The 15th annual Festival of Books brought together authors, presenters, volunteers, and visitors to celebrate literature and education at one of the largest book festivals in the United States. The interactive tables hosted by the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SWEHSC) were a smashing — and squishy – success.

This feature is available in Spanish on the Conecta Arizona website.

Dr. Burgess, a member of the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, will work in close collaboration with fire departments and firefighters to measure the exposure risk of wildland-urban fires and evaluate interventions to improve firefighter health, thanks to a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

In a recent publication involving SWEHSC members Drs. Scott Boitano and Julie Ledford, researchers tested a compound, C781, to see how effective it is as a targeted approach that addresses allergen-induced symptoms in an animal model. C781 was developed through testing on human cells from the air passages that lead to and through the lungs (bronchial tubes) before being tested in mice for allergen-induced asthma. These tests indicate C781 is an effective treatment for allergen-induced asthma-like symptoms in the airway.

Talk about a green thumb! In a recent study involving SWEHSC member Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta, PhD, researchers sampled date palm leaves from Ahvaz city, Iran, to test for potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the environment. Plants are increasingly being used as bioindicators to detect environmental contaminants like heavy metals. Date palms are becoming a popular candidate because their unique mesh-like structure is well suited for capturing heavy metal deposits.

Toxicological Sciences has showcased a publication by center member Zelieann Craig, PhD, in their featured Tox Spotlight! Craig’s study found that exposure to di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) – a common ingredient in many personal care products and medications – disrupts follicular reproductive cycles by interfering with the hormone signaling in the ovary responsible for growth, development, and repair. For this reason, exposure to DBP could ultimately lead to reduced fertility and decreased egg number and quality in women.