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Plant toxins in the diets of early humans drove the evolution of taste

Plant toxins in the diets of early humans drove the evolution of a bitter taste receptor better able to detect them, suggests new genetic research by scientists at University College London, Duke University Medical Center, and the German Institute of Human Nutrition.

25 Jul 2005

Survey shows lead, tobacco exposure may be down in U.S., but blood and urine samples, awash with chemicals

According to the latest U.S. government survey on chemical exposures, levels of lead have dropped dramatically, exposure to second-hand smoke is down and most women are not carrying unsafe levels of mercury.

23 Jul 2005

Hearing protein TRPA1 also involved with pain perception

The same protein that “translates” sound into nerve signals to the brain and enables individuals to hear is also required for pain perception, researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have found.

21 Jul 2005

Imiquimod and fluorouracil emerge as effective weapons for treating superficial basal cell carcinomas

Basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, affects millions of people worldwide. While traditional treatment has been surgery and radiation, topical treatments in combination with surgery are showing more promise for patients with basal cell carcinoma.

21 Jul 2005

Fertility drugs may be ineffective for women who lack a gene called the estrogen receptor beta

"What we found is that the beta estrogen receptor plays a role in moving the egg outside the ovary so it can be fertilized," said Kenneth Korach, Ph.D., Laboratory Chief at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) where the research was conducted. "We never knew before what function this receptor played in reproduction."

20 Jul 2005

New way to fight antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus infections

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital and Health Center, San Diego have discovered that "Staph" bacteria use a protective golden armor to ward off the immune system, a finding with the potential to lead to new treatments for serious infections now increasingly resistant to standard antibiotics.

19 Jul 2005

Nebivolol may help control high blood pressure

According to research presented at ISHIB2005, nebivolol was shown to be statistically significantly better than placebo in reducing systolic and diastolic blood pressure among African-American hypertensive patients in a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

18 Jul 2005

Researchers gain better understanding of how nerves need to be reconnected after spinal cord injury

Nerve cells relay messages at blink-of-the-eye speeds by squirting chemicals called neurotransmitters across tiny gaps called synapses to awaiting message receptors. But lots of different receptors and neurotransmitters work simultaneously. Which goes where to send the proper message?

13 Jul 2005

Identical twins lose some fundamental similarities as they grow older

...a new study reports. They may start to look and act less alike. The changes could leave one twin susceptible to diseases like cancer, while the other twin remains healthy.

11 Jul 2005

Meth abuse biggest drug problem in country USA

In a recent crime survey of 45 states and 500 county law enforcement agencies in the U.S., it has been found that as far as rural and small town America is concerned, methamphetamine has overtaken cocaine as the biggest drug problem.

11 Jul 2005

Potatoes found to help reduce blood pressure and other diseases

UK scientists have identified bioactive plant chemicals in the most practical of staple foods, the potato. These natural chemicals have been associated with reduced blood pressure and they selectively affect a chemotherapeutic target for trypanosomes and similar diseases such as sleeping sickness.

30 Jun 2005

Forensic use of tandem mass-spectroscopy detects links between banknotes and drugs

Research published in this month’s edition of the journal Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, describes a method that can detect a pattern of contamination on banknotes from drug related crime that is different from the pattern seen in general circulation. The process is significantly faster than other previous methods.

28 Jun 2005

Study causes big shift in how we think about p53 gene

The cellular cascade of molecular signals that instructs cells with fatally damaged DNA to self-destruct pivots on the p53 tumor suppressor gene. If p53 is inactivated, as it is in over half of all human cancers, checks and balances on cell growth fail to operate, and body cells start to accumulate mutations, which ultimately may lead to cancer.

27 Jun 2005

Scientists solve structure of a critical innate immune system protein

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have solved the structure of a crucial human immune system molecule called TLR3, an acronym for Toll-like receptor three. In an upcoming issue of the journal Science, the protein is described as a large horseshoe-shaped coil composed of 23 leucine-rich repeats (LRRs).

27 Jun 2005

Enzyme known as cathepsin G may be a target for anti-inflammatory treatments

The finding by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that an enzyme known as cathepsin G regulates the ability of immune cells known as neutrophils to secrete chemicals that attract other immune cells and start the local inflammatory process. Over time, the excessive accumulation of immune cells can lead to tissue and cartilage damage in joints, causing pain and limiting mobility.

27 Jun 2005

Patients lose trust at U.S.hospital after hydraulic fluid incident

Officials at Duke Health Raleigh Hospital has sent letters this week to about 4,000 patients whose surgeons unknowingly used instruments washed in hydraulic fluid.

23 Jun 2005

Naturally produced 'cannabis' in the brain helps with pain relief

Researchers in the United States have found that a cannabis like chemical produced naturally in the brain helps with pain relief.

23 Jun 2005

Chemicals found in everyday products and food have subtle but potentially damaging effects on sperm fertility

Professor Lynn Fraser told the 21st annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology today (Wednesday), that her previous research had shown that certain chemicals known to mimic the female sex hormone, oestrogen, could individually affect the correct functioning of mouse sperm, but now her new research showed that when the chemicals were combined they had an even stronger effect.

21 Jun 2005

Researchers isolate substance most responsible for the tissue damage that follows initial spinal cord injury

Purdue University researchers may have isolated the substance most responsible for the tissue damage that follows initial spinal cord injury, a discovery that could also improve treatments for a host of other neurodegenerative conditions.

21 Jun 2005

CSIRO hyperspectral imaging software can be used by pharmaceutical companies for production line quality assurance

New CSIRO imaging software means consumers could be confident their tablets contain exactly what their packaging says.

21 Jun 2005

Chemicals News and Research

Plant toxins in the diets of early humans drove the evolution of taste

Survey shows lead, tobacco exposure may be down in U.S., but blood and urine samples, awash with chemicals

Hearing protein TRPA1 also involved with pain perception

Imiquimod and fluorouracil emerge as effective weapons for treating superficial basal cell carcinomas

Fertility drugs may be ineffective for women who lack a gene called the estrogen receptor beta

New way to fight antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus infections

Nebivolol may help control high blood pressure

Researchers gain better understanding of how nerves need to be reconnected after spinal cord injury

Identical twins lose some fundamental similarities as they grow older

Meth abuse biggest drug problem in country USA

Potatoes found to help reduce blood pressure and other diseases

Forensic use of tandem mass-spectroscopy detects links between banknotes and drugs

Study causes big shift in how we think about p53 gene

Scientists solve structure of a critical innate immune system protein

Enzyme known as cathepsin G may be a target for anti-inflammatory treatments

Patients lose trust at U.S.hospital after hydraulic fluid incident

Naturally produced 'cannabis' in the brain helps with pain relief

Chemicals found in everyday products and food have subtle but potentially damaging effects on sperm fertility

Researchers isolate substance most responsible for the tissue damage that follows initial spinal cord injury

CSIRO hyperspectral imaging software can be used by pharmaceutical companies for production line quality assurance

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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