mass spectrometry
Imaging reveals key metabolic factors of cannibalistic bacteria
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have revealed new details about how cannibalistic bacteria identify peers suitable for consumption. The work, which employed imaging mass spectrometry, is a first step toward a broader effor…
Blood test could detect heart attack early
Researchers in Canada are developing a new blood test that they say shows promise of becoming a quicker and more accurate method for diagnosing whether patients with chest pain are having a heart attack. The test could save lives by allowing quicker intervention to prevent more advanced heart damage and could improve the quality of life for heart attack survivors, they say. In preliminary lab studies, the test produced results in just five minutes and had a 99 percent accuracy rate, according to the researchers.
New techniques reveal workings of bacteria linked to cystic fibrosis
Researchers have identified a cell signaling system that may help the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa establish itself in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. The researchers used a new technology to seek insights into an important and elusive enemy, and say the findings are important for biology and potentially important for therapy. The researchers identified the activation of this signaling system by the use of new quantitative proteomic technology that analyzed Pseudomonas samples from the lungs of children with cystic fibrosis. Proteomics is the method for analyzing and cataloguing a complete cellular complement of proteins, which are produced based on information encoded by genes and are the workhorses of all living cells.