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Study: People use touch of a handshake to sample, sniff signaling molecules

Limp or firm, your handshake conveys subliminal social cues. Now, research reveals it also transmits chemical signals that could explain why the greeting evolved in the first place.

4 Mar 2015

Study finds link between fluoridated water and ADHD prevalence

"Artificial water fluoridation prevalence was significantly positively associated with ADHD prevalence," according to research published in Environmental Health (2/15), reports the Fluoride Action Network (FAN).

3 Mar 2015

New study shows association between BPA exposure and ASD in children

A newly published study is the first to report an association between bisphenol-A (BPA), a common plasticizer used in a variety of consumer food and beverage containers, with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children.

3 Mar 2015

Study: African Americans who moved from the South during Great Migration face shorter life expectancy

Millions of African Americans moved from the South in the early 20th century to seek better job opportunities and higher wages, but a new study on the historic Great Migration shows that with improved economic conditions came a greater risk of mortality.

28 Feb 2015

Pollution effect: Potentially toxic microbes pose threat to drinking water

Potentially toxic microbes which pose a threat to our drinking water have undergone a dramatic population explosion over the last 200 years as a result of pollution, research involving experts from The University of Nottingham has found.

28 Feb 2015

Single-step fermentative method may facilitate industrial-scale statin drug production

University of Manchester researchers, together with industrial partner DSM, have developed a single-step fermentative method for the production of leading cholesterol-lowering drug, pravastatin, which will facilitate industrial-scale statin drug production.

27 Feb 2015

MIT researchers devise new way to make complex emulsions

MIT researchers have devised a new way to make complex liquid mixtures, known as emulsions, that could have many applications in drug delivery, sensing, cleaning up pollutants, and performing chemical reactions.

27 Feb 2015

Emulsifiers can alter gut microbiota composition to induce intestinal inflammation

Emulsifiers, which are added to most processed foods to aid texture and extend shelf life, can alter the gut microbiota composition and localization to induce intestinal inflammation that promotes the development of inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic syndrome, new research shows.

26 Feb 2015

Intrinsically disordered proteins have ability to alter their configuration

Like the shape-shifting robots of "Transformers" fame, a unique class of proteins in the human body also has the ability to alter their configuration. These so-named intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) lack a fixed or ordered three-dimensional structure, which can be influenced by exposure to various chemicals and cellular modifications.

26 Feb 2015

Scientists combine principles of butterfly effect and computer simulation to predict heart disease

Scientists from Cardiff and Swansea Universities are combining the principles of the butterfly effect and computer simulation to explore new ways of predicting and controlling the beginnings of heart disease.

23 Feb 2015

Penn State researchers explore hydrogen sulfide's probable role in regulating blood pressure

Widely considered simply a malodorous toxic gas, hydrogen sulfide is now being studied for its probable role in regulating blood pressure, according to researchers.

20 Feb 2015

New research finds that synthetic flame retardants can cause metabolic and liver problems

Chemicals used as synthetic flame retardants that are found in common household items such as couches, carpet padding, and electronics have been found to cause metabolic and liver problems that can lead to insulin resistance, which is a major cause of obesity, according to new research from the University of New Hampshire.

20 Feb 2015

Novasep selected to commercially biomanufacture Celladon's Mydicar API

Novasep, a leading supplier of services and technologies for the life sciences industry, today announces that it has entered into an agreement with Celladon, a clinical-stage biotechnology company. Novasep will prepare to supply the drug substance for MYDICAR®.

19 Feb 2015

Weill Cornell receives NIH grant to study TB-causing bacteria

In an effort to stop tuberculosis (TB) from becoming progressively less treatable worldwide, the National Institutes of Health has awarded Weill Cornell Medical College more than $6.2 million in first-year funding to support a research collaboration among six institutions in close alliance with voluntary pharmaceutical partners.

19 Feb 2015

New plant-derived agent protects skin from harmful effects of UV irradiation

The skin is constantly challenged, and very often harmed, by environmental stressors such as UV radiation and chemicals. To cope with UV radiation, various skin cells have evolved a complex protective antioxidant defense system.

19 Feb 2015

Soft drink consumers exposed to unnecessary cancer risk

Public health researchers have analyzed soda consumption data in order to characterize people's exposure to a potentially carcinogenic byproduct of some types of caramel color. Caramel color is a common ingredient in colas and other dark soft drinks. The results show that between 44 and 58 percent of people over the age of six typically have at least one can of soda per day, possibly more, potentially exposing them to 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), a possible human carcinogen formed during the manufacture of some kinds of caramel color.

19 Feb 2015

Excellere Partners completes sale of U.S. Water Services to Allete

Excellere Partners, a Denver-based private equity firm focused on partnering with middle-market entrepreneurs and management teams, announced today that it completed the sale of its portfolio company U.S. Water Services, Inc., to Allete on February 10, 2015.

19 Feb 2015

TB Alliance announces initiation of first human trial of new TB drug candidate

TB Alliance has announced the start of the first human trial of a new tuberculosis (TB) drug candidate, designated TBA-354. It is the first new TB drug candidate to begin a Phase 1 clinical trial since 2009.

19 Feb 2015

Researchers show importance of DNA damage in fine tuning of innate immune system

For the first time scientists from Umeå University show the importance of DNA damage in fine tuning of our innate immune system and hence the ability to mount the optimal inflammatory response to infections and other biological dangers.

18 Feb 2015

Fetal exposure to drugs can cause neurological problems

Research suggests that fetal exposure to chemicals or drugs can cause neurological problems. Babies whose mothers take the epilepsy drug valporic acid (VPA) during pregnancy, for example, appear to have an elevated risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder.

18 Feb 2015