Healthwise

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NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE WORLD OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH

We should all be delighted at the advances now being made by scientists, researchers and the medical profession. For 2011 we continue to highlight some of the latest developments in health and medicine. 

 LOSING MONEY AS WELL AS SLEEP

Lack of sleep can lead to an unjustified level of optimism in areas of money and finance.

This has been showed through research at America’s Duke University, where scientists have found that a night of sleep deprivation leads to increased brain activity in the regions that assess positive outcomes related to economic values.

Sleep deprivation also leads to decreased activation in the brain areas that process negative outcomes.

It has already been shown that lack of adequate sleep impairs ability to make general decisions. This is the first study to show that sleep deprivation can change the way the brain assesses economic value, which could lead to financial decisions being based on unjustified optimism.

EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF DIABETES

People who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes may be able to be identified a lot earlier thanks to new information from researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital in America.

Their findings show that measuring the levels of small molecules in the blood, especially the levels of five amino acids, can indicate increased risk of developing diabetes at a very early stage.

Type 2 diabetes is usually only diagnosed after a long breakdown of the body’s system for metabolizing glucose, and the ability to detect that breakdown at an earlier stage means that lifestyle changes and treatment could be introduced early to help prevent the problem developing further.

A BUZZ OF HOPE FOR DEMENTIA SUFFERERS

A Norwegian researcher has reported that information found on the way the brains of bees work could translate into assisting people with dementia.

The workings of the brain cells in bees are surprisingly similar to those in humans. Professor Gro Amdam, from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, has completed a study on the performance of older bees on learning and memory tests and found bees can develop symptoms similar to dementia. However, by altering their social responsibilities, the bees’ learning and memory abilities improved.

Professor Amdam is now continuing with the research which she believes could bring real hope to people suffering from dementia.

NEW INFORMATION ON PROSTATE CANCER

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the UK, with over 37,000 men being diagnosed with the disease every year.

A new study from scientists at Imperial College in London have found that a protein called FUS inhibits the growth of prostate cancer cells and also activates what they call “pathways” which can lead to the cancer cells destroying themselves.

There is hope that this new research will help doctors to identify how aggressive a tumour is and also may lead to additional areas of research for new treatments.

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