Please hurry! Please hurry! Time is running out. In about two weeks I will once again become a human pincushion and I would love to avoid the needle. You are my only hope, you scientists at the University of Minnesota. Without you, on June 2 I will settle into the dentist’s chair and get my full dose of topical anesthesia –– right in the cheek and gums when I have my first tooth pulled to make way for a dental implant.

How can these scientists help me? They have just announced a breakthrough: An anesthesia inhaler that could one day replace that needle.

I know it’s impossible that the device could miraculously make it into the health care delivery system, in the next two weeks, but you can’t blame me for dreaming…

Scientists are reporting evidence that a common local anesthetic, when administered to the nose as nose drops or a nasal spray, travels through the main nerve in the face and collects in high concentrations in the teeth, jaw, and structures of the mouth.

The discovery could lead to a new generation of intranasal drugs for noninvasive treatment for dental pain, migraine, and other conditions, the scientists suggest in American Chemical Society’s bi-monthly journal Molecular Pharmaceutics. The article is scheduled for the journal’s May-June issue.

William H. Frey II, Ph.D., and colleagues note that drugs administered to the nose travel along nerves and go directly to the brain. One of those nerves is the trigeminal nerve, which brings feelings to the face, nose and mouth. Until now, however, scientists never checked to see whether intranasal drugs passing along that nerve might reach the teeth, gums and other areas of the face and mouth to reduce pain sensations in the face and mouth.   

Neil Johnson, working in the labs of Frey and Leah R. Hanson, Ph.D., at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., found that lidocaine or Xylocaine, sprayed into the noses of laboratory rats, quickly traveled down the trigeminal nerve and collected in their teeth, jaws, and mouths at levels 20 times higher than in the blood or brain. The approach could provide a more effective and targeted method for treating dental pain/anxiety, trigeminal neuralgia (severe facial pain), migraine, and other conditions, the scientists say.

To read more about this innovation, go to painless.     

Image courtesy of iStock

Few classes of disease over the course of history can match the uncanny persistence and destruction of bacterial infections.

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When I was a child, my mother used to frequently remind me to wash my hands before eating dinner. Sometimes I ignored her advice. It seemed hard for me to believe at the time that there were “invisible” germs that lived on my hands that could potentially make me sick. My mother was a school nurse and was always giving me advice about my health that bordered on nagging. Today, I know that Mother was not only right about handwashing, but that her advice may have saved my life.

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I recently began cleaning out the clutter in my small apartment in Alexandria, Va., where I have lived for the past decade. Over this time, I accumulated a lot of junk: Old magazines, clothes, and spare parts for my car. One of the things that surprised me was the number of unused computers and other discarded electronic equipment — also known as electronic waste (e-waste) — I had collected. I counted at least three computers that I was no longer using, a couple of cell phones, and various other items. My apartment had become a potential environmental hazard!

I am inspired to blog about this topic because of an article I read recently in the American Chemical Society’s weekly PressPac. The article indicates that the developing world will produce double the e-waste of developed countries, like the United States, by 2016. The article, based on a study published in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology, predicts that by 2030 developing countries will discard some 400 million – 700 million obsolete personal computers per year compared to 200 million – 300 million in developed countries. That’s bad news, considering that this e-waste contains potentially toxic substances. The study highlights the need to develop better ways of disposing of this waste.

I’m not anywhere close to accumulating that amount of e-waste. But I know that I need to do a lot more to help improve the planet. I pledge that when I get rid of all of my e-waste, I will do so in an environmentally-responsible manner. It won’t go to the trash bin. I will give my computers to someone else who can actually use them or send them to an e-waste collection program in my area. For more on this, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site. I’ll be happy knowing that I’m contributing to a cleaner environment….and uncluttering my apartment in the process.

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There’s something about institutional food and me that doesn’t work. I guess it started with those scrambled eggs immersed in a lake of brown grease at summer camp. Next, it was those Swedish meatballs in the high school cafeteria. What was in that gravy? Finally, it was a whole pile of different foods at basic training for my hitch with the Air National Guard. I can’t remember any of the specific delicacies now, but I do know one thing: I lost nearly 25 pounds that brutally hot summer in San Antonio and it wasn’t all due to the heat and humidity.
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Next year is the International Year of Chemistry (IYC), and to celebrate, the American Chemical Society is encouraging people to join the fun in publicizing its importance.
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Growing up in West Hartford, Conn., I lived about halfway between Boston and New York City. The drive was about an hour and 45 minutes to Boston and two and half-hours to Manhattan. About 90 percent of the time I chose the longer trip because I loved New York. I loved Broadway and the New York rye bread and the excitement.
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The American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) — two of the world’s largest scientific societies — have joined forces in an effort to develop sustainable energy, provide abundant food and clean water, and address other global challenges that threaten Earth’s health. The first steps in the process include links to ...

People tend to collect things based on their particular interests. Some collect coins and stamps. Others collect antique cars, shoes, and even snow globes. For me, it’s apps — as in electronic applications for my iPod Touch.
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