in the patient's preference of the two treatment groups or in the number of times they used their bronchodilator aerosol, or in the forced expiratory volume in one second, vital capacity, or peak expfratory flow rate in the two treatment groups. The plasma cortisol levels when the patients were on the aerosol were much higher than when they were on prednisolone. The use of inhaled aerosol steroids seems to be preferable as it eliminates the usual complications of oral steroid therapy.

The clinical efficacy of xamoterol, alpha beta 1-adrenoceptor partial agonist, was determined in a multicentre double-blind, randomized, parallel group study of 240 patients with mild to moderate heart failure. At entry, 62% of patients were receiving diuretics (thiazides, or loop diuretics at a dose no greater than the equivalent of 80 mg of frusemide); 32% were taking nitrate formulations and 14% digoxin for control of atrial fibrillation. Assessments were carried out after a 1-week placebo run-in and after 3 months of treatment with either xamoterol or placebo. 198 patients completed the study of whom 186 had valid exercise tests. Mean exercise duration increased by 7% after placebo and by 19% after xamoterol during a progressive treadmill exercise protocol. Xamoterol significantly reduced peak exercise heart rate compared with placebo. Subjectively, there was improvement in breathlessness on the visual analogue scale after treatment with xamoterol compared with placebo, but no change in fatigue. We conclude that xamoterol produces sustained improvement in symptoms and exercise duration in mild to moderate heart failure.

No abstract

15-methyl prostaglandin F2 alpha was administered by intramuscular injection to thirty patients to terminate pregnancy in the mid-trimester. Termination was considered successful if this occurred within 24 hours and this was so in twenty-seven cases (90%). There were no serious complications. prochlorperazine mesylate and diphenoxylate hydrochloride reduced the incidence and severity of vomiting and diarrhoea.