Chemicals News and Research

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Canadian-invented bioactive paper wards off E-coli, salmonella and SARS

Next time there is a global pandemic, contaminated water caused by flooding, or questionable-looking meat in a supermarket, we may be reaching for a piece of paper.

24 May 2007

New adult nerves have a deeper role than simply replacing dead ones

You may not be able to relive your youth, but part of your brain can. Johns Hopkins researchers have found that newly made nerves in an adult brain's learning center experience a one-month period when they are just as active as the nerves in a developing child.

24 May 2007

Pure oxygen harms the brain

A paramedic or doctor plops a mask over the face of a person struggling to breathe and begins dispensing pure oxygen.

24 May 2007

Unhealthy outdoor zones for secondhand smoke

With the growing number of smoking bans in restaurants and bars driving smokers outside, researchers in Athens, Georgia, are hoping to find out whether secondhand smoke from smokers clustered outside these establishments is posing a health hazard of its own.

24 May 2007

Discovery of fungi that uses radioactivity as an energy source

Scientists have long assumed that fungi exist mainly to decompose matter into chemicals that other organisms can then use.

24 May 2007

Red wine protects men from prostate cancer

Researchers have found that men who drink an average of four to seven glasses of red wine per week are only 52% as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as those who do not drink red wine, reports the June 2007 issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch .

22 May 2007

Electronic nose may one day be used to diagnose asthma

The electronic nose is a newer version of a sensor that has been used in the food, wine and perfume industries. It is also being used as an aid against terrorism, to sniff out explosives or toxic chemicals in the air.

22 May 2007

Good news for for people with mild, persistent asthma

People with mild asthma that is well-controlled with twice-daily use of inhaled steroids may be able to reduce inhaler use to once a day, or switch to a daily pill, according to new research conducted at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and 20 other centers.

17 May 2007

Study revises dynamin's role in nerve cell function

An unexpected finding on how nerve cells signal to one another could rewrite the textbooks on neuroscience, says a collaborative team of researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College and Yale University.

17 May 2007

Mild asthma can be controlled with once-a-day treatment

According to new research, for some people suffering from mild asthma which is controlled with twice-daily use of inhaled steroids, once a day may be enough.

16 May 2007

Chemical maps hint at drug's effects on schizophrenia

Antipsychotic drugs do most of their work in the brain, but they also leave behind in the bloodstream a trail of hundreds of chemicals that may be used in the future to direct better treatment for schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions, say Duke University Medical Center researchers.

16 May 2007

Researchers design cell culture test for assessing a compound's genetic toxicity - cheaper than animal tests

In the daunting marathon that leads to successful drugs, promising drug candidates must pass toxicity tests before entering clinical trials.

15 May 2007

Researchers equip E. coli with a "riboswitch" chemo-navigational system

Using an innovative method to control the movement of Escherichia coli in a chemical environment, Emory University scientists have opened the door to powerful new opportunities in drug delivery, environmental cleanup and synthetic biology.

11 May 2007

FDA issues consumer warning for "True Man" or "Energy Max" products

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers not to purchase or use "True Man" or "Energy Max" products promoted and sold as dietary supplements throughout the United States.

11 May 2007

Synthetic colouring and preservatives linked to hyperactivity in kids

Following the results of new research by the Food Standards Agency in Britain, parents are being told to avoid artificial colours commonly found in sweets and soft drinks.

9 May 2007

Renewal of Echinacea and St John's Wort research

A five-year-old research center dedicated to understanding and improving Echinacea and Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) has received $4.4 million in continuation funding from the National Institutes of Health. The renewal is for three years.

4 May 2007

Tens of thousands of Americans die each year from secondhand tobacco smoke

While the health risks associated with indoor secondhand smoke are well documented, little research has been done on exposure to toxic tobacco fumes outdoors.

4 May 2007

Prenatal toxicity linked to immune dysfunctions in later life

A Cornell researcher and his wife have conducted the first comprehensive review of later-life diseases that develop in people who were exposed to environmental toxins or drugs either in the womb or as infants.

4 May 2007

Philadelphia voters overwhelmingly support new smoke law

By a margin of 78 percent to 20 percent, Philadelphia voters overwhelmingly support the city's new smoke- free workplace law, according to a new poll released today by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

4 May 2007