Heather Hobbs Research & events news Imaging Technique Could Help Atherosclerosis Research
A new chemical imaging technique has potential to help the fight against atherosclerosis, suggests research published in the August 2009 edition of the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
Atherosclerosis, the disease underlying most heart attacks, and strokes is characterised by lesions in the arteries, made of fats, collagen and cells causing artery walls to harden and thicken; understanding the precise chemical composition of an individual's lesions is important because the ones with higher levels of a type of fat called cholesteryl ester are more prone to rupture, leading to possible heart attacks and strokes.
The team behind the new imaging technique, which is known as Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic Imaging (ATR-FTIR imaging), believe that with further refinement, it could become a useful tool for doctors
wanting to assess a patient's lesions. For example, by combining fibre optic technology with ATR-FTIR imaging, the researchers believe doctors could carry out real-time inspections of patients with atherosclerosis, in order to assess the progress of the disease and establish which patients are at the greatest risk of complications.
Currently, doctors can use ultrasound to assess the size and location of lesions but complex and invasive biopsy procedure is still needed to determine their chemistry.
It is believed that use of ATR-FTIR, which uses infrared light to identify different chemical molecules, could combine imaging and chemical analysis to give a comprehensive and accurate picture of a patient's lesions in one procedure.
In the current study, researchers demonstrated that ATR-FTIR
imaging revealed the precise composition and size of the lesions as well as the levels of elastin, collagen and cholesteryl ester in them.
While further studies need to be done before the ATR-FTIR imaging could be used for patient care, lead-author, Professor Sergei Kazarian, from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology at Imperial College London, was hopeful for its potential use:
"Atherosclerosis can be a dangerous condition and our hope is that with further work, our approaches could ultimately be used to determine which patients are most at risk of complications. That way, doctors can target treatments at those patients who most need it, in order to prevent strokes and heart attacks."
This research was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
TO FIND OUT MORE CIRCLE NO. 503 Conference Establishes a New Global Framework for Climate Services
The First and Second World Climate Conferences in 1979 and 1990 both had far reaching outcomes, including establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) – the framework for international climate treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol.
The outcome of WCC-3 is likely to be just as profound. A declaration, adopted by Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministerial representatives from over 150 countries who attended, has established a new Global Framework for Climate Services.
Professor Ed Hill
The Third World Climate Conference (WCC 3), which took place in Geneva from 31 August to 4 September, brought together more than 2,000 climate scientists, sector experts and
decision-makers.It was attended by National Oceanography Centre, Southampton Director, Professor Ed Hill, who chaired the session on `Climate in Oceans and Coasts’ in the expert segment of the meeting.
The aim is to make user-friendly, science-based climate information and predictions available to policy makers, planners and decision makers worldwide in the form they need them, embedding climate change planning in decision making at all levels.
Commenting on the declaration Professor Hill said:
“The birth of a Global Framework for Climate Services marks the point at which a concerted global effort began to harness scientific research and observations for practical decision-making at all levels, in all sectors, worldwide as we adapt to the effects of climate change and variability that are already upon us.”
The global oceans and coasts experts at the conference stated that ocean information is integral and essential to the Global Framework for Climate Services and, amongst a series of recommendations, called for full implementation of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS).
This was welcomed by Professor Hill, who continued:
“We usually think that ocean information is mostly of interest to users of the seas and coasts. However, I believe that the Global Framework for Climate Services will very quickly demonstrate just how pervasive the need for ocean information really is. For example, the feasibility of robust prediction of droughts and floods on time-scales of seasons to decades, and at regional scales, ultimately depends on processes and modes of variability in the oceans.
“Users of climate services - such as those planning and managing agriculture, water supply, energy provision or health services - may never realise just how dependent they are on ocean information that will be embedded in the climate services they use – but they will be. A key need for future ocean research and measurement will be continuous improvement of the quality and reliability of climate services.”
TO FIND OUT MORE CIRCLE NO. 504 Prize Winner Visits Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany
headquarters in Hamburg on June 23, 2009. On this occasion Dr Costa-Mattioli from the Department of Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas, USA, gave a talk to Eppendorf staff about his ground-breaking work. As a reminder of his visit he was presented with Eppendorf’s new Research®
plus pipette.
By revealing the importance of translational control in the formation of long-lasting memories, Dr Costa-Mattioli’s research could eventually help develop new treatments for major brain disorders including impaired memory function in aging and neurodegenerative diseases.
Mauro Costa-Mattioli (right) receives a Research® pipette from Eppendorf’s Axel Jahns
plus
Mauro Costa-Mattioli, PhD, 2008 winner of the US$25,000 Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology, visited Eppendorf
The Prize is awarded jointly by Eppendorf and the journal Science. All young scientists who are 35 years of age or younger and who have made outstanding contributions to neurobiological research are invited to apply. The 2009 winner of the Prize will be announced shortly. The next deadline for applications is June 15, 2010. For more information on the Prize, visit
www.eppendorf.com/prize.
TO FIND OUT MORE CIRCLE NO. 507 Desty Memorial Award
Dr Jacqueline Hamilton has been awarded this year’s Desty Memorial Award for her research on developing state of the art chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques to study the composition of organic aerosols. These techniques are
required to understand the effects of atmospheric aerosols as they are the largest uncertainties in quantifying climate forcing due to man-made changes in the composition of the atmosphere. Aerosol particles can also have detrimental effects on human health, particularly people with respiratory illnesses and asthma.
It has recently been established that significant amounts of particulate matter can be organic in nature, deriving from both primary and secondary sources. The oxidation of volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere leads to the formation of secondary organic aerosol.
TO FIND OUT MORE CIRCLE NO. 505
TO BE INCLUDED IN OUR NEXT ISSUE, SEND ALL YOUR RESEARCH AND EVENTS NEWS STORIES TO
HEATHER@INTLABMATE.COM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
