In a double-blind trial prostacyclin was given to 12 of 23 patients undergoing coronary vein grafting. The treatment group showed a preservation of platelet number and function, with a halving of blood loss in the first 18 h postoperatively. The heparin sparing effect of prostacyclin was confirmed, as were the vasodilator effects which were not troublesome.

A vaccine against hepatitis B surface antigen (Institut Pasteur Production) was assessed in 138 haemodialysis patients in a placebo-controlled randomised double-blind trial. In an interim analysis, hepatitis B infections were observed in 21% of the vaccine group and 45% of the placebo group (p less than 0.02). 2 of the infections in the vaccine group and 12 of the infections in the placebo group occurred after the third injection. 60% of the vaccine recipients had an immune response. 4 months after the first injection the mean titre of anti-HBs was 120 mlU/ml.

The effect of five days of antibiotic prophylaxis with cefazolin injections (beginning just before surgery) on postoperative infections (beginning just before surgery) on postoperative infectious complications was evaluated in a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in nine centres on 2137 patients undergoing hip replacement. Antibiotic prophylaxis reduced the number of hip infections significantly from 3.3% (placebo) to 0.9% (cefazolin). Positive peroperative blood samples and positive bacteriological examination of the drain were risk factors for hip infection but the prognostic value of obesity, diabetes, or previous hip surgery was not confirmed. Development of a urinary infection was not related to hip infection. Hip infections were less common in the four centres with hypersterile operating theatres, and the benefits of prophylactic antibiotics were restricted to patients having hip replacement operations in conventional theatres.

The effects of intrarectal metronidazole and intraincisional povidone iodine on sepsis after emergency appendicectomy were compared in a double-blind randomised controlled trial in 496 patients. Wound sepsis occurred in 12.3% of metronidazole-treated patients compared with 24% in the povidone-iodine group and 23.5% in an untreated control group. The metronidazole-treated patients left hospital approximately 2 days earlier than patients in the other two groups. They returned to work sooner and receiver fewer visits from the district nursing service. A short six-dose course of metronidazole significantly reduces the wound-infection rate in patients over the age of 12 undergoing emergency appendicectomy. If the clinical and economic benefits of metronidazole shown by this study are confirmed, the drug should be considered for routine use in emergency appendicectomy.

Intravenous administration of nicotinic acid (25 mg), resulted in a readily reproducible facial flush. The development of this flush was inhibited by two prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors, indomethacin and benorylate, but was not affected by the administration of the opiate receptor antagonist naloxone. Indomethacin, the agent with the greater anti-prostaglandin activity, was markedly more effective than benorylate in inhibiting the nicotinic-acid-induced rise in facial temperature. These findings will be useful in the in vivo assessment of the activity of prostaglandin inhibitors.

The effects of single-donor (SD) and multiple-donor (MD) platelet transfusions in 34 cancer patients with severe thrombocytopenia and haemorrhages were compared in a randomised study. Platelet recovery values in both groups were similar after the first transfusion. After the second transfusion platelet recovery values were significantly better in those receiving SD transfusions. Platelet recovery values gradually declined with subsequent MD transfusions. These results suggest early alloimmunisation in the MD transfused patients only. MD transfusions were estimated to be no longer effective after about nine transfusions. Platelet recovery values were better indicators of early sensitisation than was the lymphocytotoxicity test. Restriction of the number of donors per transfusion may postpone the development of refractoriness to random-donor platelet transfusions in thrombocytopenic patients.

Ninety-eight patients with advanced ovarian cancer took part in a prospective, randomised trial comparing low-dose cisplatin and chlorambucil with low-dose cisplatin, chlorambucil, and doxorubicin. After 4 years response rates (greater than 50%) and proportion of complete remissions (28%) were similar in both groups. Median duration of remission was longest in the complete remitters, being 31 months in those having cisplatin and chlorambucil, and 24 months in those having doxorubicin as well.

The antihypertensive effect and metabolic side effects of bendroflumethiazide have been compared with those of propranolol in two randomly selected groups, of 53 previously untreated middle-aged men during 6 years' treatment for mild to moderately severe essential hypertension. The blood pressure-reduction was the same in the two groups. During the follow-up 1 man in the bendroflumethiazide group and 3 in the propranolol group died while 2, 1 on each treatment, became diabetic. None had gout but serum urate increased in both groups. Glucose tolerance improved significantly in both groups during the first year and this improvement was sustained for the follow-up period. Serum potassium did not differ in the two groups during the first 5 years but during the sixth year it decreased in the diuretic group. Total potassium was, however, unchanged in both groups. These results indicate that the frequency of metabolic side effects during diuretic treatment of mild to moderately severe essential hypertension is low and has been grossly exaggerated. Since the antihypertensive effect and side effects were equal with both drugs, and since the diuretics are cheaper, they should be the drug of first choice in this type of hypertension.

In the period 1968--78, 3161 children were enrolled in six studies of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia by participating institutions of the Childrens Cancer Study Group. In the first two studies, which did not include central-nervous-system (CNS) prophylaxis in the treatment programme, the outcome for male and female patients was very similar. In the following four studies, which included radiation prophylaxis to the CNS, a difference in outcome favouring females appeared consistently. This difference began about 6--12 months after initial remission and was further accentuated by withdrawal of therapy. Some of these studies also included a randomised trial of duration of therapy, studying 3 versus 5 years of maintenance treatment. Analysis of these studies suggests that sex group has implications both for duration of treatment and for optimum central-nervous-system prophylaxis.

Two studies were performed to compare the disposable liquid tuberculin PPD 'Imotest' with the Mantoux test. While there was a tester effect in the first study indicating the need for accurate application of the imotest, the results of the second study showed that the two tests were comparable in selecting truly positive and negative tuberculin reactors. Results were compared both by conventional methods and by a method new to tuberculin testing, the maximum likelihood technique. This method gives a more accurate estimate of false reaction rates. A significant difference was found between reading at 48 and 72 h for both tests. The acceptability and ease of reading of the imotest, with a tuberculin selectivity comparable to the Mantoux method, make it a suitable alternative tuberculin test, especially for screening large populations.