Science Today

B. Pharm, S.P.E.R, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi Race With Dreams! © 2015-2016 The humble correction pen used to mask typos in printed or written text is all set to assume a new avatar. It could soon become an important component in fabrication of paper-based diagnostic kits. Paper is becoming popular among experts in miniaturisation and micro fluidics because of its ability to transport fluids through capillary action. It is also biodegradable, biocompatible and low cost. Using paper, scientists are developing analytical devices in association with fluorescence, colorimetric and electrochemical detection systems. Its porosity makes paper easy to load a reagent needed for diagnostic tests. But the reagent needs to be confined to a specific area on the device using certain barriers. Normally such barriers can be fabricated using techniques like photolithography, flexography, plasma treatment, inkjet or screen printing. All these techniques require expert manpower and are time c...

New therapeutic molecules developed at Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) show promise in reversing the memory loss linked to depression and ageing. These molecules not only rapidly improve symptoms, but remarkably, also appear to renew the underlying brain impairments causing memory loss in preclinical models. These findings were presented today at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Washington DC. "Currently there are no medications to treat cognitive symptoms such as memory loss that occur in depression, other mental illnesses and ageing," says  Dr. Etienne Sibille , Deputy Director of the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute at CAMH and lead scientist on the study. What's unique and promising about these findings, in the face of many failures in drug development for mental illness, is that the compounds are highly targeted to activate the impaired brain receptors that are causing...

WHAT IS ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE?   Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of bacteria to protect itself against the effects of an antibiotic medication. It can happen when the bacteria decreases or destroys the effectiveness of antibiotics which can cure and prevent infections. As a result, the bacteria survive and multiply, causing more harm. HOW DOES ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE HAPPEN? Antibiotics kill or hinder the growth of susceptible bacteria. When exposed to antibiotics, sometimes one of the bacteria can survive because it has found a way to counteract or evade the antibiotic attack. Even if one bacterium becomes resistant, it can multiply and replace all the bacteria that were killed. This is called ‘selective pressure’ and it makes the surviving bacteria more likely to be resistant.  There are several ways in which antibiotic resistance can happen. Random ‘mutations’ or changes can occur in the genetic material of the bacteria every time they reproduce and m...