NIEHS Spotlight

House Hearing on Endocrine Disruption

With her most recent testimony, NIEHS/NTP Director Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., continued her efforts to position the NIEHS as the nation's premier environmental health science authority.

Birnbaum Gives 2010 Spirit Lecture

To celebrate Women's History Month 2010, NIEHS turned to one of its own to deliver the ninth annual Spirit Lecture presentation - NIEHS/NTP Director Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D.

Highlights of the 49th Annual SOT Meeting

NIEHS and NTP led the way at the conference with investigators and program officers hosting more than 30 sessions and 60 posters.

Paules Honored with Leading Edge Award

As far as NIEHS Principal Investigator Rick Paules, Ph.D., is concerned, he wasn't entirely alone on stage when he accepted the SOT 2010 Leading Edge in Basic Science Award.

Harry Promotes Exercise at Santa Fe Public Forum

The talk was much more about prevention than basic science when NIEHS Neurotoxicology Group Principal Investigator Jean Harry, Ph.D., spoke March 6 in Santa Fe.

Revisiting the Concept of "Safe by Design"

In a recent editorial, NIEHS Senior Science Advisor Sally Tinkle, Ph.D., offers a balanced critique of what she describes as "the Holy Grail of Nanotechnology."

SOT Recognizes Miller with Achievement Award

NIEHS grantee Gary Miller, Ph.D., received the Society of Toxicology (SOT) 2010 Achievement Award for his significant early career contributions to toxicology.

Birnbaum Puts a Human Face on Climate Change

"The real face of climate change is yours and mine, and those of our children, our parents, our friends," said NIEHS/NTP Director Birnbaum, Ph.D., in talk at UNC-CH on March 23.

Heindel Addresses Pharmaceutical Workshop

"Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: Lessons Learned" shaped discussion at an all-day workshop that brought together environmental scientists and public policy experts.

UCSD Documentary Sets the Stage for Change

The border between the United States and Mexico may be fenced, monitored, and patrolled, but that doesn't stop watershed pollution from affecting both sides of the border.

Collins Honored for Genome Mapping

NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is enjoying the honor - but not the cash - for winning a 2010 Albany Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research.

Forum to Address Indoor Environmental Exposures

NIEHS/NTP Director Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., will give the keynote address at a community forum at the Harlem School of the Arts on April 13.

Biomedical Career Fair Coming April 30

Registration for NIEHS and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) postdoctoral fellows began March 19 for the 13th Annual NIEHS Biomedical Career Fair.

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Inside the Institute

A Call for Lab Day Volunteers

NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., will celebrate National Lab Day (NLD) on the front lines of science education in a Washington, D.C. high school.

Exploring the History of Women in Science

The NIH Women's History Month Celebration featured two prominent NIH women scientists addressing the topic of "Writing Women into the History of Science."

Health and Fitness Week Begins May 3

During the first week in May, the annual NIEHS Health and Fitness Week will offer staff a bounty of fun and healthy activities.

EPA Earth Day Extravaganza to Welcome NIEHS Staff

Organizers of Earth Day events at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have invited NIEHS staff to join with them in celebrating the 40-year anniversary of Earth Day.

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Science Notebook

Pesticide Exposure and Child Development

On March 16, epidemiologist and NIEHS grantee Brenda Eskenazi, Ph.D., visited NIEHS to discuss her research with farm workers in California.

Endocrine Disrupting Compounds and Women's Health

NIEHS and NTP took center stage March 2 on the NIH campus with a seminar sponsored by the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH).

Postdoc Brings Home SOT Awards

NIEHS research fellow Xueqian (Shirley) Wang, Ph.D., received first place prizes for her poster at the annual Society of Toxicology (SOT) Meeting.

Yale Postdoc Honored for Best Publication

A Yale postdoctoral fellow supported by NIEHS was one of three young scientists honored for Best Postdoctoral Publications at the annual meeting of the Society of Toxicology.

Study Confirms Link to Lower Risk of Parkinson's

Long-time smokers may suffer more preventable health problems than non-smokers, but their habit can also dramatically lower their risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD).

Are We Closer to Effective Treatment for AD?

NIEHS Principal Investigator David Miller, Ph.D., and two of his former postdoctoral fellows have demonstrated a treatment for mice with Alzheimer's Disease.

Research Offers New Insight into DNA Synthesis

A new NIEHS-funded study challenges current thinking about ribonucleotide incorporation into DNA and may offer new insights into how the human genome is stabilized.

Regulation and Mutations of Drug Metabolizing Enzymes

NIEHS Principal Investigator Joyce Goldstein, Ph.D., discussed gene expression of a superfamily of drug metabolizing enzymes and the effects of polymorphisms.

Benefits of Stem Cell Research

NIEHS Principal Investigator Guang Hu, Ph.D., explained how studying embryonic stem cells can lead to a greater understanding of disease mechanisms and lead to advances in gene therapy.

This Month in EHP

French fries on the cover of the April 2010 Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) could make mouths water - at least until readers digest the story behind the photo.

Upcoming Distinguished Lecturer Stephen West

The NIEHS Distinguished Lecture Series highlights the links between mutagenesis and cancer with a talk on April 13 by Stephen West, Ph.D.

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Extramural Research

Extramural Papers of the Month

• Aging Protein Function Revealed
• Living Near a Major Roadway Linked with Atherosclerosis
• Blood Type and Pancreatic Cancer Linked
• African Ancestry and Asthma

Intramural Research

Intramural Papers of the Month

• VEGF Rapidly and Reversibly Downregulates P-glycoprotein Activity in the Blood Brain Barrier
• Threonine-38 Dephosphorylation is Necessary for Human CAR Activation
• Pesticide Use Linked to Thyroid Disease Among Women
• Escherichia coli CysJ Flavin Reductase Detoxifies Mutagenic Nucleobases

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Calendar of Upcoming Events

• April 12 in Rodbell Auditorium, 2:30-3:30 - Laboratory of Molecular Genetics Fellows Invited Guest Lecturer Martha Bulyk, Ph.D., addressing "Transcription Factor-DNA Interactions: Cis Regulatory Codes in Genomes"
• April 13 in Rodbell Auditorium, 11:00-12:00 - Distinguished Lecture featuring Stephen West, Ph.D., speaking on "Defective DNA Strand Break Repair and Links to Inheritable Disease"
• April 13 (Offsite Event) at the Harlem School of the Arts in New York City, 2:00-4:00 - Forum on "Healthy Homes and You (http://www.weact.org/Events/UpcomingEvents/ScientificSessionandCommunityDialogue/tabid/582/Default.aspx)," with keynote address by Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D.
• April 19 in Rodbell Auditorium, 9:00-12:00 - Seminar on Cell Phone Studies with Michael Wyde, Ph.D., and Dariusz Leszcynski, Ph.D.
• April 20 in Rodbell Auditorium, 10:00-11:00 - Keystone Seminar on "Carcinogenesis: Development Gone Awry," with Ana Soto, M.D., and Carlos Sonnenschein, M.D.
• April 20 (Offsite Event) at Sigma Xi, 12:00-1:00 - James Evans, M.D., Ph.D.,director of the UNC Bryson Program in Human Genetics and an advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services on the subject of "Genetics, Health and Society."
• April 20 (Offsite Event) EPA RTP Campus North Surface Lot, 11:00-3:00 - Green Vendor Fair
• April 21 (Offsite Event) EPA RTP Campus C Plaza and C111 auditorium, 8:30-10:30 - Fun Run and speech by Hunter Lovins, author and founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions
• April 21 in Rodbell Auditorium, 6:00-8:00 - Seminar on Graduate Women in Science, "Life After the Post-Doc Part Deux"
• April 22 (Offsite Event) EPA RTP Campus C Plaza - Speech by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• April 26-27 in Rodbell Auditorium, 8:00-5:00 - Partnerships for Environmental Public Heath Inaugural Meeting
• April 29 in Keystone 1003AB, 11:00-12:00 - Keystone Lecture Series with Francesca Dominici, Ph.D., topic TBA
• April 30 (Offsite Event) EPA RTP Campus Conference Center, 8:30-4:30 - NIEHS Biomedical Career Fair (http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/conferences/dir/careerfair/)

View More Events: NIEHS Public Calendar

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The Environmental Factor is produced monthly by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/), Office of Communications and Public Liaison. The content is not copyrighted, and it can be reprinted without permission. If you use parts of Environmental Factor in your publication, we ask that you provide us with a copy for our records. We welcome your comments and suggestions. (bruskec@niehs.nih.gov)