Engineered botulism toxins could have broader role in medicine

ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2011) — The most poisonous substance on Earth -- already used medically in small doses to treat certain nerve disorders and facial wrinkles -- could be re-engineered for an expanded role in helping millions of people with rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, psoriasis and other diseases, scientists are reporting. Their study appears in ACS' journal Biochemistry.Edwin Chapman and colleagues explain that toxins, or poisons, produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria, cause of a rare...

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New switch could improve electronics

ScienceDaily (Dec. 1, 2011) — Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have invented a new type of electronic switch that performs electronic logic functions within a single molecule. The incorporation of such single-molecule elements could enable smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient electronics. The research findings, supported by a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation, were published online in the Nov. 14 issue of Nano Letters."This new switch is superior to existing single-molecule...

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Natural killer cells could be key to anthrax defense

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — One of the things that makes inhalational anthrax so worrisome for biodefense experts is how quickly a relatively small number of inhaled anthrax spores can turn into a lethal infection. By the time an anthrax victim realizes he or she has something worse than the flu and seeks treatment, it's often too late; even the most powerful antibiotics may be no help against the spreading bacteria and the potent toxins they generate.Now, though, University of Texas Medical...

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Snakes with big hearts may help yours: Fatty acids involved in python heart growth could benefit diseased human heart

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Identification of three fatty acids involved in the extreme growth of Burmese pythons' hearts following large meals could prove beneficial in treating diseased human hearts, according to research co-authored by a University of Alabama scientist and publishing in the Oct. 28 issue of Science.Growth of the human heart can be beneficial when resulting from exercise -- a type of growth known as physiological cardiac hypertrophy -- but damaging when triggered by disease...

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Highly efficient oxygen catalyst found: Rechargeable batteries and hydrogen-fuel production could benefit

ScienceDaily (Oct. 28, 2011) — A team of researchers at MIT has found one of the most effective catalysts ever discovered for splitting oxygen atoms from water molecules -- a key reaction for advanced energy-storage systems, including electrolyzers, to produce hydrogen fuel and rechargeable batteries. This new catalyst liberates oxygen at more than 10 times the rate of the best previously known catalyst of its type.The new compound, composed of cobalt, iron and oxygen with other metals, splits...

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