Protein key to Parkinson's identified
US researchers have identified a protein that appears to play a key role in degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's - and may also help fight some drug addictions. Organic cation transporter 3 (oct3) seems to guide a chemical called MPP+ into brain cells, where it kills dopamine neurons. Dead dopamine neurons are a hallmark of degenerative diseases, healthday.com reports. Blocking oct3 in mice keeps MPP+ trapped inside brain cells called astrocytes, which also seem to play a key role in diseases such as Alzheimer's. The Columbia University and University of Rochester team also found oct3 lessens the high from drugs such as methamphetamine.
Job loss can make you sick
Losing your job can be bad for your health - more so if the company you work for shuts down than if you're laid off or even fired, according to a Harvard study of more than 8,000 people. It can also significantly affect social networks and status, says researcher Kate Strully. People who lost their jobs because their workplaces closed were 83 per cent more likely to report a new health problem than those who remained employed. Those who were sacked or retrenched because of downsizing were 43 per cent more likely to do so, WebMD reports.
Excess sunlight linked to suicide
Too much sunlight may be a key factor in suicides in extreme northern locations, say Swedish researchers who analysed all suicides in Greenland from 1968 to 2002. Most occurred in summer, especially in the far north, where the sun doesn't set from April-end to the end of August. About 95 per cent of the suicides were by young men, Reuters reports. The Karolinska Institute team says excess sunlight may cause sleep deprivation and imbalances in levels of serotonin, a brain chemical linked to mood.