SAN DIEGO, March 25, 2012 — Medicine's recipe for keeping older people active and functioning in their homes and workplaces — and healing younger people injured in catastrophic accidents — may include "noodle gels" and other lab-made invisible filaments that resemble uncooked spaghetti with nanoscale dimensions, a scientist said here today at the 243rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The world's largest scientific society, ACS is meeting here this week with reports on more than 11,000 reports on new advances in science on its schedule. Samuel ...

SAN DIEGO, March 25, 2012 — Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, Ph.D., president of the American Chemical Society (ACS) — the world's largest scientific society — today described initiatives on climate science, the education of future scientists and commemoration of a landmark federal law that engendered some of the nation's greatest universities. Those initiatives will be the theme of Shakhashiri's presidential year. A chemistry professor who holds the William T. Evjue Distinguished Chair for the Wisconsin Idea at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Shakhashiri discussed the projects ...

SAN DIEGO, March 25, 2012 — Combining the secrets that enable water striders to walk on water and give wood its lightness and great strength has yielded an amazing new material so buoyant that, in everyday terms, a boat made from 1 pound of the substance could carry five kitchen refrigerators, about 1,000 pounds. One of the lightest solid substances in the world, which is also sustainable, it was among the topics of a symposium here today at the 243rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. The symposium ...

A new interventional radiology treatment, prostatic artery embolization, may bring hope to men with debilitating symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate, say the group of researchers who pioneered its use. The findings were presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 37th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. "Having an enlarged prostate is very common in many men over the age of 50, and these new findings provide hope for those who might not be candidates for transurethral resection of the prostate, or TURP—and may allow them to avoid serious ...

Researchers who investigated the connection between chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (a reported condition characterized as a blockage in the veins that drain blood from the brain and spinal cord and returns it to the heart) and multiple sclerosis indicate that a minimally invasive endovascular treatment for CCSVI, is safe and may produce "significant," short-term improvement in physical- and mental health-related quality of life in individuals with MS. These findings were presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 37th Annual Scientific Meeting in ...

Researchers report that performing angioplasty (a treatment that involves temporarily inserting and blowing up a tiny balloon inside a clogged artery to help widen it) on veins in the neck and chest is safe—and may be an effective way to treat the venous abnormalities found in those with multiple sclerosis and provide symptom relief. The findings were presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 37th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. "Our results are important because there are an estimated 400,000 individuals affected by multiple sclerosis ...

New guidelines for CT-guided biopsies of lung nodules significantly reduce radiation exposure allowing individuals the benefit of the procedure, which may cut down on overall lung cancer deaths. This research is being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 37th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. "The published early results of a trial using computed tomography to detect lung nodules demonstrated that screening with low-dose CT reduced mortality from lung cancer by 20 percent compared to screening with chest X-rays alone," said Jeremy Collins, ...

A burst aneurysm (a local area of bulge) in the abdominal aorta—the largest blood vessel in the body— is a deadly condition. In fact, about half of these patients don't make it to the hospital in time. Those who do more often than not face open surgery to repair the blood vessel. This study finds that a minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment for ruptured aneurysms called endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is safer than open surgical repair and is associated with lower mortality rates, say researchers Society of Interventional Radiology's 37th Annual Scientific ...

KANSAS CITY, MO—Few molecules are more interesting than DNA—except of course RNA. After two decades of research, that "other macromolecule" is no longer considered a mere messenger between glamorous DNA and protein-synthesizing machines. We now know that RNA has been leading a secret life, regulating gene expression and partnering with proteins to form catalytic ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes. One of those RNPs is telomerase, an enzyme that maintains chromosome integrity. In the March 25, 2012, advance online edition of Nature, researchers at the Stowers Institute ...

A genetic finding could help explain why influenza becomes a life-threating disease to some people while it has only mild effects in others. New research led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute has identified for the first time a human gene that influences how we respond to influenza infection. People who carry a particular variant of a gene called IFITM3 are significantly more likely to be hospitalised when they fall ill with influenza than those who carry other variants, the team found. This gene plays a critical role in protecting the body against infection with ...

The ripeness of fruit could determine how food-poisoning bacteria grow on them, according to scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin this week. Their work could lead to new strategies to improve food safety, bringing many health and economic benefits. A wide range of fresh produce has been linked to outbreaks of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica including melons, jalapeño and serrano peppers, basil, lettuce, horseradish sprouts and tomatoes. Researchers at Imperial College London are looking at how ...

Henderson Properties, a full service real estate company, last week, celebrated the opening of its Union County office in Indian Trail with a ribbon cutting and business networking event in conjunction with the Union County Chamber. The office, located at 4389 Indian Trail-Fairview Road, is the company's fourth branch location. Henderson Properties also has offices in South Charlotte, Lake Norman and Fort Mill. The new office allows Henderson Properties real estate agents to better serve Union County residents. In attendance was Kara Disotell, manager of Henderson ...

Wall Templeton & Haldrup, P. A. (www.WallTempleton.com), is pleased to announce Tommy Boger has joined the firm's Charleston office as an associate attorney. A graduate of Clemson University and the Charleston School of Law, Boger will focus his practice in the areas of complex litigation, construction, and commercial litigation. Prior to attending law school, Boger worked in the mortgage industry as an online marketing manager and a loan consultant, originating residential mortgage loans in Columbia and Charleston, SC. He is a member of the South Carolina Bar and ...

Oral bacteria that escape into the bloodstream are able to cause blood clots and trigger life-threatening endocarditis. Further research could lead to new drugs to tackle infective heart disease, say scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin this week. Streptococcus gordonii is a normal inhabitant of the mouth and contributes to plaque that forms on the surface of teeth. If these bacteria enter into the blood stream through bleeding gums they can start to wreak havoc by masquerading as human proteins. Researchers ...

Viruses that can target and destroy bacteria have the potential to be an effective strategy for tackling hard-to-treat bacterial infections. The development of such novel therapies is being accelerated in response to growing antibiotic resistance, says Dr David Harper at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin. Bacteriophages are viruses that can infect bacteria and multiply within them, breaking down the cell and destroying the bacteria - amplifying themselves in the process to deal with more bacteria. They are found everywhere including in ...

In a report published in recent weeks, Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) announced that The Answer Company is the newest recipient of its Accreditation for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Providers. The Answer Company, with offices in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto, is the first ERP reseller in Western Canada to receive the rigorous TEC Accreditation, demonstrating its commitment to show prospective and existing clientele that users of the company's solutions are confident in the abilities and services. Recent emphasis on the high failure rate of software implementations, ...

UCLA researchers pinpointed a new mechanism that potently activates T-cells, the group of white blood cells that play a major role in fighting infections. Published March 25 online in Nature Medicine, the team specifically studied how dendritic cells, immune cells located at the site of infection, become more specialized to fight the leprosy pathogen known as Mycobacterium leprae. Dendritic cells, like scouts in the field of a military operation, deliver key information about an invading pathogen that helps activate the T-cells in launching a more effective attack. It ...

Personal injury attorney Clyde J. "Jay" Jackson III, of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto and Friend in Houston, Texas, was honored this month by the State Bar of Texas for his exceptional contributions in 2011 to the organization's legal education efforts. Mr. Jackson was one of only six volunteer lawyers who were recognized by the TexasBarCLE, the division of the bar that provides continuing legal education. Explaining the significance of the "Standing Ovation" award, TexasBarCLE Director Patrick said, "All of our volunteers deserve ...

BOSTON, MA—Human geneticists have long debated whether the genetic risk of the most common medical conditions derive from many rare mutations, each conferring a high degree of risk in different people, or common differences throughout the genome that modestly influence risk. A new study by Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) researchers has harnessed data and new analysis tools to address this question in four common diseases: rheumatoid arthritis; celiac disease; coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction (heart attack); and type 2 diabetes. The study will ...

A vaccine could be developed to prevent Campylobacter being carried in chickens. This approach could drastically cut the number of cases of food poisoning, saving the UK economy millions each year, says an American scientist presenting his work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin. Food-borne illness costs the UK an estimated £2 billion each year. Campylobacter is the leading cause of food-borne illness and is responsible for about 30% of cases in the UK. Campylobacter jejuni was responsible for more than 371,000 estimated cases in England ...

The quantum physics of massive particles has intrigued physicists for more than 80 years, since it predicts that even complex particles can exhibit wave-like behaviour – in conflict with our everyday ideas of what is real or local. An international team of scientists now succeeded in shooting a movie which shows the build-up of a matter-wave interference pattern from single dye molecules which is so large (up to 0.1 mm) that you can easily see it with a camera. This visualizes the dualities of particle and wave, randomness and determinism, locality and delocalization ...

Wearing seatbelts saves lives. A new Illinois seatbelt law intends to get more people wearing seatbelts and thus save more lives. Starting the first day of 2012 the new seatbelt law requires that all passengers in vehicles need to wear seatbelts with some exceptions. Prior to the new law only passengers in the front seat and children riding in the backseat were required to wear seatbelts. Under the new law everyone in the car needs to wear a seatbelt regardless of age or seat positioning unless they are exempt of the law. A minimum fine of $25 is imposed for violators ...

It can be difficult to uncover the behavior of small, shy, nocturnal primates like the brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus), especially in the dense rainforests of Madagascar where this lemur lives. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Ecology shows that the social interactions of brown mouse lemurs can be monitored by mapping the transfer of tagged lice. Brown mouse lemurs are the only known host of the parasitic louse Lemurpediculus verruculosus. The lice have evolved to stay attached to the sparse hair on the lemurs' ears, where they feed ...

Expert mobile marketing consultant Mark Stafford and his Phoenix Business Consulting Firm Arizona Social Media LLC have just launched a new website to help small businesses become mobile friendly on the internet and avoid "small screen syndrome". 82% of small business websites do not display correctly on the average smartphone thus the user must "slide & pinch" the webpage on their smartphone screen in order to consume the content. Many small business owners do not realize what they are up against in this new "mobile marketplace": - More ...

The past decade has been one of unprecedented weather extremes. Scientists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany argue that the high incidence of extremes is not merely accidental. From the many single events a pattern emerges. At least for extreme rainfall and heat waves the link with human-caused global warming is clear, the scientists show in a new analysis of scientific evidence in the journal Nature Climate Change. Less clear is the link between warming and storms, despite the observed increase in the intensity of hurricanes. In 2011 ...