NIEHS Spotlight

Birnbaum Unveils Strategic Vision for NIEHS

On May 17, NIEHS/NTP Director Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., provided employees and the public a vision for the Institute.

The Power of Partnerships

NIEHS welcomed public health leaders from across the country to the inaugural Partnerships for Environmental Public Health meeting.

Council Looks Ahead During Spring Meeting

The May 12-13 meeting of the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council at NIEHS meant a busy day and a half for members.

Superfund Researcher Named Dartmouth Provost

With her appointment as provost, NIEHS grantee and biologist Carol Folt, Ph.D., now holds the second highest position at Dartmouth College.

Birnbaum Addresses UT Houston Grads

NIEHS/NTP Director Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., addressed graduates of the University of Texas Health Center at Houston School of Public Health.

NIEHS Hosts Collins During NC Visit

NIEHS staff extended a warm welcome to NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., May 11-12 during his visit to North Carolina.

Collman Shines at UNC Award Talk

Gwen Collman, Ph.D., delivered the keynote lecture after receiving the 2009 H.A. Tyroler Distinguished Alumni Award at her alma mater.

UC Davis Honors Superfund Researcher

The University of California at Davis has awarded the Charles P. Nash Prize to Superfund researcher Ian Kennedy, Ph.D.

Senior Trainee Lands Independent Position at EPA

Postdoctoral Fellow Brian Chorley, Ph.D., will leave NIEHS for an investigator position at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

NIEHS and OSHA Lead Oil Spill Worker Safety Efforts

NIEHS and OSHA are leading efforts to develop recommendations for the response to worker safety after the massive oil spill in the Gulf.

Balbus Spreads the NIEHS Message on Climate Change

NIEHS Senior Advisor for Public Health John Balbus, M.D., engaged stakeholders during May on the topic of global climate change.

NIEHS Honored for Sustainability

Representatives of the DHHS Green Champions Awards program offered NIEHS kudos for its accomplishments in sustainability.

Local Trainees Network at NIEHS Biomedical Career Fair

The NIEHS Trainees Assembly kicked off the highly anticipated 13th Annual NIEHS Biomedical Career Fair April 30.

John Peters Remembered

Friends and colleagues mourned the passing of John Peters, one of the legends of environmental and occupational health.

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Inside the Institute

Fun for All During Health and Fitness Week

Many members of the NIEHS family turned out to exercise and have fun during Health and Fitness Week May 3-7.

Earth Sustainability Month at NIEHS

Earth Sustainability Month activities during May gave NIEHS employees the opportunity to see sustainability in action at the Institute.

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Science Notebook

GEMS Meeting Highlights Tox21

The Genetics and Environmental Mutagenesis Society spring meeting offered members an inside look at efforts to advance predictive toxicology.

P-glycoprotein - 800-lb Gorilla of the Blood-Brain Barrier

Our attempts to treat diseases of the central nervous system are often complicated by inadequate transport of drugs and proteins.

Taking Air Pollution Studies to the Next Level

Biostatistician Francesca Dominici, Ph.D., is developing novel models to better understand environmental exposures to complex mixtures.

RNA Translation and Motor Neuron Diseases

In a May 10 talk at NIEHS, Paul Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., explored the delicate balance of protein translation, initiation, and repression.

New Insights into the Mysteries of Mitochondrial Disease

Researchers in the NIEHS Mitochondrial DNA Replication Group report new findings on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutagenesis and depletion.

Fellows Host Wnt Signaling Expert

Roel Nusse, Ph.D., a Stanford University professor and HHMI investigator, recently visited NIEHS as a guest of the LMC postdoctoral fellows.

Epigenetics, Early Development, and Adult Disease

NIEHS Principal Investigator Trevor Archer, Ph.D., discussed epigenetics and its role in disease at an NIH forum April 29.

NIEHS Showcases Scientific Resources

NIEHS scientists got a much needed opportunity to view a myriad of services available to them on Scientific Support Facilities Day April 28.

NTP Tackles Soy Infant Formula Safety

The NTP Board of Scientific Counselors considered whether use of soy infant formula may cause adverse developmental effects in humans.

This Month in EHP

The news section of Environmental Health Perspectives looks at efforts to create standards to take green chemistry from principles into practice.

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Extramural Research

Extramural Papers of the Month

• New Concerns About Radiation and Breast Cancer
• Age Dependent Decrease in DNA Methylation Linked to Autoimmune and Heart Disease
• Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates Is Associated with Reduced Masculine Behavior in Boys
• Meta-Analysis Confirms Greater Asthma Risk from Asthmatic Mothers than Fathers

Intramural Research

Intramural Papers of the Month

• Gene Expression-Based Predictive Model for Hepatocarcinogenicity
• Periodontal Pathogen Infection Has a Potential Protective Effect in Asthma
• Oxidation State Alters Binding Affinity of Scaffolding Protein Involved in DNA Repair
• Novel Statistical Method for Testing Haplotype-Environment Interactions

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Calendar of Upcoming Events

• June 1, in the Executive Conference Room, 12:00-1:00 p.m. - Receptor Mechanisms Discussion Group with Julianne Hall, Ph.D., addressing "The Role of the Aryl-hydrocarbon Receptor in Mammary Differentiation and Disease"
• June 2, in Rall F193, 10:00-11:00 a.m. - Laboratory of Neurobiology Seminar Series talk on "Synapses in Zebra Fish: A Model System of Nicotinic Transmission" by Fumihito Ono, M.D., Ph.D.
• June 3, in Keystone 1003A/B, 10:00-11:00 a.m. - Keystone Lecture Series with John Rinn, Ph.D., speaking on "Large Intergenic Non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs): From Discovery to Mechanism"
• June 3-4, in Keystone 2164/2166, Keystone 1003 AB, and Rodbell Auditorium, 8:00-5:00 p.m. - NTP High-Throughput Screening Workshop: Nuclear Receptor and Stress Response Pathway Screens
• June 7, in Rodbell Auditorium, 10:30-12:00 p.m. - Michael Conn, Ph.D., speaking on "Healthy Environments: Natural and Scientific Ones"
• June 7, in Rodbell Auditorium, 2:00-3:00 p.m. - Laboratory of Molecular Genetics Fellows Invited Lecture with Ivan Matic, Ph.D., speaking on "Modulation of Mutation Rates in Bacteria"
• June 8, in Rodbell Auditorium, 10:30-12:00 p.m. - Seminar on "BRCA1 and Sirtuins in Genome Integrity, Cancer and Aging" by Chuxia Deng, Ph.D.
• June 14-15, in Rodbell Auditorium, 8:30-5:00 p.m. - NTP Korean Symposium
• June 17 (Offsite Event), at the EPA, 8:30-5:00 p.m. - Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods (SACATM) Meeting
• June 21-22, in Rodbell Auditorium, 8:30-5:00 p.m. - NTP Board of Scientific Counselors Meeting
• June 30, in Rodbell Auditorium, 5:00-8:00 p.m. - Graduate Women in Science Rho Tau Chapter presentation by Susan Henning, Ph.D., on "Postnatal GI Development: The Journey from Steroids to Stem Cells"

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) (https://www.niehs.nih.gov/), Office of Communications and Public Liaison. The text 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)