First broad spectrum anti-microbial paint to kill "superbugs"
Scientists in South Dakota are reporting development of the first broad-spectrum antimicrobial paint, a material that can simultaneously kill not just disease-causing bacteria but mold, fungi, and viruses. Designed to both decorate and disinfect homes, businesses, and health-care settings, the paint is the most powerful to date, according to their new study. It appears in the current issue of the monthly ACS' Applied Materials & Interfaces. The paint shows special promise for fighting so-called "superbugs," antibiotic-resistant microbes that infect hospital surfaces and cause an estimated 88,000 deaths annually in the United States, the researchers say.
In the study, Yuyu Sun and Zhengbing Cao note in the antimicrobial paints already on are store shelves. These paints, however, are only effective against a narrow range of disease-causing microorganisms, limiting their usefulness.
The scientists already were aware of research on the germ-killing effects of that N-halamines, bleach-like substances already in wide use. They developed a new antimicrobial polymer that includes a type of N-halamine. It has no undesirable effects on the quality of latex paints. Laboratory tests showed that the new polymer kills a wide range of disease-causing microbes including those resistant to multiple antibiotics. The paint retains an anti-microbial punch for extended periods, and it can be easily "recharged" with a simple chlorination process, the researchers note. - MTS
DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE
CONTACT:
Yuyu Sun, Ph.D.
Biomedical Engineering Program
University of South Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
India's "holy powder" finally reveals its centuries-old secret
Scientists in Michigan are reporting discovery of the secret behind the fabled healing power of the main ingredient in turmeric - a spice revered in India as "holy powder." Their study on the ingredient, curcumin, appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a weekly publication.
In the study, Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy and colleagues point out that turmeric has been used for centuries in folk medicine to treat wounds, infections, and other health problems. Although modern scientific research on the spice has burgeoned in recent years, scientists until now did not know exactly how curcumin works inside the body.
Using a high-tech instrument termed solid-state NMR spectroscopy, the scientists discovered that molecules of curcumin act like a biochemical disciplinarian. They insert themselves into cell membranes and make the membranes more stable and orderly in a way that increases cells' resistance to infection by disease-causing microbes. - AD
"Determining the Effects of Lipophillic Drugs on Membrane Structure by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy - the Case of the Antioxidant Curcumin"
CONTACT:
Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy, Ph.D
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Oh rats! New wireless sensor first for instant monitoring of brain oxygen
Scientists in Italy and Ireland are reporting development of the first wireless sensor that gives second-by-second readings of oxygen levels in the brain. The new microsensor - smaller than a dime - could become the basis for tiny devices to help test drugs and other treatments for patients with traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, and other conditions. The study appears in ACS' Analytical Chemistry, a semi-monthly journal.
In the new report, Pier Andrea Serra and colleagues note that the most common method for monitoring brain neurochemical levels is microdialysis, a technique that requires insertion of a relatively big probe into the brain. That technique, however, has several disadvantages including low sample rate and the necessity of a complex analytical apparatus.
Serra and colleagues describe development and testing in laboratory rats of a wireless sensor that overcomes some of those drawbacks. The scientists used a variety of techniques - including physiological stimuli and pharmacological treatments - to raise or lower their brain oxygen levels. The simple sensor quickly and reliably recorded real-time changes in these oxygen levels and can help provide a better understanding of the brain in health and disease, the researchers say. The proposed system could be used in conjunction with a wide range of microsensors and biosensors for monitoring small molecules in the brain. - MTS
"Real-Time Monitoring of Brain Tissue Oxygen Using a Miniaturized Biotelemetric Device Implanted in Freely Moving Rats"
CONTACT:
Pier Andrea Serra MD, PhD
Medical School
University of Sassari
V.le S. Pietro 43/b
07100 - Sassari
ITALY
"Neglected" diseases neglected no more
A non-profit offshoot of famed Nobel Prize winning Médecins sans Frontières is joining hands with pharmaceutical companies, government agencies and private donors in a new assault on neglected diseases. Those hard-to-treat diseases include leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness, and Chagas disease. These conditions infect millions of people worldwide each year, killing thousands. An article on this development is scheduled for the April 20 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.
C&EN senior editor Rick Mullin explains that just a decade ago major pharmaceutical companies devoted little attention to developing treatments for these diseases - thus the term, "neglected" diseases. That situation, however, has changed, with a nonprofit organization called Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) leading the way. DNDi hopes to have at least 6 new drugs for neglected diseases by 2014.
DNDi already has raised $150 million from public and private donors and seeks an additional $200 million by 2014. That cash, combined with a new commitment among pharmaceutical companies, brightens hopes for improving health and saving lives in the developing world, the article suggests.
"Paying attention to neglected diseases"
Source:
Michael Woods
American Chemical Society