Saliva Test For Cancer, Sleepiness

Researchers working on the Human Salivary Proteome Project have now identified over one thousand proteins present in human saliva, five of which are associated with having oral cancer.  They also found specific proteins present in the saliva of patients with breast cancer and Sjogren's syndrome (an autoimmune disease).  Also, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis  have noted that amylase, a well-known enzyme present in saliva that helps to break down protein, can be correlated with sleepiness.  Research subjects who were deprived of sleep for more than 28 hours had elevated amylase levels which normalized after a good night's sleep.  All these discoveries may eventually lead to alternative detection methods for cancers, and even sleepiness, simply by spitting into a cup.  Full article via Popular Science and Breast Cancer Blog.