Histological study of the 1M and IS joints in 125 ears from 86 individuals varying in age from infancy to 96 years showed arthritic changes which increased in severity with advancing age. The earliest changes in the articular cartilage consisted of fraying and fibrillation, followed by thinning and calcification. The joint capsule showed atrophy and hyalinization and the articular disc showed hyaline deposits in early cases and calcium deposits in severe cases. Audiograms which were available on 55 ears showed that arthritic changes in these joints did not impair sound transmission through the middle ear.

SUMMARY1. Primary afferent depolarization (PAD), with a time course comparable with that of the PAD following limb nerve stimulation, was produced in the cuneate nucleus by mechanical stimulation of the skin of the ipsilateral forepaw. Brushing or blowing on hairs was as effective as any other form of stimulation and there was a rapid adaptation to a sustained stimulus.Up to 55 % increase in excitability was produced by blowing on hairs.2. The P-wave and the PAD produced by mechanical stimulation were at a minimum in the rostral part of the cuneate nucleus and at a maximum 2-6 mm caudal to the obex.3. The distribution of the PAD produced in the gracile nucleus by blowing on the skin of the hind foot was studied by a technique allowing measurement of excitability changes near the terminals of single fibres. Minimal values were obtained rostral to the obex and maximal values 1-4 mm caudal to the obex, a distribution matching that previously determined for single cells subject to surround inhibition. 5. It is concluded that both pre-and post-synaptic inhibition must be concerned in the phenomenon of afferent surround inhibition, though there was no evidence to indicate their relative roles, qualitatively or quantitatively.6. It is shown that up to 20 % reduction in transmission through the P. ANDERSEN, B. ETHOLM AND G. GORDON gracile or cuneate nucleus could be produced by blowing on the ipsilateral hind paw or forepaw respectively, measured as reduction in the area of the monophasically recorded lemniscal response. A single electrical stimulus to the skin of the contralateral forepaw reduced transmission through the cuneate nucleus by less than 5 %.

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This multicentre, double-blind, randomized parallel-group study compared 3 weeks' treatment with either loratadine (Clarityn) 10 mg once daily, or clemastine (Tavegyl) 1 mg twice daily, and placebo in outpatients with active perennial allergic rhinitis. 155 patients were evaluated for efficacy and safety. Grading of four nasal and three non-nasal symptoms, rhinoscopy signs, and therapeutic response was performed on treatment days 6, 13, and 20. Patients recorded daily symptoms and possible adverse experiences in a diary, also indicating when symptoms of active rhinitis were relieved. Loratadine and clemastine were statistically significantly superior to placebo throughout the study (P less than 0.05), based on assessment of patients' nasal and eye symptoms, patients' diary scores, rhinoscopy signs of symptoms, and onset of relief. The loratadine group showed a statistically significantly (P less than 0.05) faster onset of relief of symptoms compared with the group treated with clemastine. Concerning nasal stuffiness, loratadine was significantly (P less than 0.05) superior to clemastine after 1 week's treatment. Reports of adverse reactions showed that significantly (P less than 0.05) more patients complained of sedation in the clemastine than in the loratadine group. Regarding other adverse experiences and laboratory tests, the three treatment groups were statistically comparable (P less than 0.05). The study showed that compared with placebo both loratadine and clemastine were effective in relieving nasal and eye symptoms in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. Loratadine was safe and well tolerated and was significantly less sedative than clemastine; loratadine may therefore possess an advantage in clinical use in the treatment of perennial allergic rhinitis.

A method which allows repeated micro-electrode recordings from subcortical structures without using any drugs is described. This method was adopted in combination with convential implantation techniques to study click-evoked potentials and inhibitory processes in the auditory system of the cat. The click-evoked potentials in MG were hardly affected by moderate doses of barbiturate and only to a minor degree in the auditory cortex. In the unanaesthetized animal the most significant contribution to the click-evoked inhibition in the auditory system was due to mechanisms in the MG. The inhibition was diminished both in size and duration as compared with the situation in anaesthetized cats. The MG cells showed a tendency to cyclic inhibition in the unanaesthetized cat, but not so regularly as following administration of sodium pentobarbital. The action of barbiturates on the auditory system is discussed.