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NMR spectroscopy is helping US chemists work out shorter and simpler routes to protein-based drugs for treating a wide range of illnesses including diabetes, cancer, and hepatitis.

NMR provides new clues about how a dipeptide molecule blocks the formation of the toxic amyloid beta-peptide aggregates in the mouse brain. The discovery could put paid to the theory that amyloid beta-peptide causes Alzheimer's disease and suggest a therapeutic lead that focus on the real culprit at an earlier stage.

Could the earth beneath our feet hold the key to climate change? According to scientists at the University of Toronto Scarborough their NMR results show that global warming is changing the molecular structure of organic matter in soil.

US researchers have used NMR to identify a previously undetected trigger point on a naturally occurring "death protein" that helps the body get rid of damaged or diseased cells. The researchers suggest that their findings may offer a novel target for new drugs that could be used to treat cancer by forcing malignant cells to undergo apoptosis, or cellular suicide.

This special issue is dedicated to Professor Paul S. Pregosin on the occasion of his 65th birthday and has been guest edited by Cornelis 'Kees' Elsevier.

Marine micro-organisms have been proven to be a rich source of structurally interesting and bioactive secondary metabolites. In this paper, the authors describe the isolation and structure elucidation of a series of polyketide-originated metabolites.

Researchers have used NMR to show that endurance-trained athletes have a higher resting muscle metabolism than couch potatoes. The work suggests that the dissociation of oxidation and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production could be another route by which exercise improves insulin sensitivity and burns excess energy and may have implications for understanding the development of type 2 diabetes.

US researchers have used NMR to study the products of research into a new high explosive material that can nevertheless be melt cast into a charge with any shape.

Previous theoretical studies of spin-spin coupling constants for FCCF (difluoroethyne) have reported significantly different values of 3J(F-F). In an effort to resolve these discrepancies, the authors have reinvestigated spin-spin coupling in FCCF, with emphasis on 3J(F-F).

A mutant enzyme that breaks down cocaine in the bloodstream 2000 times faster than the body's natural enzymes could lead to a rapid-response treatment for acute overdose or lead to a new approach to treating drug addiction.

Substances found in marijuana could be used to fight potentially lethal superbugs, such as antibiotic-resistant bacteria, without the mood-altering effects, according to researchers in Italy and the UK. Marijuana (<I>Cannabis sativa</I> L. Cannabinaceae) extracts may also provide an alternative to synthetic antibacterial substances used in personal hygiene products, including hand wash and cosmetics.

An NMR study of xenon atoms has demonstrated a fundamental new property - what appears to be chaotic behaviour in a quantum system ? in the magnetic spin of these frozen atoms. The work could lead to improvements in our understanding of matter as well as in magnetic resonance imaging.

A sensitive NMR probe has been used by US scientists to identify tiny amounts of a novel group of pheromones from the nematode worm <I>C elegans</I>. They say the pheromones act not only as the organism's mating signal but are involved in triggering hibernation in times of reduced food supply.

This work deals with the influence of packaging on the degradation of an Italian soft cheese studied by NMR. From the NMR spectra 15 metabolites are quantified and used in a kinetic degradation model and in a multivariate algorithm in order to evaluate the changes in the metabolic composition of cheese stored under different conditions.

NMR spectroscopy has been used to assist in the development of chlorine-resistant membranes for use in water desalination plants. The new membrane materials could avoid degradation by chlorine disinfectants and reduce operating costs and inefficiencies.

NMR spectroscopy has been used to study the kinetics of atmospheric pollutants in the gas phase for the first time. The method provides an empirical correlation between the atmospheric lifetimes of atmospheric pollutants and their relative reaction rates with chloro radicals at ambient temperatures.

Parahydrogen induced polarization (PHIP) has turned out to be a versatile technique to obtain hyperpolarized molecules exhibiting strong NMR signals via a chemical approach. In this paper, the authors investigate the PHIP of unsaturated barbiturates (interesting physiologically active compounds) with a standard rhodium catalyst.

NMR spectroscopy has revealed significant difference between the infectious and non-infectious form of prions, errant proteins that replicate by converting other proteins into copies of themselves. The finding could lead to new insights into how prions cause brain diseases, such as CJD and Alzheimer's and may one day lead to a way to stop their spread.

NMR spectroscopy and a chromatography based sniff test have yielded results that could help brewers improve the flavour and shelf-life and beer thanks to work by scientists in Venezuela. The team has identified alpha-dicarbonyls as important compounds that reduce beer's flavour and point to a new approach to improving shelf life.

Scalar NMR spin-spin coupling constants across hydrogen bonds are fundamental in structural studies and as test grounds for theoretical calculations. Since they are scattered among many articles of different kinds, it seems useful to collect them in the most comprehensive way.