Environmental Factor

NIEHS Spotlight

NIH-funded research network to explore oil spill health effects

Newly funded research, led by NIEHS, will concentrate on the range of acute and long-term health effects on the general public from the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

NIEHS hosts lecture series from scientific director final four

NIEHS presented a four-part lecture series, between June 28 and July 6, of presentations by finalists in the search for its next scientific director.

NIEHS takes next step in strategic planning

NIEHS kicked off an intensive three-day stakeholder community workshop July 12 at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

Interns enjoy program of career narratives

As part of the NIEHS Summer Internship Program five panelists gathered June 23 to describe their career pathways and experiences in biomedical research.

Research fellow joins faculty at the University of South Carolina

Research Fellow Minsub Shim, Ph.D., spent the last eight years in the NIEHS Eicosanoid Biochemistry Group headed by Principal Investigator Thomas Eling, Ph.D.

Fellows fare well in 2012 award competition

NIEHS excelled once again during the 2012 NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence competition, with NIEHS trainees receiving 21 of the prestigious awards.

NTP fellow wins travel award

Mamta Behl, Ph.D., received a $1,000 travel award from the Society of Toxicologic Pathology to attend the annual meeting held June 19-23 in Denver.

NTP postdocs pass laboratory animal medicine boards

NTP postdoctoral fellows Jacquelyn (Jai) Tubbs, D.V.M., and Coralie Zegre-Cannon, D.V.M., learned in July that they've taken an important step in their careers.

Henry and Thigpen Tart accepted in leadership program

Two NIEHS employees, Heather Henry, Ph.D., and Kimberly Thigpen Tart, J.D., will be a part of the inaugural NIH Mid-Level Leadership Program in fiscal year 2012.

Former NIEHS trainee to spearhead expansion of cancer registry

Tonia Hermon, Ph.D., prepares to return home to the U.S. Virgin Islands where she'll begin a new phase in her professional life.

Mutation cluster discovery wins postdoc Roberts a poster prize

NIEHS postdoctoral fellow Steven Roberts, Ph.D., took home a best poster award from the 2011 Gordon Research Conference on Genetic Toxicology.

Neurobiologist McPherson wins travel award to meeting in Athens

NIEHS Technician Chris McPherson will present research at the 23rd biennial meeting of International Society for Neurochemistry and the European Society for Neurochemistry.

Jung honored with mentoring award

Paul Jung, M.D., was honored June 22 with the U.S. Public Health Service Asian Pacific American Officers Committee RADM Samuel Lin Award.

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Inside the Institute

Feds Feed Families off to a great start at NIEHS

If the first two drop-box collections June 28-30 and July 27 are any indication, NIEHS is poised to set new records for food donations in 2011.

Future scientists are exposed to everyday chemistry

NIEHS scientists and staff volunteered their time and expertise to show the youth of the area that chemistry is everywhere, during a science education program June 25.

NIEHS and NIH personnel unite for disabilities awareness

NIH officials hosted an innovative new seminar June 22 at NIEHS designed to promote disabilities awareness and better understanding of accommodation.

Students from Duke summer program tour NIEHS

A group of 18 rising seniors and their three graduate student mentors learned about environmental health science during a visit to NIEHS June 18.

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Science Notebook

NIEHS celebrates five years of ONES research

NIEHS hosted talks on cutting-edge research July 18-19 by 26 of its New Outstanding Environmental Scientists from the years 2006 to 2010.

Symposium highlights emerging role of 3D tissue modeling in EHS

Organs-on-a-chip are developing rapidly, and the field appears to be poised for translation into a variety of applications in toxicology, pharmacology, and medicine.

Using nutrition to alter host susceptibility to environmental toxicants

Nutritional toxicologist Bernhard Hennig, Ph.D., offered a compelling argument for using nutritional modulation of environmental insults in vasculature-related diseases.

Study links phthalate and BPA exposure to altered thyroid signaling in humans

A new study by NIEHS grantees has uncovered strong evidence that increased exposure to chemicals found in plastics could lead to irregular thyroid signaling in humans.

Journal features Jean Harry article

The journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity will issue a press release that highlights an article by Jean Harry, Ph.D., and members of her group.

NIEHS investigators discover new mechanism in learning and memory

New findings suggest that the timing of neurotransmitter acetylcholine release may play a key role in regulating the strength of nerve cell connections, called synapses.

New study explores the unexpected interface of RNA and DNA

A group of NIEHS researchers, led by Thomas Kunkel, Ph.D., was intrigued by the implications of having ribonucleotides involved in DNA replication stability.

New journal makes surprising impact in first year of publication

A cross-disciplinary journal with ties to a program funded by NIEHS since 1992 has achieved one of the highest impact factors of specialized journals of its type at 3.592.

Ribonucleotide incorporation into DNA study honored by JBC

Research by NIEHS structural biologists provides the latest chapter in the story of a rapidly growing field that investigates the role of ribonucleotide incorporation into DNA.

Study finds BPA-exposed male deer mice less attractive to females

A new study led by NIEHS-funded investigators adds fuel to the debate surrounding the safety of products made with the chemical bisphenol A.

Designing a human RNA-binding domain outlined in JBC paper of the week

Structural biologist Tracy Hall, Ph.D., studies RNA-binding domains in gene regulation for insight into how the environment impacts human health.

Interns participate in a series of scientific presentations

NIEHS Summer Internship Program participants attended four scientific presentations in June and July to complement their bench training experience this summer.

Committee recommends alternative method for product safety testing

In July, an interagency committee transmitted recommendations to federal agencies for using alternative methods in product safety testing.

This month in EHP

The August issue of EHP highlights new research into how microbiomes might serve as intermediaries in the process of environmental exposure and affect host susceptibility.

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Extramural Research

Extramural Papers of the Month

• Some BPA-free bottles live up to their claim
• Genetic link determined for prostate cancer in African-American men
• Caffeine and UVB damage
• Prostate cancer risk increased with ambient exposure to pesticides

Intramural Research

Intramural Papers of the Month

• The importance of mechanical stretch in lung epithelial injury
• NIEHS study investigates the impact of poised RNA polymerase II on neuronal gene transcription
• Expanded DNA methylation analysis reveals new functional sequences of the genome
• The regulation of survivin expression in UVB-exposed mouse skin

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Calendar of Upcoming Events

• August 2, in the Executive Conference Room, 12:00-1:00 p.m. - Receptor Mechanisms Discussion Group presentation on "The metabolic regulator ERRa, a downstream target of HER2/IGF-1, as a therapeutic target in breast cancer," featuring Ching-Yi Chang, Ph.D.
• August 2-3, in Rodbell Auditorium, 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. - Environmental Health Perspectives-sponsored teacher workshops
• August 4, in Rodbell C, 10:00-11:00 a.m. - Seminar on "Whole Genome Analysis and Discovery in Cancer," featuring Elaine Mardis, Ph.D.
• August 4, in Rall F193, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. - Laboratory of Toxicology and Pharmacology Seminar Series presentation by Jean Harry, Ph.D., on "Microglia: Staging of the Inflammatory Response with Hippocampal Injury and Repair"
• August 16, in Rall D350, 9:00-11:00 a.m. - CLC Main WorkBench for Sequence Analysis Training
• August 16, in Rall D350, 11:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. - CLC Bio Genomics Software Training
• August 16, online, 1:00-2:00 p.m. - Superfund Research Program Trainee Webinar Series, featuring Steven O'Connell and Lucia Rodriguez Freire, Ph.D.
• August 31, in Keystone 1003AB, 1:00-2:00 p.m. - Keystone Science Lecture Seminar Series, featuring Leona Samson, Ph.D., topic TBA

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)