A team of researchers from Clarkson University have discovered a method of making the brightest ever synthesized fluorescent silica nanoparticles. These nanoparticles have potential applications in medicine, biology, material science, and environmental protection, among many other uses, according to the university. While fluorescent materials are already used in many of these applications, having much brighter labeling particles will allow much finer detection of environmental pollutants, signals in biosensors, and even

Salivary metabolomes — the complete set of small-molecule metabolites, such as hormones and other signaling molecules, found in a biological sample — can aid in the detection of oral cancer squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), according to a study in the International Journal of Cancer (December 28, 2010). Researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine conducted saliva metabolite profiling on a group of 37 OSCC patients, 32 oral leukoplakia

Using a new surgical approach, surgeons rebuilt the trachea and preserved a patient’s voice after removing an invasive throat tumor, according to a case study presented January 29 at the Triological Society’s Combined Section Meeting in Scottsdale, AZ. The case involved a 27-year-old man who had a large mass blocking 90% of his airway, making it very difficult for him to breathe, a medical team from Henry Ford Hospital reported.