Arthralgia was the major adverse reaction encountered in a clinical trial of the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis with three short-course regimens containing pyrazinamide in South Indian patients. The first regimen was of rifampicin, streptomycin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide given daily for three months; the second was of the same four drugs daily for three months followed by streptomycin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide twice-weekly for two months, and the third was the same as the second except that rifampicin was not administered. Arthralgia was reported in 38% of 353 rifampicin patients and 66% of 179 non-rifampicin patients, a highly significant difference (p<0.001). The onset of arthralgia was mostly during the first two months of chemotherapy. The knees were affected in about 90% followed by the ankles in about 50% of the patients with arthralgia, and about 60% of these patients had one or more of the signs, swelling, tenderness and limitation of joint movement. Chemotherapy was modified in 10 rifampicin and 15 non-rifampicin patients: the rest of the patients were managed with symptomatic treatment with analgesics. There was a two t o three fold increase in serum uric acid concentrations by the end of the first month and the concentrations were more or less stationary throughout the rest of the daily phase of treatment. The mean concentration during the daily phase of treatment in patients with arthralgia (0.482 mmoles/litre) was similar to that in those without arthralgia (0.484 mmoles/litre), while that in the rifampicin patients (0.476 mmoles/litre) was significantly lower (p=0.03) than that in the non-rifampicin patients (0.495 mmoles/litre).

A recording of forced expiration from the resting tidal end inspiratory level which may be called Forced Expiratory Capacity (FEC) is a simple and more convenient technique than the conventional Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) manoeuvre. From this tracing the volume expelled in one second (FEC1%) can be measured and expressed as a percentage of FEC (FEC1%). Asthmatics as well as old subjects find the manoeuvre easier to perform than the FVC as it does not involve a maximal inspiration before the expiratory effort. The FEC can be utilised for screening large population for detecting airway obstruction and as a routine pulmonary function test in patients.

A two months old severely ill child presenting with generalised lymphademopathy and hepatosplenomegaly of one and a half months duration was diagnosed to have disseminated tuberculosis. The grand mother was suffering from open tuberculosis and mother's chest radiographs were normal. A rare instance of generalised miliary disease manifesting at the age of 15 days is presented.

The transfer factor (TLCO) and the transfer coefficient (KCO) for carbon monoxide were measured by the single-breath method in eleven non-smoking college sportsmen. The mean transfer factor for whole lung in the college sportsmen was within normal limits when compared to predicted values of European descent; however, the transfer coefficient was high and is thought to be due to a rise in pulmonary capillary blood volume. It is postulated that continuous and prolonged training of Sportsmen causes recruitment of pulmonary capillaries and this causes increased capillary blood volume even at rest.

A case of guinea worm calcification in lung parenchyma in a middle aged female from an endemic district of Rajasthan is reported.

This is the case of a middle aged house wife who presented with vague chest pain, cough and expectoration of two months duration. Plain radiograph of chest showed multiple bilateral large circular radio-opaque shadows. She did not rear any pet dogs and Casoni's test was negative. In spite of this the possibility of multiple pulmonary hydatidosis was entertained. Bilateral antetolateral thoracotomy was done with enucleation of three hydatid cysts, followed by an uneventful recovery.

A case of bilateral involvement of the lungs in a non-diabetic healthy young male with culture positive klebsiella infection, clearing with ampicillin and cotrimoxazole is reported.

Prealbumin, a normal component of human serum is reported to be rich in the amino acid tryptophan. Its normal concentration is 28 to 35 mg per 100 ml. It is decreased in blood and biofluids in tuberculous conditions. Blood-serum in pulmonary tuberculosis, cerebrospinal fluid (C.S.F) in tuberculous meningitis, pleural fluid in tuberculous effusion and ascitic fluid in tuberculous peritonitis did not show prealbumin, when examined by polyacrylsmide gel disc electrophoresis. Tryptophan is reported to accumulate in C.S.F. in tuberculous meningitis. In pulmonary tuberculosis, once treatment was restored to, no decrease of prealbumin levels in blood-serum, was observed.