Chemicals News and Research

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Eavesdropping on cellular communication

Scientists have discovered the secrets of a sophisticated molecule that plays a role in many aspects of human health from fertility to blood pressure; digestion to mental health.

25 Feb 2009

Scientists manipulate bacteria into generating their own vaccine

Scientists have developed a way to manipulate bacteria so they will grow mutant sugar molecules on their cell surfaces that could be used against them as the key component in potent vaccines.

23 Feb 2009

Redesign technique for proteins

Proteins are widely viewed as a promising alternative to synthetic chemicals in everything from medications to hand lotion.

23 Feb 2009

Tiny flakes of silicon spotlight tumors, deliver drugs

Small is promising when it comes to illuminating tiny tumors or precisely delivering drugs, but many worry about the safety of nano-scale materials.

22 Feb 2009

Clot-buster boosts survival, decreases disability for deadly subset of stroke

New results from a multicenter study led by Johns Hopkins show that patients who got an experimental clot-busting treatment for a particularly lethal form of stroke were not only dramatically more likely to survive but also continued to shed lingering disabilities six months later.

16 Feb 2009

Artificial cells, simple model for complex structure

A simple, chemical materials model may lead to a better understanding of the structure and organization of the cell according to a Penn State researcher.

16 Feb 2009

Air pollution dangerously high around some U.S. schools

Air pollution is dangerously high around schools near some U.S. industrial plants, according to a recent study involving researchers from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University.

16 Feb 2009

Discovery of new prostate cancer marker

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have identified a new biological marker present in the urine of patients with prostate cancer that indicates whether the cancer is progressing and spreading.

15 Feb 2009

Consumers warned about over-the-counter pharmacy diets

Pharmacies across Australia are offering a range of over-the-counter diet plans designed to encourage people to invest in weight loss programs.

8 Feb 2009

The economic cost of methamphetamine use in the United States

The economic cost of methamphetamine use in the United States reached $23.4 billion in 2005, including the burden of addiction, premature death, drug treatment and many other aspects of the drug, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

5 Feb 2009

Green tea may counteract anticancer effects of cancer therapy, bortezomib (Velcade)

Green tea products have become regarded as a valuable health supplement, as studies have shown evidence of its benefit against a variety of diseases, including cancer.

3 Feb 2009

Natural aromatic oils may cause allergies

Hypersensitivity to perfumes is the most common contact allergy in adults.

3 Feb 2009

New chemical keeps stem cells young

Scientists at the Universities of Bath and Leeds have discovered a chemical that stops stem cells from turning into other cell types, allowing researchers to use these cells to develop new medical treatments more easily.

3 Feb 2009

Stat3 signaling tips the balance of immunity in favor of cancer

New research reveals how a cancer-associated protein enables tumor cells to evade the immune system by both suppressing antitumor influences and promoting tumor-enhancing conditions, in essence turning the immune system to the dark side of the force.

2 Feb 2009

Genetic change prevents cell death in mouse model of Parkinson's disease

By shifting a normal protective mechanism into overdrive, a University of Wisconsin-Madison scientist has completely shielded mice from a toxic chemical that would otherwise cause Parkinson's disease.

2 Feb 2009

New way to fight off bacteria

Whenever humans create a new antibiotic, deadly bacteria can counter it by turning into new, indestructible super-bugs.

2 Feb 2009

Brain cells called astrocytes, not neurons, lull the brain to sleep

Brain cells called astrocytes help to cause the urge to sleep that comes with prolonged wakefulness, according to a study in mice, funded by the National Institutes of Health.

2 Feb 2009

Researchers disrupt biochemical system involved in cancer, degenerative disease

Screening a chemical library of 200,000 compounds, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified two new classes that can be used to study and possibly manipulate a cellular pathway involved in many types of cancer and degenerative diseases.

2 Feb 2009

Recent reports regarding mercury and high fructose

ChemRisk, a leading scientific consulting firm, was asked by the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) to examine the recent publication by Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), "Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup," and the Environmental Health journal publication "Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: measured concentrations in food product sugar," by Dufault et al, 2009, and to offer our comments and analysis.

2 Feb 2009

Researchers identify a cell type that limits brain damage after a stroke

A research team including Serge Rivest of University Laval's Faculty of Medicine has demonstrated the existence of a type of cells that limits brain damage after a stroke.

29 Jan 2009