Division of Extramural Research and Training third annual scientific retreat. (NIEHS Extramural Update).The Division of Extramural extramural /ex·tra·mu·ral/ (-mur´il) situated or occurring outside the wall of an organ or structure. extramural situated or occurring outside the wall of an organ or structure. Research and Training third annual scientific retreat was held in Wilmington, North Carolina For other places with the same name, see Wilmington (disambiguation). Wilmington is a city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population was estimated at 100,000 as of 2006;[1] , on 21-22 November 2002. The purpose of the retreat was to explore opportunities in new and existing topics related to the theme "transitional research: where basic science has provided mechanisms/tools to intervene/prevent disease," and to discuss how these opportunities can be incorporated into current environmental health science research. The retreat was developed around the following three scientific sessions: Evaluation of Science: Models for Determining Scientific and Public Health Impact and Policy In light of the recent emphasis on evaluating research impact, this session examined the value and challenges of evaluating science and technology, the power of economic analysis in scientific evaluation, and current mechanisms to support evaluations of NIH "Not invented here." See digispeak. NIH - The United States National Institutes of Health. programs. Arsenic Exposure: Mechanisms, Speciation speciation Formation of new and distinct species, whereby a single evolutionary line splits into two or more genetically independent ones. One of the fundamental processes of evolution, speciation may occur in many ways. , and Policy This session addressed molecular mechanisms of arsenic exposure, speciation and toxicity of arsenic, and arsenic risk assessment and risk management. Three main points from the presentations included: * New technologies: We need to use microarrays/proteomics to examine molecular signatures. * Coordination among researchers: Various models and approaches are being used to understand the impact of chronic low-dose arsenic exposure. We need to develop further mechanisms to promote coordination among researchers. * Developmental effects: As a co-genotoxicant and co-mutagen, we must examine the impact of arsenic on fetal programming and imprinting imprinting, acquisition of behavior in many animal species, in which, at a critical period early in life, the animals form strong and lasting attachments. Imprinting is important for normal social development. . Environmental Medicine: Cases from an Emerging Discipline This session focused on how basic research can be translated to increase awareness of environmentally related diseases and to establish prevention programs. Presenters highlighted useful resources, discussed how this approach is currently being taken, and identified gaps and next steps: * Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics: This is a potential resource for NIEHS NIEHS National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH, DHHS) collaborations to translate environmental health research into knowledge and tools for use in clinics around the country. * Translating mechanistic mech·a·nis·tic adj. 1. Mechanically determined. 2. Of or relating to the philosophy of mechanism, especially one that tends to explain phenomena only by reference to physical or biological causes. research into public health interventions: It is important to identify biomarkers for early disease detection to have the greatest public health impact. * New challenges in research in pediatric pediatric /pe·di·at·ric/ (pe?de-at´rik) pertaining to the health of children. pe·di·at·ric adj. Of or relating to pediatrics. environmental medicine: Prevention of diseases of environmental origin in children will depend on the translation of research findings along with risk assessment, legislation, toxicity testing of chemicals, and developmental testing. * Psychosocial psychosocial /psy·cho·so·cial/ (si?ko-so´shul) pertaining to or involving both psychic and social aspects. psy·cho·so·cial adj. Involving aspects of both social and psychological behavior. stressors and biological/physical exposures: Conclusions from recent case studies indicate that psychosocial stressors combined with physical exposures leads to disease. Findings further suggest that behavioral factors must be considered when developing health and safety standards Safety standards are standards designed to ensure the safety of products, activities or processes, etc. They may be advisory or compulsory and are normally laid down by an advisory or regulatory body that may be either voluntary or statutory. . Invited Speakers Barry Bozemann Georgia Institute of Technology Phil Landrigan Mount Sinai School of Medicine Diane Buckley NIH Josh Hamilton Dartmouth Medical School H. Vasken Aposhian University of Arizona Barbara Beck Gradient Corporation Katherine Kirkland Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics John Groopman The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Alan Woolf Children's Hospital Boston Nancy Fiedler Rutgers/Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute Sanders Chai University of Washington David Garabrant University of Michigan |
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