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Mary Gilbert United States Environmental Protection Agency | US EPA · Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment |
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Microbes, Methods, And Remediation: A Journey To Novel Pah Bioremediation Strategies Juliana Huizenga PhD Candidate Oregon State University Environmental Engineering |
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of environmental contaminants associated with carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic health effects. Bioremediation is an attractive option for PAH remediation due to its low cost and low energy requirements, however bioremediation can lead to the formation of toxic PAH transformation products. In pursuit of novel bioremediation strategies, exploratory work was conducted with the pure bacterial culture Rhodococcus rhodochrous ATCC 21198 and monoaromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX), which provided the foundation for PAH bioremediation strategies. PAH bioremediation studies required monitoring methods that could provide results in real-time, which traditional analytical techniques could not provide. Thus, a method for rapid analysis of PAHs in aqueous samples was developed using excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescent spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) that eliminated the need for extensive sample preparation and separation techniques before analysis. This work also inspired additional method development endeavors for a more complex biological system: embryonic zebrafish. Following the foundational microbial work and method development research phases, our work in PAH remediation technologies has commenced and expanded to include surfactants and immobilized cells for combined remediation strategies. Metrics for remediation success included reduction of parent PAH concentrations, accumulation of PAH metabolites, and overall toxicity of the treated material. Outcomes of this research has demonstrated the utility of 21198 as a candidate for aromatic hydrocarbon bioremediation, provided a new tool for monitoring aqueous PAH concentrations in biological systems, and highlighted the importance of toxicity considerations in PAH remediation efforts.
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Writing Data Management Plans Clara Llebot Oregon State University |
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Identification of physiologic and dietary Ah receptor ligands key to understanding function Gary Perdew H. Thomas and Dorothy Willits Hallowell Chair in Agricultural Sciences Penn State |
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A Fraction-Based Approach to Mixture Risk Evaluation: PPRTV Assessment for Complex Mixtures of Aliphatic and Aromatic Hydrocarbons Allison Phillips Toxicologist US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) |
Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contamination is present at numerous Superfund sites across the nation. Hydrocarbon products are complex mixtures containing perhaps hundreds of hydrocarbon compounds and compositions vary among different products. Once released, the composition of a hydrocarbon product will change due to differential fate and transport of its components. To estimate the human health hazards and risk associated with TPH exposure at Superfund sites, a fraction-based approach was taken in the Provisional Peer Reviewed Toxicity Value (PPRTV) assessment of these complex mixtures. The TPH mixture was divided into 6 subfractions, defined based on structural attributes and further categorized by carbon and equivalent carbon ranges. The health risk of each fraction can be estimated using a variety mixture assessment approaches, including the indicator chemical method, surrogate mixture method, hazard index method, or relative potency factor method, with method selection driven by data availability. Fraction-specific hazard and risk estimates are then summed using either dose (noncancer) or response (cancer) addition to provide an estimate of mixture hazard or risk. Background on the PPRTV Program, mixture risk assessment methods, and an example calculation will be presented.
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2023 PNW-CTEHR Pilot Project Ignite Pitch Talks Pacific Northwest Center for Translational Environmental Health Research |
Applicants for the Pacific Northwest Center for Translational Environmental Health
Pilot Project Program will be sharing their research ideas in short Ignite Pitches.
This is a chance to learn about the state-of-the-art science, technology, and
stakeholder engagement ideas being pursued by members in the Center and ask questions about their latest
research ideas.
Speakers: Each speaker has 6 minutes to share their ideas followed by 4 minutes for questions.
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The Oregon Human Microplastics Project: assessing microplastics exposure via intake and microbiome survey to identify potential impacts on health Susan Brander OSU |
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New Determinants of TCDD Signaling Siva Kolluri OSU |
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Cometabolic Treatment of 1,2,3-Trichloropropane in Hydrogel Beads and the Evaluation of Toxicity Reduction Using Embryonic Zebrafish Assays Lew Semprini OSU |
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Non-calcemic vitamin D-hydroxyderivative 20(OH)D3 as preventive agent against UV induced DNA damage and spontaneous melanoma Arup Indra OSU |
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Neurotoxic Signatures of Drinking Water Contaminants Manuel Garcia-Jaramillo OSU |
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Stephania Cormier Respiratory Immunology Louisiana State University A&M Medical Center |
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ASP3IRE Center: Accelerating Research Translation For Children’s Environmental Health Molly Kile College of Public Health and Human Sciences Oregon State University |
Molly Kile is an environmental epidemiologist whose research focuses on understanding how exposures to chemicals influence human health. Her expertise is in conducting population-based environmental health studies and often works with communities that are disproportionately impacted by environmental pollutants. She received her doctoral degree from Harvard School of Public Health in 2006 and is currently a Professor at the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University. She is currently the PI on two active NIEHS-funded R01s that are studying the effects of flame retardants on children’s neurocognitive and behavioral growth and private well water stewardship. She is also interim deputy director of the Pacific Northwest Center for Translational Environmental Health Research (P30) and the co-PI of the newly formed ASPIRE Center at OSU (P2C) that is focusing on accelerating the adoption of evidence-based policies, programs, and practices that promote children’s environmental health.
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Dysregulation Of Rna Metabolism In Arsenic Exposed Cells J. Christopher States Professor Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology University of Louisville |
Arsenic exposure is a global public health problem. Arsenic is a multi-organ toxicant and chronic exposure causes multiple chronic diseases including cancer. Skin cancer is the most common cancer caused by arsenic exposure but the mechanism(s) of carcinogenesis remain unclear. This presentation focuses on dysregulation of RNA metabolism in an in vitro model of skin carcinogenesis by chronic low level arsenic exposure. Dysregulated expression of microRNA and mRNAs and alternative mRNA splicing and the intersection with chromosomal instability will be discussed.
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Amazon Prime for Inflammation - NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation Mechanism Reginald McNulty Assistant Professor Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, The University of California Irvine |
The NLRP3 inflammasome has been identified as a key immune sensor for tissue damage. Although NLRP3 inflammasome assembly/activation leads to the production of inflammatory messengers (called cytokines) that alert the host immune system to initiate inflammatory responses, its dysregulation often results in overt diseases due to uncontrolled inflammation. Unfortunately, exposure to a number of environmental toxicants including PFAS have been shown to induce NLRP3 inflammasome activation that in turn initiates an undesirable inflammatory response, thereby causing numerous pathologies. Although stimulating agents have not been demonstrated to directly bind NLRP3, they are able to trigger mitochondrial damage and subsequent release of mitochondrial contents that somehow signal the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. We seek to identify the mitochondrial ligand responsible for direct NLRP3 activation and probe the molecular determinants of recognition for this interaction.
