Spectroscopy News and Research

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Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between radiation (electromagnetic radiation, or light, as well as particle radiation) and matter.

Small heat shock protein as model for Alzheimer’s medication

In Alzheimer’s disease proteins clump together to long fibrils causing the death of nerve cells. Small heat shock proteins can counteract this effect. Scientists, therefore, hope to deploy them as agents in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Using the example of a small heat shock protein, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Helmholtz Zentrum München have now uncovered how the protein interacts with other proteins.

13 Oct 2015

Fraunhofer researchers developing new system for rapid analysis of urinary stones

Kidney stones rank among the most common illnesses. Their recurrence might be prevented with the right postoperative care. However, for this to be effective, composition of the stones should be known. Fraunhofer researchers are developing a system for rapid analysis of urinary stones immediately after the surgical procedure.

12 Oct 2015

Study confirms neuroprotective effects of hypothermia in newborns with HIE

A unique study at Children's Hospital Los Angeles of newborns treated with hypothermia for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) - a condition that occurs when the brain is deprived of an adequate oxygen supply - confirms its neuroprotective effects on the brain.

9 Oct 2015

New UV-Vis spectrophotometer simplifies sample quality decisions

Life scientists who work with DNA, RNA and proteins can make educated decisions about sample suitability in experiments using a standalone, microvolume spectrophotometer for accurate quantitation and purity measurements to ensure downstream application success.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 6 Oct 2015

Michigan researchers use Raman spectroscopy to study various childhood diseases

Renishaw, a world leader in metrology and spectroscopy, reports on the use of its inVia confocal Raman microscope in the study of various diseases–with a major focus on childhood diseases–at the Children's Hospital of Michigan and Wayne State University.

6 Oct 2015

AFM Images of microvilli on live cells taken for the first time

In a just released article in the Journal of Molecular Recognition, Dr. Hermann Schillers et al. report the first visualization of individual microvilli on living cells with atomic force microscopy.

From Bruker Nano Surfaces and Metrology 1 Oct 2015

Unlocking the genes behind antibiotic resistance: an interview with Professor Romesberg

Bacteria are very, very diverse. This is why their susceptibility to different antibiotics can be very different. It also makes the tools they have to evolve resistance in many cases different.

30 Sep 2015

Bruker’s NMR Food Screener laboratory granted accreditation

Bruker announced that its NMR FoodScreener™ laboratory for food authenticity and quality determination, located in Rheinstetten, Germany, has been granted ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation.

From Bruker 28 Sep 2015

New study heightens concerns over detrimental impact of air pollution on gene associated with AD risk

A new study by researchers at the Universities of Montana, Valle de México, Boise State, and North Carolina, the Centro de Ciencias de la Atmósfera, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, and Centro Médico Cozumel heightens concerns over the detrimental impact of air pollution on hippocampal metabolites as early markers of neurodegeneration in young urbanites carrying an allele 4 of the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE).

26 Sep 2015

Novel mechanism may help explain the virulence of 1918 'Spanish' flu

While yearly outbreaks of flu kill about 250,000 to 500,000 people worldwide, the 1918 "Spanish" flu infected one-third of the world's population and killed 50 million to 100 million. Chad Petit, Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, has discovered a novel mechanism for one 1918 flu virus protein that may help explain the virulence of that unusually deadly pandemic.

23 Sep 2015

HemoPalm technology can benefit physicians and first responders

Each year, hundreds of thousands of patients come to the ER experiencing life threatening events such as possible carbon monoxide poisoning or heart attacks, attending doctors in a medical institution rely on the current standard blood gas analyzers to diagnose the oxygen-carrying capabilities of blood, blood gases and electrolytes.

16 Sep 2015

NUS researchers develop new technique to observe nano-bio interactions

Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed a technique to observe, in real time, how individual blood components interact and modify advanced nanoparticle therapeutics.

16 Sep 2015

Rice lab invents technique to characterize nanoscale spaces in porous materials

Rice University scientists led a project to "see" and measure the space in porous materials, even if that space is too small or fragile for traditional microscopes.

10 Sep 2015

Pitt scientists find faster method to identify pathogens

There are plenty of ways in the lab to determine which bug is bugging you when you're sick. The University of Pittsburgh's Xinyu Liu, Sanford Asher, and colleagues may have found a faster method.

9 Sep 2015

SLU scientist receives grant to solve blood-clotting mysteries

Last summer, SLU scientists made a breakthrough discovery about the way in which blood clots. Through X-ray crystallography, they solved the molecular structure of prothrombin, an important blood-clotting protein, revealing an unexpected, flexible role for a "linker" region that may be the key to developing better life-saving drugs.

1 Sep 2015

New way to understand how transcranial magnetic stimulation can give relief for severe depression

A group of UK scientists have found a way of understanding how transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can give relief to severely depressed patients. TMS is used as an alternative to Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT), but it is not known how it achieves its therapeutic effect. Understanding how it works may open the door to better, more targeted treatment for depression and other conditions.

31 Aug 2015

Researchers uncover important cellular functions that help regulate inflammation

Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have uncovered key cellular functions that help regulate inflammation -- a discovery that could have important implications for the treatment of allergies, heart disease, and certain forms of cancer.

28 Aug 2015

Researchers find way to screen blood samples to detect presence of precancerous polyps in the colon

Canadian researchers have found a way to screen blood samples for molecular traces that indicate the presence of precancerous polyps in the colon, a key warning sign for colon cancer. Their results, published this week in the journal Biomedical Optics Express, from The Optical Society, may yield a cheaper and less invasive initial screening test for colon cancer that could complement colonoscopy, though further clinical trials will need to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the blood test before it is routinely used.

25 Aug 2015

Tiny nanocrystals could be used in advanced medical imaging technologies to light up cancer cells

Researchers in China have developed tiny nanocrystals that could be used in the next generation of medical imaging technologies to light up cancer cells.

20 Aug 2015

Kentucky, Oklahoma and Rhode Island researchers awarded NSF grant to develop innovative brain imaging technologies

The National Science Foundation has awarded $6 million to researchers in Kentucky, Oklahoma and Rhode Island to develop innovative and broadly accessible brain imaging technologies to provide insight into how the nervous system functions in health and disease.