News Release

ACS News Service Weekly PressPac -- Feb. 28, 2007

Peer-Reviewed Publication

American Chemical Society

American Chemical Society

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ACS NEWS SERVICE — Feb. 28, 2007
Weekly PressPac - ALL CONTENT IS FOR IMMEDIATE USE EXCEPT ARTICLE #5 (EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, March 5, 2007)


PressPac Archive: http://www.chemistry.org/news/presspac.html

Contact: Michael Woods
202-872-4400
m_woods@acs.org

In This Edition:

  • The first urine test to detect insulin doping in athletes
  • Vegetable soup chemical reactions
  • Elevated arsenic levels reported in rice grown in South Central States
  • Red pepper: Hot stuff for fighting fat?
  • The Chemistry of the Holy Land

Journalists’ Resources:

  • “Huh, a what?” Find out “what” in a Chemistry Glossary
  • Earth Day, April 22:
  • ACS Video Contest for College Students
  • Earth Day Poetry Contest for grades K-12
  • ACS Earth Day Fact Sheet
  • Research in one hot field: ACS Chemical Biology <

Mark Your Calendars:

  • ACS National Meeting, March 25-29, Chicago
  • Special Event: Chicago News Media Tour/Briefing/Reception
  • On the Horizon: ACS Regional Meeting, May 16-19, Philadelphia


ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The first urine test to detect insulin doping in athletes
Analytical Chemistry

Scientists in Germany are reporting development of a urine test that finally can identify athletes who misuse certain kinds of insulin in an illicit attempt to enhance performance.

Mario Thevis and colleagues say that amateur and elite athletes reportedly have used long-acting, as well as rapid-acting, forms of insulin to gain an edge — although insulin doping’s actual ability to enhance performance remains uncertain.

Their article, scheduled for the April 1 edition of ACS’ Analytical Chemistry, a semi-monthly journal, states that scientists had not attempted to develop such a test in the past because of the presumption that it was impossible to detect insulin’s degradation products, the compounds formed as the body breaks down insulin.

Using urine samples from volunteers, including athletes with diabetes, the scientists were able to identify degradation products from Lantus insulin, one commonly used form of insulin. The test could not identify surreptitious use of two other forms of long-duration insulin, but the study uncovered clues that toward that goal. “Determination of long-acting insulin analogues in urine is of utmost interest for doping control purposes,” the study notes. “The developed and validated procedure provides a fast and reliable way to elucidate the potential misuse of the long-acting insulin analogue LAN in regular doping control specimens.”

ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Mass Spectrometric Identification of Degradation Products of Insulin and Its Long-Acting Analogues in Human Urine for Doping Control Purposes”

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/ancham/asap/pdf/ac062037t.pdf

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/ancham/asap/html/ac062037t.html

CONTACT:
Mario Thevis, Ph.D.
German Sport University
Cologne, Germany
Phone: 0049221-4982-7070
Fax: 0049221-497-3236
Email: m.thevis@biochem.dshs.koeln.de


ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Vegetable soup chemical reactions
Natural Products

Chemists working on tight budgets in developing countries may be able to substitute extracts of potatoes, celery, eggplant, carrot, cassava, horseradish or an array of inexpensive and locally available vegetable products for the costly reagents traditionally needed for chemical reactions, a new study suggests.

In a review scheduled for the March 23 issue of the ACS’ Journal of Natural Products, a monthly publication, Geoffrey A. Cordell at the University of Illinois at Chicago and colleagues in Brazil explain that the high cost of imported reagents — substances used in chemical reactions — is a major problem for such academic, chemical industry and pharmaceutical laboratories in developing countries. Their report describes how some of the more than 7,000 vegetable crops grown throughout the world can be used as substitutes for commercial reagents in laboratory work.

“The evaluation of locally available vegetables, fruits, common plants, and natural waste products for a selection of standard organic chemical reactions of commercial significance could prove to be a very valuable economic endeavor,” the report notes. “It may well offer new opportunities to expand the role of natural products as sustainable chemical reagents where high-cost, nonrenewable reagents are presently used.”

ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Vegetables as Chemical Reagents”

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jnprdf/asap/pdf/np0680634.pdf

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jnprdf/asap/html/np0680634.html

CONTACT:
Geoffrey A. Cordell, Ph.D.
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois 60612
Phone: 312-413-5381
Fax: 312-996-7170
Email: cordell@uic.edu


ARTICLE #3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Elevated arsenic levels reported in rice grown in South Central States
Environmental Science & Technology

The largest market basket survey of the arsenic content of rice grown in the United States has found elevated levels of arsenic in rice produced in the South Central part of the country, scientists report in an article scheduled for the April 1 issue of ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal. The University of Aberdeen’s A. A. Meharg and colleagues did the study, which involved analyses of rice purchased at U. S. supermarkets. A previous study found that U. S. rice purchased in the United Kingdom had higher arsenic levels than rice grown in Europe, India or Bangladesh.

In the study, researchers compared arsenic levels in rice from the two main rice-producing areas of the country — the South Central States and California. They focused on inorganic arsenic, which the report describes as a known human carcinogen and implicated in several other diseases. Rice grown in the South Central States had more arsenic than California rice. Rice in those states often is grown in old cotton fields that previously were treated with arsenic pesticides, the study states, adding that arsenic-tolerant strains of rice often are grown in those fields.

When researchers modeled rice intake, they concluded that certain population groups could get dietary exposure to arsenic that exceeds California’s state exposure limits. Those groups include low-income individuals who consume large amounts or rice as an inexpensive food; people with celiac disease (who eat rice as part of a gluten-free diet); Asian-Americans who consume a high-rice diet; and Hispanic infants and toddlers, who also have a diet high in rice, the study notes.

ARTICLE #3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Market Basket Survey Shows Elevated Levels of As in South Central U. S. Processed Rice Compared to California: Consequences for Human Dietary Exposure”

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/esthag/asap/pdf/es061489k.pdf

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/esthag/asap/html/es061489k.html

CONTACT:
Andrew A. Meharg, Ph.D.
University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen, Scotland, U.K.
Phone: 44-1224-272264 or 44-1651-873016
Fax: 44-1224-272703
Email: a.meharg@abdn.ac.uk


ARTICLE #4 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Red pepper: Hot stuff for fighting fat?
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

Food scientists in Taiwan are reporting new evidence from laboratory experiments that capsaicin — the natural compound that gives red pepper that spicy hot kick — can reduce the growth of fat cells. The study is scheduled for the March 21 issue of the ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

In the report, Gow-Chin Yen and Chin-Lin Hsu cite previous research suggesting that obesity can be reduced by preventing immature fat cells (adipocytes) from developing into mature cells. Past research also linked capsaicin to a decrease in the amount of fat tissue and decreased blood-fat levels. With that knowledge, the researchers tested capsaicin’s effects on pre-adipocytes and adipocytes growing in laboratory cultures.

They found that capsaicin prevented pre-adipocytes from filling with fat and becoming full-fledged fat cells. The effects occurred at levels just slightly greater than those found in the stomach fluid of an individual eating a typical Indian or Thai diet, the researchers noted. Capsaicin worked by providing a biochemical signal that made fat cells undergo apoptosis, a mechanism in which cells self-destruct.

ARTICLE #4
“Effects of Capsaicin on Induction of Apoptosis and Inhibition of Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Cells”

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jafcau/asap/pdf/jf062912b.pdf

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jafcau/asap/html/jf062912b.html

CONTACT:
Gow-Chin Yen, Ph.D.
Phone: 886-4-22879755
Fax: 886-4-22864378
Email: gcyen@nchu.edu.tw


ARTICLE # 5 EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, March 5, 2007

The Chemistry of the Holy Land
Chemical & Engineering News

Chemical research is thriving in Israel — a tiny country far away from major scientific centers and surrounded by hostile neighbors. The country ranks third in the world in research papers published per million population. That’s just one characteristic detailed in the profile of science in the Holy Land based on visits to 30 research groups by Chemical & Engineering News, ACS’ weekly newsmagazine.

“The odds of developing a successful chemical research program in such a place and under such circumstances might seem slim, and the task may seem daunting,” reports C&EN senior editor Mitch Jacoby, who wrote the cover story. “Yet Israeli chemists don’t seem particularly fazed by the challenge. ‘Kacha zen ba’arets,’ they say in a matter-of-fact way — “That’s just the way things are in Israel.”

In the article, Jacoby draws on interviews with scientists at institutions throughout Israel to provide a sweeping view of the kinds of research projects underway in Israel, and the scientific life in the Holy Land. The article draws contrasts with science in the West, noting, for instance that young Israeli scientists begin their careers older, due to mandatory military service, and work in a culture of usually-small research groups and modest budgets.

ARTICLE # 5 EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, March 5, 2007
“Chemistry in the Holy Land: Political turmoil — not research topics — distinguishes Israel from the West”

This story will be available on March 5 at:
http://www.cen-online.org/coverstory/85/8510cover.html

FOR ADVANCE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Michael Bernstein
ACS News Service
Phone: 202-872-6042
Fax: 202-872-4370
Email: m_bernstein@acs.org


Journalists’ Resources

General Chemistry Glossary
http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/glossary.shtml

Earth Day, April 22 — http://chemistry.org/earthday

ACS Video Contest for Students
April 10 is the deadline for entries in the ACS’ video contest for college and university students. For information and entry forms on the cash-award competition, which is part of the “Chemists Celebrate Earth Day” observance, visit: http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC=oca%5cearthday%5c07_cced_videocontest.html

ACS Earth Day Poetry Contest
Information on ACS’ illustrated haiku contest for students in grades Kindergarten-12: http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC=oca%5cearthday%5c07_cced_haiku_contest.html

ACS Earth Day Fact Sheet
http://www.chemistry.org/portal/resources/ACS/ACSContent/oca/earthday/attachments/2007ccedoverview.pdf

Video Public Service Announcement
http://acswebcontent.acs.org/earthday/air05/alt/ACSearthday.mpg

ACS Chemical Biology
Highlights from the American Chemical Society journal, ACS Chemical Biology, are now available on EurekAlert!, the online science news service for reporters. ACS Chemical Biology is a monthly journal exploring cellular function from both chemical and biological perspectives. In addition to research papers and reviews, the journal also publishes “Spotlight” — current research in chemical biology from other journals; “Profile” — experts in the field; and “Points of View” — comments from leading scientists. The journal web site is updated weekly with new content, and features a WIKI and an “Ask the Expert” section.
http://www.eurekalert.org/jrnls/acs/index.php?page=chemicalbiology


Mark Your Calendars

ACS National Meeting — Chicago, March 25-29
The American Chemical Society’s 233rd national meeting promises to be one of 2007’s biggest and most productive science conferences, and a bonanza of spot news, feature topics and background for reporters covering science, medicine, energy, environment, food, business or the environment. We expect more than 9,000 scientific papers on topics spanning science’s horizons from astronomy to zoology. To access the ACS News Service’s new electronic press center for the Chicago meeting, with media registration and housing, go to: http://www.acspresscenter.org.

Special Event: Chicago News Media Tour/Briefing/Reception
News media are invited to a special event at the Art Institute of Chicago, scheduled during the ACS national meeting. The Art Institute, Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory are partners in a noted art conservation science program. Reporters will get briefings from program scientists and a behind-the-scenes tour of science labs, followed by a reception honoring ACS Grady-Stack Awardee Stuart Brown in the beautiful environs of the Institute. The event begins at 4 p.m. on March 26. Space is strictly limited, so register early by contacting Michael Woods at m_woods@acs.org or 202-872-6293.

On the Horizon: ACS Regional Meeting, May 16-19, Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Section, American Chemical Society, and Ursinus College will host the 39th ACS Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting. http://www.marmacs.org

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