Capsules

P: Two artificial steroid hormones, made by Schering Corp., show great promise against rheumatoid arthritis. Named metacortandralone and metacortandracin, they are two to four times as powerful as cortisone and hydrocortisone and seem to produce fewer undesirable side effects. They may be generally available next summer.

P: A bedside blood test that any family doctor can perform in a couple of minutes has been devised by George Washington University researchers for victims of certain kinds of heart and artery diseases. Hitherto, treatment with anticlotting drugs like Dicumarol and Tromexan meant that patients had to go to a hospital every day; the simplified test means that the drugs can be used more conveniently for more cases.

P: With funds from cigarette manufacturers, the Tobacco Industry Research Committee (TIME, Jan. 11) made six grants totaling $82,000, mostly to university research teams, for work on the relationship between tobacco tars and cancer. The committee pledged itself not to interfere with the projects, and the scientists will have full freedom to publish whatever they find out.

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