on Housing in Africa Sumberg, J. and Okali, C. Farmers’ Experiments: Creating Local Knowledge Worldwatch Institute The State of the World 1997 Young, E.M. World Hunger Yugandhar, B.N. (ed.) Land Reforms in India. Vol. 3: Andhra Pradesh — People’s Pressure and Administrative Innovations     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article: The Consequences of Modernity Anthony Giddens Against Postmodernism: A Marxist Critique A. Callinicos Reactions to the Right Barry Hindess (ed.) The Mode of Information: Poststructuralism and Social Context Mark Poster Media Theory: An Introduction F. Inglis Comic Visions: Television Comedy and American Culture David Marc, Unwin Hyman On Record: Rock, Pop and the Written Word Simon Frith and Andrew Goodwin (eds) The Tourist Gaze: Leisure and Travel in Contemporary Societies John Urry Interpreting the Past, Understanding the Present Stephen Kendrick, Pat Straw and David McCrone, (eds) Hard Lessons: The Lives and Education of Working-class Women in Nineteenth-Century England June Purvis New Professions, Old Order: Engineers und German Society 1815–1914 Kees Gispen We are not French! Language, Culture and Identity in Brittany M. MacDonald After 200 Years. Photographic Essays of Aboriginal and Islander Australia Today Penny Taylor (ed.), for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies Home Ownership: Differentiation and Fragmentation Ray Forrest, Alan Murie and Peter Williams, Unwin Hyman Property and Power in a City: The Sociological Significance of Landlordism. D. McCrone and B. Elliott Women, Poverty and Ideology in Asia: Contradictory Pressures, Uneasy Resolutions Haleh Afshar and Bina Agarwal, (eds) Women, Food and Families Nicki Charles and Marion Kerr Child Labour Alec Fyfe Unmasking Masculinity David Jackson, Unwin Hyman O Lorna!; Constituting a Self (1977–1984) Kurt H. Wolff     

Book Reviews

Ahmed, Belal and Afroz, Sultana The Political Economy of Food and Agriculture in the Caribbean Ake, Claude Democracy and Development in Africa Bhagwati, Jagdish N. and Hudec, Robert E. (eds) Fair Trade and Harmonization: Prerequisites for Free Trade? Volume 1: Economic Analysis; Volume 2: Legal Analysis Clüsener-Godt, M. and Sachs, I. (eds) Brazilian Perspectives on Sustainable Development of the Amazon Region Cromwell, Elizabeth Governments, Farmers and Seeds in a Changing Africa Engberg-Pedersen, Poul, Gibbon, Peter, Raikes, Phil and Udsholt, Lars (eds) Limits of Adjustment in Africa: The Effects of Economic Liberalization Gibbon, Peter and Olukoshi, Adebayo O. Structural Adjustment and Socio-Economic Change in Sub-Saharan Africa: Some Conceptual, Methodological and Research Issues Hook, Steven (ed.), Foreign Aid Toward the Millennium Hossain, Akhtar and Chowdhury, Anis Monetary and Financial Policies in Developing Countries: Growth and Stabilisation Kapur, Ratna and Cossman, Brenda Subversive Sites: Feminist Engagements with Law in India Keller, Edmond J. and Rothchild, Donald (eds) Africa in the New International Order: Rethinking State Sovereignty and Regional Security Leach, Melissa and Mearns, Robin (eds) The Lie of the Land: Challenging Received Wisdom on the African Environment Nonneman, Gerd (ed.) Political Liberalization: Dynamics and Linkages in Comparative Perspective Reij, Chris, Scoones, Ian and Toulmin, Camilla (eds) Sustaining the Soil: Indigenous Soil and Water Conservation in Africa Shukri, Shirin J.A. Arab Women: Unequal Partners in Development Stokke, Olav (ed.) Foreign Aid Towards the Year 2000: Experiences and Challenges Tarp, Finn and Brixen, Peter The South African Economy: Macroeconomic Prospects for the Medium Term     

Book reviews

Handbook of Sociology Neil J. Smelser (ed.) Culture and Agency: the place of culture in social theory Margaret S. Archer Trust: Making and Breaking Cooperative Relations Diego Gambetta (ed.) Global Restructuring and Territorial Development Jeffrey Henderson and Manuel Castells (eds) Capitalism and Unfree Labour: Anomaly or Necessity? R. Miles Multi-Racist Britain P. Cohen and H.S. Bains, (eds) The Free Economy and the Strong State: the Politics of Thatcherism Andrew Gamble The New Right: Politics. Markets and Citizenship Desmond King The Politics of Local Government Gerry Stoker J. Baudrillard. Selected Writings edited and introduced by Mark Poster Science, Technology and Social Change Steven Yearley The Culture of Capital: Art, Power and The Nineteenth-Century Middle Class Janet Wolff and John Seed (eds) Microdrcuits of Capital: ‘Sunrise’ Industry and Uneven Development Kevin Morgan and Andrew Sayer The Economics of Television: The UK Case Richard Collins, Nicholas Garnham, Gareth Locksley Teenagers and Teenpics: The Juvenilization of American Movies in the 1950s Thomas Doherty The Abolitionists: The Family and Marriage Under Attack Ronald Fletcher Problems of Childhood and Adolescence Michael Kerfoot and Alan Butler Within School Walls: the Role of Discipline, Sexuality and the Curriculum Ann Marie Wolpe Education, Training and the New Vocationalism Andrew Pollard, June Purvis and Geoffrey Walford (eds) The Sociology of Old Age Graham Fennell, Chris Phillipson and Helen Evers Joining Forces: Police Training, Socialization and Occupational Competence Nigel G, Fielding The Regulation of Madness: The Origins of Incarceration in France Robert Castel ‘Am I that Name?’: Feminism and the Category of ‘Women’ in Denise Riley Nonsexist Research Methods: a Practical Guide Margrit Eichler, Allen and Unwin Doing Research in Organisations Alan Bryman (ed.)     

Book Review

Book reviewed in this article: Postmodern Ethics: Zygmunt Bauman Baroque Reason: The Aesthetics of Modernity: Christine Buci-Glucksmann translated by Patrick Damiller Foucault's New Domains: Mike Gane and Terry Johnson (eds) Sociology in Question: Pierre Bourdieu, trans. Richard Nice Max Weber's Comparative Historical Sociology: S. Kalberg. Psychoanalytic Theory: An Introduction: Anthony Elliott The Art of Conversation: Peter Burke Understanding Social Theory: Derek Layder Motherhood and Modernity: An Investigation into the Rational Dimension of Mothering: Christine Everingham Friendly Relations? Mothers and their daughters-in-law: P. Cotterill, Taylor-Francis Single Women: On the Margins?: Tuula Gordon, Macmillan, Basingstoke Erotics and Politics: Gay Male Sexuality, Masculinity and Feminism: Tim Edwards Understanding Poverty: P. Alcock, Macmillan, Basingstoke Social Change and the Experience of Unemployment: Duncan Gallie, et al. (eds) Dangerous Classes: The Underclass and Social Citizenship: Lydia Morris Masters and Servants: Class and Patronage in the Making of a Labour Organisation: Huw Beynon and Terry Austrin Inside European Identities: Ethnography in Western Europe Sharon Macdonald, (ed.) Soviet Nationality Policy, Urban Growth and Identity Change in the Ukrainian SSR 1923–34: George O. Liber Football, Violence and Social Identity: Richard Giulianotti, Norman Bonney and Mike Hepworth (eds) Natural Relations. Ecology, Animal Rights and Social Justice: Ted Benton, Verso The Most Solitary of Afflictions: Madness and Society in Britain 1700–1900: Andrew Scull Time and Money: The Making of Consumer Culture: Gary Cross     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed: David A., McDonald (ed.) On Borders: Perspectives on International Migration in Southern Africa Willem, van der Geest and Ralph, van der Hoeven (eds) Adjustment, Employment and Missing Institutions in Africa: Experience in Eastern and Southern Africa Nils, Bhinda; Stephany, Griffith‐Jones; Jonathan, Leape and Matthew, Martin Private Capital Flows to Africa: Perception and Reality David, M. Anderson and Vigdis, Broch‐Due (eds) The Poor Are Not Us: Poverty and Pastoralism in Eastern Africa Ernest, Aryeetey; Jane, Harrigan and Machiko, Nissanke (eds) Economic Reforms in Ghana: The Miracle and the Mirage Elizabeth, Francis Making a Living: Changing Livelihoods in Rural Africa Janet, MacGaffey and Rémy, Bazenguissa‐Ganga Congo‐Paris: Transnational Traders on the Margins of the Law Hernando, De Soto The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else Martha, C. Nussbaum Women and Human Development: The Capabilities Approach Sakuntala, Narasimhan Empowering Women: An Alternative Strategy from Rural India Kamal, Siddiqui Jagatpur 1977‐1997: Poverty and Social Change in Rural Bangladesh T. N., Srinivasan Eight Lectures on India's Economic Reforms Govindan, Parayil (ed.) Kerala: The Development Experience – Reflections on Sustainability and Replicability Joseph, Mullen (ed.) Rural Poverty, Empowerment and Sustainable Livelihoods Martin, Qaim; Anatole, F. Krattiger and Joachim, von Braun (eds) Agricultural Biotechnology in Developing Countries: Towards Optimizing the Benefits for the Poor M., Collinson (ed.) A History of Farming Systems Research Judith, Randel; Tony, German and Deborah, Ewing (eds) The Reality of Aid 2000: An Independent Review of Poverty Reduction and Development Assistance     

Total testosterone levels are correlated to metabolic syndrome components

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a constellation of interrelated risk factors of metabolic origin. Some studies suggest a possible link between low total testosterone (TT) levels and the presence of MetS.

Aim: To analyze the strength and independence of associations between TT and MetS components in non-diabetic men.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 143 non-diabetic men older than 40 were analyzed.

Main outcomes measure: Blood samples were collected to evaluate metabolic profile and TT levels. MetS was defined as the presence of three or more of the following characteristics: fasting blood glucose levels?≥?100?mg/dL, triglyceride?≥?150?mg/dL, HDL-c??102?cm.

Results: Mean age of the study population was 61.5?±?8.61 years old. MetS was present in 47.9% of the individuals. Thirty-four men had low TT and MetS was observed in 23 (70%) against 50 (46%) in those with normal TT (≥?300?ng/dL) (OR 4.94, p?p?=?0.03) and HDL-c (Beta: 0.19; p?=?0.04) remained significantly correlated with TT levels.

Conclusions: Low TT levels were associated with MetS diagnosis. Abdominal obesity was the MetS component independently correlated to low TT levels.     

Book reviews

Homo Academicus Pierre Bourdieu (translated by Peter Collier) Feminism as Critique Seyla Benhabib and Drucilla Cornell (eds). Erving Goffman: Exploring the Interaction Order Paul Drew and Anthony Wootton, (eds). On Durkheim’s Rules of Sociological Method Mike Gane The Shaking of the Foundations Ronald Fletcher Rethinking the Life Cycle Alan Bryman, Bill Bytheway, Patricia Allatt and Teresa Keil The World We Created at Hamilton High Gerald Grant From School to Unemployment: The Labour Market for Young People P. N. Junankar (ed.) Political Parties: Organization and Power Angelo Panebianco Intercorporate Relations: The Structural Analysis of Business Mark S. Mizruchi and Michael Schwartz (eds) A Divided Working Class: Ethnic Segmentation and Industrial Conflict in Australia Constance Lever-Tracy and Michael Ouinlan John Bull’s Island: Immigration and British Society, 1871-1971 Colin Holmes The Burden of Representation: Essays on Photographies and Histories John Tagg Black Culture, White Youth: the Reggae tradition from JA to UK Simon Jones Constructive Drinking: Perspectives on Drink from Anthropology M. Douglas (ed.) Quantity and Quality in Social Research Alan Bryman, Unwin Hyman Exploring Data: An Introduction to Data Analysis for Social Scientists Catherine Marsh     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed: Edward, Clay and Olav, Stokke (eds) Food Aid and Human Security Action Against, Hunger The Geopolitics of Hunger 2000‐2001: Hunger and Power Lavan, Mahadeva and Gabriel, Sterne (eds) Monetary Policy Frameworks in a Global Context Ahmed, Al‐Kawaz (ed.) New Economic Developments and their Impact on Arab Economies Jeffrey, Kentor Capital and Coercion: The Economic and Military Processes that have Shaped the World Economy, 1800‐1990 Carlos M., Correa Intellectual Property Rights, the WTO and Developing Countries: The TRIPS Agreement and Policy Options V., Santaniello; R.E., Evenson; D., Zilberman and G.A., Carlson (eds) Agriculture and Intellectual Property Rights: Economic, Institutional and Implementation Issues in Biotechnology Sheila, Page Regionalism Among Developing Countries Sheila, Page (ed.) Regions and Development: Politics, Security and Economics Pierre, Engelbert State Legitimacy and Development in Africa Mats, Berdal and David M., Malone (eds) Greed and Grievance: Economic Agendas in Civil Wars M. Shahid, Alam Poverty from the Wealth of Nations: Integration and Polarization in the Global Economy since 1760 Lester R., Brown; Gary, Gardner and Brian, Halweil Beyond Malthus: Nineteen Dimensions of the Population Challenge Richard, Drayton Nature's Government: Science, Imperial Britain and the ‘Improvement of the World’ Frank, Ellis Rural Livelihoods and Diversity in Developing Countries Philip, Woodhouse; Henry, Bernstein and David, Hulme (eds) African Enclosures? The Social Dynamics of Wetlands‐in‐Drylands Peter P., Schweitzer; Megan, Biesele and Robert K., Hitchcock (eds) Hunters and Gatherers in the Modern World: Conflict, Resistance and Self‐Determination Edna P., Bonacich and Richard P., Appelbaum Behind the Label: Inequality in the Los Angeles Apparel Industry Ian F., Grant and Chris, Sear (eds) Decision Tools for Sustainable Development Claude, Markovits The Global World of Indian Merchants, 1750‐1947: Traders of Sind from Bukhara to Panama     

Association between testosterone levels and the metabolic syndrome in adult men

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between testosterone levels and the metabolic syndrome (MS) in men older than 45 years.

Methods: Six hundred and sixty men (45–70 years) selected from 2906 participants of a population screening for prostate cancer were included in this study. Testosterone and the components of MS were assessed in all men. MS was diagnosed according to NCEP-ATP III criteria. Triglycerides (TG)/HDL-cholesterol (chol) index was calculated.

Results: The presence of MS was inversely associated with testosterone (χ², p?<?0.001), independently of age (OR 0.802, CI 95%: 0.724–0.887, p?<?0.0001). Hypertension was the most frequent abnormality observed followed by elevated TG and waist circumference (WC). Testosterone correlated positively with HDL-chol (r: 0.14, p?<?0.0001) and negatively with body mass index (BMI)(r: ?0.29, p?<?0.0001), WC (r: ?0.26, p?<?0.0001), TG (r: ?0.20, p?<?0.0001), TG/HDL-chol (r: ?0.20, p?<?0.0001), glucose (r: ?0.11, p?=?0.005) and MS score (r: ?0.23, p?<?0.0001).

Conclusions: Our results show that in men older than 45 years, as long as testosterone levels decline, the prevalence of MS increases, independently of age. The correlations found between testosterone and four of the five components of MS, as well as with BMI and TG/HDL-chol ratio, a surrogate marker of insulin resistance, suggest considering male hypogonadism as a determinant of developmental abnormalities typical of MS.     

The Movement Of People And The Adoption Of Other Cultures: the neodiffusionism of Ammerman and Cavalli-Sforza

ROXANA WATERSON The living house: an anthropology of architecture in South-East Asia. Singapore: Oxford University Press. 1990. xix, 263pp., bibliography, colour plates, figures, index, maps. $49.50 (hardback) ISBN 0 19 588941 X.

BARRETT L. McCORMICK Political reform in post-Mao China: democracy and bureaucracy in a Leninist state. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1990. xiii, 222pp., select bibliography, index. US$34.95 (hardback) ISBN 0 520 06765 7.

UNNI WIKAN Behind the veil in Arabia: women in Oman. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 1991. xiii, 314 pp., illustrations, appendix, references, index. US$14.95 (paper) ISBN 0 226 89683 8.

JANA SAWTCKI Disciplining Foucault: feminism, power and the body. New York &; London: Routiedge. 1991. xiii, 130pp., notes, index. $25.95 (paper) ISBN 0 415 90188 X.

LAMONT LINDSTROM Knowledge and power in a South Pacific society (Smithsonian Series in Ethnographic Inquiry). Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press. 1990. xvi, 224pp., references, index. US$29.95 (hardback) ISBN 0 87474 365 6; US$16.95 (paper) ISBN 0 87474 357 5.

MICHAEL J. LEAHY Explorations into highland New Guinea 1930-1935 (edited by Douglas E. Jones and with a foreword by Jane C. Goodale). Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press. 1991. xiii, 254pp., plates, index. US$19.95 (paper) ISBN 0 8173 0446 0.

EDWARD L. SCHIEFFLIN and ROBERT CRITTENDEN (with contributions by Bryant Allan et al.) Like people you see in a dream: first contact in six Papuan societies. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 1991. xviii, 325pp., notes, maps, illustrations, appendixes, bibliography, index. $39.50 (hardback) ISBN 0 08047 1662 5; $12.95 (paper) ISBN 0 08047 1899 7.

MARION MELK-KOCH Auf der Suche nach der menschlichen Gesellschaft: Richard Thurnwald. Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag. 1989. 352pp., maps, plates, bibliography. DM68 (hardback) ISBN 3 496 003276 6.

JOHN CONNELL and RICHARD HOWITT (eds) Mining and indigenous peoples in Australasia. Sydney: Sydney University Press in association with Oxford University Press. 1991. x, 205pp., maps, figures, tables, references, index. $22.95 (paperback) ISBN 0 424 00177 2.

L.M. ALLEN, J.C. ALTMAN and E. OWEN (with assistance from W.S. Arthur) Aborigines in the economy: a select annotated bibliography of policy-relevant research 1985-90. Canberra: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (Research Monograph No. 1). xxii, pp.242, appendixes, indexes. $20.00 (hardback) ISBN 0 7315 1199 9.

EDWARD SAPIR The collected works of Edward Sapir, Vol. 5: American Indian languages, 1 (volume editor William Bright). Berlin &; New York: Mouton de Gruyter. 1990. 584pp., plate, map, appendix, references. DM220 or US$99 (bound) ISBN 3 11 012327 4.

DICK GEERAERTS (editor-in-chief) Cognitive Linguistics Volume 1(1). Berlin &; New York: Mouton de Gruyter. 1990. 174pp., DM42 (single issue, paper) DM154 (4 issues) ISSN 0936 5907.

WILLIAM F. HANKS Referential practice: language and lived space among the Maya. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 1990. xxiii, 580pp., tables, plates, references, indexes. US$27.50 (paper) ISBN 0 226 31546 0; US$65 (hardback) ISBN 0 226 31545 2.     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed in this article: Grenoble, Leonore A. and Whaley, Lindsay J. (eds) Endangered Languages: Current Issues and Future Prospects van Dijk, Theun A (ed.) Discourse Studies: A Multidisciplinary Introduction. Volume 1: Discourse as Structure and Process. Volume 2: Discourse as Social Interaction Flowerdew, John The Final Years of British Hong Kong: The Discourse of Colonial Withdrawal gumperz, john j. and Levinson, Stephen C. (edds) Rethinking Linguistic Relativity Wodak, Ruth The Disorders of Discourse Clyne, Michael Undoing and Redoing Corpus Planning Bakker, Peter A Language of Our Own: The Genesis of Michif, the Mixed Cree-French Language of the Canadian Me´tis Ewers, Traute The Origin of American Black English: Be-Forms in the Hoodoo Texts Stevenson, Patraick The German Speaking World: A Practical Introduction to Sociolinguistic Issues Travers, Max The Reality of Law: Working and Talking in a Firm of Criminal Lawyers Gudykunst, William B., Ting-Toomey, Stella and Nishida, Tsukasa (eds) Communication in Personal Relationships Across Cultures     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Undoing the Social: Towards a Deconstructive Sociology Ann Game Reading Ethnographic Research Martyn Hammersley What Has Sociology Achieved? C.G.A. Bryant and N.A. Becker, (eds) Ideology and Utopia: An Introduction to the Sociology of Knowledge Karl Mannheim Knowledge and Politics: The Sociology of Knowledge Dispute Volker Meja and Nico Stehr, (eds) The Myths We Live By R. Samuel and P. Thompson Late Marxism: Adorno or the Persistence of the Dialectic F. Jameson Structures of Capital: The Social Organization of the Economy Sharon Zukin and Paul DiMaggio, (eds) From Boarding House to Bistro: the American Restaurant Then and Now Richard Pillsbury A Tale of Two Industries: The Contraction of Coal and Steel in the North East of England Huw Beynon, Ray Hudson and David Sadler Dependence and Autonomy, Women's Employment and the Family in Calcutta Hilary Standing Being Unemployed in Northern Ireland: An Ethnographic Study Leo Howe The State of Welfare: The Welfare State in Britain Since 1974 John Hills, (ed.) Doing Educational Research Geoffrey Walford, (ed.) Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood: Contemporary Issues in the Sociological Study of Childhood Allison James and Alan Prout, (eds) Young People's Understanding of Society Adrian Furnham and Barrie Stacey Common Culture: Symbolic Work at Play in the Everyday Cultures of the Young P. Willis Music as Social Text John Shepherd Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain 1841–1991 S.W.F. Holloway Social Science Perspectives on Medical Ethics George Weisz, (ed.)     

Circulating testosterone and estradiol,autonomic balance and baroreflex sensitivity in middle-aged and elderly men with heart failure

Abstract

Background: Heart failure (HF) is considered as a cardiogeriatric syndrome. Its fundamental pathophysiological feature is autonomic imbalance (and associated abnormalities within cardiovascular reflex control), but recent evidence suggests the involvement of deranged hormone metabolism. Both these neural and endocrine pathologies have serious clinical and prognostic consequences in patients with HF. We investigated the relations between autonomic status, baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and hormone status in men with mild systolic HF.

Methods: We examined 46 men with stable systolic HF (age: 62?±?10 years, NYHA class I/II: 10/36 [22%/78%], ischemic aetiology: 72%, left ventricular ejection fraction: 32?±?8%). Serum hormone levels (i.e. total testosterone [TT], dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate [DHEAS], oestradiol [E2], insulin-like growth factor type 1 [IGF-1] and cortisol) were assessed using immunoassays. Estimated free testosterone (eFT) was estimated using the Vermeulen’s equation. Heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed in time and frequency domains, based on 10-min resting recordings. BRS was estimated using the sequence method (BRS-Seq) and the phenylephrine test (BRS-Phe).

Results: Deficiencies in circulating TT, eFT, DHEAS and IGF-1 (defined as a serum hormone ≤the 10th percentile calculated for the adequate age category in the cohort of healthy men) were found in respectively 13%, 30%, 55% and 93% of men with systolic HF. Serum SHBG ≥50?nmol/L and cortisol ≥700?nmol/L characterised, respectively 44% and 29% of men with HF. In multivariable models after the adjustment for clinical variables, the following relationships were found in examined men: DHEAS and SDNN (time domain of HRV defined as a standard deviation of average R–R intervals) (β?=?0.29, p?=?0.03); E2 and: HRV-LF (ms²) (β?=?0.37, p?=?0.01), HRV-HF (ms²) (β?=?0.44, p?=?0.02) and BRS-Phe (β?=?0.51, p?=?0.008); TT and: HRV-HF (%) (β?=?0.35, p?=?0.02), HRV-LF/HF ratio (β?=??0.35, p?=?0.02) and BRS-Seq (β?=?0.33, p?=?0.04).

Conclusions: The observed associations between reduced circulating androgens, oestrogens and lower HRV and depleted BRS, irrespectively of HF severity suggest the pathophysiological links between these two mechanisms. These results constitute the premises to investigate whether the pharmacological supplementation of depleted hormones would enable to restore the autonomic balance and improve the efficacy of reflex control within the cardiovascular system in men with systolic HF.     

Book reviews

Books reviewed in this article: Sociological Theory in Transition, Mark L. Wardell and Stephen P. Turner (eds) The Category of Person, M. Carrithers, S. Collins and S. Lukes (eds) Social Relations and Spatial Structures, Derek Gregory and John Urry (eds) Nicos Poulantzas Marxist Theory and Political Strategy, Bob Jessop The View from Afar, Claude Lévi-Strauss New Approaches to Economic Life, Bryan Roberts, Ruth Finnegan and Duncan Gallie (eds) Cities in Crisis: the political economy of urban development in postwar Britain, Gareth Rees and John Lambert The Politics of Recession, R.W. Johnson Landscapes of Poverty, Jeremy Seabrook The Decline of Class Voting in Britain: Changes in the Basis of Electoral Choice, 1964–1983, Mark N. Franklin How Britain Votes, Anthony Heath, Roger Jowell and John Curtice Skilled Workers In the Class Structure, Roger Penn Managing the Police: Law, Organisation and Democracy, David Bradley, Neil Walker and Roy Wilkie Teachers' Work, R.W. Connell Sociology and School Knowledge: Curriculum theory, research and politics, Geoff Whitty Literacy in theory and practice, Brian V. Street Literacy, Language and Learning, David R. Olson, Nancy Torrance and Angela Hildyard (eds) Urban Rhythms: Pop Music and Popular Culture, Iain Chambers Painting, Language and Modernity, Michael Phillipson Advertising, The Uneasy Persuasion: Its dubious impact on American society, Michael Schudson, 1985 The Childless Marriage: an exploratory study of couples who do not want children, Elaine Campbell Sexuality and its Discontents: Meanings, myths and modern sexualities, Jeffrey Weeks