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New developments in nanotechnology tackle two biggest problems with chemotherapy

 As reported in the December 21, 2009, issue of the journal Small, He, Minko and their co-researchers, including investigators from Merck & Co. and Carl Zeiss SMT, a global nanotechnology firm, have designed nanomaterials that allow for the targeted and simultaneous delivery of a chemical drug to destroy cancer cells and a genetic drug to prevent drug resistance.

 ”We modified the surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticles so that an anticancer drug, doxorubicin, could be loaded into the pores of the silica nanoparticles. Also loaded onto the nanoparticles was a genetic drug designed to prevent or remove multidrug resistance outside the nanoparticles,” explained He.

 When administered to multidrug-resistant ovarian cancer cells, the nanoparticle treatment was more than 130 times more lethal than when doxorubicin was administrated alone . Most importantly, “the drug can only be released when it is inside the cancer cells. This controlled internal release mechanism can dramatically eliminate side effects associated with anticancer drugs to normal tissues,” He noted.

 New findings suggest new ways to diagnose and treat Alzheimers

 Until very recently, it was universally assumed by scientists that tau fluid is never secreted from or transferred between neurons, and that CSF-tau only appears after many neurons have died and irreversible harm has been done to the brain.

 ”That tau secretion can occur via two distinct mechanisms strongly indicates that it is biologically ‘real’ and is not just tau protein leaking out of dead neurons,” said Hall. “The fact that it occurs in a pattern that reproduces what is seen in the CSF of Alzheimer’s patients holds out hope that patients in early stages of the disease might someday be cured. If we can distinguish secreted tau from tau that is released from dying neurons in CSF samples, then maybe we can diagnose Alzheimer’s in time to stop the disease before the neurons

 Panasonic’s anode technology to offer 30% increase in battery capacity

 Si-alloy anodes could accelerate the rate of increase of battery capacity. Capacity has been increasing at about 11% annually until now, but this new development represents an annual increase of 18%. Credit: Panasonic.

 One promising modification to next-generation rechargeable Li-ion batteries involves using Si-alloy anodes instead of graphite, which is currently the most common anode material. Many battery manufacturers are developing Si-alloy anodes, with Hitachi Maxell having previously announced plans to begin volume production by the end of fiscal 2009. Now, with its announcement of beginning volume production in 2012, Panasonic is the first company to reveal specifications of its Si-alloy anode product.

 NASA and GM create cutting edge Robonaut2 technology

 Engineers and scientists from NASA and GM worked together through a Space Act Agreement at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to build a new humanoid robot capable of working side by side with people. Using leading edge control, sensor and vision technologies, future robots could assist astronauts during hazardous space missions and help GM build safer cars and plants.

 Survey: 26% of Americans get news via cell phone

 The survey results being released by the group Monday offer another sign of how people are changing they way they get information. Technology has been reshaping the news business and the way consumers relate to it for more than a decade. The latest shift is being driven by the exploding popularity of phones that can easily access the Internet.

 The new study found that 26 percent of Americans get news on their phones. Pew doesn’t have comparable data for say, two or three years ago. But evidence of the shift in habits can be seen in this finding: Younger cell phone owners are more likely to look for news on their phones. About 43 percent of those under 50 said they are mobile news consumers, compared with 15 percent of older respondents.

 Google’s Android on 26 mobile phone models says CEO

 Google’s mobile operating system Android is now being used on 26 phone models and 60,000 phones using Android are sold every day, the US Internet giant’s chief executive said on Tuesday.

 Study proves conclusively violent video game play makes more aggressive kids

 Iowa State University Distinguished Professor of Psychology Craig Anderson has made much of his life’s work studying how violent video game play affects youth behavior. And he says a new study he led, analyzing 130 research reports on more than 130,000 subjects worldwide, proves conclusively that exposure to violent video games makes more aggressive, less caring kids — regardless of their age, sex or culture.