News Release

American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- Dec. 3, 2008

Peer-Reviewed Publication

American Chemical Society

Pomegranate Peels

image: Feed supplemented with pomegranate peels could usher in healthier, antioxidant-rich meat, scientists report. view more 

Credit: Zalman Henkin

Here is the latest American Chemical Society (ACS) News Service Weekly PressPac with news from ACS' 34 peer-reviewed journals and Chemical & Engineering News. Please credit the individual journal or the American Chemical Society as the source for this information.

ALL CONTENT IS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE EXCEPT ARTICLE #5, which is embargoed for 9 a. m., Eastern Time, December 8, 2008.

PressPac Archive:


ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Advance toward early diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Journal of Proteome Research

Researchers in Finland are reporting identification of the first potential "biomarker" that could be used in development of a sputum test for early detection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). That condition, which causes severe difficulty in breathing — most often in cigarette smokers — affects 12 million people in the United States.

In an article scheduled for the December 5 issue of ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, a monthly publication, Vuokko L. Kinnula and colleagues point out that no disease marker for COPD currently exists, despite extensive efforts by scientists to find one. Past research pointed to a prime candidate — surfactant protein A (SP-A), which has a major role in fighting infections and inflammation in the lung.

The scientists compared levels of a variety of proteins obtained from the lung tissues of healthy individuals, patients with COPD, and those with pulmonary fibrosis. They found that the lungs of COPD patients contained elevated levels of SP-A. The scientists also found elevated levels of SP-A in the sputum samples of COPD patients. "This suggests that SP-A might represent a helpful biomarker in the early detection of COPD and other related disorders," the article notes. — MTS

ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Proteomics of Human Lung Tissue Identifies Surfactant Protein A as a Marker of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease"

DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/pr800423x

CONTACT:
Vuokko L. Kinnula, Ph.D.
University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Central Hospital
Helsinki, Finland
Phone: 358-9-4717-2255
Fax: 358-9-4717-4049
Email: vuokko.kinnula@helsinki.fi


ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Clothing with a brain: "Smart fabrics" that monitor health
Nano Letters</p>

Researchers in United States and China are reporting progress toward a simple, low-cost method to make "smart fabrics," electronic textiles capable of detecting diseases, monitoring heart rates, and other vital signs. A report on these straight-out-of-science-fiction-fibers, made of carbon nanotubes, is scheduled for the December 10 issue of ACS' Nano Letters, a monthly publication.

In the new study, Nicholas A. Kotov, Chuanlai Xu, and colleagues point out that electronic textiles, or E-textiles, already are a reality. However, the current materials are too bulky, rigid, and complex for practical use. Fabric makers need simpler, more flexible materials to make E-fibers practical for future applications, they say.

The scientists describe development of cotton fibers coated with electrolytes and carbon nanotubes (CNT) — thin filaments 1/50,000 the width of a single human hair. The fibers are soft, flexible, and capable of transmitting electricity when woven into fabrics. In laboratory tests, the researchers showed that the new E-fibers could light up a simple light-emitting diode when connected to a battery. When coated with certain antibodies, the fibers detected the presence of albumin, a key protein in blood — a function that could be used to detect bleeding in wounded soldiers. The fabrics could also help monitor diseases and vital signs, they say. — MTS

ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Smart Electronic Yarns and Wearable Fabrics for Human Biomonitoring made by Carbon Nanotube Coating with Polyelectrolytes"

DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/nl801495p

CONTACT:
Nicholas A. Kotov, Ph.D.
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Phone: 734-763-8768
Fax: 734-764-7453
Email: kotov@umich.edu


ARTICLE #3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Waste peel from pomegranate juice factories makes healthy cattle feed
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

Pomegranate peel left over from production of the juice renowned for its potential health benefits can make a nutritious feed supplement for cattle, researchers in Israel report in an article in the November 12 issue of ACS' biweekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The peel packs some of the weight-boosting and health-enhancing effects of antibiotics and hormones without the detrimental effects, and researchers say it may yield meat with higher levels of beneficial antioxidants.

In the new study, Ariel Shabtay and colleagues note that consumption of pomegranate products is increasing amid reports that the fruit may help fight cancer, infections, and other diseases in humans due to its high levels of antioxidants. Recent studies also have shown that boosting antioxidant levels in the diet of cattle may help improve their health. Those findings seemed to make pomegranate peel, a waste product of the pomegranate industry with higher antioxidant levels than the juice itself, an attractive candidate as a nutritional supplement for cattle feed.

To find out, the scientists fed calves either normal cattle feed or feed supplemented with pomegranate peels. After eight weeks, the calves supplemented with pomegranate had higher blood levels of alpha-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E that may help retain nutrients and extend the shelf life of meat by preventing spoilage. The pomegranate-fed animals gained more weight than the animals on standard feed. — MTS

ARTICLE #3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Nutritive and Antioxidative Potential of Fresh and Stored Pomegranate Industrial Byproduct as a Novel Beef Cattle Feed"

DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/jf8016095

CONTACT:
Ariel Shabtay, Ph.D.
Agricultural Research Organization
Bet Dagan, Israel
Phone: 972-4-9539560
Fax: 972-4-9836936
Email: shabtay@volcani.agri.gov.il


ARTICLE #4 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New "wipes" for better decontamination of chemical warfare agents and toxic chemicals
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research

Scientists in Texas, California, and Maryland are reporting development of high-tech "wipes" that are capable of quickly decontaminating people and equipment exposed to a broad range of military and industrial chemicals, including the deadly blister agent known as "mustard." The next generation wipes, which are a major step toward a universal personal decontamination system for nearly any toxic or hazardous chemical, could help save the lives of soldiers and civilians. Their work will be described in an article scheduled for online publication today in ACS' Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, a bi-weekly journal.

Seshadri Ramkumar and colleagues note that the military long has used powders and liquids to decontaminate soldiers and equipment exposed to chemical warfare agents. But powders, such as activated carbon, can disperse into the air and damage the lungs, while water-based and reactive decontamination liquids target only a limited set of chemicals or can damage electronic equipment. Better materials are needed, the scientists say.

In the new study, the scientists describe development of a new fabric-based "wipe" composed of a layer of activated carbon sandwiched between layers of absorbent fibers. The researchers evaluated the ability of the new fabric to absorb and adsorb sulfur mustard, a toxic liquid that causes skin blistering, and compared the results to activated carbon particles and a standard military decontamination kit that uses powdered carbon mixed with other materials. The wipes were better than particulate carbon alone and as effective as the military decontamination kit, the researchers say, noting that the flexible and non-particulate wipes show promise for decontaminating a wide range of surfaces and toxic or hazardous chemicals. — MTS

ARTICLE #4 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Next Generation Non-particulate Dry Nonwoven Pad for Chemical Warfare Agent Decontamination"

For a copy of the full text article, please contact Michael Bernstein at 202-872-6042

Editor's Note: Texas Tech plans a news conference on this item on Dec. 3 at 10:30 a.m. Central time, streamed over the Internet at www.tiehh.ttu.edu.

CONTACT:
Seshadri S. Ramkumar, Ph.D.
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas 79409-1163
Phone: 806-885-4567
Fax: 806-885-2132
Email: s.ramkumar@ttu.edu


ARTICLE #5 EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, Dec. 8, 2008

Updated standards to reduce metal contaminants in prescription drugs
Chemical & Engineering News

Prescription medicines in the United States could soon have lower levels of potentially harmful metals, as the organization that sets drug standards develops new limits for impurities like mercury, arsenic, and lead, according to an article scheduled for the December 8 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.

In the article, C&EN Associate Editor Jyllian Kemsley notes that researchers have known for years that potentially toxic metals can wind up in pharmaceutical ingredients through raw materials, catalysts, equipment, and other sources. But the testing method currently prescribed by the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), the nonprofit organization that sets standards for the pharmaceutical industry, has not kept pace with that new knowledge. That method involves a 100-year-old test that is time-consuming, difficult to interpret, and generally not quantitative, according to the article.

USP now is developing new standards and testing methods that will be finished in 2010 and implemented over a span of years. USP will require drug makers to use improved methods and instruments to detect metal contaminants.

ARTICLE #5 EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, December 8, 2008
"Detecting metals in drugs"

This story will be available on December 8 at http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/86/8649sci1.html

FOR ADVANCE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Michael Bernstein
ACS News Service
Phone: 202-872-6042
Fax: 202-872-4370
Email: m_bernstein@acs.org


Journalists' Resources
Press releases, chat room sessions, and more from ACS' 236th National Meeting
www.eurekalert.org/acsmeet.php. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acslive.

ACS Press Releases
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General Chemistry Glossary
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