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FYI, since there's been discussion about this. Sarita *** Loss of smell may offer clues about Parkinson's Most patients with Parkinson's disease have trouble smelling, which could offer clues to the cause and diagnosis of the disease, British researchers reported Monday. Neurologist Christopher Hawkes said tests comparing 96 Parkinson's patients with 96 healthy volunteers showed measurable damage to the olfactory, or smelling, system. Smell was impaired in 70 to 90 percent of Parkinson's patients, they found. Smell-tests could be used to help diagnose Parkinson's and other brain-damaging diseases such as Alzheimer's. For the full text story, see http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2898457-bca -------------------------------------------------------- I'm not too sure why, but I thought this might be of interest: --------------------------------------------------- Hopkins: Reducing Hand Tremors In Eye Surgeons It's easy to see why eye surgeons have some of the steadiest hands in the business. The operations are delicate, and most of us aren't too wild about having medical instruments brandished near our eyes. A new Johns Hopkins study finds that a drug commonly used for heart problems also reduces the tiny hand tremors that can afflict even surgeons. Seventeen surgeons volunteered to test propranolol. They found that the drug gave them steadier hands and a slower heart rate without noticeable side effects. Hopkins retinal surgeon Dr. Dante Pieramici called the results an eye-opener, but he doesn't think doctors should rely on it. "I think we're making a big leap to say that this study has shown that surgeons should use this stuff," says Dr. Pieramici, "because we really haven't proven that it's going to improve the surgery. We've only demonstrated that it's going to reduce a small amount of physiologic tremor." Dr. Pieramici says hand tremors are not a serious problem for most eye surgeons. And he notes that the things no drug can give - experience and judgment - count most of all. Copyright 1997 The Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.