Investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered a mechanism that helps explain why healthy cells are not killed by DNA-damaging cancer chemotherapy drugs. The findings are published in the Oct. 4 issue of the journal Cell.

DNA-damaging agents are the most common kind of drugs used to treat cancer. Like most chemotherapy drugs, these are carried in the blood and travel throughout the body. They work by irreparably gumming up DNA in rapidly dividing tumo

Nanotubes, stringy supermolecules already used to create fuel cell batteries and tiny computer circuits, could find myriad new applications ranging from disease treatment to plastics manufacturing to information storage, reports a Purdue University research team.

Scientists led by Purdue chemist Hicham Fenniri have learned to create multiple species of nanotubes that possess unprecedented physical and chemical properties, each of which could lead to a different industrial application. Also

Penn State mechanical engineers, working with medical and pharmaceutical researchers, have developed the first computer-generated “virtual stomach” to follow the path of extended-release tablets that are designed to remain in the stomach for hours while slowly releasing medicine.

The researchers note that, although many medications are prepared in extended-release form, the details of exactly how the pills break down and release medicine in the stomach are largely unknown. The new “virtual

New views of star birth and the heart of a spiral galaxy have been seen by a state-of-the-art astronomical instrument on its first night. The new UKIRT Imaging Spectrometer (UIST) has a revolutionary ability to ’slice’ any object in the sky into sections, producing a three dimensional view of the conditions throughout entire galaxies in a single observation. UIST has just been installed on the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii.

Project scientist Suzanne Ramsay How

Genital herpes due to HSV-1 – the herpes simplex virus primarily associated with cold sores on the mouth – is strongly associated with an early start to sex, suggests research in Sexually Transmitted Infections. And its prevalence is increasing, say the authors.

The findings are based on blood samples and details of sexual behaviour from 869 people attending a central London sexual health clinic and from 1494 blood donors.

Analysis of the samples showed that evidence of previous or

Suggests new route to treat anxiety without sedating or addicting side effects

The trouble with most anti-anxiety drugs is that they tend to sedate, not just relax. A research team led by scientists at UCSF’s Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center has shown that de-activating a common enzyme in neurons reduces anxiety without inducing sedation. The study in mice suggests a new route to treat anxiety while avoiding sedating and possibly addicting effects.

The research, p