MEDPAGE - Two trials showed that dupilumab was associated with reduced exacerbations, better lung function and improved asthma control in patients with moderate-to-severe uncontrolled asthma. EOH professor SALLY WENZEL says, “for patients who have a lot of comorbidities, and are missing a lot of work or school, it has the potential to be cost effective.”
THE HILL - “In the name of ‘cooperative federalism,’ Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt is out to gut one of the finest examples of cooperative federalism in environmental law — that of setting outdoor air pollutant standards,” writes EOH’s BERNARD GOLDSTEIN. “This new approach... should be judged in conjunction with other major decisions about the incorporation of science into EPA.”
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR - A proposal by the EPA administrator that aims to limit the scientific research that the agency can use to set rules illustrates a widening rift between republicans and the scientific community. If finalized, the action would limit studies only to those whose data is publicly available. In environmental health research perfect, randomized, double-blind clinical studies aren’t possible, says EOH's BERNARD GOLDSTEIN.
Congratulations to EOH's AARON BARCHOWSKY who received the award for the passion and interest with which he teaches, for always encouraging his students, and his constant work to improve as an instructor. As one nominator put it, "He respects students and he is the best professor I've known."
SALLY E. WENZEL will take over as chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health starting May 1, 2018. As chair, Wenzel will extend her work on airway disease to build a research program that spans clinical, bench, and environmental exposure science, amplifying the exceptional strengths already present in the department.
THE WASHINGTON POST - Observers of both the Reagan administration and the current one say there are several reasons to think Pruitt may not share Gorsuch’s fate. Reagan appears to have made a calculation that he needed to tack to the political center on the environment later in his first term, and so replaced Gorsuch. But Trump seems more inclined to double down on deregulation, said EOH's BERNARD GOLDSTEIN.
THE HILL - The European Union's unclear definitions of the Precautionary Principles allows them to ban trade of goods such as beef previously treated with growth hormones and GMO grains without demonstration that such goods cause any health risks. EOH's BERNARD GOLDSTEIN says, "The US is not without unfair trade practices. But, in contrast to the EU, we do not rely on distorting public health science as a means to wrap greed in a green flag."
EPI's JENNIFER ADIBI was a featured speaker for the 2018 One Health One Community Symposium at Phipps Conservatory. The event centered on the theme "Health Impacts: Chemicals of Concern in the Environment," with a special focus on endocrine disruptors.
SUSTAINABLE BRANDS - The Dow Chemical Company counts EOH's BERNARD GOLDSTEIN among its 8-member Sustainability External Advisory Council (SEAC), the first of its kind in the petrochemical industry. The council has a significant influence on Dow’s approach to sustainability and environment, health and safety issues, providing “an independent, outside-in perspective on critical issues related to sustainability and environmental policy that impact ...
DRUG TARGET REVIEW - A team including EOH researcher VALERIAN KAGAN has revealed the mechanism causing defective function of tumour-associated dendritic cells, explaining why they’re ineffective in inducing antitumor immune responses and effective cancer treatment. The findings could lead to new strategies for improving the response to immunotherapy.
STATE IMPACT - Infants born to mothers who live very close to natural gas fracking sites have a higher risk of low birth weight, according to a new peer-reviewed study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances . In response to the findings, EOH professor emeritus BERNARD GOLDSTEIN noted that children born with low birth weight have a greater risk of infant mortality, asthma, lower test scores, and lower lifetime earnings. He said, to m...
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE - “Better treatments for traumatic brain injury and acute kidney injuries are desperately needed,” stated Hulya Bayir HULYA BAYIR (EOH). VALERIAN KAGAN (EOH), the study’s senior author, was key in discovering the protein’s important role in the cell-death process.
THE HILL - Emeritus dean and environmental professor BERNARD GOLDSTEIN comments that, as we help communities affected by recent weather disasters, it's time to talk about our national responsibility to fund restoration of areas likely to be repeatedly impacted in the future. “Would it not be better, after the immediate rescue efforts are completed, to require recognition of the reality of global climate change in planning for a rebuilt Houston th...
The NIH has just announced a five-year award to Y. PETER DI of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) for his group’s research on developing a new class of antibiotics. Di also serves as the director of the Inhalation Exposure Facility and president of theChinese American Lung Association.