1. Nomura, Daniel, Casida, John, Blankman, Jacqueline, Simon, Gabriel, Fujioka, Kazutoshi, Issa, Roger, Ward, Anna, Cravatt, Benjamin, Activation of the endocannabinoid system by organophosphorus nerve agents, Nature Chemical Biology, 2008, Volume 4, 373-378
   
   Organophosphate compounds (OPs) comprise a major class of insecticides and chemical warfare agents. Although their primary mechanism of toxicity is inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, the full toxicity of OPs cannot be accounted for by their acetylcholinesterase properties. This research profiled targets of OP nerve agents in the brain and revealed novel biology regarding the endocannabinoid system and its potential for use in therapeutics for pain and inflammation.
   
   
2. Xia, Tian, Nel, Andre, Kovochich, Michael, Liong, Monty, Zink, Jeff, Cationic Polystyrene Nanosphere Toxicity Depends on Cell-Specific Endocytic and Mitochondrial Injury Pathways, ACS Nano, 2008, 10.1021/nn700256c
   
   As nanomaterials enter commerce there is increasing concern over their potential toxicological impacts. In this research, cationic polystyrene nanospheres were used to evaluate cellular uptake mechanisms and intracellular processing mechanisms that determine the nature of cell death, necrosis or apoptosis in several cell lines. These findings are key to the development of a predictive toxicity screening system that is based on mechanisms of toxicity induced by nanomaterials.
   
   

1. Church, M., Gwiazda, R., Risebrough, R.W., Sorenson, K., Chamberlain, C.P., Aarry, S., Heinrich, W., Rideout, B., Smith, D.R., Ammunition is the principal source of lead accumulated by California condors re-introduced to the wild, Environmental Science and Technology, 2006, vol 40, pp. 6143-6150
   
   This study, led by UC Santa Cruz environmental toxicologists, used analyses of lead isotopes to confirm that bullet fragments and shotgun pellets in the carcasses of animals killed by hunters are the principal sources of lead poisoning in California condors that have been reintroduced to the wild.
   
   
2. Eagles-Smith, Collin A., Thomas H. Suchanek, Arthur E. Colwell, Norman L. Anderson, Peter B. Moyle, Changes in Fish Diets and Mercury Bioaccumulation in Clear Lake, California: Effects of an Invasive Planktivorous Fish, Ecological Applications, Ecological Society of America, 2007, in press
   
   These UC Davis researchers have shown how the presence of an invasive species can interact with ecosystems to alter the fate of mercury within a food web. This work is particularly germane to California where both mercury pollution and non-native species invasion are ongoing threats to ecosystems.
   
   
3. Lincoln, John D, Oladele Ogunseitan, Andrew A. Shapiro, and Jean-Daniel M. Saphores, Leaching Assessments of Hazardous Materials in Cellular Phones, Environmental Science and Technology, 2007, 41:7:2572-2578
   
   This is one of a series of publications by a team of researchers from UC Irvine who are identifying potential hazards posed by electronic products throughout their life cycles. The results detailed in this publication describe a rigorous evaluation of methods that are used to assess the leaching potential of metals and organic compounds from cell phones.
   
   
4. Wang, Lin, Roger Atkinson and Janet Arey, (1) Reactions of Chlorine Atoms with a Series of Aromatic Hydrocarbons, (2) Kinetics and Products of Photolysis and Reaction with OH Radicals of a Series of Aromatic Carbonyl Compounds, (3) Dicarbonyl Products of the OH Radical-Initiated Reactions of Naphthalene and the C1- and C2-Alkylnaphthalenes, and (4) Formation of 9,10-Phenanthrenequinone by Atmospheric Gas-Phase Reactions of Phenanthrene, Environmental Science and Technology and in Atmospheric Environment, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2007, ES&T is an ACS journal, Atmospheric Environment is an Elsevier Publication
   
   This award is made on the basis of three articles, lead by a former graduate student at UC Riverside, that detail the atmospheric reactions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient atmospheres. Collectively, this research provides significant insight into gas-phase atmospheric chemistry of compounds that are present in urban atmospheres.
   
   

Best Publication Nominations

The nomination deadline for this year is September 30, 2009

The TSR&TP is soliciting nominations for our Annual Best Publication Awards - awards to showcase important research in the area of toxic substances. The top individual or series of publications will be selected and displayed on the TSR&TP website.

Candidate publications must meet the following requirements:

• Published (or in press) in a peer-reviewed journal within the past 3 years
• Research was supported at least in part by the TSR&TP
• Acknowledgement of TSR&TP funding

Previously nominated publications are welcomed.

The nomination deadline is September 30, 2009. Nominations must include a copy of the publication and a brief statement explaining why it has been an influential contribution to the area of toxic substances. The TSR&TP awards committee will evaluate all submissions and will consider the originality of the work, the significance of the results, and the potential for impact on the field of toxic substances in making their selections.