image: An edible fungus added to grapefruit juice could reduce side effects people have when drinking that juice while taking prescription drugs, scientists report. view more
Credit: Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne
ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Edible fungus foils dangerous grapefruit-drug interactions
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Scientists in Florida report that adding an edible mushroom-like fungus to grapefruit juice may help to reduce the serious side effects that can occur when people taking certain prescription drugs drink grapefruit juice. Their study is in the January 14 edition of the ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
In the study, Kyung Myung and colleagues explain that furanocoumarins (FCs) — chemicals found in grapefruit and some other citrus — block a key enzyme critical for metabolizing, or breaking down, certain prescription medications. This "grapefruit/drug" interaction — sometimes called the "grapefruit effect" — can turn normal drug doses into toxic overdoses. Researchers have tried to remove FCs using chemical, physical and microbiological methods. Myung and colleagues, for example, had previously discovered that an inedible fungus can be used to remove most of the FCs from grapefruit juice.
Now they report that the edible fungus Morchella esculenta, which is from the same major fungal group as the previously tested inedible fungus, removed most of the furanocoumarins from the grapefruit juice. It also reduced grapefruit juice's inhibition of the enzyme by 60 percent. Dried M. esculenta also worked, leading the researchers to suggest that it could be useful in removing the compound from grapefruit juice and identifying the specific components in the fungi that bind to furanocoumarins. — KSD
ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Removal of Furanocoumarins in Grapefruit Juice by Edible Fungi"
DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/jf802713g
CONTACT:
Kyung Myung, Ph.D.
U.S. Citrus and Subtropical Products Laboratory
Agricultural Research Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Winter Haven, Fla. 33881
Phone: (863) 293-4133
Fax: (863) 299 8678
E-mail: kyung.myung@ars.usda.gov
ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toward a urine test for diagnosing heart disease
Journal of Proteome Research
Researchers in Australia are reporting an advance toward the first urine test for diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD), the condition responsible for most of the 1.5 million heart attacks that occur in the United States each year. The test could save lives in the future by allowing earlier diagnosis and monitoring of the disease, which is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, the researchers say. Their report is in the Nov. 19, 2008 issue of ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, a monthly publication.
In the new study, Karlheinze Peter and colleagues note that the most reliable test for diagnosing CAD is angiography, an invasive test in which doctors inject special dyes into the body to visualize, via X-rays, fatty plaque deposits in the arteries of the heart. However, the technique is invasive, expensive, time-consuming, and may miss CAD in its earliest stages, they say.
To develop a faster, more convenient test, the scientists collected urine samples from a group of 67 patients — 41 with CAD and 26 without — and analyzed the samples for differences in protein content. Using a newly developed method, they identified a group of 17 peptides (building blocks of proteins) that appear to be directly associated with CAD. These urine-based peptides indicated the presence of the disease with an 84 percent accuracy rate when compared to CAD cases confirmed using angiography, the researchers say, underscoring their potential for diagnostic screening. — MTS
ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Evaluation of Urine Proteome Pattern Analysis for Its Potential To Reflect Coronary Artery Atherosclerosis in Symptomatic Patients"
DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE: http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/pr800615t
CONTACT:
Karlheinz Peter, MD, Ph.D.
Baker Heart Research Institute
Melbourne, Australia
Phone: 61 (0)3 8532 1490
Fax: 61 (0)3 8532 1100
Email: karlheinz.peter@baker.edu.au
ARTICLE #3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Burying crop residues at sea may help reduce global warming
Environmental Science & Technology
Imagine a massive international effort to combat global warming by reducing carbon dioxide - build up in the atmosphere. It involves gathering billions of tons of cornstalks, wheat straw, and other crop residue from farm fields, bailing it, shipping the material to seaports, and then burying it in the deep ocean. Scientists in Washington and California have concluded that this Crop Residue Oceanic Permanent Sequestration (CROPS) approach is the only practical method now available for permanently sequestering, or isolating, the enormous quantities of CO2 necessary to have a real impact on global warming.
In a report scheduled for the Feb. 15 issue of ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal, Stuart Strand and Gregory Benford conclude that (CROPS) could reduce global carbon dioxide accumulation by up to 15 percent per year. Plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis, and release it when they decay. Ocean burial would prevent that carbon dioxide from re-entering the atmosphere.
After comparing known methods for carbon dioxide sequestration on the basis of efficiency, long-term effectiveness, practicality, and cost, the researchers concluded that CROPS is the only method feasible with existing technology. CROPS would be 92 percent efficient in sequestering crop residue carbon. They recommend that crop residue sequestration and its effects on the ocean should be investigated further and its implementation encouraged. - MTS
ARTICLE #3
"Ocean Sequestration of Crop Residue Carbon: Recycling Fossil Fuel Carbon Back to Deep Sediments"
DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE: http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/es8015556
CONTACT:
Stuart E. Strand, Ph.D.
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington 98195
Phone: 206-543-5350
Fax: 206-685-3836
Email: sstrand@u.washington.edu
ARTICLE #4 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Quantum dots may be toxic to cells, environment under certain conditions
Environmental Science & Technology
Researchers in Texas are reporting that quantum dots (QDs) — a product of the revolution in nanotechnology increasingly used in electronics, solar cells, and medical imaging devices — may be toxic to cells under acidic or alkaline conditions. Their study, the first to report on how different pH levels may affect the safety of QDs, appears in the Jan.15 issue of ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.
In the new study, Pedro Alvarez, Shaily Mahendra, and colleagues note that QDs are semiconductor nanocrystals composed of a metal core surrounded by a shell composed of zinc or cadmium sulfide.
Scientists are increasingly concerned that these submicroscopic dots, about 1/50,000th the width of a human hair, could decompose during normal use or after disposal. That decomposition could release toxic metals into the environment, posing a health risk to humans and animals.
To explore this concern, the scientists exposed two common types of bacteria that serve as models of cell toxicity and indicators of environmental health to QDs under different conditions of acidity and alkalinity. At near neutral pH levels, bacteria exposed to QDs experienced decreased rates of growth, but did not die. However, at moderately acidic or alkaline conditions, many of the QD-exposed bacteria died as QDs shells decomposed, releasing their content of toxic metals. However, proteins and natural organic matter may be able to mitigate toxicity by complexing metal ions or coating particles. The study cautions, "the release of toxic inorganic constituents during their weathering under acidic or alkaline conditions in the human body or the environment may cause unintended harm that might be difficult to predict with short-term toxicity tests." - MTS
ARTICLE #4 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Quantum Dot Weathering Results in Microbial Toxicity"
DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/es8023385
CONTACT:
Pedro J. Alvarez, Ph.D.
Rice University
Houston, Texas 77005
Phone: 713-348-5903
Fax: 713-348-5203
Email: alvarez@rice.edu
ARTICLE #5 EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, Feb. 2, 2009
New NASCAR materials may save lives on the race track and highway
Chemical & Engineering News
New materials for NASCAR promise to save lives and reduce injuries in automobile racing — a popular sport with a fan-base of 75 million — and everyday driving, according to an article scheduled for the Feb. 2 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine. NASCAR's new racing season begins Feb. 7.
In the magazine's cover story, C&EN Associate Editor Bethany Halford points out that for many years NASCAR (the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) left safety innovations in the hands of mechanics and engineers tinkering in the garage. These innovations haven't kept pace with NASCAR's push for faster cars, the article notes. But a series of spectacular crashes that claimed the lives of several NASCAR stars brought about a new focus on safety.Researchers recently established the NASCAR R&D Center to focus on safety innovations, leading to a major redesign of the stockcar to make it more crash resistant. Other innovations include clothing (for drivers and crews) that is more fire-resistant and the development of stronger safety barriers for the track walls. Some of these materials could be used in future passenger cars and highways, the article suggests.
ARTICLE #5 EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, Feb. 2, 2009
"Materials for the Modern Gladiator"
This story will be available on Feb. 2 at http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/87/8705cover.html
FOR ADVANCE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Michael Bernstein
ACS News Service
Phone: 202-872-6042
Fax: 202-872-4370
Email: m_bernstein@acs.org
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