If there are strong clinical grounds for suspicion, standard laboratory tests for tuberculosis should be repeated even if initially negative.

The aim of this study is to determine whether the balance problems experienced by Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients may in part be due to dysfunctional processing of vestibular information, and to search for factors that may help predict the risk of falls. We evaluated the balance of 45 idiopathic PD patients and 20 healthy subjects by means of computerized dynamic posturography using sensory organization tests (SOT), rhythmic weight shift (RWS) tests and limits of stability (LOS) tests; and by the timed up-and-go (TUG) test. PD patients had poorer scores in the SOT than controls for overall balance and vestibular and visual inputs. They also performed worse in RWS and LOS tests, and were slower in performing the TUG test. Hoehn-Yahr stage did not correlate with vestibular input. Balance impairment in PD patients involves deteriorated processing of vestibular input, but this deterioration is independent of disease progression. Falls are related to PD patients’ reduced limits of stability.

The organ of Jacobson has been studied in lizards, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits and dogs by means of embedding in nitrocellulose, sernithin sectioning, and electron microscopy. The various elements of the organ in the species studied have been analysed and a cornparative study carried out between the sensory portion of the organ and the olfactory epithelium. Acta Otolaryngol83

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OBJECTIVE: Clinical study of second primary malignancies (SPM) in patients with cancer of the head and neck (HNC). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective study over 48 patients with SPMs culled from 636 with HNC seen in 122 months. The minimum follow-up was 18 months, and the setting for the study was the institutional referral center. RESULTS: There was association between the sites of first and second tumor. The SPMs were diagnosed with a constant rate throughout the period of study. Five year-survival rate was 29%. SPM in an advanced stage either outside of the head and neck or synchronous had poor survival. CONCLUSION: The SPMs are a growing problem with better survival after treatment of the first malignancy. SIGNIFICANCE: Regular follow-up is necessary in HNC patients to improve their survival, giving special attention to the development of SPM.