Amyloid deposits in tissues and organs are linked to a number of diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, type II diabetes, and prion diseases such as BSE. However, amyloids are not just pathological substances; they have potential as a nanomaterials.

Amyloid fibrils are bundles of highly ordered protein filaments made of ladder-like strands and can be several micrometers long.

In cross-section, amyloids appear as hollow cylinders or ribbons. Although amyloid fibrils are proteins, they more closely resemble synthetic polymers (plastics) than the usual globular proteins. Amyloids can display amazing mechanical properties similar to spider silk. Spider silk is, by weight, significantly stronger than steel and can be stretched to many times its original length without tearing — properties that have not been reproducible with synthetic fibers.

BEIJING, May 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- China is ranked second in the world by number of scientific papers published in 2007 according to citation analysis based on data from the Scientific business

LONDON, May 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- Builds Credibility in the UK

UK-AIRS, a company of The RightThing and the leader in recruitment training, technology and outsourcing, today announced its certification in "Safe Harbor" principles, set by the European Union to ensure data privacy protection.

RALEIGH, North Carolina and LONDON, May 28 /PRNewswire/ --

Campbell Alliance Group, Inc., the leading management consulting firm specializing in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, today announced the opening of its new branch office in London. The office, a branch of Campbell Alliance, Ltd., is located in Chiswick Park in West London.

The new office is Campbell Alliance's first office location outside the United States and its tenth office worldwide.

"Each of Campbell Alliance's practice areas has been supporting clients in the United Kingdom and Europe for several years, but it is only now that we've made the decision to move forward with full operations and a permanent overseas facility," stated John Campbell, CEO of Campbell Alliance.

Lusi, the world’s fastest-growing mud volcano, is collapsing and could subside to depths of more than 140 meters with consequences for the surrounding environment, according to new research.

As the second anniversary (May 29) of the eruption on the Indonesian island of Java approaches, scientists have also found that the center of the volcano is collapsing by up to three meters overnight.

Such sudden collapses could be the beginning of a caldera - a large basin-shaped volcanic depression - according to the research team, from Durham University UK, and the Institute of Technology Bandung, in Indonesia.

Dozens of studies show collagen repair is possible and demonstrate why three types of available skin treatments, topical retinoic acid, carbon dioxide laser resurfacing and injections of cross-linked hyaluronic acid, are effective.

University of Michigan scientists draw on dozens of studies since the early 1990s to explain why these treatments all improve the skin’s appearance – and its ability to resist bruises and tears – by stimulating new collagen. Collagen is a key supporting substance, plentiful in young skin, that’s produced in the sub-surface layer of skin known as the dermis. The findings show that the breakdown of the dermis’ firm, youthful structure is a very important factor in skin aging – a much more straightforward thing to fix than genetic factors that others theorize may be involved.

“Fibroblasts are not genetically shot,” says John J. Voorhees, M.D., F.R.C.P., chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Michigan Medical School and the article’s senior author. Fibroblast cells in the skin are the key producers of collagen.

HELSINKI, May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Finnish software company Reaktor Innovations has been selected as the best workplace in Europe. At a gala held in London yesterday, Reaktor was announced as the European winner of the Great Place to Work study in the series for small and medium companies. 1,250 companies from 15 European countries participated in the study.

Reaktor's approach is in many ways unique. The company's business operations are based on doing everything as well as possible. The employees are expert professionals in their field and the company contributes an exceptional amount of effort into the skills and well-being of its staff.

LONDON, May 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- Woolworths customers receive online digital receipts and additional free services for their newly-purchased items

MyThings.com (http://www.mythings.com) has partnered with the successful UK retailer Woolworths to help their customers organise and protect online purchases. Woolworths (http://www.woolworths.co.uk) customers can now anonymously save their receipts for free, complete with images, descriptions, model numbers, prices, dates purchased, and warranty expiration dates.

After saving their receipts, users gain access to MyThings services, including accessories, product information, tips & tricks, manuals, downloads, warranties, insurance, and free valuation. Members can also register other belongings free of charge.

Researchers at The University of Nottingham have taken some important first steps to creating a synthetic copycat of a living cell.

Dr Cameron Alexander and PhD student George Pasparakis in the have used polymers — long-chain molecules — to construct capsule-like structures that have properties mimicking the surfaces of a real cell.

In work published as a 'VIP paper' in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, they show how in the laboratory they have been able to encourage the capsules to 'talk' to natural bacteria cells and transfer molecular information.

Charlotte Eklund-Jonsson at the Department of Food Science, Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden says the results of her doctoral dissertation could be a new vegetarian food that boosts the uptake of iron and offers a good set of proteins.

The food, called tempe, is a whole-grain product with high folate content. It is generally accepted in medicine that whole-grains reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and it is also believed that it protects against age-related diabetes and certain forms of cancer.