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Scientists discover septet of overactive genes that control bodily function

In what is believed to be the largest review of the human genetic code to determine why some people's blood platelets are more likely to clump faster than others, scientists at Johns Hopkins and in Boston have found a septet of overactive genes, which they say likely control that bodily function.

23 Jun 2010

BASF signs agreement to acquire Cognis for equity purchase price of euro 700 million

BASF SE has reached an agreement with Cognis Holding Luxembourg S.a r.l. controlled by Permira Funds, GS Capital Partners and SV Life Sciences to acquire the specialty chemicals company Cognis for an equity purchase price of euro 700 million. Including net financial debt and pension obligations, the enterprise value of the transaction is euro 3.1 billion. The acquisition is subject to clearance by the competent merger control authorities. Closing of the transaction is expected for November 2010 at the latest.

23 Jun 2010

EUCODIS Bioscience launches high-performance beta-lactamase

EUCODIS Bioscience, a developer and manufacturer of customized enzymes today announced that it has launched a high-performance beta-lactamase designed to inactivate a broad range of beta-lactam antibiotics. EUCODIS Bioscience is marketing the product under the LacBuster(TM) brand.

23 Jun 2010

K-State chemical engineer patents chemical structure to make natural personal care products in lab

A Kansas State University chemical engineer has developed and patented a chemical structure to make all-natural personal care products and purer pharmaceuticals in the laboratory.

23 Jun 2010

Exposure to chlordecone associated to increased risk of prostate cancer: Researchers

In an article to be published on 21 June 2010 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers from Inserm (Inserm unit 625 - Research Group on Human and Mammalian Reproduction, University of Rennes 1), the CHU (University Hospital Centre) in Pointe - Pitre (urology department, University of the French West Indies and Guiana) and from the Center for Analytical Research and Technology (University of Li-ge, Belgique), show that exposure to chlordecone (also named Kepone), an organochlorine chemical with well defined estrogenic properties used in the French West Indies until 1993, is associated to a significant increased risk of prostate cancer.

23 Jun 2010

FDA approves Hospira's meropenem for injection, USP (I.V.)

Hospira, Inc., the world leader in generic injectable pharmaceuticals, today announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for meropenem for injection, USP (I.V.) 500 mg and 1 g vials. The medication, a carbapenem that belongs to the beta-lactam class of antibiotics, is a generic version of AstraZeneca's Merrem® I.V. Sales of the name-brand product in the United States were approximately $200 million in 2009.

23 Jun 2010

Michigan State University researchers analyze histiocytic sarcomas

Michigan State University veterinarians are taking part in a two-year, $5.3 million project to analyze five cancers in dogs, research that could offer new insight into canine cancer genes and their potential impact on the human form of the disease.

22 Jun 2010

Study evaluates association between PBDE flame retardants and thyroid function in pregnant women

Pregnant women with higher blood levels of a common flame retardant had altered thyroid hormone levels, a result that could have implications for fetal health, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

21 Jun 2010

Early-life exposure to PCBs diminishes immune response to diphtheria and tetanus vaccinations: Study

Children exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls early in life later had a diminished immune response to diphtheria and tetanus vaccinations, according to a study published online June 20 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives. This result suggests that PCB exposure during the first years of life, a critical period in immune system development, could undermine the effectiveness of childhood vaccinations and possibly impair immune system responses to infection.

21 Jun 2010

PAS technique to predict how blood platelets respond to complex conditions found during heart attack

A team of bioengineers from the University of Pennsylvania Institute for Medicine and Engineering have trained a computer neural network model to accurately predict how blood platelets would respond to complex conditions found during a heart attack or stroke.

21 Jun 2010

Canadian scientists describe safe, inexpensive way for kids to make microfluidic devices

With "hands-on" experiences in childhood and adolescence having sparked so many science careers, scientists in Canada are describing a quick, simple, safe, and inexpensive way for kids to participate in making microfluidic devices. Those devices are at the heart of lab-on-a chip, inkjet printing, DNA chip, and other technologies.

19 Jun 2010

Researchers study risks and consequences of cigarette smoking in people living in multiple-unit housing

In an effort to protect children from harmful tobacco smoke exposure, health and medical professionals are pushing for a ban on smoking in public housing in a report appearing in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

18 Jun 2010

Study: Low-salt foods may be harder for some people to like than others

Low-salt foods may be harder for some people to like than others, according to a study by a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences food scientist. The research indicates that genetics influence some of the difference in the levels of salt we like to eat.

17 Jun 2010

Chemicals that helped solve global environmental crisis may make another problem worse: Scientists

Chemicals that helped solve a global environmental crisis in the 1990s - the hole in Earth's protective ozone layer - may be making another problem - acid rain - worse, scientists are reporting. Their study on the chemicals that replaced the ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons once used in aerosol spray cans, air conditioners, refrigerators, and other products, appears in ACS' Journal of Physical Chemistry A, a weekly publication.

17 Jun 2010

Smokeless tobacco affects normal function of CYP-450 family of enzymes: Report

Far from having adverse effects limited to the mouth, smokeless tobacco affects the normal function of a key family of enzymes found in almost every organ in the body, according to the first report on the topic in ACS' monthly journal Chemical Research in Toxicology. The enzymes play important roles in production of hormones, including the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone; production of cholesterol and vitamin D; and help the body breakdown prescription drugs and potentially toxic substances.

17 Jun 2010

Researchers study science and clinical treatment of FAS

It's long been known that alcohol use in pregnancy can lead to children with mental retardation and birth defects, but researchers who study fetal alcohol syndrome have not made definitive progress on preventing the disorder, detecting it early, or effectively treating it, say researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center.

16 Jun 2010

Animal-free testing method for human-specific allergenicity displayed at 2010 ICCA-LRI & JRC Workshop

For the first time, Sweden-based Biovator AB and its cooperation partners will reveal the crucial aspects of the company's unique, animal-free testing method for human-specifi c allergenicity. A detailed presentation is being created for participants in the 2010 ICCA-LRI & JRC Workshop (International Council of Chemical Associations Long-Range Research Initiative), which will take place June 16-17, 2010 at the Grand Hotel Bristol in Stresa, Italy.

16 Jun 2010

Researchers study how APOE4 becomes a potent risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

A molecule implicated in Alzheimer's disease interferes with brain cells by making them unable to "recycle" the surface receptors that respond to incoming signals, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

15 Jun 2010

NOAA, FDA take additional steps to prevent tainted seafood from reaching U.S. market

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are taking additional steps to enhance inspection measures designed to ensure that seafood from the Gulf of Mexico reaching America's tables is safe to eat.

15 Jun 2010

Parkinson’s disease linked to gene variant and pesticide: Study

Researchers from France reported in their new study that bad genes and exposure to certain banned pesticides could be blamed for development of Parkinson’s disease in men. In their study, published in the Archives of Neurology journal they show that men exposed to pesticides such as DDT and who had inherited genes for Parkinson’s disease were three and a half times more likely to develop Parkinson's than those with the normal version of the gene.

14 Jun 2010

Chemicals News and Research

Scientists discover septet of overactive genes that control bodily function

BASF signs agreement to acquire Cognis for equity purchase price of euro 700 million

EUCODIS Bioscience launches high-performance beta-lactamase

K-State chemical engineer patents chemical structure to make natural personal care products in lab

Exposure to chlordecone associated to increased risk of prostate cancer: Researchers

FDA approves Hospira's meropenem for injection, USP (I.V.)

Michigan State University researchers analyze histiocytic sarcomas

Study evaluates association between PBDE flame retardants and thyroid function in pregnant women

Early-life exposure to PCBs diminishes immune response to diphtheria and tetanus vaccinations: Study

PAS technique to predict how blood platelets respond to complex conditions found during heart attack

Canadian scientists describe safe, inexpensive way for kids to make microfluidic devices

Researchers study risks and consequences of cigarette smoking in people living in multiple-unit housing

Study: Low-salt foods may be harder for some people to like than others

Chemicals that helped solve global environmental crisis may make another problem worse: Scientists

Smokeless tobacco affects normal function of CYP-450 family of enzymes: Report

Researchers study science and clinical treatment of FAS

Animal-free testing method for human-specific allergenicity displayed at 2010 ICCA-LRI & JRC Workshop

Researchers study how APOE4 becomes a potent risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

NOAA, FDA take additional steps to prevent tainted seafood from reaching U.S. market

Parkinson’s disease linked to gene variant and pesticide: Study

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