Implant to ease the mind
Implanting the equivalent of a pacemaker in the brain can cut symptoms of long-term, severe depression by as much as 50 per cent, say US researchers, based on a small study. So-called deep-brain stimulation, entailing the insertion of tiny electrodes, has been used on Parkinson's sufferers for about two decades. Researchers at the Centre for Neurological Restoration in Cleveland say the technique shows promise for depressives, with half the patients reporting a marked easing of symptoms up to a year afterwards, healthday.com reports.
Researchers make HIV breakthrough
US researchers have found that deactivating a key protein that HIV needs to infect cells can significantly slow the virus' progress. Turning off the ITK protein in immune-system cells makes it hard for the virus to enter the cells and replicate and may be useful as a complement to drugs used to treat HIV that typically tackle the rapidly mutating virus, Reuters reports.
Enzyme could help trim the fat
An Australian team has found a way to lose weight without eating less - in mice, anyway. The breakthrough by researchers at the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne may lead to the development of fat-burning drugs for people, AFP reports. Manipulating an enzyme in the fat cells of the mice boosted their metabolism so they burnt more calories than untreated mice that ate the same amount of food.
Don't be so self-absorbed
