PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

What happens on the molecular level when smog gets into the lungs?

2015-09-16
(Press-News.org) Coughing. A sore throat. Maybe a pain in your chest as you take a deep breath. These are all common symptoms for many city-living Australians when smog levels are high. And while it is well understood that smog can cause such problems, new research has for the first time given us a glimpse as to what might be happening at the molecular level.

The University of Melbourne's Professor Richard O'Hair, from the School of Chemistry's Bio21 Institute, in collaboration with Professor Stephen Blanksby (from the Queensland University of Technology and formerly the University of Wollongong) co-authored a study examining how ozone reacts with models of lung proteins.

Smog is made up of ozone - an invisible gas and a well-known air pollutant made up of three oxygen atoms. Ozone is also the pollutant that leaves a distinctive smell in the air after using a photocopier.

Using a mass spectrometer, the research team was able to introduce the amino acid cysteine - a component of lung proteins - with ozone molecules in a highly-controlled, near-vacuum environment.

The effect was instant, or in scientific terms, close to the "collision rate".

"We observed that the cysteine became 'radicalised' in the presence of ozone," said Professor O'Hair.

"No one had really noticed that you can form free radicals in the reaction of proteins with ozone, and since these are highly reactive species, you don't want them around.

"Free radicals can unleash fury and cause many chemical transformations.

"If they get out of control, they can just chew through a system and destroy it. For example, free radical damage is thought to play a key role in heart disease and some cancers.

"So when free radicals are formed in the body, such as the lining of the lung, damage occurs, that may ultimately result in inflammation and breathing difficulties."

The research pushes forward the understanding of the molecular effect of ozone on proteins. But because the tests were conducted in an artificial environment, more work needs to be done to confirm the creation of protein free radicals in lungs and link their effects on human lung physiology.

Professor O'Hair hopes the research inspires fellow scientists to build on the findings.

Associated research will be of the most benefit to those with asthma, other respiratory illnesses or the young and the elderly who are most susceptible to smog.

"If there is free radical damage to lung proteins, it's unlikely to be reversible, so you won't be able to design a magic-bullet drug to undo the damage," Professor O'Hair said.

"Ozone is the result of pollution. So the message has to go out that we need to be proactive on reducing smog levels and pollution."

INFORMATION:

The work was funded by the Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence in Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology.

The results have just been published in leading chemistry journal, Angewandte Chemie (Applied Chemistry) International Edition.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Using ultrasound to clean medical instruments

Using ultrasound to clean medical instruments
2015-09-16
Researchers from the University of Southampton have demonstrated how a pioneering ultrasonic device can significantly improve the cleaning of medical instruments and reduce contamination and risk of infection. StarStream, invented and patented by the University of Southampton and in commercial production by Ultrawave Ltd., makes water more efficient for cleaning by creating tiny bubbles which automatically scrub surfaces. The device supplies a gentle stream of water through a nozzle that generates ultrasound and bubbles, which dramatically improve the cleaning power of ...

Platinum and iron oxide working together get the job done

Platinum and iron oxide working together get the job done
2015-09-16
This news release is available in German. Platinum is a great catalyst and can be used for many different applications. It's expensive stuff though, so tiny platinum nanoparticles sitting on cheap metal oxide materials are used to convert harmful carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide. Using scanning tunnelling microscopes, scientists at TU Vienna have now been able to image the catalytic behaviour of platinum sitting on iron-oxide, which allowed them to explain the process on an atomic scale. Surprisingly, the chemical reactions do not take place on the platinum ...

Tiny silica particles could be used to repair damaged teeth, research shows

2015-09-16
Researchers at the University of Birmingham have shown how the development of coated silica nanoparticles could be used in restorative treatment of sensitive teeth and preventing the onset of tooth decay. The study, published in the Journal of Dentistry, shows how sub-micron silica particles can be prepared to deliver important compounds into damaged teeth through tubules in the dentine. The tiny particles can be bound to compounds ranging from calcium tooth building materials to antimicrobials that prevent infection. Professor Damien Walmsley, from the School of ...

A quantum lab for everyone

A quantum lab for everyone
2015-09-16
This news release is available in German. Topical research experiments are often too expensive or too complex to be rebuilt and incorporated in teaching. How can one, nevertheless, make modern science accessible to the public? This challenge was tackled in the research group Quantum Nanophysics led by Markus Arndt at the University of Vienna. For the first time, two research laboratories were created as complete, photorealistic computer simulations allowing university and high-school students as well as the general public to virtually access unique instruments. ...

No way? Charity's logo may influence perception of food in package

No way? Charitys logo may influence perception of food in package
2015-09-16
EUGENE, Ore. -- (Sept. 16, 2015) -- New research at the University of Oregon finds that an organization's logo on a food product can trigger quick perceptions by consumers about an item's healthiness and influence their decision-making. That perception also may be seen as an endorsement that may not exist, say study co-authors Elizabeth Minton of the University of Wyoming and T. Bettina Cornwell, the Edwin E. & June Woldt Cone Professor of Marketing in the Lundquist College of Business at the UO. The research, led by Minton as part of her doctoral dissertation at the ...

Watching an exoplanet in motion around a distant star

2015-09-16
TORONTO [11 September 2015] A team of astronomers has given us our best view yet of an exoplanet moving in its orbit around a distant star. A series of images captured between November 2013 to April 2015 shows the exoplanet β Pic b as it moves through 1 ½ years of its 22-year orbital period. First discovered in 2008, β Pic b is a gas giant planet ten to twelve times the mass of Jupiter, with an orbit roughly the diameter of Saturn's. It is part of the dynamic and complex system of the star β Pictoris which lies over 60 light-years from Earth. The ...

New studies show no long term effects of antidepressant use during pregnancy

2015-09-16
The use of antidepressants during pregnancy has no long term neurodevelopmental or behavioural effects on the child, however they may be associated with an increased risk of postpartum haemorrhage, suggests the findings from three studies published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG). Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health problems during pregnancy, with around 12% of women in the UK experiencing depression at some point during pregnancy and the postnatal period. The use of antidepressants such as selective serotonin ...

Large-scale treatment of parasitic-worm disease cost-effective

2015-09-16
Stanford University School of Medicine researchers and their colleagues are calling for an urgent re-evaluation of global guidelines for the treatment of parasitic-worm diseases in light of a new study showing that large-scale treatment programs are highly cost-effective. Parasitic-worm diseases afflict some 1.5 billion people in the developing world, causing gastrointestinal problems, anemia, wasting, and cognitive and growth deficits in children, and in some cases, liver, bladder and intestinal problems that can be fatal. About 150,000 people die of complications from ...

Scientists discover how cells overpower cancer drug

2015-09-16
CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have found how cells adapt to overcome cancer drugs designed to interfere with their genetic controls, according to a study* published today (Wednesday) in Epigenetics and Chromatin. Normally molecular 'tags' are attached to DNA which send signals to the cell, telling it how to package its DNA and switch genes on or off. Drugs called HDAC inhibitors cause a build-up of certain types of tags, leading to potentially damaging changes in gene activity that can kill cancer cells. But while HDAC inhibitors can successfully treat certain types ...

Nearby red dwarves could reveal planet secrets: ANU media release

Nearby red dwarves could reveal planet secrets: ANU media release
2015-09-16
An accidental find of a collection of young red dwarf stars close to our solar system could give us a rare glimpse of slow-motion planet formation. Astronomers from The Australian National University (ANU) and UNSW Canberra found large discs of dust around two of the stars, tell-tale signs of planets in the process of forming. "We think the Earth and all the other planets formed from discs like these so it is fascinating to see a potential new solar system evolving," said the lead researcher Dr Simon Murphy, from the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics. "However, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Researchers discover enlarged areas of the spinal cord in fish, previously found only in four-limbed vertebrates

Bipolar disorder heterogeneity decoded: transforming global psychiatric treatment approaches

Catching Alport syndrome through universal age-3 urine screening

Instructions help you remember something better than emotions or a good night’s sleep

Solar energy is now the world’s cheapest source of power, a Surrey study finds

Scientists reverse Alzheimer’s in mice using nanoparticles

‘Good’ gut bacteria boosts placenta for healthier pregnancy

USC team demonstrates first optical device based on “optical thermodynamics”

Microplastics found to change gut microbiome in first human-sample study

Artificially sweetened and sugary drinks are both associated with an increased risk of liver disease, study finds

Plastic in the soil, but not as we know it: Biodegradable microplastics rewire carbon storage in farm fields

Yeast proteins reveal the secrets of drought resistance

Psychiatry, primary care, and OB/GYN subspecialties hit hardest by physician attrition

New Canadian study reveals where HIV hides in different parts of the body

Lidocaine poisonings rise despite overall drop in local anesthetic toxicity

Politics follow you on the road

Scientists blaze new path to fighting viral diseases

The mouse eye as a window to spotting systemic disease

AI and the Future of Cancer Research and Cancer Care to headline October 24 gathering of global oncology leaders at the National Press Club: NFCR Global Summit to feature top scientists, entrepreneurs

FDA clears UCLA heart tissue regeneration drug AD-NP1 for clinical trials

Exploring the therapeutic potential of cannabidiol for Alzheimer's

We need a solar sail probe to detect space tornadoes earlier, more accurately, U-M researchers say

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Disease risk but not remission status determines transplant outcomes – new ASAP long-term results

Sperm microRNAs: Key regulators of the paternal transmission of exercise capacity

Seeing double: Clever images open doors for brain research

Inhaler-related greenhouse gas emissions in the US

UCLA Health study finds inhalers for asthma and COPD drive significant greenhouse gas emissions

A surgical handover system for patient physiology and safety

Cardiovascular health changes in young adults and risk of later-life cardiovascular disease

Nurse workload and missed nursing care in neonatal intensive care units

[Press-News.org] What happens on the molecular level when smog gets into the lungs?