Chemicals News and Research

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Industrial chemicals exceed safety levels in public drinking water supplies for 6 million Americans

Levels of a widely used class of industrial chemicals linked with cancer and other health problems--polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)--exceed federally recommended safety levels in public drinking water supplies for six million people in the U.S., according to a new study led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

10 Aug 2016

Scientists improve potential weapon to fight against autoimmune disorders

With a trick of engineering, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes improved a potential weapon against inflammation and autoimmune disorders. Their work could one day benefit patients who suffer from inflammatory bowel disease or organ transplant rejection.

9 Aug 2016

Scientist receives $1.7 million grant to study how early life toxic exposures predispose to diabetes

Some studies indicate that early life exposure to pollutants such as PCBs and phthalates can predispose people to disease. Now environmental scientist Alicia Timme-Laragy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has received a five-year, $1.7 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for a multi-level study of early life exposure to environmental contaminants and aberrant pancreas development, which may predispose one to diabetes.

9 Aug 2016

New compound could kill parasites of three neglected diseases

Scientists have identified a compound that can kill the parasites responsible for three neglected diseases: Chagas disease, leishmaniasis and sleeping sickness.

8 Aug 2016

Scientists develop novel multifunctional platform to integrate imaging and photo-induced cancer therapy

Physicists from The University of Texas at Arlington are leading a multidisciplinary project with The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to develop a new multifunctional platform that can integrate imaging and photo-induced cancer therapy in a single, portable device.

5 Aug 2016

Young children appear to be at great risk of chemical ocular burns

One- and two-year-old children are at the highest risk of burning their eyes with chemicals, despite the long held belief that working-age adults were the most at risk from this type of severe eye injury, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health-led research suggests.

5 Aug 2016

Scientists develop interactive model to fast-track research and treatment of schizophrenia

It's called mental imbalance for a reason. Sanity hangs, in part, in the gentle balance of chemicals strung together within regions of the brain in an intricate matrix.

4 Aug 2016

Scientists test endometrial scratching technique in first-time IVF attempters

A NEW simple procedure which involves gently scratching the lining of the womb in the month before IVF treatment, potentially improving treatment success, is being tested on first-time IVF attempters in a groundbreaking study.

3 Aug 2016

Iron-containing catalysts can alter amino acids to help develop new drug candidates

For medicinal chemists, making tweaks to peptide structures is key to developing new drug candidates. Now, researchers have demonstrated that two iron-containing small-molecule catalysts can help turn certain types of amino acids -- the building blocks of peptides and proteins -- into an array of potential new forms, even when part of a larger peptide, while preserving a crucial aspect of their chemistry: chirality, or "handedness."

2 Aug 2016

New research sheds light on how fruit flies sense foods

Some people love avocados. Others hate them. For many of the latter, the fruit's texture is the source of their intense dislike. What gives?

29 Jul 2016

Researchers find genetic variability in frozen vials of cells purchased from same cell bank

In a surprise finding, researchers working with breast cancer cells purchased at the same time from the same cell bank discovered that the cells responded differently to chemicals, even though the researchers had not detected any difference when they tested them for authenticity at the time of purchase.

26 Jul 2016

New study reports gymnastics equipment contains toxic flame-retardants linked to ADHD, cancer risks

As the summer Olympics get underway, a new study co-authored by Boston University School of Public Health researchers reports that popular gymnastics training equipment contains mixtures of flame-retardant chemicals that have been linked to increased risks of ADHD, cancer and brain development delays.

26 Jul 2016

Scientist develops new method for identifying proteins to build new biologics

A University of Toronto scientist has developed a new method for identifying the raw ingredients necessary to build 'biologics', a powerful class of medications that has revolutionized treatment of diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers.

22 Jul 2016

Scientists receive grant to examine brain mechanisms underlying social stress in males and females

The Center for Behavioral Neuroscience at Georgia State University has received a five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to investigate the neurochemical mechanisms underlying social stress in males and females.

22 Jul 2016

Long-term antibiotic treatment slows progression of Alzheimer's disease through changes in gut bacteria

Long-term treatment with broad spectrum antibiotics decreased levels of amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, and activated inflammatory microglial cells in the brains of mice in a new study by neuroscientists from the University of Chicago.

21 Jul 2016

Scientists find new way to clear urinary tract infections

The process cells use to secrete chemicals also appears to be the way to clear urinary tract infections, or UTIs, according to a study by researchers from Duke Health and Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School.

20 Jul 2016

Paxman integrates Titan 800-Series flowmeter into Scalp Cooling System to improve chemotherapy treatment

Titan Enterprises reports on how Paxman Coolers Ltd has enhanced their innovative Scalp Cooling System for chemotherapy treatment through integration of a Titan 800-Series flowmeter.

From Paxman 19 Jul 2016

Study shows parvalbumin-interneurons in the amygdala influence fear memory encoding

Fear memory encoding, the process responsible for persistent reactions to trauma-associated cues, is influenced by a sparse but potent population of inhibitory cells called parvalbumin-interneurons (PV-INs) in the amygdala, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published online July 14 in the journal Neuron.

14 Jul 2016

Combination approach could be more effective to treat fibromyalgia pain

Queen's University researcher Ian Gilron has uncovered a more effective way of treating fibromyalgia, a medical condition characterized by chronic widespread pain typically accompanied by fatigue, as well as sleep, mood and memory problems.

14 Jul 2016

Study reveals problems encountered when trying to avoid plastic exposure

The well-known documentary "Plastic Planet" by Werner Boote starkly illustrates the dangers of plastic and synthetics for human beings and also shows how ubiquitous plastic is.

13 Jul 2016