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American Chemical Society

American Chemical Society, ACS is a congressionally chartered independent membership organization which represents professionals at all degree levels and in all fields of chemistry and sciences that involve chemistry.

Most Recent Articles by American Chemical Society:

Detecting antibodies with glowing proteins, thread and a smartphone

To defend the body, the immune system makes proteins known as antibodies that latch onto the perceived threat, be it HIV, the new coronavirus or, as is the case in autoimmune disease, part of the body itself. In a new proof-of-concept study in ACS Sensors, researchers describe a new system for detecting antibodies within a pinprick of blood within minutes, using an unlikely combination of cotton thread, glowing proteins and a smartphone camera. While some tests simply detect the presence of an antibody, sometimes doctors want to know how much is circulating in the blood. Such quantitative tests are used to diagnose a number of conditions, including infections and autoimmune diseases. Although a quantitative antibody test is not yet approved for use in the U.S., such a test could potentially aid in assessing immunity to SARS-CoV-2. However, quantitative testing currently requires expensive, sophisticated instruments in labs, and efforts to make it more accessible have had only limited success. So, Maarten Merkx, Daniel Citterio and colleagues tested an approach that could provide a small, inexpensive alternative.
- Monday, June 22, 2020

Benefits of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 are still unclear

With vaccines and therapeutic drugs for COVID-19 still under development, doctors are wondering whether antibody-rich plasma infusions from the blood of recovered patients could be a more immediate way to keep hospitalized patients alive and off ventilators. However, an article in Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, indicates that, despite some anecdotal evidence, scientists still don’t have high-quality data showing that the treatment actually works.
- Monday, June 22, 2020

Video: Can Antibodies From Llamas Help Us Fight COVID-19?

Can Antibodies From Llamas Help Us Fight COVID-19?Scientists are considering some less-conventional approaches to tackle the COVID-19 #pandemic. One of those approaches is using #antibodies from llamas to fight off #SARCoV2, or to keep it from infecting you in the first place. We chatted with one scientist behind the research, Daniel Wrapp, and had a surprise for him in store.
- Thursday, June 11, 2020

Video: Not sure if you’ve already had coronavirus? This test can (maybe) tell you

Why Are Antibody Tests Failing?Many people are wondering if that bad cold they had back in February or March was actually the new coronavirus. In principle, an antibody test could tell you that, but most of the tests out there right now aren’t very good. We chatted with David Kroll to learn how these tests work, where they go wrong and why a test that’s 96% accurate is actually pretty bad:
- Thursday, June 11, 2020

A versatile antiviral emerges to fight COVID-19

Scientists everywhere are working overtime to develop treatments for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Many existing drugs and new candidates are being tested, with the hope of easing the global pandemic ahead of a vaccine. An article in Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, reports an emerging antiviral that might turn the tide for this pandemic and the next.
- Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Multifunctional e-glasses monitor health, protect eyes, control video game

Multifunctional e-glasses monitor health, protect eyes, control video gameFitness tracker bracelets and watches provide useful information, such as step count and heart rate, but they usually can’t provide more detailed data about the wearer’s health. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have developed smart electronic glasses (e-glasses) that not only monitor a person’s brain waves and body movements, but also can function as sunglasses and allow users to control a video game with eye motions. Devices that measure electrical signals from the brain (electroencephalogram; EEG) or eyes (electrooculogram; EOG) can help diagnose conditions like epilepsy and sleep disorders, as well as control computers in human-machine interfaces. But obtaining these measurements requires a steady physical contact between skin and sensor, which is difficult with rigid devices. Suk-Won Hwang and colleagues wanted to integrate soft, conductive electrodes into e-glasses that could wirelessly monitor EEG and EOG signals, ultraviolet (UV) intensity, and body movements or postures, while also acting as a human-machine interface.
- Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Superworms digest plastic, with help from their bacterial sidekicks

Resembling giant mealworms, superworms (Zophobas atratus) are beetle larvae that are often sold in pet stores as feed for reptiles, fish and birds. In addition to their relatively large size (about 2 inches long), these worms have another superpower: They can degrade polystyrene plastic. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology have linked this ability to a strain of bacteria that lives in the larvae’s gut.
- Wednesday, May 27, 2020

New antiviral, antibacterial surface could reduce spread of infections in hospitals

The novel coronavirus pandemic has caused an increased demand for antimicrobial treatments that can keep surfaces clean, particularly in health care settings. Although some surfaces have been developed that can combat bacteria, what’s been lacking is a surface that can also kill off viruses. Now, researchers have found a way to impart durable antiviral and antibacterial properties to an aluminum alloy used in hospitals, according to a report in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering.
- Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Heating poppy seeds, but not baking them in muffins, reduces opiate levels

You might have heard the advice to avoid eating a poppy seed bagel or muffin before a drug screen, lest you test positive for opiates. This urban legend is rooted in truth because the tiny black seeds contain small amounts of morphine and codeine that can show up in a drug test. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have studied how different treatments affect levels of opiates in poppy seeds.
- Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Exploring why some COVID-19 patients lose their sense of smell

Doctors have reported that partial or total loss of the sense of smell is often an early symptom of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Chemical Neuroscience have shown that in mice, two proteins required for SARS-CoV-2 entry are produced by cells of the nasal cavity that contribute to odor detection. Moreover, larger amounts of the proteins are made in older animals than in younger ones.
- Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Video: Could a polio vaccine stop the coronavirus pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic has scientists considering a few less-conventional options while vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are being developed. One option might be the oral polio vaccine. We chatted with one of the researchers proposing the idea — Robert Gallo, M.D. — to understand why a vaccine that hasn’t been used in the U.S. for two decades might provide short-term protection against this new coronavirus:
- Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Video: Coronavirus drugs: Where are we, and what's next?

Video: Coronavirus drugs: Where are we, and what's next?WASHINGTON — Antiviral drugs could help us fight the new coronavirus, but currently, we don’t have a highly potent, effective antiviral that cures COVID-19. Why not? We called a few virologists to find out:
- Thursday, May 7, 2020

Electronics for high-altitude use can get smaller and sturdier with new nanomaterials

Electronics for high-altitude use can get smaller and sturdier with new nanomaterialsWASHINGTON — As demand for higher-efficiency and smaller electronics grows, so does demand for a new generation of materials that can be printed at ever smaller dimensions. Such materials are critical to national security applications and space exploration. But materials that work well on Earth don’t always hold up well at high altitudes and in space. Scientists are now creating new metal-based nanomaterials for circuit boards that could be resistant to the high-altitude radiation encountered by electronics in aerospace equipment, fighter jets and weapon systems.
- Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Diagnostic biosensor quickly detects SARS-CoV-2 from nasopharyngeal swabs

Diagnostic biosensor quickly detects SARS-CoV-2 from nasopharyngeal swabsAccording to many experts, early diagnosis and management are critical for slowing the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Therefore, the race is on to develop diagnostic tests for the virus that are faster, easier and more accurate than existing ones. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have developed a field-effect transistor-based biosensor that detects SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swabs from patients with COVID-19, in less than one minute.
- Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Bone proteomics could reveal how long a corpse has been underwater

Bone proteomics could reveal how long a corpse has been underwaterWhen a dead body is found, one of the first things a forensic pathologist tries to do is estimate the time of death. There are several ways to do this, including measuring body temperature or observing insect activity, but these methods don’t always work for corpses found in water. Now, researchers are reporting a mouse study in ACS’ Journal of Proteome Research showing that certain proteins in bones could be used for this determination.
- Wednesday, April 29, 2020

COVID-19: A wake-up call to rebalance the drug supply chain?

COVID-19: A wake-up call to rebalance the drug supply chain?Over 80% of chemicals used to make pharmaceuticals sold in Europe originate from China or India, according to the European Fine Chemicals Group. When COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan and spread across the globe, experts worried about disruption of the drug supply chain. Now, nations are rethinking their dependence on other countries for pharmaceutical ingredients and finished drugs, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.
- Wednesday, April 29, 2020

How probiotic Bifidobacteria could help celiac disease patients

How probiotic Bifidobacteria could help celiac disease patientsGluten is enemy No. 1 for those with celiac disease, and it’s hard to avoid. Episodes of this chronic autoimmune illness can be triggered by ingesting gluten, a key protein in wheat and some other grains. Researchers have been exploring how gut bacteria, especially Bifidobacteria, could be used as a treatment. Now, scientists publishing the results of laboratory experiments in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry report how specific types of Bifidobacteria work.
- Monday, April 27, 2020

Alzheimer’s patients may need dosing changes in medicines prescribed for other conditions

Alzheimer’s patients may need dosing changes in medicines prescribed for other conditionsPatients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are often prescribed drugs for other conditions — including diabetes or high blood pressure — at the same doses as those without dementia. That practice might need to be reexamined in the wake of new mouse studies reported in ACS’ Molecular Pharmaceutics. The findings suggest that AD could alter absorption of medications from the digestive tract, so dosages might need to be adjusted for these patients.
- Monday, April 27, 2020

Video: How effective are cloth masks against coronavirus?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that the general public wear cloth face masks to help decrease everyone’s chances of getting COVID-19. So how does the new coronavirus spread? And can a cloth face mask help stop it? We contacted some experts to find out and to learn which materials work best if you’re making your own:
- Thursday, April 23, 2020

A new way to cool down electronic devices, recover waste heat

Using electronic devices for too long can cause them to overheat, which might slow them down, damage their components or even make them explode or catch fire. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters have developed a hydrogel that can both cool down electronics, such as cell phone batteries, and convert their waste heat into electricity.
- Thursday, April 23, 2020

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