Best way to pour champagne? 'Down the side' wins first scientific test

In a study that may settle a long-standing disagreement over the best way to pour a glass of champagne, scientists in France are reporting that pouring bubbly in an angled, down-the-side way is best for preserving its taste and fizz. The study also reports the first scientific evidence confirming the importance of chilling champagne before serving to enhance its taste, the scientists say. Their report appears in ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Gérard Liger-Belair and colleagues note that tiny bubbles are the essence of fine champagnes and sparkling wines. Past studies indicate that the bubbles - formed during the release of large amounts of dissolved carbon dioxide gas - help transfer the taste, aroma, and mouth-feel of champagne. Scientists long have suspected that the act of pouring a glass of bubbly could have a big impact on gas levels in champagne and its quality. Until now, however, no scientific study had been done.

The scientists studied carbon dioxide loss in champagne using two different pouring methods. One involved pouring champagne straight down the middle of a glass. The other involved pouring champagne down the side of an angled glass. They found that pouring champagne down the side preserved up to twice as much carbon dioxide in champagne than pouring down the middle — probably because the angled method was gentler. They also showed that cooler champagne temperatures (ideally, 39 degrees Fahrenheit) help reduce carbon dioxide loss.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: "On the Losses of Dissolved CO₂ during Champagne Serving" [J. Agric. Food Chem., 2010, 58 (15), pp 8768–8775; DOI: 10.1021/jf101239w].

Toward safer plastics that lock in potentially harmful plasticizers

Scientists have published the first report on a new way of preventing potentially harmful plasticizers from migrating from one of the most widely used groups of plastics. The advance could lead to a new generation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics that are safer than those now used in packaging, medical tubing, toys, and other products, they say. Their study is in ACS' Macromolecules, a bi-weekly journal.

Helmut Reinecke and colleagues note that manufacturers add large amounts of plasticizers to PVC to make it flexible and durable. Plasticizers may account for more than one-third of the weight of some PVC products. Phthalates are the mainstay plasticizers. Unfortunately, they migrate to the surface of the plastic over time and escape into the environment. As a result, PVC plastics become less flexible and durable. In addition, people who come into contact with the plastics face possible health risks. The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2009 banned use of several phthalate plasticizers for use in manufacture of toys and child care articles.

The scientists describe development of a way to make phthalate permanently bond, or chemically attach to, the internal structure of PVC so that it will not migrate. Laboratory tests showed that the method completely suppressed the migration of plasticizer to the surface of the plastic. "This approach may open new ways to the preparation of flexible PVC with permanent plasticizer effect and zero migration," the article notes.

Macromolecules: "Phthalate Plasticizers Covalently Bound to PVC: Plasticization with Suppressed Migration" [Macromolecules, 2010, 43 (5), pp 2377–2381; DOI: 10.1021/ma902740t].

Oil-eating bacteria may determine environmental impact of Gulf oil

The environmental impact of millions of gallons of oil still in the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon incident may depend on microscopic helpers: Bacteria that consume oil and other hydrocarbons and could break down the spilled crude, making it disappear. That's the topic of an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS' weekly newsmagazine.

It points out that the oil-eating bacteria are beneficial in helping to clear away the oil. Their activity, however, could eventually pose risks to the Gulf's ecosystem, particularly in the deep ocean. The oil acts as a huge source of food and could produce bacteria "blooms," or massive population explosions. As the blooms die and decay, they remove oxygen from the Gulf water, jeopardizing the health of fish and other aquatic animals.

The article discusses scientific research underway to shed light on the bacteria's effects. It notes that the oxygen depletion so far is not as serious as the Gulf of Mexico's infamous "dead zone," an 8,000 square mile area - about the size of New Jersey - with oxygen levels too low for fish to survive. The Gulf's oil plumes cause nearly a 35 percent oxygen drop compared to a 90 percent drop in that dead zone.

Chemical & Engineering News: "Microbes to the Rescue" [Volume 88, Number 32pp. 32 - 33; DOI: 10.1021/CEN080210163345].

Deathstalker scorpion venom could improve gene therapy for brain cancer

An ingredient in the venom of the "deathstalker" scorpion could help gene therapy become an effective treatment for brain cancer, scientists are reporting. The substance allows therapeutic genes - genes that treat disease - to reach more brain cancer cells than current approaches, according to the study in ACS Nano, a monthly journal.

Miqin Zhang and colleagues note that gene therapy - the delivery of therapeutic genes into diseased cells - shows promise for fighting glioma, the most common and most serious form of brain cancer. But difficulties in getting genes to enter cancer cells and concerns over the safety and potential side effects of substances used to transport these genes have kept the approach from helping patients.

The scientists describe a new approach that could solve these problems. Key ingredients of their gene-delivery system are chlorotoxin, the substance in deathstalker scorpion venom that can slow the spread of brain cancer, and nanoparticles of iron oxide. Each nanoparticle is about 1/50,000th the width of a human hair. In tests on lab mice, the scientists demonstrated that their venom-based nanoparticles can induce nearly twice the amount of gene expression in brain cancer cells as nanoparticles that do not contain the venom ingredient. "These results indicate that this targeted gene delivery system may potentially improve treatment outcome of gene therapy for glioma and other deadly cancers," the article notes.

Nano: "Chlorotoxin Labeled Magnetic Nanovectors for Targeted Gene Delivery to Glioma" [ACS Nano, Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/nn1008512].

Advance toward earlier detection of melanoma

Scientists are reporting development of a substance to enhance the visibility of skin cancer cells during scans with an advanced medical imaging system that combines ultrasound and light. The hybrid scanner could enable doctors to detect melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, in its earliest and most curable stages, the report in the monthly journal ACS Nano indicates.

Lihong Wang, Younan Xia, and colleagues point out that early diagnosis is key to improving survival in patients with melanoma. The five-year survival rate for melanoma is about 98 percent if detected early but can be as low as 15 percent when detected at an advanced stage. Existing imaging techniques for early detection of melanoma produce low-quality images, can "see" only a fraction of an inch below the skin, and use potentially harmful radioactive materials. A promising new technique called photoacoustic tomography (PAT) can overcome these problems. The system shoots light into tumors, which slightly heats up the cancer cells and produces high frequency sound waves that provide images of the tumor. But the PAT system lacks an optimal contrast agent that can easily enter skin cancer cells and make them visible.

The scientists developed such an agent by attaching a peptide (one of the building blocks of proteins) that targets skin cancer cells to gold "nanocages." These hollow gold nanoparticles have a box-like shape and are barely 1/50,000th the width of a human hair. When injected into mice with skin cancer, the nanocages improved the image quality of the cancer cells by three-fold compared to nanoparticles lacking the peptide. The gold nanocages also show promise as a way to kill skin cancer cells using heat or anti-cancer drugs, they add.

Nano: "In Vivo Molecular Photoacoustic Tomography of Melanomas Targeted by Bioconjugated Gold Nanocages" [ACS Nano, Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/nn100736c].

Fast forensic test can match suspects' DNA with crime samples in 4 hours

A newly developed test could make checking DNA from people arrested for crimes with DNA samples from crime scenes stored in forensic databases almost as easy as matching fingerprints. With the test, police could check on whether a person's DNA matches that found at past crime scenes while suspects are still being processed and before a decision on whether to release them on bail. A report on the fast forensic test appeared in the ACS' Analytical Chemistry, a semi-monthly journal.

Andrew Hopwood, Frederic Zenhausern, and colleagues explain that some criminals are arrested, spend less than a day in jail, and then commit crimes while they are out on bail. If police could quickly test the suspects' DNA, to see if their genetic material matches entries in crime databases, they may be able to keep the most dangerous people locked up. But currently, most genetic tests take 24-72 hours, and by the time that the results are back, the suspects often have been released.

To increase the speed of forensic DNA testing, the scientists built a chip that can copy and analyze DNA samples taken from a cotton swab. Forensic technicians can collect DNA from suspects by swabbing their mouth, mixing the sample with a few chemicals, and warming it up. The DNA-testing-lab-on-a-chip does the rest. The entire process takes only four hours at present. Hopwood and Zenhausern teams are already optimizing it and reducing the cycle time down to two hours. Once that is done, police could even double-check their DNA evidence before releasing a suspect.

Analytical Chemistry: "Integrated Microfluidic System for Rapid Forensic DNA Analysis: Sample Collection to DNA Profile" [Anal. Chem., Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/ac101355r].

Traveling by car increases global temperatures more than by plane, but only in long term

Driving a car increases global temperatures in the long run more than making the same long-distance journey by air according to a new study. However, in the short run travelling by air has a larger adverse climate impact because airplanes strongly affect short-lived warming processes at high altitudes. The study appeared in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-weekly journal.

In the study, Jens Borken-Kleefeld and colleagues compare the impacts on global warming of different means of transport. The researchers use, for the first time, a suite of climate chemistry models to consider the climate effects of all long- and short-lived gases, aerosols and cloud effects, not just carbon dioxide, resulting from transport worldwide. They concluded that in the long run the global temperature increase from a car trip will be on average higher than from a plane journey of the same distance. However, in the first years after the journey, air travel increases global temperatures four times more than car travel. Passenger trains and buses cause four to five times less impact than automobile travel for every mile a passenger travels. The findings prove robust despite the scientific uncertainties in understanding the earth's climate system.

"As planes fly at high altitudes, their impact on ozone and clouds is disproportionately high, though short lived. Although the exact magnitude is uncertain, the net effect is a strong, short-term, temperature increase," explains Dr. Jens Borken-Kleefeld, lead author of the study. "Car travel emits more carbon dioxide than air travel per passenger mile. As carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere longer than the other gases, cars have a more harmful impact on climate change in the long term."

Environmental Science & Technology: "Specific Climate Impact of Passenger and Freight Transport" [Environ. Sci. Technol., 2010, 44 (15), pp 5700–5706; DOI: 10.1021/es9039693].

Homes of the poor and the affluent both have high levels of endocrine disruptors

Homes in low-income and affluent communities in California both had similarly high levels of endocrine disruptors, and the levels were higher in indoor air than outdoor air, according to a new study believed to be the first that paired indoor and outdoor air samples for such wide range (104) of these substances. The study appeared in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

Ruthann Rudel and colleagues note concern about the reproductive and other health effects of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), which are found in many products used in the home. Examples include phthalates, which are found in vinyl and other plastics, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are found in older paints, electrical equipment, and building materials. EDCs also are among the ingredients in some pesticides, fragrances, and other materials.

The scientists analyzed indoor and outdoor air samples as well as house dust in homes from two different communities in the San Francisco Bay area for the presence of 104 compounds, including 70 suspected EDCs. The sampling, which took place in 2006, included 40 homes in Richmond, Calif., an urban, industrial, low-income area, and 10 homes in Bolinas, Calif., an affluent, coastal community. Levels were generally higher indoors than outdoors - 32 of the compounds occurred in higher concentrations indoors and only 2 were higher outdoors. The scientists expressed surprise at finding higher concentrations of some phthalates outdoors near urban homes contributing to higher indoor levels as well, but concluded that EDCs "are ubiquitously common across socioeconomic groups."

Environmental Science & Technology: "Semivolatile Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds in Paired Indoor and Outdoor Air in Two Northern California Communities" [Environ. Sci. Technol., Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/es100159c].

Solving the mystery of bone loss from drug for epilepsy and bipolar disorder

Scientists are reporting a possible explanation for the bone loss that may occur following long-term use of a medicine widely used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and other conditions. The drug, valproate, appears to reduce the formation of two key proteins important for bone strength, they said. Their study, which offers a solution to a long-standing mystery, appeared in ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research.

Glenn Morris and colleagues point out that use of valproate, first introduced more than 40 years ago for the prevention of seizures in patients with epilepsy, has expanded. Valproate now is prescribed for mood disorders, migraine headache, and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic disease that causes loss of muscle control and movement. Many SMA patients develop weak bones as a result of the disease itself, making further bone loss from valproate especially undesirable. Doctors have known about the bone-loss side effect, but until now, there has been no molecular explanation.

In an effort to determine why bone loss occurs, the scientists profiled valproate's effects on more than 1,000 proteins in the cells of patients with SMA. They found that valproate reduced production of collagen, the key protein that gives bone its strength, by almost 60 percent. The drug also reduced levels of osteonectin, which binds calcium and helps maintain bone mass, by 28 percent. "The results suggest a possible molecular mechanism for bone loss following long-term exposure to valproate," the article notes.

Journal of Proteome Research: "Valproate and Bone Loss: iTRAQ Proteomics Show that Valproate Reduces Collagens and Osteonectin in SMA Cells" [J. Proteome Res., Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/pr1005263].

Middle school students co-author research on enzyme for activating promising disease-fighters

Grown-ups aren't the only ones making exciting scientific discoveries these days. Two middle school students from Wisconsin joined a team of scientists who are reporting the first glimpse of the innermost structure of a key bacterial enzyme. It helps activate certain antibiotics and anti-cancer agents so that those substances do their job. Their study appears in ACS' weekly journal Biochemistry. The student co-authors of the study are from Edgewood Campus Middle School in Madison and participated in Project CRYSTAL, a special program that provides middle school students with hands-on laboratory experience.

In the report, study leader Hazel Holden and colleagues note intense scientific interest in a chemical process called methylation, which increases the activity of DNA, proteins, and other substances in the body by transferring methyl (CH₃) groups to them. Special enzymes called methyltransferases make methylation possible, and these proteins are very important in a myriad of key biological processes.

Holden and colleagues studied a bacterial methyltransferase involved in the production of tetronitrose, a component of the promising anti-cancer agent, tetrocarcin, and the antibiotic kijanimicin. The methyltransferase seems to play a key role in activating these disease-fighters. The scientists identified the 3D structure of this methyltransferase, a key step in determining how it works and how it might be modified for potential use in medicine.

Biochemistry: "Molecular Architecture of a C-3'-Methyltransferase Involved in the Biosynthesis of D-Tetronitrose" [Biochemistry, 2010, 49 (28), pp 5891–5898; DOI: 10.1021/bi100782b].

The fungus among us: A new way of decomposing BPA-containing plastic

Just as cooking helps people digest food, pretreating polycarbonate plastic - source of a huge environmental headache because of its bisphenol A (BPA) content - may be the key to disposing of the waste in an eco-friendly way, scientists have found.

Their new study is in ACS' Biomacromolecules, a monthly journal.

Mukesh Doble and Trishul Artham note that manufacturers produce about 2.7 million tons of plastic containing BPA each year. Polycarbonate is an extremely recalcitrant plastic, used in everything from screwdriver handles to eyeglass lenses, DVDs, and CDs. Some studies have suggested that the BPA may have a range of adverse health effects, sparking the search for an environmentally safe way of disposing of waste plastic to avoid release of BPA.

The scientists pretreated polycarbonate with ultraviolet light and heat and exposed it to three kinds of fungi - including the fabled white-rot fungus, used commercially for environmental remediation of the toughest pollutants. The scientists found that fungi grew better on pretreated plastic, using its BPA and other ingredients as a source of energy and breaking down the plastic. After 12 months, there was almost no decomposition of the untreated plastic, compared to substantial decomposition of the pretreated plastic, with no release of BPA.

Biomacromolecules:

"Biodegradation of Physiochemically Treated Polycarbonate by Fungi" [Biomacromolecules, 2010, 11 (1), pp 20–28; DOI: 10.1021/bm9008099].

Cow-a-bella - making eco-friendly diesel fuel from butter

The search for new raw materials for making biodiesel fuel has led scientists to an unlikely farm product - butter. In a new study in ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, they report that butter could be used as an eco-friendly feedstock, or raw material, for making diesel fuel.

Michael Haas and colleagues cite rising global demand for biodiesel, and the desire to expand the feedstock base, as motivating factors for their research. The United States alone has committed to producing 36 billion gallons of biofuel by 2022, a major increase from the current annual production level of about 11 billion gallons. Most of that was ethanol. Biodiesel production, now approaching 1 billion gallons annually in the U.S., is also slated to increase. As researchers seek additional and affordable feedstocks for biodiesel production, these scientists turned to butter, one billion pounds of which are produced annually. Could surplus, spoiled, or nonfood-grade butter be used to make biodiesel at competitive prices?

In an effort to find out, the scientists recovered the fat from a quarter-ton of butter and converted it into the fatty acid esters that constitute biodiesel. They found that the resulting material met all but one of the official test standards for biodiesel. The study concluded that with further purification or by blending with biodiesel from other feedstocks butter biodiesel could add to the supply of biobased fuel for diesel engines.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: "Butter as a Feedstock for Biodiesel Production" [J. Agric. Food Chem., 2010, 58 (13), pp 7680–7684; DOI: 10.1021/jf1003754].

Small materials poised for big impact in construction

Bricks, blocks, and steel I-beams - step aside. A new genre of construction materials, made from stuff barely 1/50,000th the width of a human hair, is about to debut in the building of homes, offices, bridges, and other structures. And a new report is highlighting both the potential benefits of these nanomaterials in improving construction materials and the need for guidelines to regulate their use and disposal. The report appears in the monthly journal ACS Nano.

Pedro Alvarez and colleagues note that nanomaterials likely will have a greater impact on the construction industry than any other sector of the economy, except biomedical and electronics applications. Certain nanomaterials can improve the strength of concrete, serve as self-cleaning and self-sanitizing coatings, and provide many other construction benefits. Concerns exist, however, about the potential adverse health and environmental effects of construction nanomaterials.

The scientists analyzed more than 140 studies on the benefits and risks of nanomaterials. They found that the materials can provide a wide variety of benefits for the construction industry, ranging from greater strength and durability to improved energy efficiency. The report also identified potential adverse health and environmental effects, and cites the importance of developing guidelines to regulate the use and disposal of construction nanomaterials.

ACS Nano: "Nanomaterials in the Construction Industry: A Review of Their Applications and Environmental Health and Safety Considerations" [ACS Nano, 2010, 4 (7), pp 3580–3590; DOI: 10.1021/nn100866w].

Toward a new generation of superplastics

Scientists are reporting an in-depth validation of the discovery of the world's first mass producible, low-cost, organoclays for plastics. The powdered material, made from natural clay, would be a safer, more environmentally friendly replacement for the compound widely used to make plastics nanocomposites. A report on the research appears in ACS' Macromolecules, a bi-weekly journal.

Miriam Rafailovich and colleagues focused on a new organoclay developed and patented by a team of scientists headed by David Abecassis. The scientists explain that so-called quaternary amine-treated organoclays have been pioneering nanoparticles in the field of plastics nanotechnology. Just small amounts of the substances make plastics flame retardant, stronger, and more resistant to damage from ultraviolet light and chemicals. They also allow plastics to be mixed together into hybrid materials from plastics that otherwise would not exist. However, quaternary amine organoclays are difficult to produce because of the health and environmental risks associated with quaternary amines, as well as the need to manufacture them in small batches. These and other disadvantages, including high cost, limit use of the materials.

The new organoclay uses resorcinol diphenyl phosphate (which is normally a flame retardant), to achieve mass producible organoclays which can be made in continuous processing. In addition these organoclays are cheaper, generate less dust, and are thermostable to much higher temperatures (beyond 600 degrees Fahrenheit). This clay has also been proven to be superior for flame retardance applications. In addition, unlike most quaternary amine based organoclays, it works well in styrene plastics, one of the most widely used kinds of plastic.

Macromolecules: "The Role of Surface Interactions in the Synergizing Polymer /Clay Flame Retardant Properties" [Macromolecules, 2010, 43 (12), pp 5338–5351; DOI: 10.1021/ma100669g].

New evidence that chili pepper ingredient fights fat

Capsaicin, the stuff that gives chili peppers their kick, may cause weight loss and fight fat buildup by triggering certain beneficial protein changes in the body, according to a new study on the topic. The report, which could lead to new treatments for obesity, appears in ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research.

Jong Won Yun and colleagues point out that obesity is a major public health threat worldwide, linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and other health problems. Laboratory studies have hinted that capsaicin may help fight obesity by decreasing calorie intake, shrinking fat tissue, and lowering fat levels in the blood. Nobody, however, knows exactly how capsaicin might trigger such beneficial effects.

In an effort to find out, the scientists fed high-fat diets with or without capsaicin to lab rats used to study obesity. The capsaicin-treated rats lost 8 percent of their body weight and showed changes in levels of at least 20 key proteins found in fat. The altered proteins work to break down fats. "These changes provide valuable new molecular insights into the mechanism of the antiobesity effects of capsaicin," the scientists say.

Journal of Proteome Research: "Proteomic Analysis for Antiobesity Potential of Capsaicin on White Adipose Tissue in Rats Fed with a High Fat Diet" [J. Proteome Res., 2010, 9 (6), pp 2977–2987; DOI: 10.1021/pr901175w].

Gulf oil dispersants unlikely to be endocrine disruptors and have relatively low cell toxicity

Government scientists are reporting that eight of the most commonly used oil dispersants used to fight oil spills, such as the massive episode in the Gulf of Mexico, appear unlikely to act as endocrine disruptors - hormone-like substances that can interfere with reproduction, development, and other biological processes. The tested dispersants also had a relatively low potential for cytotoxicity (cell death), with JD-2000 and SAF-RON GOLD showing the least potential. The scientists are with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institutes of Health Chemical Genomics Center. Their findings appear in ACS' semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Richard Judson and colleagues note that more than 1.5 million gallons of dispersants have been used so far in the Deepwater Horizon spill. These detergent-like chemicals break up oil slicks into small drops. Scientists are concerned that some dispersants contain ingredients that turn into endocrine disruptors in the environment, and could harm marine mammals, fish, and humans. But only limited toxicity testing data is available on currently-used dispersants, and this is only results from the first round of EPA dispersant testing, they state.

With an urgent need for such information in the Deepwater Horizon spill, the scientists applied a rapid screening method using mammalian cells to determine the eight dispersants' potential to act as endocrine disruptors and relative toxicity to living cells. The dispersants included a type widely being used to treat the Gulf oil spill. None of the substances showed significant endocrine disruption activity and cytotoxicity was not seen until dispersants were tested at concentrations above 10 parts per million, the scientists said. However, they note that "there are other routes by which chemicals can cause endocrine disruption, as well as other types of toxicity that have not been tested for here."

Environmental Science & Technology: "Analysis of Eight Oil Spill Dispersants Using Rapid, In Vitro Tests for Endocrine and Other Biological Activity" [Environ. Sci. Technol., Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/es102150z].

New antibacterial material for bandages, food packaging, shoes

A new form of paper with the built-in ability to fight disease-causing bacteria could have applications that range from anti-bacterial bandages to food packaging that keeps food fresher longer to shoes that ward off foot odor. A report about the new material, which consists of the thinnest possible sheets of carbon, appears in ACS Nano, a monthly journal.

Chunhai Fan, Qing Huang, and colleagues explained that scientists in the United Kingdom first discovered the material, known as graphene, in 2004. Since then, the race has been on to find commercial and industrial uses for graphene. Scientists have tried to use graphene in solar cells, computer chips, and sensors. Fan and Huang decided to see how graphene affects living cells.

So they made sheets of paper from graphene oxide, and then tried to grow bacteria and human cells on top. Bacteria were unable to grow on the paper, and it had little adverse effect on human cells. "Given the superior antibacterial effect of graphene oxide and the fact that it can be mass-produced and easily processed to make freestanding and flexible paper with low-cost, we expect this new carbon nanomaterial may find important environmental and clinical applications," the reports states.

Nano: "Graphene-Based Antibacterial Paper" in

[ACS Nano, Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/nn101097v].

Toward making 'extended blood group typing' more widely available

Scientists are reporting an advance toward enabling more blood banks to adopt so-called "extended blood group typing," which increases transfusion safety by better matching donors and recipients. Their report on a new, automated genetic method for determining a broader range of blood types appears in ACS' Analytical Chemistry, a semi-monthly journal.

Christophe Marquette and colleagues explain that most blood banks still use a century-old blood approach to blood typing. It identifies blood group antigens on red blood cells - proteins that must match in donor and recipient to avoid potentially serious transfusion reactions. Most blood currently is typed for only a few of the 29 known human blood groups, even though some rare blood groups can affect the outcome of a transfusion. Commercial technology does exist for extended typing with DNA tests. However, it is expensive, difficult to use, and suited more for research labs than high-volume blood centers, they state. Wide adoption of extended blood group typing, they note, requires a test that can handle the high volume of blood processed each year - 14 million donations in the United States, for instance, and 20 million in Europe.

The study describes evaluation of the new more affordable method, called the HiFi Blood 96, which types blood with DNA testing in a high-speed automated procedure. Tests on 293 human blood samples demonstrated the performance and reliability of the new method. The report compares HiFi Blood 96 to existing commercial tests, and discusses improvements that are underway.

Analytical Chemistry: "Robust, High-Throughput Solution for Blood Group Genotyping" [Anal. Chem., Article ASAP; June 18, 2010; DOI: 10.1021/ac101008d].

Supercharged proteins enter biology's forbidden zone

Scientists are reporting discovery of a way to help proteins such as the new generation of protein-based drugs - sometimes heralded as tomorrow's potential "miracle cures" - get past the biochemical "Entrance Forbidden" barrier that keeps them from entering cells and doing their work. The new technique, described in the monthly journal, ACS Chemical Biology, represents a new use for an engineered form of green fluorescent protein, the topic of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry that is one of the most important research tools in biosciences.

In the report, David Liu and his colleagues describe the difficulty of delivering proteins from the outside of mammalian cells into their interiors. For that reason, nearly all of the blockbuster drugs that are proteins must do their work on the exterior of cells, activating receptors that send signals to the interior. This constraint greatly limits the scope of protein-based drugs. Liu's solution: Attaching proteins to molecules of "supercharged" green fluorescent protein, which they mutated to give it a very high positive charge. When the hybrid proteins bump into the surface of a cell, they get pulled inside by negatively charged molecules called proteoglycans.

Liu and his team tested the hybrid proteins on five types of cells, and found that they were extremely good at carrying their protein cargo inside. In fact, the supercharged protein was up to 100 times better at getting proteins into cells compared to other approaches. The delivered proteins were able to go to their target locations in the cell, such as the nucleus or cytoplasm, and perform their jobs. "To our knowledge, this is the first report of functional delivery of an enzyme into retinal cells in vivo," the researchers state.

Chemical Biology: "Potent Delivery of Functional Proteins into Mammalian Cells in Vitro and in Vivo Using a Supercharged Protein" [ACS Chem. Biol., Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/cb1001153].

Mercury levels are increasing in popular species of game fish in Lake Erie

Mercury levels in a popular species of game fish in Lake Erie are increasing after two decades of steady decline, scientists are reporting. The study, the most comprehensive to date on mercury levels in Great Lakes fish, is in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

Satyendra Bhavsar and colleagues note that the Great Lakes is the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world. The lakes are of significant economic importance to the United States and Canada due to the area's $7 billion fishing industry. High levels of mercury in fish can potentially cause adverse health effects in people. Although government regulations and improved emissions control technologies have greatly reduced mercury emissions in the environment, their impact on mercury levels in Great Lakes fish is unclear.

The scientists studied mercury levels in 5807 fish samples collected from the lakes between the 1970s and 2007. The samples included lake trout and walleye, two of the most common species of game fish caught in the region. The researchers found that mercury levels in the fish steadily declined from the mid-1970s to 2007 in the upper Great Lakes (Superior and Huron). In recent years (between 1990 and 2007), however, the mercury concentrations leveled-off in Lake Ontario walleye but appear to be increasing in Lake Erie walleye. The mercury increases in Lake Erie walleye are likely caused by a combination of factors, including modifications in Lake Erie's foodweb due to invasions of dreissenid mussels and round goby, the scientists suggest.

Environmental Science & Technology: "Changes in Mercury Levels in Great Lakes Fish Between 1970s and 2007" [Environ. Sci. Technol., 2010, 44 (9), pp 3273–3279; DOI: 10.1021/es903874x].

Submarines could use new nanotube technology for sonar and stealth

Speakers made from carbon nanotube sheets that are a fraction of the width of a human hair can both generate sound and cancel out noise - properties ideal for submarine sonar to probe the ocean depths and make subs invisible to enemies. That's the topic of a report on these "nanotube speakers," which appears in ACS' Nano Letters, a monthly journal.

Ali Aliev and colleagues explain that thin films of nanotubes can generate sound waves via a thermoacoustic effect. Every time that an electrical pulse passes through the microscopic layer of carbon tubes, the air around them heats up and creates a sound wave. Chinese scientists first discovered that effect in 2008, and applied it in building flexible speakers. In a remarkable demonstration, which made its way onto YouTube, the Chinese nanoscientists stuck a sheet of nanotubes onto the side of a flag, and attached it to an mp3 player. They used the nanotube-coated flag to play a song while it flapped in the breeze. But they did not test its ability to operate under water.

Aliev's group took that step, showing that nanotube sheets produce the kind of low-frequency sound waves that enable sonar to determine the location, depth, and speed of underwater objects. They also verified that the speakers can be tuned to specific frequencies to cancel out noise, such as the sound of a submarine moving through the depths.

Nano Letters: "Underwater Sound Generation Using Carbon Nanotube Projectors" [Nano Lett., Article ASAP; May 27, 2010; DOI: 10.1021/nl100235n].

Household detergents, shampoos may form harmful substance in wastewater

Scientists are reporting evidence that certain ingredients in shampoo, detergents and other household cleaning agents may be a source of precursor materials for formation of a suspected cancer-causing contaminant in water supplies that receive water from sewage treatment plants. The study sheds new light on possible environmental sources of this poorly understood water contaminant, called NDMA, which is of ongoing concern to health officials. Their study is in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

William Mitch and colleagues note that scientists have known that NDMA and other nitrosamines can form in small amounts during the disinfection of wastewater and water with chloramine. Although nitrosamines are found in a wide variety of sources - including processed meats and tobacco smoke - scientists know little about their precursors in water. Past studies with cosmetics have found that substances called quaternary amines, which are also ingredients in household cleaning agents, may play a role in the formation of nitrosamines.

Their laboratory research showed that when mixed with chloramine, some household cleaning products - including shampoo, dishwashing detergent and laundry detergent - formed NDMA. The report notes that sewage treatment plants may remove some of quaternary amines that form NDMA. However, quaternary amines are used in such large quantities that some still may persist and have a potentially harmful effect in the effluents from sewage treatment plants.

Environmental Science & Technology: "Quaternary Amines As Nitrosamine Precursors: A Role for Consumer Products?" [Environ. Sci. Technol., 2010, 44 (4), pp 1224–1231; DOI: 10.1021/es902840h].

Better animal-free test for chemicals that can cause contact dermatitis

Scientists are reporting development of a fast, simple, inexpensive method for determining whether chemicals in consumer products and workplaces may cause skin allergies in people - a method that does not involve use of animals. Their study appears in ACS' Chemical Research in Toxicology, a monthly journal.

Itai Chipinda and his colleagues note the existence of public sentiment against the use of animals to determine whether ingredients in consumer soaps, shampoos and other consumer products, and workplace chemicals, may cause skin sensitization and contact dermatitis. Chemicals cause dermatitis by bonding to proteins in the skin, and then aggravating the immune system so that redness, irritation, itching, and other symptoms occur. Existing chemical tests use substances like glutathione that mimic skin proteins and bond to allergy-causing ingredients. None, however, are suitable for use in detecting the critical early stages of skin sensitization, the scientists say.

Instead of glutathione, Chipinda and his team developed a test with nitrobenzenethiol as the skin protein surrogate. When used on 20 different chemicals known to cause skin irritation, the test produced positive results. It produced negative results when used to test substances that usually do not produce skin sensitization. "This simple, rapid and inexpensive absorbance-based method has great potential for use as a preliminary screening tool for skin allergens," the report states.

Chemical Research in Toxicology: "Rapid and Simple Kinetics Screening Assay for Electrophilic Dermal Sensitizers Using Nitrobenzenethiol" [Chem. Res. Toxicol., 2010, 23 (5), pp 918–925; DOI: 10.1021/tx100003w].

Air traffic poised to become a major factor in global warming

The first new projections of future aircraft emissions in 10 years predicts that carbon dioxide and other gases from air traffic will become a significant source of global warming as they double or triple by 2050. The study is in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

Bethan Owen and colleagues note that aviation is not now one of the main drivers of global warming, with international aviation (source of 60 percent of carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft) not even included in the Kyoto Protocol. Global air traffic currently contributes to between 2 and 3 percent of carbon dioxide emissions - the main "greenhouse" gas linked to global warming.

The scientists' computer model forecast that emissions of carbon dioxide will likely double or triple within the next 50 years. By 2100, carbon dioxide emissions could increase by up to seven times the current levels, they say. "Even though there have been significant improvements in fuel efficiency through aircraft technology and operational management, this has been outweighed by the increase in air traffic," the study states.

Environmental Science & Technology: "Flying into the Future: Aviation Emissions Scenarios to 2050" [Environ. Sci. Technol., 2010, 44 (7), pp 2255–2260; DOI: 10.1021/es902530z].

Little-known mouth fluid may lead to test for gum disease

A little-known fluid produced in tiny amounts in the gums, those tough pink tissues that hold the teeth in place, has become a hot topic for scientists trying to develop an early, non-invasive test for gum disease, the No. 1 cause of tooth loss in adults. It's not saliva, a quart of which people produce each day, but gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), produced at the rate of millionths of a quart per tooth. The study, the most comprehensive analysis of GCF to date, appears in ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research.

Eric Reynolds and colleagues note that GCF accumulates at sites of inflammation in the crevice between teeth and gums. Since dental workers can easily collect the fluid from patients, GCF has become a prime candidate for a simple inexpensive test to distinguish mild gum disease from the serious form that leads to tooth loss. But researchers have little information about the chemical composition of GCF.

The scientists collected GCF samples from 12 patients with a history of gum disease. Using high-tech instruments, they identified 66 proteins, 43 of which they found in the fluid for the first time. The fluid contained proteins from several sources, including bacteria and the breakdown products of gum tissue and bone, they note. They also identified antibacterial substances involved in fighting infection. The findings advance efforts to develop an early test for gum disease, they suggest.

Journal of Proteome Research: "Mass Spectrometric Analyses of Peptides and Proteins in Human Gingival Crevicular Fluid" [J. Proteome Res., 2010, 9 (4), pp 1683–1693; DOI: 10.1021/pr900775s].

Proteins in unroasted coffee beans may become next-generation insecticides

Scientists in Brazil are reporting for the first time that coffee beans contain proteins that can kill insects and might be developed into new insecticides for protecting food crops against destructive pests. Their study, which suggests a new use for one of the most important tropical crops in the world, appears in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

Peas, beans and some other plant seeds contain proteins, called globulins, which ward off insects. Coffee beans contain large amounts of globulins, and Paulo Mazzafera and colleagues wondered whether those coffee proteins might also have an insecticidal effect. The high heat of roasting destroys globulins, so that they do not appear in brewed coffee.

Their tests against cowpea weevil larva, insects used as models for studying the insecticidal activity of proteins, showed that tiny amounts of the coffee proteins quickly killed up to half of the insects. In the future, scientists could insert genes for these insect-killing proteins into important food crops, such as grains, so that plants produce their own insecticides, the researchers suggest. The proteins appear harmless to people.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: "Purification of Legumin-Like Proteins from Coffea arabica and Coffea racemosa Seeds and Their Insecticidal Properties toward Cowpea Weevil (Caliosobruchus maculates) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)" [J. Agric. Food Chem., 2010, 58 (5), pp 3050–3055; DOI: 10.1021/jf9037216].

Nanotech breath sensor detects diabetes and potentially serious complication

Scientists are reporting development and successful testing of a sensor that can instantly tell whether someone has Type I diabetes. It could also be used by emergency room doctors to determine whether a patient has developed diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially serious complication that happens when diabetics do not take enough insulin. Someday the technology may also be used by diabetics, in their own homes, to determine whether they need more insulin. A report on the sensor appears in ACS' Analytical Chemistry, a semi-monthly journal.

Professor Sotiris E. Pratsinis and colleagues at ETH Zurich in Switzerland explain that everyone has a little bit of acetone in their breath. But people with Type I diabetes release unusually high levels of the chemical when they exhale. If they have diabetic ketoacidosis, a dangerous buildup of acetone in the blood, they exhale even-larger amounts of acetone.

Pratsinis' team built an extremely sensitive acetone detector by directly depositing from a flame plume a thin film of semiconducting, mixed ceramic nanoparticles between a set of gold electrodes. The device acts like an electrical resistor. When it gets hit with a puff of acetone-filled air, its resistance drops, allowing more electricity to pass between the electrodes. If a diabetic were to breathe on the sensor, its resistance would suddenly drop. When a healthy person exhales onto the nanoparticles, their resistance will not change very much. Pratsinis' team found this new sensor can detect acetone in extremely moist air, an attribute that is critical for any breath test. It is sensitive enough to detect acetone at 20 parts per billion, a concentration that is 90 times lower than the level at which it can be found in the breath of diabetic patients.

Analytical Chemistry: "Si:WO₃ Sensors for Highly Selective Detection of Acetone for Easy Diagnosis of Diabetes by Breath Analysis" [Anal. Chem., 2010, 82 (9), pp 3581–3587; DOI: 10.1021/ac902695n].

Mercury levels are increasing in popular species of game fish in Lake Erie

Scientists are reporting that mercury levels in a popular species of game fish in Lake Erie are increasing after two decades of steady decline. The study, the most comprehensive to date on mercury levels in Great Lakes fish, is in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

Satyendra Bhavsar and colleagues note that the Great Lakes is the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world. The lakes are of significant economic importance to the United States and Canada due to the area's $7 billion fishing industry. High levels of mercury in fish can potentially cause adverse health effects in people. Although government regulations and improved emissions control technologies have greatly reduced mercury emissions in the environment, their impact on mercury levels in Great Lakes fish is unclear.

The scientists studied mercury levels in 5807 fish samples collected from the lakes between the 1970s and 2007. The samples included lake trout and walleye, two of the most common species of game fish caught in the region. The researchers found that mercury levels in the fish steadily declined from the mid-1970s to 2007 in the upper Great Lakes (Superior and Huron). In recent years (between 1990 and 2007), however, the mercury concentrations leveled-off in Lake Ontario walleye but appear to be increasing in Lake Erie walleye. The mercury increases in Lake Erie walleye are likely caused by a combination of factors, including modifications in Lake Erie's foodweb due to invasions of dreissenid mussels and round goby, the scientists suggest.

Environmental Science & Technology: "Changes in Mercury Levels in Great Lakes Fish Between 1970s and 2007" [Environ. Sci. Technol., 2010, 44 (9), pp 3273–3279; DOI: 10.1021/es903874x].

Biodiesel from sewage sludge within pennies a gallon of being competitive

Existing technology can produce biodiesel fuel from municipal sewage sludge that is within a few cents a gallon of being competitive with conventional diesel refined from petroleum, according to an article in ACS' Energy & Fuels, a bi-monthly journal. Sludge is the solid material left behind from the treatment of sewage at wastewater treatment plants.

David M. Kargbo points out in the article that demand for biodiesel has led to the search for cost-effective biodiesel feedstocks, or raw materials. Soybeans, sunflower seeds and other food crops have been used as raw materials but are expensive. Sewage sludge is an attractive alternative feedstock - the United States alone produces about seven million tons of it each year. Sludge is a good source of raw materials for biodiesel. To boost biodiesel production, sewage treatment plants could use microorganisms that produce higher amounts of oil, Kargbo says. That step alone could increase biodiesel production to the 10 billion gallon mark, which is more than triple the nation's current biodiesel production capacity, the report indicates.

The report, however, cautions that to realize these commercial opportunities, huge challenges still exist, including challenges from collecting the sludge, separation of the biodiesel from other materials, maintaining biodiesel quality, soap formation during production, and regulatory concerns.

With the challenges addressed, "Biodiesel production from sludge could be very profitable in the long run," the report states. "Currently the estimated cost of production is $3.11 per gallon of biodiesel. To be competitive, this cost should be reduced to levels that are at or below [recent] petro diesel costs of $3.00 per gallon."

Energy & Fuels: "Biodiesel Production from Municipal Sewage Sludges" [2010, 24 (5), pp 2791–2794; DOI: 10.1021/ef1001106].

The fungus among us:

An eco-friendly way of decomposing BPA-containing plastic

Just as cooking helps people digest food, pretreating polycarbonate plastic - source of a huge environmental headache because of its bisphenol A (BPA) content - may be the key to disposing of the waste in an eco-friendly way, scientists have found. Their new study is in ACS' Biomacromolecules, a monthly journal.

Mukesh Doble and Trishul Artham note that manufacturers produce about 2.7 million tons of plastic containing BPA each year. Polycarbonate is an extremely recalcitrant plastic, used in everything from screwdriver handles to eyeglass lenses, DVDs, and CDs. Some studies have suggested that the BPA may have a range of adverse health effects, sparking the search for an environmentally safe way of disposing of waste plastic to avoid release of BPA.

The scientists pretreated polycarbonate with ultraviolet light and heat and exposed it to three kinds of fungi - including the fabled white-rot fungus, used commercially for environmental remediation of the toughest pollutants. The scientists found that fungi grew better on pretreated plastic, using its BPA and other ingredients as a source of energy and breaking down the plastic. After 12 months, there was almost no decomposition of the untreated plastic, compared to substantial decomposition of the pretreated plastic, with no release of BPA.

Biomacromolecules: "Biodegradation of Physiochemically Treated Polycarbonate by Fungi" [2010, 11 (1), pp 20–28; DOI: 10.1021/bm9008099].

New plastic-like materials may say 'shhhh' to hush disease-causing microbes

Scientists are reporting success in a first attempt to silence the biochemical conversations that disease-causing bacteria use to marshal their forces and cause infections. In a study in ACS' monthly journal, Biomacromolecules, they describe use of specially designed plastic-like materials to soak up the substances that bacteria produce and pass to one another as messages.

Elena Piletska and colleagues point out that more and more disease-causing bacteria are developing resistance to the effects of antibiotics. The problem has sparked a global scientific quest for new antibiotics, and totally new approaches for dealing with bacteria that have caused millions of deaths throughout human history. One increasingly promising approach, they explain, blocks the chemical signals bacteria use to launch infection, a signaling process called "quorum sensing."

The scientists designed special plastics, similar to those dentists use to repair damaged teeth, to capture signaling molecules in laboratory experiments and thwart microbes' attempts to start an infection. The plastics also reduced the ability of the bacteria to form biofilms. Bacteria form these slimy layers inside medical tubing, water supply pipes, and other surfaces and use them as a refuge to grow and multiply.

Biomacromolecules: "Attenuation of Vibrio fischeri Quorum Sensing Using Rationally Designed Polymers" [DOI: 10.1021/bm901451j; Publication Date (Web): March 15, 2010].

Recycling tiny trash: cigarette butts

A new study suggests expanding community recycling programs beyond newspapers, beverage containers, and other traditional trash to include an unlikely new potential treasure: Cigarette butts. Terming this tiny trash "one of the most ubiquitous forms of garbage in the world," the study describes discovery of a way to reuse the remains of cigarettes to prevent steel corrosion that costs oil producers millions of dollars annually. It appears in ACS' Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, a bi-weekly journal.

Jun Zhao and colleagues cite one estimate that 4.5 trillion cigarette butts find their way into the environment each year. Studies show that cigarette butts are more than an eyesore. They contain toxins that can kill fish and harm the environment in other ways. Recycling could solve those problems, but finding practical uses for cigarette butts has been difficult.

The scientists showed that extracts of cigarette butts in water, applied to a type of steel (N80) widely used in the oil industry, protected the steel from rusting even under the harsh conditions, preventing costly damage and interruptions in oil production. They identified nine chemicals in the extracts, including nicotine, which appear to be responsible for this anti-corrosion effect.

Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research: "Cigarette Butts and Their Application in Corrosion Inhibition for N80 Steel at 90°C in a Hydrochloric Acid Solution" [Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2010, 49 (8), pp 3986–3991; DOI: 10.1021/ie100168s].

Schizophrenia drugs raise the volume of a key signaling system in the brain

All the major groups of medications for schizophrenia turn up the volume of a brain signal known to be muted in individuals with this psychiatric disorder - a signal that also can be influenced by diet. "This is the first example of a common but specific molecular effect produced by all antipsychotic drugs in any biological system," scientists note in the current edition of ACS Chemical Neuroscience, a monthly journal.

In the report, Eric J. Aamodt and colleagues explained that scientists know little about how antipsychotic drugs work, aside from the drugs' effects on one signaling chemical called dopamine. New studies, for instance, suggested that medications like olanzapine, quetiapine, and clozapine also affect other signaling systems in the brain. These systems, including one termed the Akt signaling pathway, influence behavior by regulating communication between brain cells. To fill those gaps in knowledge, the scientists turned to genetically modified forms of a worm, C. elegans, often used as a stand-in for people in such research. The tiny creatures were wired to glow green to show activity of Akt, a signal that is too quiet in schizophrenic brains.

They found that all of the 13 antipsychotic drugs tested, representative of all major categories of antipsychotic medications, helped the worms maintain their characteristic green glow. The results highlight the importance of Akt signaling in schizophrenia, suggesting that medications or other approaches that increase Akt signaling might help to alleviate the symptoms of schizophrenia. Other labs have identified certain dietary measures that may also increase Akt signaling.

Chemical Neuroscience: "Antipsychotic Drugs Activate the C. elegans Akt Pathway via the DAF-2 Insulin/IGF-1 Receptor" [ACS Chem. Neurosci.;DOI: 10.1021/cn100010p].