Dr. George Daley of Harvard Medical School and his colleagues have found a way to turn ordinary skin cells to embryonic stem cells. They found four genes that can direct skin cells to form any kind of tissue.

This allows scientists to find cures for injuries, Parkinson's and Diabetes. More information on their findings after the Jump!

A new study has revealed that over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen could help reduce a person's risk of getting Parkinson's disease by as much as 60 percent. These painkillers, known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), were tested on 579 men and women, half of whom had Parkinson's. Regular users of non-aspirin NSAIDs reduced their risk by as much as 60 percent, while women who used aspirin regularly reduced their risk by 40 percent. Read more at the full article.

Parkinson's disease is one of the most feared debilitating disease currently known, and people over 40 are more at risk than their younger counterparts to develop it.

In a nutshell, the disease is caused by a severe lack of a neural substance called dopamine that allows people to move and have control of it. As people get older, calcium tends to eat up a lot of the dopamine, causing people's neurons to die off, leading to involuntary bodily tremors and afterwards, the inability to walk.

Drug and therapy measures have been employed to ease the burden of thousands upon thousands of patients diagnosed with the disease annually. New hope, however, springs from an unexpected source and it's been showing a lot of promise early on.

The drug is called Isradipine and it was originally designed to lower blood pressure. Incidentally, it's also a calcium-blocker that either slows down or outright stops Parkinson's disease dead in its tracks. By blocking calcium, the afflicted neurons of Parkinson's patients are rejuvenated and go back to their original healthy states.

Professor James Surmeier who led the study leading to the discovery in Chicago's Northwestern University said "our hope is that this drug will protect dopamine neurons, so that if you begin taking it early enough, you won't get Parkinson's disease, even if you were at risk."

Organizations funding researches on possible treatments for Parkinson's aren't jumping the gun, though. hey said that they're impressed and continuously monitoring the progress of the study to see if it can hold up to its bidding.

Since ancient times, Parkinson's disease have never been diagnosed in the laboratory. Diagnosis of the disease has always been based on medical history and neurological examinations; that's why it's so difficult to pinpoint it accurately.

But things are finally changing as scientists from Melbourne present a gadget that might replace the traditional, observation-based diagnosis of Parkinson's: a silicon chip half the size of a matchbox. Relying on saliva samples and genetic history of the disease, doctors might just be able to use this gadget to correctly predict if you are going to be in a wheelchair in 10 years due to neurological disorders.

Aussie scientists have only started trials of this low-cost method of testing for genes for involvement Parkinson's disease. If successful, this US$ 500 genetic test would replace current technology costing US$ 4000. The researchers will enlist 400 young Parkinson's sufferers, or people with family history of the disease, to test the accuracy of the device.

Dr. Justin Rubio of Howard Florey Institute, leader of the team researching on the gadget, believes that it's potential is huge and hopes that the chip will be validated and then marketed internationally in the next few years. Parkinson's Australia acting chief executive Roger Norton said that such a technology could bring huge relief for those worried about what is wrong with their health and suspecting Parkinson's. 

We say kudos to the Aussies for coming up with idea for such a gadget. It may still take long for humans to actually find an at-a-glance way of diagnosing and curing Parkinson's disease but it looks like we're getting there.

Parkinson's is one of the deadliest diseases born from the brain's inability to control our motor and speech functions. It usually affects older people, and in the United States alone, there are about a million Americans suffering from it. Lately though, researchers have been looking into the possibility of mitigating the symptoms through the use of electrodes. So how does this exactly work?

If the doctors implant electrodes in crucial parts of the brain such as the "subthalamic nucleus", there's a great possibility that the symptoms can be delayed, especially if the patient is on the brink of developing advanced Parkinson's. The question is, are the electrodes actually better than drugs and other types of therapy? The answer is a dubious yes. The electrodes are not necessarily the safest course of treatment. as the surgery showed. Complications have resulted, and reports say there is one volunteer that actually died.

People afflicted with Parkinson's shouldn't lose hope, though. Sure, the electrodes are as effective as the drugs (in this case, there was a reported 25% improvement in the symptoms), but nothing beats the support and care of family in delaying the progression of the symptoms.

There is currently no known treatment for Parkinson's, but with the help of medications and family support, a patient will always find an antidote without resorting to the risk of electronic implants.