HIV drug cancer potential
A drug commonly used in HIV treatment may help prevent often fatal cervical cancer and could be developed into a cream to be used as an alternative to surgery, according to laboratory tests at the University of Manchester. Researchers found that lopinavir, a type of HIV drug known as a protease inhibitor, selectively killed human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer, Reuters reports. At least two HPV vaccines have been developed recently.
A berry good idea
Blueberries and strawberries appear to keep ageing brains sharp - in rats, anyway. Male rats that were fed berry-rich diets for two months and then radiated (to speed up ageing) performed as well in intelligence tests at Tufts University, Massachusetts, as rats that hadn't been radiated and better than radiated rats that had been on normal diets. Their brain levels of the feel-good chemical dopamine were also higher, WebMD reports. A decrease in dopamine can cause a drop in memory, attention and problem-solving skills.
Dad's monkey business
Becoming a father really can mess with your mind - if you're a marmoset, at least. A Princeton University study has been described as 'very exciting' for providing the first link among primates between fatherhood and physical and chemical changes in the brain. Marmoset monkey fathers are typically heavily involved in parenting. Researchers noted two key differences between the brains of fathers and other males, healthday.com reports. First, the fathers had a higher density of spines on neuron branches in the prefrontal cortex, which in humans is associated with emotion and learning the consequences of actions. Secondly, they had more receptors for a hormone called vasopressin, strongly connected to parental behaviour. 'The experience of being a father dramatically alters brain regions important for cognition,' says team leader Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy.
Bus uncles beware
