Background -Corticosteroids suppress disease activity in pulmonary sarcoidosis and their use produces symptomatic, radiographic, and functional improvement. There is, however, uncertainty regarding their effects on the overall natural history of the condition and long term benefit is unproven.Methods -Patients with pulmonary radiographic shadowing due to sarcoidosis were recruited in a multicentre study. Those who, in the first six months after entry to the study, neither required prednisolone for symptoms nor showed radiographic improvement were allocated at six months to receive either long term steroid treat-

The smoking habits of 202 patients presenting with sarcoidosis, as recorded in the clinical case records, were compared with figures from the General Household Surveys (GHS) to determine whether there was any association between smoking habit and sarcoidosis. In 19 there was no record of smoking habit. Of the remaining 183 patients, 40 (21 9%) were smokers, which was significantly less than expected from the GHS figures (p < 0 001). This association between nonsmoking and sarcoidosis persisted despite further analysis by sex and age distribution and socioeconomic grouping. Statistical likelihood models showed that ex-smokers were similar to current smokers with respect to the association between smoking and sarcoidosis. This association was greatest in those patients with stage I sarcoidosis and less for those with other stages of the disease.

SUMMARYNo roots develop in cuttings from light-grown seedlings of Phaseolus aureus Roxb. without exogenous boron, irrespective of auxin pretreatment. Root numbers and lengths are severely restricted unless the supply of boron is optimal. When supplied in equal molarities, indolebutyric acid (IBA) is far more effective than indoleacetic acid in promoting root number. Very small visible roots do develop on cuttings from dark-grown seedlings in the absence of applied boron. The growth of such roots is promoted by boron although there is an inverse correlation between length and number. IBA is far less effective at increasing root number in cuttings of dark-grown seedlings.

SUMMARYThe promotion of rooting of cuttings of Phaseolus aureus by indolebutyric acid (IBA) occurs only when leaves are present. IBA may have some direct action on root initiation in the hypocotyl but its main action is in the leaves where it leads to an early increase m free sugars A later increase in sugars in the hypocotyl is largely dependent on exogenous boron which is essential for root development in cuttings of light-grown material. IBA also stimulates and boron promotes the accumulation of ^*C in hypocotyls when [i*C]sucrose is applied to the leaves. These events occur before roots develop on the hypocotyl. Illumination of the leaves of cuttings during the rooting treatment (IBA for 1 day, followed by boron for 6 days) is beneficial for root development. A progressive loss of response to IBA and boron by cuttings aged in water prior to the rooting treatment is greater in cuttings with leaves in the light during the period of ageing than with leaves in darkness. Possible roles of leaves, auxm and boron in rooting are discussed.

. (1977). Thorax, 32,[424][425][426][427][428]. Interaction between isoprenaline and aminophylline in asthma. Using a factorially designed study, 38 patients with bronchial asthma received a single dose of either isoprenaline by inhalation (9), aminophylline intravenously (10), isoprenaline and aminophylline (11), or placebo (8). The maximum expiratory flow (V max), the maximum expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity (V max5,), and the concentrations of plasma cyclic AMP were measured at time intervals up to two hours. The combination of isoprenaline and aminophylline acted synergistically in terms of the percent increase in V max50. However, this was statistically significant only at 20 minutes. Plasma cyclic AMP concentration rose with a similar time course of response to the changes in small airways. The elevations in plasma cyclic AMP observed with the drug combination were higher than those for the individual drugs at 10, 20, 30, and 60 minutes but these differences were not statistically significant. These observations support the concept that changes in bronchial smooth muscle tone are mediated by concentrations of cyclic nucleotides and that combinations of isoprenaline and aminophylline, rather than the administration of each drug separately, may have therapeutic advantages in the treatment of bronchial asthma.