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American Academy of Pediatrics sounds alarm on chemicals

Pediatricians group warns that federal regulations have failed to protect children from dangerous exposure.

25 Apr 2011

As practices change, family physician has trouble retiring

Dr. [Ronald] Sroka has practiced family medicine for 32 years in a small, red-brick building just six miles from his childhood home. ... Dr. Sroka, 62, thought about retiring. He tried to sell his once highly profitable practice. No luck. He tried giving it away. No luck. Dr. Sroka's fate is emblematic of a transformation in American medicine. ... [D]octors like him are increasingly being replaced by teams of rotating doctors and nurses who do not know their patients nearly as well. A centuries-old intimacy between doctor and patient is being lost.

25 Apr 2011

Simple, obvious and obscure ways to keep minds sharp and brains healthy

From a glance at the magazine stands, Americans appear obsessed with losing weight, cutting their cardiac risks and seeking to improve their odds against cancer. But where's the focus on brain health?

25 Apr 2011

Research sheds light on molecular movements of neural transporters

A team of scientists from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College has shed light on the molecular workings of transporter proteins, molecular machines embedded in the cell membranes of neurons that modulate the transfer of signals between cells and recycle neurotransmitters.

25 Apr 2011

United Water and NCPA embark on an effort to encourage safe disposal of unused medications

United Water and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) announced a partnership today to encourage people throughout the United States to properly dispose of their unused or expired medications in an environmentally-friendly manner. A major part of the campaign will center around the NCPA's website dedicated to the program - www.DisposeMyMeds.org - that directs people to their local independent pharmacy where they can drop off their unused medications.

22 Apr 2011

Hospitals to host Earth Day events emphasizing link between health, environment

Hospitals and other members of the health care sector will be marking Earth Day 2011 with a wide variety of events showcasing their efforts to develop sustainable operations and reduce their environmental footprint.

22 Apr 2011

UC Berkeley researchers form new Synthetic Biology Institute

An alliance of top researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has formed the UC Berkeley Synthetic Biology Institute, advancing efforts to engineer cells and biological systems in ways that promise to transform technology in health and medicine, energy, the environment, new materials, and a host of other critical arenas.

22 Apr 2011

Prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides linked to lower IQ in children

In a new study suggesting pesticides may be associated with the health and development of children, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health have found that prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides - widely used on food crops - is related to lower intelligence scores at age 7.

21 Apr 2011

New research confirms cigarettes' toxic impact on environment

Each year more than 360 billion cigarettes are smoked in the United States. Where do all those butts go? Public roads, waterways, parks and beaches. New research released today further demonstrates the negative impact that cigarette filters and discarded cigarette butts have on the environment.

19 Apr 2011

Chronic exposure to polluted air can lead to inflammation

Chronic inhalation of polluted air appears to activate a protein that triggers the release of white blood cells, setting off events that lead to widespread inflammation, according to new research in an animal model.

16 Apr 2011

Organic pollutants in flame retardents cause molecular changes in reproductive organs

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are chemicals that have been widely used as flame retardants and are now classified as persistent organic pollutants. Health concerns in humans have arisen based primarily on studies with laboratory animals exposed to high levels of PBDEs. Three commercial mixtures of PBDEs have been manufactured in or imported into the United States which include penta-, octa-, and deca-brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs).

15 Apr 2011

Serotonin can help promote human intimacy and romantic feelings

The judgments we make about the intimacy of other couples' relationships appear to be influenced by the brain chemical serotonin, reports a new study published in Biological Psychiatry.

15 Apr 2011

Researchers develop sensor film to estimate packaged food quality

When it comes to packaged fish or meat, it is nearly impossible to distinguish between fresh goods and their inedible counterparts. Researchers have now developed a sensor film that can be integrated into the package itself, where it takes over the role of quality control. And if the food has spoiled, it changes color to announce the fact.

15 Apr 2011

New research confirms high-fat diet can contribute to type 2 diabetes

A diet high in saturated fat is a key contributor to type 2 diabetes, a major health threat worldwide. Several decades ago scientists noticed that people with type 2 diabetes have overly active immune responses, leaving their bodies rife with inflammatory chemicals.

12 Apr 2011

Study shows neutralizing antibodies to C5a protein may prevent heart failure

New research published online in The FASEB Journal details research in rats and mice that offers hope for stopping the devastating, and often fatal, effects of sepsis in humans. In the study, University of Michigan researchers show how neutralizing the effects of a key protein fragment, called C5a, used by the immune system to attract white blood cells may ultimately prevent heart failure.

12 Apr 2011

Detection of latent fingerprints through release of fluorescein from a nanofiber mat

When a forensic agent dusts a surface with powder or exposes it to the vapors of an iodine chamber, mystery fans know what is going on: This is how latent fingerprints are made visible so that they can be compared to those of a suspect. Su Chen and a team at Nanjing University of Technology have now developed a new process for especially rapid and simple detection of fingerprints. As the Chinese researchers report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, all it takes is a special nanofiber mat that is pressed onto the suspect surface and briefly treated with hot air—the fingerprints appear as red ridge patterns.

11 Apr 2011

Toxic substances including arsenic in baby food

The latest reports have revealed that there are small amounts of arsenic and other toxins that are found in soil, creeping into the ingredients used in top-selling baby foods. Manufacturers insist the levels are so low they do not pose a health risk. But scientists and food campaigners are calling for efforts to eliminate the chemicals from mass-produced products eaten by millions of young babies. Leading brands from Organix, Hipp, Nestle and Holle were tested by Swedish researchers.

10 Apr 2011

Mammal muscle turned into biological raw material for new limb

Move over, newts and salamanders. The mouse may join you as the only animal that can re-grow their own severed limbs. Researchers are reporting that a simple chemical cocktail can coax mouse muscle fibers to become the kinds of cells found in the first stages of a regenerating limb. Their study, the first demonstration that mammal muscle can be turned into the biological raw material for a new limb, appears in the journal ACS Chemical Biology.

8 Apr 2011

Strathclyde establishes new EPSRC Centre to improve chemical manufacturing

An EPSRC Centre for revolutionising the way pharmaceuticals and other chemicals are made is being officially launched today.

8 Apr 2011

NanoPhos, Keraben co-develop novel line of self-cleaning and sterilizing ceramic tiles

NanoPhos SA, a nanotechnology company, and the leading ceramic tile manufacturer KERABEN co-developed LIFEKER(R), an innovative line of self-cleaning and self-sterilizing ceramic tiles. These properties of LIFEKER(R) tiles are provided by the use of the SurfaShield(R) coating technology developed by NanoPhos, which is activated simply by the energy of surrounding light (either sunlight or artificial lighting) without the use of dangerous chemicals.

8 Apr 2011