Worst science headline: Brain 'Pacemaker' Tickles Your Happy Nerve --Wired, writing on vague nerve stimulators. Though "brain pacemaker" is a commonly used term to describe neurostimulator implants, "happy nerve" to describe the vagus is just silly.

Best science headline (journal) Why obesity is the new smoking. --Nursing Standard, on why obesity has complicated patient care

Yes yes... I know cancer isn't funny and I also seem to be obsessed with Family Guy in the last day or two. So without further ado.... Here's a Peter Tumor!

I know you probably can't see the image and text very well - so just go ahead and click on the picture for this damn funny parody in full size.

Clearly I'm not a medicine bio person - but this just had to make it onto the blog.

Researchers at Burnham Institute for Medical Research ("Burnham") have provided the first evidence that gamma-secretase, an enzyme key to the progression of Alzheimer's, acts as a tumor suppressor by altering the pathway of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a potential treatment target for cancer. Expedited to publication online by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, these findings reveal a limitation of targeting gamma-secretase for treatment of Alzheimer's and potentially other diseases.

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is found inside all cells. Though its function is unknown, it is associated with Alzheimer's in the following way. APP can be cleaved by the enzymes beta-secretase and gamma-secretase, sequentially. Upon gamma-secretase cleavage, amyloid-beta (AB) peptides are dispelled into the extracellular matrix region and eventually aggregate into senile plaques, characteristic of Alzheimer's.

Residing inside cells, gamma-secretase is a complex of four proteins, including a family of proteins known as the presenilins (PS). Mutations in PS are found in approximately 5% of individuals suffering Alzheimer's, resulting in early onset of the disease.

At the center of the activities governing AB production is gamma-secretase, the subject of intensive interest as a potential therapy target for Alzheimer's. Mice deficient in PS/gamma-secretase activity tend to develop skin cancer. EGFR is known to be upregulated in a variety of tumors, including various skin cancers. Elevated EGFR levels in tumors are linked with poor clinical prognosis and tumor resistance to chemotherapy. EGFR is therefore the subject of intensive investigation by pharmaceutical companies as a potential treatment target for cancer.

Are there any other diseases that have contributed as directly to the treatment of another? (ok... I know this hasn't practically contributed to the treatment of brain tumors yet... but you get the point and hopefully soon it will!)

And if you don't recognize the picture... It's a brain tumor from Family Guy :)

I'm going to make a bold bold prediction right here on Omni Brain. With the announcement of wireless electricity there will soon be a group of crazed wackjobs protesting it (well.. that is if it ever actually makes it to the consumer level) because the electricity flowing through the air causes Cancer, Autism, Genital Warts, or something else silly. Yes yes.. you've heard it first right here on Omni Brain!

Here's some of the details from BBC News:

US researchers have successfully tested an experimental system to deliver power to devices without the need for wires.
The setup, reported in the journal Science, made a 60W light bulb glow from a distance of 2m (7ft).
WiTricity, as it is called, exploits simple physics and could be adapted to charge other devices such as laptops.

And here's a bit more in depth description from the MIT Press release:

"The Brain of Morbius". Doctor Who challenges an increasingly unstable Morbius to a mind-bending contest. Enjoy ;)

• ScienceDaily: New Interview Technique Could Help Police Spot Deception
  Shifting uncomfortably in your seat? Stumbling over your words? Can't hold your questioner's gaze? Police interviewing strategies place great emphasis on such visual and speech-related cues, although new research funded by the Economic and Social Research
• 'Cultured' chimpanzees pass on novel traditions
  The local customs that define human cultures in important ways also exist in the ape world, suggests a study reported online June 7th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. Indeed, captive chimpanzees, like people, can readily acquire new tradition