American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac - Jan. 28, 2009

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Heart Disease;  Medical Devices / Diagnostics;  Public Health
Article Date: 03 Feb 2009 - 5:00 PST

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Edible fungus foils dangerous grapefruit-drug interactions

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: "Removal of Furanocoumarins in Grapefruit Juice by Edible Fungi"

DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/jf802713g1/pr800615t

CONTACT:
Kyung Myung, Ph.D.
U.S. Citrus and Subtropical Products Laboratory
Agricultural Research Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Winter Haven, Fla. 33881

Toward a urine test for diagnosing heart disease

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: "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

Quantum dots may be toxic to cells, environment under certain conditions

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: "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

New NASCAR materials may save lives on the race track and highway

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: "Materials for the Modern Gladiator"

This story is available at http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/87/8705cover.html

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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

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