This collection of stories from some of horror fiction's best authors will glue you to the page, but watch out; it may leave you too afraid to take the metro to work. In deep tunnels something stirs, borne on a warm breath of wind, reeking of diesel and blood. The spaces between stations hold secrets too terrible for the upper world to comprehend and the steel lines sing with the songs of the dead. Jonathan Oliver has collected together some of the very best in new horror writing in an themed anthology of stories set on, and around, the New York subway, the London underground, the Metro and other places deep below.

This fifth volume of Research Methods in Neurochemistry represents a milestone in that it marks almost a decade since the inception of the series. Over these ten years there has been an almost exponential growth in neuro chemistry accompanied by numerous technical developments. This is the justification for our series; inevitably we have only been able to cover a frac tion of the methodological innovations of the last decade, but we have tried as much as possible to create a balance between the different approaches and philosophies in the study of the chemical basis of brain function. Thus our original format of grouping chapters under various headings-for instance, studies in intact tissues as distinct from studies describing constituents and isolated enzymes-appears to be justified. Studies on whole animals or tissues retaining cellular organization are vital in providing insights into the neurochemical mechanism underlying functional processes; at the same time, the eventual understanding of function can only be attained on the basis of knowledge of the molecular architecture of the tissue. In the present volume, Oldendorfs chapter on the transport of radiolabeled metabolites across the blood-brain barrier illustrates one side of this equation, whereas Poduslo's chapter on the separation of oligo dendroglia cells provides new information on the role of these cells in myelogenesis and the distinctive chemical composition of glia as compared to neurons."

More than ever, the introduction of new methods or techniques serves to stimulate progress into understanding the structure and function of the nervous system. This axiom is exemplified by recent techniques that have revolutionized several branches of neurochemistry and promise to remain dominant for many years. Such developments underscore the need to remain abreast of new research strategies and provide further justification for the present series. The use of high performance liquid chromatography combined with bioassay methods provides a powerful technique for iso- lation and assay of trace amounts of neuropeptides. Two chapters in the present volume deal with this subject: one (Stenn and Lewis) describes the assay of enkephalins, and the other (Chretien and Seidah), on lipo- tropic peptides, includes procedures for structural analysis by microse- quencing. These methods rival earlier ones for peptide separations in speed, sensitivity, and cost and have general applicability in most labo- ratories. High performance liquid chromatography has also largely sup- planted earlier and more tedious procedures for the assay of catechola- mines, as described in Chapter 7 by Causon. As in earlier volumes, we have striven to retain a balance between studies on intact tissues and those on subcellular components.

The fourth volume of Research Methods in Neurochemistry includes chapters on different aspects of topics touched on in previous volumes and develops a number of new themes as well. The bias, though not entirely intended, is directed toward studies of macromolecules, both at the meta bolic level in relation to protein synthesis and at the structural level in rela tion to specific proteins and lipids. The new departures concern subjects in Section I with marked applied bias: biochemical studies of nervous system tumors and of the cerebrospinal fluid, both of which we hope will be of value to clinical as well as basic scientists. Biogenic amines and the enzymes involved in their metabolism figure again in Section II, where the powerful tool of mass spectrometry receives further treatment in relation to the analysis of dansyl derivatives of trace amines in the brain. Once again we remain grateful to the individual authors, both for their contributions and patience, and to Plenum Press for their continued interest and cooperation. Thanks are also due to colleagues and friends for their comments and criticisms on the series as a whole; suggestions for future volumes will always be welcome and should be sent to one of the editors. Richard Rodnight, London Neville Marks, New York March 1978 ix Contents Section I PROPERTIES OF INTACT NEURAL TISSUES Chapter 1 Biochemical Study of Tumors of the Nervous System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Norman Allen I. Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 II. Human Brain Tumors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 A. Autopsy Specimens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

This second volume of Research Methods in Neurochemistry develops themes featured in the first volume and also introduces new approaches to neurochemical methodology. A further chapter on cell separation tech- niques seemed justified in view of its general importance to the study of neurone-glia relationships and the complexity of the methodological prob- lems involved. Biogenic amines also receive more attention in chapters on the assay of monoamine oxidase, catechol-o-methyltransferase and pineal indoles; subcellular fractionation features again in chapters on methods for the isolation and study of brain mitochondria and synaptic vesicles. Among the new subjects dealt with in this volume, the chapter on cell culture per- haps represents the most distinctive departure from the themes of the first volume. Culture of neural tissue and cells has, of course, been studied by neurobiologists for several decades, but it is only recently that the neuro- chemical potential of this approach has begun to be exploited. We believe that neurochemists wishing to enter this field will find Dr. Herschman's extensive treatment of the subject in this volume of particular interest. Readers familiar with Volume 1 will note that the balance of subjects in this volume is broadly similar. Thus it has proved convenient to group the chapters under the same section headings as before, with the inclusion of chapters on amino acids in Section IV.

On picking up this first volume of a new series of books the reader may ask the two questions: (a) why research methods? and (b) why in neurochem istry? The answers to these questions are easy - they more than justify the volumes to come and show the strong need for their existence. It is customary to think of methods as a necessary but unexciting means to an end - to relegate advances in methodology to a minor role in the creative, original portion of advances in science. This is not the case; the pace-setting function of methodology is well illustrated in most areas of neurobiology. To formulate our questions to Nature (which is the essence of experimental design), methodology is needed; to get answers to our ques tions we have to devise yet new methods. The chapters of the present volume fully illustrate how the development of a new method can cut a new path how it can open new fields, just as the microscope founded histology. Heter ogeneity of structures presents a formidable challenge for methodology in the nervous system, yet methods for separating the structures are essential if we ever want to decipher the enigma of functional contribution of the ele ments to the whole. The problem is not only physical separation-clearly methods are essential to study complex structures in situ."

With the continued rapid expansion of neurochemical research, there has been no shortage of new developments in methodology for this third volume of Research Methods in Neurochemistry. As in previous volumes we have again tried to provide some balance in the subjects represented. The wisdom of this policy may be questioned since it can lead to delay in publica tion, but there are many approaches to the chemical study of the nervous system and a methods book needs to stand on its own as well as be part of a series. In one respect, however, the present volume departs from this policy, in that we have included two chapters on micromethods for analyzing amines and amino acids, both giving special emphasis to dansylation techniques. These chapters are complementary and we feel justified in publishing them in one volume in view of the importance of such micromethods for the study of neural systems. At the other end of the scale, particular attention may be drawn to the chapter by D. D. Gilboe and colleagues describing their remarkable procedures for studying metabolism in the isolated canine brain. We were fortunate also in persuading S. S. Oja to extend the general prin ciples of transport systems he described in Volume 2 to amino acids in brain slices. In addition, there are the usual chapters on components of neural tissues, which once again we have found convenient to divide into enzymes, macromolecules, and other constituents."

The city of London - whose gold-paved streets are lost in choking fog and echo to the trundling of plague-carts, whose twisting back alleys ring to cries of "Murder ," whose awful tower is stained with the blood of princes and paupers alike . . . The night stalker of Hammersmith . . . The brutal butchery of Holborn . . . The depraved spirit of Sydenham . . . The fallen angel of Dalston . . . The murder den of Notting Hill . . . The haunted sewer of Bermondsey . . . The red-eyed ghoul of Highgate . . . And many more chilling tales from Adam Nevill, Mark Morris, Christopher Fowler, Nina Allen, Nichaolas Royle, and other award-winning masters and mistresses of the macabre . . . Edited by Paul Finch, author of STALKERS.