The influence of isosorbide dinitrate on hemodynamics and gas exchange was studied in 10 patients with coronary artery disease and 10 patients with chronic cor pulonale. A significant decrease in total pulmonary vascular resistance was found in both groups. This effect seemed mainly to be due to improved conditions for the left ventricle in the patients with coronary heart disease, while it could be explained by vasodilatation of the precapillary pulmonary resistive vessels in the patients with cor pulmonale. In the latter group, there was also a significant increase in the alveolo-arterial PO₂ gradient.

In a phase I study on the toxicity and toleration of alkyllysophospholipids, tumor and leukemia responses have been noted in the first treated patients. Six patients with solid malignomas of different histologic types and one patient with acute myeloid leukemia are evaluable so far. All of them suffered from metastatic or wide‐spread disease, were refractory to adequate polychemotherapy or other treatment modalities, or have been found untreatable because of poor general condition. Four cases revealed objective tumor and leukemia response with a minor response in a hypernephroma, two partial remissions in nonsmall cell bronchogenic carcinomas and reduction of leukemic blasts to less than 10% in acute myeloid leukemia. Limiting toxicity started with doses of 20 mg/kg given daily showing transient injury of renal and liver functions.

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A steady-state technique for measurement of lung volumes, using ¹³³Xe, a scintillation camera, and a data processing system, is described. Good agreement with the results, obtained by whole-body plethysmography was found except for patients with airway obstruction and/or trapped air. In this group, valuable physiological information about uneven ventilation, volume distribution and trapped air can be obtained, if one compares the results with the findings of whole-body plethysmography and single breath techniques

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