Saturday, April 30, 2011

Friday, April 29, 2011

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Scientists Exploit Ash Tree Pest's Chemical Communication....

A newly identified chemical sex attractant, or pheromone, of the emerald ash borer could mean improved traps for monitoring and controlling the tree-killing beetle. That's the goal of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist Allard Cossé and his colleagues. 


More recently, the team discovered a macrocyclic lactone (3z-dodecan-12-olide -see structure), a compound that female borers release while feeding. Large-scale field tests conducted in Canada and the United States showed that the compound attracts male borers and has potential for use in traps either alone or combined with ash-tree-based attractants, reports Cossé, at the ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Ill........


Details in a book 

Monday, April 18, 2011

New substance (Benzothiazin derivative) to tackle drug resistant tuberculosis...

Project NM4TB which gathers 18 research teams from 13 countries, discovered a novel class of substances, called benzothiazinones (BTZ-see structure), that could be used in the treatment of tuberculosis and drug resistant tuberculosis.

Prof Stewart Cole, Dr Vadim Makarov, Dr Ute Möllmann, Prof Giovanna Riccardi, and their colleagues have identified a novel class of compounds called benzothiazinones (BTZ) that act by preventing the TB bacterium from constructing its cell wall. In particular, one member of the class, BTZ043 was extremely potent, killing the TB agent, both in test tube experiments and in mouse models of the disease. BTZ043 is as effective as the two main drugs (Isoniazid and Rifampicin) in reducing the bacterial levels in the lungs and spleens of infected mice. The target of the new class of compounds is a component of Mycobacterium’s cell-wall-building machinery that has never before been used as a drug target. The most advanced compound of this new class, BTZ043, is a candidate for inclusion in combination therapies for both drug-sensitive and extensively drug-resistant TB. 

These substances act by preventing the bacteria that cause tuberculosis from constructing their cell wall. This discovery represents an important breakthrough in the battle against tuberculosis as the most advanced compound of this new class, BTZ043, is also effective against extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).

More... : 

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Friday, April 1, 2011

Researchers identify drug candidate that can treat prostate cancer

Drug candidate, developed from a naturally occurring anti-cancer agent found in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbages and broccoli, for prostate cancer...
Researchers identify drug candidate that can treat prostate cancer

Boceprevir drug can help cure hard-to-treat hepatitis C