Twenty‐six patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus partially controlled by prednisone 30 mg daily or less were randomly selected to receive levamisole 150 mg weekly or placebo. Many patients showed increased disease activity over the 6‐month trial period, and most required increased steroid dosage. Those on levamisole did no better than those on placebo.

In a double-blind cross-over study the analgesic and anti-inflammatory action of ibuprofen 1600 mg/day in cases of rheumatoid arthritis has been compared with aspirin 4 g/day, metiazinic acid 1 .5 g/day and a placebo, lactose. Each compound was administered in identical capsules and in a totally randomised order to all patients studied. Assessment of the articular index, grip strength, knee score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and subjective improvement was made before and after one week's treatment with each drug. In the doses used in this trial, the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of metiazinic acid in rheumatoid arthritis, was found to be approximately equipotent to that of aspirin, while ibuprofen seemed to be slightly more potent and to cause fewer side-effects.

Occurrence of autoantibodies against nuclear material was compared in groups of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA n = 22), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE n = 24), osteoarthrosis (OA n = 25), and chronic schistosomiasis mansoni (CSM n = 28). Anti-ds DNA antibody was detected by an ammonium sulphate precipitation radioimmunoassay antibodies against extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) were detected and differentiated in RNAse-resistant and RNAse-sensitive components (Sm and RNP antigens) with an ELISA technique. IgG organ-non-specific and granulocyte-specific antinuclear antibodies (ANA) were detected by immunofluorescence technique with quantitative titration of positive reactions and determination of complement-fixing properties. The results in groups of patients with SLE, RA and OA were of confirmative nature and supported that the different methods detect different systems of autoantibodies and nuclear autoantigens. In CSM it was demonstrated that 23 of 28 cases had positive reactions to the RNAse-resistant part of ENA (the Sm-antigen), a significant difference from the three other groups of patients (P less than 0.001). The antibody was in all cases of IgM class, in seven cases also of IgA class. Antibodies against nuclear material in CSM are probably a consequence of heavy disturbance of the immune system in this chronic infection with great permanent antigen load. It is a matter of discussion, whether production of these antibodies is induced by nuclear material from the host or from the parasite.

A 4-weeks' double-blind, crossover study in 30 patients with definite or classical rheumatoid arthritis is reported using 300 mg ketoprofen per day and 150 mg indomethacin per day. Both drugs had similar effects upon the patients' subjective improvement of pain. Objectively, the results also suggest that ketoprofen may be more effective in reducing the articular index, i.e. a superior analgesic effect. Further studies are underway to assess the value of ketoprofen administered in high dosage for longer duration.