Alert sounded for dengue fever Health officials throughout Asia are warning of a possible epidemic of dengue fever this year, with the World Health Organisation saying it may be 'one of the worst' - on par with 1998, when almost 1,500 people died from the mosquito-borne disease. 'We're seeing major spikes ... in reported cases around the region,' says WHO adviser John Ehrenberg. Dengue already has killed more than 1,000 people in Indonesia. Although not as deadly as malaria, which kills about 2.7 million people worldwide every year, dengue fever has no known cure or vaccine, AFP reports. Sloth approach works to burn fat Resting for 20 minutes between half-hour workouts burns fat faster than exercising non-stop, a University of Tokyo study has found. The study involved exercise on a stationary bike: for one hour, with an hour sitting in a chair; 30 minutes, then a 20-minute rest, a second 30-minute workout, then an hour's rest; and an hour of rest without exercise, healthday.com reports. As well as burning more fat, the second half-hour gave a bigger boost of epinephrine, or adrenaline, a hormone that speeds metabolism. Protein found to combat skin cancer University of Texas researchers have identified a protein that helps stop skin cancer cells from multiplying. The IKKa protein prevents a vital checkpoint gene from shutting down and allowing the cells to spread, healthday.com reports. 'Our finding opens a new avenue for identifying new therapeutic targets for battling cancer,' says team leader Yinling Hu. Happy mice pass the stress test And a separate University of Texas study of mice has identified a natural brain protein that may make people less susceptible to depression and other emotional disorders. Levels of the protein, deltaFosB, typically rise in response to stress, healthday.com reports. Mice that showed the least despair in a series of tests had higher levels of the protein. Brain tissue to blame for cramp Writers' cramp may be all in the mind - literally, according to a study by the Groupe Hospitalier Pitie-Salpetriere in Paris. The researchers say they've identified structural abnormalities in the brains of people prone to the painful condition: less tissue in areas that govern motor skills, movement and sensory functioning, healthday. com reports. Unfortunately, the researchers say, there's not much you can do about it. Jason Sankey is a tennis professional
