News From The American Chemical Society, March 12, 2008

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  Cardiovascular / Cardiology;  Public Health
Article Date: 19 Mar 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Heart-healthy yak cheese

In a finding likely to get cheese lovers talking, researchers in Nepal and Canada report that yak cheese contains higher levels of heart-healthy fats than cheese from dairy cattle, and may be healthier. Their study is scheduled for the March 12 issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

Producers make the cheese from the milk of yaks. Those long-haired humped animals are fixtures in Tibet and throughout the Himalayan region of south central Asia, Mongolia, and a few other countries. Yak cheese has only recently become available in the United States and is available in select gourmet food stores. Studies by others have shown that certain types of dairy-derived fatty acids, particularly conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), may help fight heart disease, cancer and even diabetes. However, little was know about the fatty acid composition of yak cheese.

In the new study, Brian W. McBride and colleagues compared the fatty acid composition of yak cheese from Nepal with that of cheddar cheese obtained from Canada. They found that levels of CLAs were four times higher in the yak cheese than the dairy cow cheese. Levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are healthy for the heart, were also significantly higher in the yak cheese, the researchers say.

ARTICLE: "Fatty Acid Composition of yak (Bos grunniens) Cheese Including Conjugated Linoleic Acid and trans-18:1 Fatty Acids"

CONTACT:
Brian W. McBride, Ph.D.
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Toward the next generation of high-efficiency plastic solar cells

Researchers in the United States and Austria report an advance toward the next generation of plastic solar cells, which are widely heralded as a low cost, environmentally-friendly alternative to inorganic solar cells for meeting rising energy demands. Their study is scheduled for the March 19 issue of ACS' Journal of the American Chemical Society, a weekly publication.

Alan J. Heeger and colleagues point out that plastic solar cells, fabricated from bulk heterojunction materials comprising semiconducting polymers and fullerenes, have already demonstrated promising performance. However, researchers do not understand how to control the nano-scale morphology and are looking for ways to optimize the solar cell performance for practical use. Heeger, co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 for his pioneering research on conducting polymers, is widely recognized for his ongoing efforts to improve solar cell efficiencies.

In the new study, Heeger and colleagues found that adding a class of chemicals called alkanedithiols as processing additives improves both the morphology and the solar cell performance.They showed that by utilizing alkanedithiols as processing additives, the efficiency of the plastic solar cells increased from 3.4 percent to 5.1 percent, among the highest efficiencies achieved to date for this type of solar cell. "These data provide a better understanding of correlation between the nano-scale morphology of the bulk heterojunction film and the solar cell performance," the report states.

ARTICLE: "Processing Additives for Improved Efficiency from Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells"

CONTACT:
Alan J. Heeger, Ph.D.
University of California at Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California 93106

A new industrial-scale process for making big molecules with a big future

Scientists are reporting discovery of a new method that will enable manufacturers to produce industrial-size batches of dendrimers for the first time. Dendrimers are giant molecules with tree-like branches with a range of potentially valuable commercial and industrial applications. The study is scheduled for the March 21 issue of ACS' monthly Journal of Organic Chemistry.

Dendrimers can be produced in custom-designed shapes, sizes, structures and weights suitable for specific uses. Those potential applications range from drug delivery and gene transfer to new materials, coatings, sensors, and herbicides. But because they require multiple steps to make, dendrimers are difficult to produce on an industrial scale.

In their new study, Abdellatif Chouai and Eric E. Simanek describe a practical large-scale synthesis of dendrimers that sidestep this barrier. Their method yields a so-called "uncommitted intermediate," a dendrimer scaffolding that can be built upon in countless ways. This intermediate "can be elaborated into a wealth of diagnostic and therapeutic dendrimers - some of which are currently being explored in our laboratory," the researchers add.

ARTICLE: "Kilogram-Scale Synthesis of a Second-Generation Dendrimer Based on 1,3,5-Triazine Using Green and Industrially Compatible Methods with a Single Chromatographic Step"

CONTACT:
Eric E. Simanek, Ph.D.
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843

New aspirin-like substances may provide safer way to fight heart disease

Researchers in Italy report development of a new group of aspirin-like substances that may be safer and as effective as conventional aspirin for fighting heart disease, the leading cause of death in the developed world. Their study is scheduled for the March 27 issue of the ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

Physicians have known for years that daily low-doses of aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, reduce the risk of developing heart attacks and stroke in some people. However, prolonged use of aspirin can damage the stomach lining, causing bleeding and ulcers that can be life-threatening. A safer form of aspirin is needed, researchers say.

In the new study, Alberto Gasco and colleagues designed a new form of aspirin by attaching a special chemical structure - called a nitrooxy-acyl group - that allows the drug to resist breakdown by stomach acidity while promoting its absorption by the blood. In laboratory tests using animal models, the new "aspirin-like" substances showed anti-inflammatory activities similar to regular aspirin and caused reduced or no damage to stomach tissue in comparison to equivalent amounts of regular aspirin. Some molecules also reduced platelet aggregation and promoted artery expansion, which are hallmarks of improved heart health, the researchers note.

ARTICLE: "Searching for New NO-donor Aspirin-like Molecules: A New Class of Nitrooxy-acyl Derivatives of Salicylic Acid"

CONTACT:
Alberto Gasco, Ph.D.
Università delgi Studi di Torino
Torino, Italy

Coal reemerges as important raw material in chemical manufacturing industry

With oil prices hovering around $100 per barrel, coal is reemerging as a key raw material in the manufacture of the basic chemical materials used to make plastics, fertilizers, and hundreds of other products, according to an article scheduled for the March 17 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly news magazine.

The article, written jointly by C&EN Senior Editor Alex Tullo and Hong Kong-based senior correspondent Jean-Francois Tremblay, notes that coal has been used in the chemical manufacturing industry since the 19th century. Over the years, oil and natural gas gradually eclipsed coal to become the raw materials of choice for manufacturing a wide range of high-volume chemicals. But these days, the high prices of oil and natural gas have given coal - which costs a fraction of the price of crude oil - a substantial cost advantage, the article notes.

Coal's potential as a raw material is greatest in China, the United States, and India, the article points out. These countries have about half the world's coal reserves. Coal can be transformed into a gas and subsequently into basic chemical ingredients like ethylene and propylene that are used in the manufacture of hundreds of products, according to the article. Coal "is a relatively cheap feedstock," declares one expert cited in the article. "It certainly has the ability to compete in today's world."

ARTICLE: "The New Black"

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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The American Chemical Society - the world's largest scientific society - is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

Source: Michael Woods
American Chemical Society