ScienceWatch.com, July 2010
Tracking Trends and Performance in Basic Research Since 1989
What's Hot In Medicine: Genetic Determinants of Platelet-Inhibitor Response
Identifying the genetic determinants of how efficacious a
drug will be—research that has already been applied to the
anti-cancer agent cetuximab—has also been explored in connection
with the anti-platelet compound clopidogrel. In examining why cardiac
patients given the drug respond so differently, researchers have
pinpointed genetic differences, such as variant alleles of the gene
CYP2C19.
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ANALYSES: What's Hot In...
Chemistry
Glittering Achievement in Gold-Nanoparticle Catalysis
The use of gold as a chemical catalyst continues to advance, notably in a recent report in which gold nanoparticles were used to oxidize styrene to benzaldehyde and styrene oxide. The researchers noted that the size of the nanoparticles significantly affected catalytic activity, with smaller particles proving more effective. Because selective oxidation reactions have industrial applications, such work is significant.
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Physics
First Results from the Fermi Large Area Telescope
Reports from the Large Area Telescope (LAT) component on the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope have begun to register among the most-cited recent papers in physics. The LAT scans for pulsars, supernova remnants, gamma-ray bursts, and other phenomena. LAT data are publically available online, almost in real time, allowing astronomers to see if their target objects are emitting gamma rays. The initial “quick look” report from LAT promises much more data to come.
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