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Researchers create lung cancer ‘cluster bombs’

The butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker may be more famous, but the pharmacist, the engineer, and the doctor may be onto something big. The latter group has combined resources and knowledge to create a novel way to deliver a new lung cancer treatment. The new system, which uses “nanoparticle cluster bombs,” has proven effective in treating cancerous lung cells in vitro (in a petri dish), it was reported today in the International Journal of Pharmaceuticals. The research team from the University of Alberta will conduct in vivo tests (in live specimens) early this year, with plans for clinical trials to follow.

New antioxidants 100 times more effective than vitamin E

An international team of chemists has developed a new family of antioxidants that are up to 100 times more effective than Vitamin E. Antioxidants are molecules that can counteract the damaging effects of oxygen in tissues and other materials. So far, the new antioxidants have been tested “in vitro” ? in the test tube. But studies with biological molecules, such as cholesterol, suggest that the new compounds have properties that could make them suitable for dietary supplements. Shortly, Vanderbilt researchers expect to begin the lengthy process of determining how effective the new the compounds are in living animals and whether they have any harmful side effects.

Envisat completes its ten thousandth orbit around Earth

Around 7pm CET on 28 January 2004, the European Space Agency’s Envisat spacecraft completed its ten thousandth orbit of the Earth ? travelling a distance of 450 million kilometres since launch, equivalent to taking a trip to Mars. Envisat orbits our planet every hundred minutes, moving at a velocity of more than seven kilometres per second. This lorry-sized spacecraft is the most complex environmental satellite ever launched, with ten different instruments mounted on its hull to study Earth’s land, oceans and atmosphere. These instruments were developed and built by scientists and industrial teams from all across Europe.

Monkey talk, human speech share left-brain processing

Scans have pinpointed circuits in the monkey brain that could be precursors of those in humans for speech and language. As in humans, an area specialized for processing species-specific vocalizations is on the left side of the brain, report researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health and elsewhere. An area near the left temple responded significantly more than the same area on the right only to monkey calls, not to other animal calls, human voices or various other sounds.

Mosquito virus found to target tumor cells

Mosquitoes are notorious for their ability to spread disease, but in some cases they may prove to be a boon instead of a bane. In a recent study, researchers at New York University School of Medicine found that one mosquito-borne virus automatically targets and kills tumor cells in mice. Most importantly, it does so while leaving healthy cells alone, a feature that may make it a promising treatment for some forms of cancer.

Possible new target for anti-HIV drugs

A subtle structural change that may play a role in the molecular machinery for making HIV-1 (the virus that causes AIDS) has been identified by scientists. If confirmed in living cells, the mechanism might provide a new target for antiviral drugs. The finding is among several to emerge recently from efforts to develop and validate sensitive tools for rapidly detecting and quantifying ribonucleic acid (RNA) interactions. RNA provides the genetic blueprint for retroviruses such as HIV-1. Scientists created a model system for tracking changes in an RNA structural element involved in forming HIV-1 viral particles.

Finding may help eczema sufferers tolerate smallpox vaccine

The lack of a certain peptide in the skin of people with atopic dermatitis–the most common form of eczema–may explain why they are at high risk of adverse reactions to the smallpox vaccine, report scientists in the February Journal of Immunology. The finding may lead to new treatments to allow those with the skin condition to be vaccinated against smallpox without breaking out in a potentially deadly rash.

Mineral ‘gel’ formed in earthquakes

Researchers have discovered a mineral gel created when rocks abrade each other under earthquake-like conditions. If present in faults during a quake, the gel may reduce friction to nearly zero in some situations, resulting in larger energy releases that could cause more damage. The researchers sheared quartz-rich rocks against each other under controlled conditions, simulating several aspects of a geologic fault environment. Future experiments will take advantage of a salvaged 100-horsepower BMW motorcycle engine, which will allow the apparatus to reach seismic slip speeds of one meter per second.

Teenage girls lacking in vitamin D

A study in Maine has found evidence that many girls are not getting enough vitamin D, either from their diets or sun exposure. Lack of the critical nutrient could lead to health risks later in life, especially for osteoporosis. Vitamin D is necessary for the growth of healthy bones and may be critical in other bodily processes as well. The study monitored sun exposure, diet and blood levels of vitamin D in 23 girls from ages 10 to 13 years old. Vitamin D is an emerging area of medical research. Medical scientists have yet to understand the whole story about vitamin D and the body. “We’ve known for a long time that vitamin D has a role in getting calcium into bones,” said the lead researcher. “Researchers are now finding evidence that vitamin D could play other roles in health such as cancer prevention and controlling blood pressure. There are vitamin D receptors in lots of tissues in the body that aren’t related to bone.”

Low testosterone linked to Alzheimer’s in older men

Older men with lower levels of free, or unbound, testosterone circulating in their bloodstreams could be at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than their peers, according to research conducted by investigators at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the National Institutes of Health, and others. This prospective observational study is believed to be the first to associate low circulating blood levels of free testosterone with AD years before diagnosis.

Artificial island arises off Dubai

The rapidly changing face of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is portrayed by contrasting Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images taken less than four years apart, most notably as a whole new artificial island is seen to rise from the seabed. An initial radar image of Dubai was taken by ERS-2’s SAR instrument in May 1999. The coastal city has since been re-imaged by the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) instrument aboard Envisat, ESA’s latest Earth Observation satellite. Unlike optical imagery, SAR images work by mapping surface roughness, based on the strength of radar backscatter reflected back up to space.