Hope for chronic pain sufferers
Swiss researchers have found a chemical compound that suppresses pain, apparently without the side effects of existing painkillers and without losing effectiveness. In University of Zurich tests on mice, the L-838,417 compound blocked pain without causing numbness or drowsiness. And, unlike morphine, it was effective throughout the nine-day trials, AFP reports. The spinal cord usually filters pain signals en route to the brain, but not in people suffering chronic pain - as many as one in five, according to the World Health Organisation. The compound will have to be refined before it can be tested on humans.
Protein curbs hunger pangs
Eating plenty of protein may be the best way to inhibit hunger. That's the finding of a small study by researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle that measured the effectiveness of different nutrients in suppressing ghrelin, a hormone secreted by the stomach that stimulates appetite. Although carbohydrates initially suppressed ghrelin strongly, the ghrelin levels soon rose even higher - in effect, eating carbohydrates leaves you even hungrier than before you ate. Fats suppressed ghrelin poorly, Reuters reports. 'Proteins were best in terms of the depth and duration of suppression,' says team leader David Cummings.
Giant step towards skin cancer cure
US researchers have successfully curbed the growth of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, in lab tests on mice by directing antibodies at the cells they identified as driving aggressive melanoma growth and resisting chemotherapy. The team from the Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston say the successful tests are 'a significant step' towards developing new therapies, WebMD reports.
