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was found less useful than predni- sone in treating 22 patients suf- fering from such connective tissue diseases as svstemic lupus erythe- matosus and polymvositis. Gold treatment can be of benefit to ntan.• children suffering from the chronic progressive form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis which is unre- sponsive to the usual ccroservati,,e methods of treatment, according to Los Angeles researchers. 1)rs. Raquel ~1. Hicks, Virgil Hanson, an(l Helen Kornreich told the meeting that the-,• had treated 40 patients Nvith this disease dur- ing the l,as; 10 years. They admin- istered one weekly iniection of gold sodium thiomalate-1 mg l>er kg oi Nveight-for 20 week-,, and then every 2 to 4 weeks thereafter for 2 years if there was improvement. Therapy had to be discontintted in 8 of the children due to a signifi- cant reduction in circulating granu- locN-tes or proteinuria. Nineteen of 30 patients suffering from systemic disease showed improvement. the researchers reported. Aspirin substitute?: Although aspirin has always been the anti- inrlammatorv analgesic of first choice in rheumatoid arthritis, it causes gastrointestinal bleeding in manN - patients when administered in the large doses required to control symptoms of this disease. A research group-headed by Dr. Harvey E. Golden o fthe Chicago Rledical School-told the meeting that choline salicylate appears to cause le;s g i bleeding than aspirin when administered to rheumatoid arthritis patients-while giving the saine beneficial results. The test included 26 patients, none of u•hom had taken corti- costeroicls during the previous 6 months. Half the patients were started on aspirin and the other half on choline salicylate. At the mid- point in the study, each group went on the other drug. Results indicated that most pa- tients showed more blood in their stools while on aspirin than while on the choline salicylate, regardless of which drug was given first. The research team concluded that "choline salicylate may be an alternative salicylate preparation to consider for the treatment of the rheumatdid ,patiient an 1Iwhom g.i. bleeding presents a problem." t I TELEPHARMEDIC S Thefirst vaccine designed to protect against both rubella (German measles) and mumps with a single injeotion has been approved by the government. Merck Sharp & Dohme is marketing it under the name "Biavax• " Anew male anti-fertility com ound, code-named U-5897, is being tested by Upj ohn. Oral or subcutaneous administration of the drug to rats caused them to lose their iertility in less than a week -- but they regained it within a week after treatment was stopped. Treated males showed no loss in libido. Don't take a sauna or steam bath while under the influence of alcohol or drugs such as anticoagulants, antihistamines, hypnotics, vasoconstrictors, vasodilators, narcotics, or tranquilizers, the Federal Trade Commission advises. The agency also says that people suffering from diabetes, heart trouble, or highblood pressure should avoid saunas. Aspirin does not damage chromosomes in human leukocytes, report 3 Hoffmann-LaRoche researchers who tested the effect of the drug on the white blood cells. Some recent studies offered preliminary evidence linking the analgesic with chromosome aberrations.  Hope that stroke victims may some day be able to regain use of paralyzed limbs is seen in experiments conducted by Dr. Lawrence Pinneo of Stanford. The scientist using computer-regulated electricity that is carried into damaged brain tissue on tiny wires, has been able to make a monkey lift food to its mouth with a paralyzed arm. a The best_ treatment for wood alcohol poisoning says Dr. A. M. Potts of the U of Chicago, is to give the patient large quantities of ethyl alcohol -- the stuff that's in whiskey or scotch. He explains that the bodily enzymes, which act on the wood alcohol to produce poisonous chemicals, are diverted by the ethyl alcohol until the body can excrete the poison. Scirncr • 47