New Drug Shown Effective Against Vancomycin-Resistant Bacteria
... antibacterial drugs calledoxazolidinones that are chemically unrelated to currently used antibiotics yethave enhanced activity against gram-positive bacteria, including enterococcithat are resistant to vancomycin, a potent antibiotic. Because the bacteria Enterococcus faecium is highly resistant tovancomycin a...Better Binding Through Chemistry
...e of the small moleculeinhibitor. They did this by chemically attaching the inhibitor to another smalllinker molecule that binds tightly to a much bigger "presenting" protein thatexists naturally in the human body. In essence, the combination of small drug molecule, linker and big proteinallows the drug candid...UF Researcher: New Techniques Help Reconstruct Ancient Diets
...ound up small parts of the horses' toothenamel and chemically analyzed them, using an instrument called a massspectrometer, to determine the kind and proportions of carbon in the teeth.Because of photosynthesis, the way carbon molecules are incorporated intoleaves, fruits and other soft vegetation is different ...Chemists Discover New Processes In Fuel-Cleaning Catalysis
...can lock them in place so they can be separatedand chemically removed from the oil. "If you have reactive nickel atoms roamingaround, they are more likely to capture the thiophenes, which would nototherwise stick to the basal plane of the catalytic crystallites," Weiss says. "We can now think about designing...Some Smelter Slags Represent A Significant Environmental Hazard
...nto the environment.Because it has been considered chemically inert, slag has been mixed with cementand used to construct roadways and railroad beds. It has been used for sandblasting. It has been added to roofing shingles. And it has even been used tosand roads in the winter. This might not be such a good idea...Hopkins Study Shows Brain Damage Evidence In "Ecstasy" Users
...ek, Hopkins scientists show that the drug -- known chemically as MDMA --damages specific nerves in the brain that release serotonin, the nervetransmitter thought to play a role in regulating mood, memory, pain perception,sleep, appetite and sexual activity. "We had long suspected MDMA was dangerous, b...Researchers Grow Healthy Human Placental Cells For Drug Research
... also pave the way for treating fetal disorders chemically in the womb. For this project, Kniss gathered an initial batch of trophoblast cells in 1989 from a patient at Ohio State University Hospital who underwent genetic testing to assure the health of her fetus during the first trimester of p...Gritty Research Leads Scientists To Metal-Loving Discovery
...r toxic or precious metals. "SAMMS can be tailored chemically to selectively bind a wide range of contaminant ty..., giving the material a honeycomb appearance. The chemically tailoredmonolayers reside within the pores, with the molecules strongly binding at one end to the ce...Dismantling Dangerous Genetic Codes With A Faster, More Flexible RNA Mimic
...by directing the formationof proteins. Bashkin has chemically engineered a new class of DNA molecule that recogn...ildingblock, not a complete one, so they're not as chemically complex," he says.Bashkin's achievement could lead to cheaper chemotherapy drugs that produce farfew...Ecological Consequences Of Jasmonate-Induced Responses For Plants In Native Populations
...acking herbivores. For example, plants that are chemically well-defended may have a lower reproductive success than undefended plants due to difficulties in attracting pollinators. In short, inducible defenses are thought to have evolved as a cost-savings measure, allowing plants to time the p...Pharmacologists Discover Linkage Of Key Cell Switches
...called a kinase -- which turns on cell processesby chemically adding a phosphate to another protein -- itself is regulated byanother enzyme called a phosphatase that is attached to it. Phosphatases areenzymes that remove phosphates from other enzymes. Thus, the scientists found that the kinase, called "...New Biomaterial Has 'Star' Power
...ating out from it. The end of each arm can be very chemically reactive, and it can bind with materials such as cells, drugs, proteins and antibodies. "The large number of arms in a very small volume would make these star polymers very useful in biological and pharmaceutical applications, such as delivering...DFG To Set Up 14 New Collaborative Research Centres
...th regard toprocesses in many-particle systems, in chemically reactive systems, especially in surfaces or indynamic structures in semiconductors. The scientists intend to identify commonalities andexplore to what extent these structures and processes can be influenced, controlled, optimisedand perhaps utilised....Duke Researchers Call Gene Therapy A Promising Strategy For Sickle Cell Anemia
...zyme that can find a specificsequence of RNA code, chemically cut out a section, and splice in anothersection. Ribozymes are key players in editing the flow of genetic informationfrom DNA to protein. Before the discovery of ribozymes, scientists believedonly proteins could perform such cutting and splicing act...Molecular "Fossils" Of Early Life
...reated self-cleaving DNA enzymes that canfold into chemically active molecules and cut themselves or other DNAs intosegments. The next step is to genetically engineer a DNA enzyme that can shredthe genetic code of a harmful organism like the HIV virus, rendering itharmless. Specific DNA enzymes also co...Biochemists Gain Crystal-Clear Insight into 'Ancient' Enzyme
...protein-making machinery,where the amino acids are chemically attached to one another in long stringlikemolecules that fold into the cell's working proteins. Specifically, ribonuclease P is a molecular scissors that helps turna newly synthesized precursor into a functioning tRNA molecule by snippingoff an extr...Common Mutations Linked To Increased Risk Of Breast Cancer
...Proteins produced by GST genes help thebody disarm chemically reactive molecules that can damage cells' DNA and startthem on the road to becoming cancerous. The highest change, a nearly fourfoldincrease in risk, occurred in women with mutations in all three genes. "This appears to be a significant incre...Excavations In Prehistoric Chinese Cave Uncover Unusual Collections Of Large Mammals
...earchers are looking for clear distinctionsbetween chemically altered bones and burnt bone. Schepartz will also be discussing the project and itsimplications for language development during the SecondInternational Evolution of Language Conference in London on April8. Schepartz will argue that there is archaeolo...Mathematics Reveals New Pattern Of Brain Cell Activity
...inhibitory signaling -- when neurons communicateby chemically suppressing activity in other cells and then releasing it. The cells bounce back after they are released and pass the signal alongby suppressing other cells. Scientists observed inhibitory signaling amongbrain cells in the past, but assumed it could......farmers $100 million per year to control rootworms chemically if the corn-soybeancrop rotation fails to control them. "For 1998, we have the makings of a big problem in the affectedarea," said Eli Levine, an entomologist with the Illinois Natural HistorySurvey and the U. of I. department of natural resources a...