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Marine life-inspired anti-microbial surfaces

Taking a leaf from animals like dolphins and pilot whales that are known to have anti-fouling skins, researchers from A*STAR's Industrial Consortium On Nanoimprint (ICON) are using nanotechnology to create synthetic, chemical-free, anti-bacterial surfaces. The surfaces can reduce infections caused by pathogens such as S. aureus and E. coli and can be used on common plastics, medical devices, lenses and even ship hulls. Conventional methods for preventing bacterial surface attachment may use potentially harmful metal ions, nanoparticles, chemicals or UV-radiation.

5 Dec 2010

United Science licenses ion selective electrode sensor technology from University of Minnesota

United Science, a Minnesota startup company, has licensed sensor technology developed at the University of Minnesota that could prevent toxic byproducts of mining and other industries from ending up in the environment and improve productivity at the same time.

4 Dec 2010

Electronic cigarettes are potentially harmful, researchers say

Electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes), also called "electronic nicotine delivery systems," are increasingly used worldwide even though only sparse information is available on their health effects. In the United States, e-cigarettes are readily available in shopping malls in most states and on the Internet.

4 Dec 2010

Scripps scientists find way to transform mature human cells into stem cells

Scripps Research Institute scientists have made a significant leap forward in the drive to find a way to safely reprogram mature human cells and turn them into stem cells, which can then change into other cell types, such as nerve, heart, and liver cells. The ability to transform fully mature adult cells such as skin cells into stem cells has potentially profound implications for treating many diseases.

3 Dec 2010

Research on ribosome could aid antibiotic development against MRSA infection

Theoretical biologists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have used a New Mexico supercomputer to aid an international research team in untangling another mystery related to ribosomes-those enigmatic jumbles of molecules that are the protein factories of living cells.

3 Dec 2010

SAFC Hitech plans new production facility in Taiwan for LED and silicon semiconductor precursors

Following the March 2010 production expansion of trimethylgallium (TMG) at its Bromborough, UK manufacturing site, SAFC Hitech®, a member of the Sigma-Aldrich® Group, reinforced its commitment to the Asia-Pacific electronics markets by announcing plans to build a new, dedicated facility in Kaohsiung, Taiwan for transfilling, technical service and production of LED and silicon semiconductor precursors.

2 Dec 2010

Exposure to BPA during perinatal development impairs reproductive capacity of female offspring

Exposure to a ubiquitous environmental chemical during pregnancy may impair reproductive capacity of female offspring, according to a study published online in advance of print on December 2 in Environmental Health Perspectives. Fertility decreased over time in female mice that had been exposed during fetal and neonatal (perinatal) development to doses of bisphenol-A (BPA) that were lower than or equal to human environmental exposure levels.

2 Dec 2010

New findings on folic acid supplementation reveal causes of low birth weight

Groundbreaking work by a team of UK scientists has identified, for the first time, a link between changes in the DNA of newborn babies, folic acid supplementation during pregnancy, and birth weight.

1 Dec 2010

Scientists discover a new method to produce gold nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles, tiny pieces of gold so small that they can't be seen by the naked eye, are used in electronics, healthcare products and as pharmaceuticals to fight cancer. Despite their positive uses, the process to make the nanoparticles requires dangerous and extremely toxic chemicals. While the nanotechnology industry is expected to produce large quantities of nanoparticles in the near future, researchers have been worried about the environmental impact of the global nanotechnological revolution.

30 Nov 2010

African Ministerial Conference concludes with health priority commitment

Health and environment ministers from at least 46 African countries concluded the Second Inter-Ministerial Conference on Health and Environment in Africa in Luanda, Angola on Friday, "with the adoption of the 'Luanda Commitment,' which lists the continent's health and environment top priorities in the years ahead," PANA/Afrique en ligne reports.

30 Nov 2010

Overexposure to triclosan may negatively influence immune system: Study

Young people who are overexposed to antibacterial soaps containing triclosan may suffer more allergies, and exposure to higher levels of Bisphenol A among adults may negatively influence the immune system, a new University of Michigan School of Public Health study suggests.

29 Nov 2010

New strategy to prevent memory deficits in mouse model with AD

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) in San Francisco have discovered a new strategy to prevent memory deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

28 Nov 2010

Fake pot now illegal

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had to resort to its emergency powers this Wednesday to ban K2 and other “fake pot” products that mimic the effects of marijuana. As of now it is illegal to possess or sell the five chemicals used to make the products for at least one year. The agency and the Department of Health and Human Services will further debate whether the chemicals should be permanently added to the federal list of controlled substances considered unsafe, highly abused and without medical use.

24 Nov 2010

Plant-derived bioscavenger protects against pesticide and nerve agent organophosphate poisoning

The brain is forever chattering to itself, via electrical impulses sent along its hard-wired neuronal "Ethernet." These e-messages are translated into chemical transmissions, allowing communication across the narrow cleft separating one neuron from another or between neurons and their target cells. Of the many kinds of molecules involved in this lively chemical symposium, acetylcholine is among the most critical, performing a host of functions in the central and peripheral nervous system.

24 Nov 2010

First international study to examine human developmental effects of environmental exposure to e-waste

A new international population study, led by the University of Cincinnati, will be the first to examine the human developmental effects of environmental exposure to the complex metal mixture found in electronic waste (e-waste).

20 Nov 2010

New multimode imaging could help detect blood stain at crime-scene investigations

Chemists at the University of South Carolina have developed a camera with the ability to see the invisible and more. The new technology, called multimode imaging in the thermal infrared, could eventually be used in crime-scene investigations, since it can capture blood stains that the human eye can't see.

20 Nov 2010

FDA-approved anti-parasite drug blocks Wnt signaling pathway in colon cancer

An old pinworm medicine is a new lead in the search for compounds that block a signaling pathway implicated in colon cancer. The findings, reported by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers in the November issue of Nature Chemical Biology, suggest a fresh approach for developing therapeutics that target the pathway.

20 Nov 2010

Sekisui enters asset purchase agreement to acquire Genzyme's Diagnostic products

Genzyme Corporation today announced that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement under which Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. will acquire Genzyme's Diagnostic products business for $265 million in cash.

19 Nov 2010

New findings show promising treatment for MS

Successfully treating and reversing the effects of multiple sclerosis, or MS, may one day be possible using a drug originally developed to treat chronic pain, according to Distinguished Professor Linda Watkins of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

19 Nov 2010

Nanoparticles in everyday products can affect lungs: Study

Tiny particles used in a range of everyday products from computers to shampoo can adversely affect the lungs in very different ways, a study has shown.

18 Nov 2010

Chemicals News and Research

Marine life-inspired anti-microbial surfaces

United Science licenses ion selective electrode sensor technology from University of Minnesota

Electronic cigarettes are potentially harmful, researchers say

Scripps scientists find way to transform mature human cells into stem cells

Research on ribosome could aid antibiotic development against MRSA infection

SAFC Hitech plans new production facility in Taiwan for LED and silicon semiconductor precursors

Exposure to BPA during perinatal development impairs reproductive capacity of female offspring

New findings on folic acid supplementation reveal causes of low birth weight

Scientists discover a new method to produce gold nanoparticles

African Ministerial Conference concludes with health priority commitment

Overexposure to triclosan may negatively influence immune system: Study

New strategy to prevent memory deficits in mouse model with AD

Fake pot now illegal

Plant-derived bioscavenger protects against pesticide and nerve agent organophosphate poisoning

First international study to examine human developmental effects of environmental exposure to e-waste

New multimode imaging could help detect blood stain at crime-scene investigations

FDA-approved anti-parasite drug blocks Wnt signaling pathway in colon cancer

Sekisui enters asset purchase agreement to acquire Genzyme's Diagnostic products

New findings show promising treatment for MS

Nanoparticles in everyday products can affect lungs: Study

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