CONTENTS

Ms. Migs Woodside, founder and former President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York-based Children of Alcoholics Foundation, was named the third recipient of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's annual Senator Harold Hughes Memorial Award. NIAAA Director Enoch Gordis, M.D., announced the award February 6 in Washington, D.C., at the 2001 Public Policy Conference on Alcohol and Other Drugs.

According to the press release announcing this award, "Migs Woodside's career exemplifies those attributes that characterized Senator Hughes' career. For three decades she has worked to translate research into practice, build bridges among the various components of the alcohol field, and improve the future for persons with alcohol problems." Ms. Woodside was chosen from a field of clinicians, prevention professionals, and advocates nominated by national, state, and local alcohol field organizations.

The Harold Hughes award, named for the late Iowa Senator and State Governor who was also known as the "father of NIAAA," was established in 1998 to recognize a non-researcher who has demonstrated commitment to the practical use of alcohol research in preventing or treating alcohol abuse and alcoholism. The awardee also must have demonstrated a commitment to linking the research community with the prevention, treatment, and policymaking communities.

Senator Hughes, himself a recovering alcoholic, was among the first to recognize that progress against alcohol problems must come from research. As the force behind the 1970 legislation that created NIAAA, Senator Hughes also was the force behind the genetics, neuroscience, and behavioral research that today is improving alcoholism treatment and prevention, and the economics and policy research that offers proven solutions to alcohol-related social problems.

As major sponsor in 1986 of an international workshop on the search for alcoholism risk genes, Ms. Woodside contributed to initiating the major NIAAA research endeavor today known as the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). Her professional career in alcohol and other drug program administration began in 1969 with New York's Phoenix House Foundation and progressed through positions with the New York City Addiction Services Agency to the position of Assistant Commissioner in 1975 and 1976. From 1977 to 1982, she served as consultant to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency, staff consultant to Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Special Counselor on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse to Governor Hugh L. Carey (New York), and executive consultant to the Governor's Conference on Children of Alcoholics.

In 1982, Ms. Woodside established the Children of Alcoholics Foundation, a private foundation to educate and inform professionals and the public about children of alcoholics, alleviate suffering and prevent future alcoholism, and promote and disseminate research. During her 1982-1995 tenure as President and Chief Executive Officer, the foundation highlighted the impact of alcoholism on children and families through conferences, publications, and other outreach activities.

Ms. Woodside served on the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services' National Advisory Council (NAC) on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism from 1994 until 1997. Subsequent to her NAC service, Ms. Woodside served on a Subcommittee of the Advisory Council to review NIAAA extramural research portfolios. At present, she serves on the NAC's Subcommittee on Research Priorities, the Harvard University School of Public Health's Advisory Council on Child Health, and boards of the Alliance for Children and Families, the Phoenix House Foundation, and the Arizona Foundation for Women.

Ms. Woodside is the recipient of numerous past awards, most recently from the National Association for Children of Alcoholics, South Oaks Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Carrie Randall, Ph.D., was the recipient of the NIAAA 2000 Mark Keller Honorary Award. Dr. Randall is an internationally recognized scientist with a distinguished career in alcohol research and former National Advisory Council member. She received her award on November 15 and presented the annual Mark Keller Lecture. Dr. Randall's Lecture was entitled, "Alcohol and Pregnancy: Highlights From Three Decades of Research."

The Mark Keller Honorary Award and Lecture Series was established by NIAAA as a tribute to Mr. Keller's contributions to the field of alcohol research. Each year the series features a lecture by an outstanding alcohol researcher who has made significant and long-term contributions to our understanding of how alcohol affects the body and mind, how we can prevent and treat alcohol abuse and alcoholism, and how today's scientific advancements can provide hope for tomorrow.

The 3rd annual National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD) will be held on Thursday, April 5, during Alcohol Awareness Month. NASD is a program of the non-profit Screening for Mental Health in partnership with NIAAA, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. More than 20 organizations are sponsoring NASD including the AMA, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, ASAM, CADCA, Join Together, MADD, NAADAC, NaCOA, NOFAS, and others. In addition, through the efforts of Council ex-officio member Roger Hartman, the Department of Defense (DOD) will encourage all of its health facilities to participate in NASD. DOD facilities will publicize the NASD effort, and many will participate as actual sites. Last year an estimated 52,000 individuals attended NASD screening events at over 1,100 community-based and college screening sites nationwide. Recruitment letters for NASD 2001 have been sent to health-related organizations and associations, community health care facilities, colleges and universities, Indian Health Care facilities, safety net hospitals, and primary care providers. A number of products, such as the procedures manuals for the colleges and community sites, are being reviewed and updated for this year's NASD.

Since the September Council meeting, the Leadership initiative entered its second phase with a momentum generated by significant accomplishments and new activities and plans.

To address the complex issue of alcohol abuse among college students in a comprehensive, scientific manner, NIAAA's National Advisory Council created a Subcommittee on College Drinking in February, 1998. Comprised of college presidents and alcohol researchers, the subcommittee provides expertise and guidance to NIAAA based upon this unique dialogue among the administrators and scientists. The final report of the Subcommittee on College Drinking will be presented to the full Council at it June 2001 meeting.

More details concerning the Subcommittee on College Drinking is available through the NIAAA Website (https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20080916083447/http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/about/college/default.htm).

Flag Rank Promotion Ceremony

On January 12, Dr. Gordis was the Master of Ceremonies at a ceremony honoring Dr. Mary Dufour's promotion to the rank of Assistant Surgeon General in the Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps. Dr. Dufour was sworn in and presented with her rank and flag by RADM Kenneth Moritsugu, Deputy Surgeon General, PHS, assisted by Dr. Yvonne Maddox, Deputy Director, NIH. The ceremony, which was held at the NIAAA headquarters offices in Rockville, Maryland, was attended by Dr. Dufour's family and a large number of NIAAA, NIH, and DHHS staff.

At a Nov.30-Dec2 international workshop on "Omega-3 fatty acids, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk" co-sponsored by NIDDK and NHLBI, Dr. Lands gave the opening lecture titled "How do we die? Mediators or markers?" During the meeting, he received a "Pioneer in Omega-3 Research" award which recognized his "exceptional contributions to understanding the role of omega-3 fatty acids in metabolic processes".

Publications

W.E.M.Lands (2001) Alcohol: The balancing act. In "Primary and Secondary Preventive Nutrition" (eds. A. Bendich and R. Deckelbaum), 2001, Humana Press, New York, pp.373-395.

Lands, W.E.M. (2000) Impact of Daily Food Choices on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. In Fatty Acids and Lipids - New Findings (ed., O.R. Kochli) World Rev. Nutrition and Diet. Vol.88, pp 1-5, Karger, Basel

Lands, W.E.M. (2000) Commentary on the Workshop Statement. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes, and Essential Fatty Acids 63: 125-126.

The mission of the Office of Collaborative Research (OCR) is to: (a) foster collaboration activities with other NIH Institutes, governmental agencies, and other organizations interested in alcohol research; (b) provide momentum and guidance to projects in collaboration with appropriate program administrators or subject matter experts in other NIAAA offices or divisions; (c) coordinate and administer collaborative international research programs and scientific exchanges; (d) develop and coordinate science education projects and initiatives, and administer the National Research Centers, Institutional Training Grants and AIDS Programs.

The Birth Defects and Teratology Interest Group (BDTIG) is one of the nearly 80 inter-Institute scientific interest groups at NIH. The NIAAA initiated this Trans-NIH Interest Group to enhance exchange of information and foster collaboration on human development, birth defects, and teratology. Nine Institutes are currently represented among the membership, which meets quarterly for an informative, academic seminar. Dr. Megan Adamson, Medical Officer, OCR serves as the NIAAA representative and co-chairs the Executive Committee with Dr. Kenneth Warren, Director, OSA.

NIAAA is currently developing a model curriculum and faculty training course for social workers on preventing and treating alcohol-use disorders. Based on NIAAA's successful medical education initiative, the major aim of this project is to disseminate research-based knowledge on alcohol to Master of Social Work (MSW) programs and graduate social workers throughout the world. On December 13 and 14, a meeting was held in Rockville, MD that brought together faculty from schools of social work throughout the United States who have been commissioned to write the 12 modules that will make up the curriculum. The focus of the meeting was on developing the core concepts that will be needed in the curriculum, as well as determining how it will be presented and disseminated. The Council of Social Work Education and the National Association of Social Workers have agreed to co-publish and disseminate the curriculum. Peggy Murray, M.S.W., and Isabel Ellis, M.S.W. are leading the project for NIAAA.

On November 27-December 1, Peggy Murray traveled to Budapest, Hungary to conduct the Medical Education Model for the Prevention and Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders with faculty from the five Hungarian Medical Schools. This was a joint project with the Department of Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the Hungarian Society of Addictionolgy. The Hungarian Ministry of Sport and Youth, the federal agency responsible for alcohol prevention in Hungary, provided the majority of the funding for the course. Techniques of identification and early intervention, as well as research-based knowledge on alcohol's effects on the body, were presented to 40 faculty in Family Medicine, other primary care specialties, and psychiatry. Six-month follow-up interviews will measure the impact of this course on Hungarian medical education concerning alcohol-use disorders.

Russia

On October 15-20, Peggy Murray led a team of alcohol researchers from Boston University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Wisconsin to develop two new projects in alcohol and HIV infection in Russian patients. Jeffery Samet, M.D. is the Principal Investigator (P.I.) on one of the projects aimed at determining the relationship of alcohol abuse and addiction to HIV infection in a large sample of patients from an alcohol treatment program. Michael Fleming, M.D., is the P. I. on the second project which is a faculty development grant to train infectious disease specialists in the management of their HIV- and TB-infected patients who have alcohol use disorders. A third focus of the site visit was to determine the feasibility of conducting an intervention trial to improve treatment compliance and alcohol outcomes of Russian patients with TB and HIV at a large infectious disease hospital in central Russia. As a result of the site visit, a collaborative research project will be developed. The Russian collaborators are infectious disease and addiction researchers at the Pavlov Medical Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Council Liaison Representative Organizations - OPLPL is responsible for liaison activities as they relate to Council meetings (and associated "liaison group meetings"). Currently, over 400 outside groups comprise our contact list, and we share information on a regular basis. Liaison representatives meet informally with NIAAA Director Dr. Enoch Gordis and senior staff following the adjournment of Council meetings. In addition to liaison activities, NIAAA maintains a program of specific, formal collaborations with outside groups. Collaborative activities are described below.

Collaborations with Outside Organizations - In addition to the broad range of informal collaborative activities and contacts between the Institute and its constituent organizations, NIAAA implements an annual plan of specific, formal collaborations with outside groups. Examples of recent and future collaborations include:

"Research To Practice" Initiative

New York Collaboration, Phase II - NIAAA has continued its work with the New York State Office of Substance Abuse Services, the Association of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers of New York, and CSAT to complete phase II of this project, the Researcher in Residence Program. Dr. Mike Hilton of DCPR has had the programmatic lead on this project, and worked with the programs and researchers as they developed and implemented their specific efforts. Dr. Hilton visited all of the sites and has written a report summarizing the project overall, and how successfully each program was able to implement its chosen "intervention" This report is in the final phase of editing and will be available very soon from NIAAA.

North Carolina Collaboration, Phase II - As with the New York State project, NIAAA and CSAT are moving to phase II of the research to practice effort with our North Carolina colleagues. A variety of planning discussions have been held, and a formal "kickoff" meeting among all of the involved parties was held on February 23. A process similar to the one used in New York will be implemented in North Carolina.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grant Solicitation Topics

NIAAA SBIR/STTR grant solicitation topics have been posted on the NIH Website Application receipt dates are April 1, August 1, and December 1, 2001. Information, applications, and instructions are available on the NIH Website. NIAAA is required to reserve 2.5 percent of its extramural budget for SBIR projects and 0.15 percent of its extramural budget for STTR projects.

Planning and Evaluation efforts at NIAAA have been placed in the OSA. Dr. Mike Eckardt will serve as Planning and Evaluation Team Leader. New employees, Drs. Lorraine Gunzerath (MBA and Ph.D. in Psychology) and Mary Westcott (Ph.D. in Sociology) are the new team members. Dr. Gunzerath is also responsible for scientific coding of grants and research contracts in addition to gender/minority coding.

New DARPA-Like Projects

"DARPA "stands for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the central research and development organization of the Department of Defense. Its most prominent role is to invest in the highest-payoff technologies, even when technical risk would inhibit others. DARPA is uniquely idea-driven and project-oriented in contrast to other agencies that are driven by formalized requirements and oriented around programmed investments.

NIAAA has adopted this concept and has developed its own DARPA-like program. The NIAAA program, like the DARPA program. is designed to promote new high-risk approaches to traditionally intractable alcohol-related problems, the solution of which may result in major scientific breakthroughs."

Three NIAAA DARPA-like projects have been initiated: Alcohol Biosensor, Theoretical and Computational Neurobiology and Geomathematics/Epidemiology. Program Managers are being recruited and these programs are scheduled to be operational in FY2001/2002.

Extramural Project Review Branch

For this review round, Extramural Project Review Branch staff completed 13 review meetings with a total of 137 grant applications.

• Reviews completed include the following applications submitted in response to specific RFA's:

• An additional 75 applications that were not submitted in response to special initiatives were reviewed in the Institute's standing review committees.
• Review Committees within the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) evaluated 118 research grant applications over the course of this cycle.

Report to Congress on Alcohol and Health

Since the last council meeting, the final printing of the 10th Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health was completed. In addition to the full report, chapters on fetal alcohol syndrome, neuroscience, prevention, and treatment were printed separately. NIAAA issued a press release on the report, and copies of the full report were sent to members of Congress and liaison organizations. The online version of the report has been reformatted to include chapter outlines in the left frame, which makes it easier for users to learn about the chapter content. Further refinements are underway, including linking hundreds of index entries with appropriate pages in the publication and creating more detailed outlines of the individual sections.

Ordering information for these monographs is available online at https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20080916083447/http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/monograp.htm

NIAAA in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is developing two television and two radio public service announcements (PSAs) on underage drinking. Scripts for the PSAs have been pre-tested using focus groups, and filming of the PSAs is scheduled to begin February 21. The selected messages are based on 1) the development of positive norms (cool kids don't drink) and 2) the development of resistance/refusal skills (it's acceptable to refuse a drink).

These messages are consistent with the media messages being developed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) for its national media campaign targeting underage drug use. The PSAs will be submitted to ONDCP for its media match program through the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Several collateral materials are being developed to complement the PSAs including posters, print ads, and a Website.

Public Education Campaign on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) - Update

Campaign messages and "taglines" for posters, public service announcements, and transit displays are being tested. These materials will be used in this public education campaign targeting African-American women of childbearing age in Washington, DC. Plans are to launch the campaign during Spring 2001.

During calendar year 2000, NIAAA responded to nearly 10,000 inquiries and distributed more than 1.5 million copies of NIAAA materials. One of the most popular and frequently requested publications is the parent's booklet, Make a Difference, Talk to Your Child About Alcohol.

Exhibits

During calendar year 2000, NIAAA displayed its exhibit, grant announcements, and publications at 29 conferences across the country, including the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Society, American Nurses Association, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, The Coalition of Spanish-Speaking Mental Health Organizations (COSSMHO) Thirteenth National Conference on Hispanic Health and Human Services, National Medical Association, National Prevention Network, School Nurse Institute Program, and the Society for Neuroscience. Two new panels were created for our traveling exhibit.

DBR issued a Request for Applications on the Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA) on January 22, 2001. The purpose of INIA is to integrate molecular, cellular, neurocircuitry, neural network, and whole-animal levels of analysis to study various aspects of neuroadaptive responses to excessive alcohol consumption. The ultimate goal is to foster development of highly integrated, multi-investigator teams pursuing focused, hypothesis-driven research related to the neuroadaptive changes that occur with repeated alcohol exposure. INIA will provide the opportunity for collaboration between prominent scientists in the alcohol field and prominent investigators from other fields, resulting in the application of new ideas and technology to the study of neuroadaptation to alcohol.

More detailed information can be found on the NIAAA Website at https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20080916083447/http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AA-01-002.html.

Purohit, V. (2000). Can alcohol promote aromatization of androgens to estrogens? A review. Alcohol 22:123-127.

Dr. Eleanor Hanna, Special Expert, gave a presentation entitled "Alcohol Abuse in Executives and Professionals" at the Annual Conference of the Academy of Organizational and Occupational Psychiatry, which was held January 12-14, in Washington, D.C.

Alcohol Epidemiological Data System (AEDS)

The following posters were presented at the 128th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association held in Boston, Massachusetts, November 12-16, 2000.

Hanna, E.Z., Dufour, M.C., Yi, H., and Whitmore, C.C. Drinking, health and health-related behaviors among youth aged 12-16: Findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).

Saadatmand, F., and Faden, V.B. Alcohol drinking levels and pregnancy outcomes among women who drink during pregnancy.

Whitmore, C.C., Hanna, E.Z., Yi, H., and Dufour, M.C. An examination of alcohol consumption at diverse stages of union formation: Findings from the 1992 National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey (NLAES).

Yi, H., Stinson, F.S., Hanna, E.Z., and Whitmore, C.C. Work schedule and alcohol use disorders.

New Surveillance Reports

Yi, H., Stinson, F.S., Williams, G.D. and Dufour, M.C. Surveillance Report #53: Trends in Alcohol-Related Fatal Traffic Crashes, United States, 1977-1998.

Saadatmand, F., Stinson, F.S., Grant, B.F., and Dufour, M.C. Surveillance Report #54: Liver Cirrhosis Mortality in the United States, 1970-1997.

Nephew, T.M., Williams, G.D., Stinson, F.S., Nguyen, K., and Dufour, M.C. Surveillance Report #55: Apparent Per Capita Alcohol Consumption: National, State, and Regional Trends, 1977-1998.

New Analytic Reports

Grant, B.F., Stinson, F.S., and Harford, T.C. Alcohol Use and Suicide Attempts: Results from the National Study.

Yi, H., Stinson, F.S., Dufour, M.C. and Hanna, E.Z. Former Drinkers: Who Stops Drinking and Why?

Stinson, F.S., Grant, B.F., and Harford, T.C. The Relation of Alcohol Use with Suicide Ideation and Attempts among U.S. High School Students.

Grant, B.F., Stinson, F.S., and Harford, T.C. Age at Onset of Alcohol Use and DSM-IV Alcohol Abuse and Dependence: A Twelve-Year Follow-up.

Stinson, F.S., Grant, B.F., and Harford, T.C. A Multivariate Analysis of DSM-IV Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse and Dependence in the 1992 National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey (NLAES).

A workshop to evaluate revising The Physicians' Guide to Helping Patients with Alcohol Problems will be held February 7, 2001, at the Holiday Inn Bethesda. A small group of experts in screening for alcohol abuse and dependence and in brief interventions in primary health care settings will attend. NIAAA staff involved in the planning of the meeting are Drs. Richard Fuller, Cherry Lowman, and Harold Perl, DCPR; Peggy Murray, OCR; and Diane Miller and Maureen Gardner, OSA.

NIAAA Treatment Handbook Series 4 B

Dr. John Allen and Ms. Veronica Wilson will reconvene the Subject Matter Expert Panel revising Assessing Alcohol Problems: A Guide for Clinicians and Researchers in May. Prior to that session draft chapters will be written by and circulated to all Panel members. The meeting will provide a forum for review/critique of content chapters as will as resolution of possible overlap issues. The new manual will thoroughly update the 1995 version of the volume by revising all content-oriented chapters based on the latest research. It will also contain instruments that now satisfy inclusion criteria and several entirely new chapters and sections dealing with adolescent assessment , measurement of co-occurring drug abuse and nicotine dependence, craving, and treatment process measures. A summary chapter suggesting how instruments can be applied to clinical practice is also planned. The manual will be available in hard copy and on the NIAAA Website.

September 23 - Dr. John Allen gave a presentation entitled "Using Biomarkers of Problem Drinking in Clinical Practice" at the 9th International Conference on Treatment of Addictive Behaviors in Cape Town, South Africa.

October 17 - Dr. John Allen gave a presentation entitled "Biological Markers of Alcoholism" at the Seminar on Alcoholism and Other Dependencies in Fojnica, Bosnia.

October 18 - Dr. John Allen gave a presentation entitled "Future Developments in Alcoholism Treatment in the United States" at the Seminar on Alcoholism and Other Dependencies, Fojnica, Bosnia.

November 30 - Dr. John Allen gave a presentation entitled "How Research Can Influence Alcoholism Treatment" at the Demand Treatment Regional Conference in Houston, Texas.

Publications

Allen, J.P. & Litten, R.Z. (2000). The Role of Laboratory Tests in Alcoholism Treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 1-7.

Allen, J.P., Litten, R.Z., Fertig, J.B. & Babor, T. (2000). Alcohol use disorders identification test. In Malty, J., Lewis, C. A. & Hill, A. P. (Eds.), Commissioned Reviews on 300 Psychological Tests (pp. 5-7). Wales, UK: Edwin Ellen Press.

Oakes, K.E., Allen, J. P. & Ciarrocchi, J. W. (2000). Spirituality, religious problem solving, and sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 18(2), 37-50.

Treatment Research Branch

Recruitment for the COMBINE main trial began in January 2001. COMBINE is a multi-site clinical study that will evaluate the effectiveness of two medications for alcoholism given in combination with two behavioral therapies. The study will test the medications naltrexone and acamprosate, given singly or together, and evaluate their use versus a placebo in conjunction with behavioral interventions of either moderate or minimal intensity. The minimal intensity intervention is designed to encourage drinking cessation and compliance with medication. The more intensive intervention builds on the Project MATCH treatments and combines elements of motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and involvement in 12-step groups.

In preparation for the main trial, two pilot studies were conducted. In the first pilot study, investigators evaluated the safety and toxicity of acamprosate, naltrexone, and the combination of the two in an inpatient study of 23 patients at three sites. The drugs were found to be safe and generally well tolerated. A second pilot study involving 108 patients assessed compliance and side effects in an outpatient population and evaluated the feasibility of all procedures and interventions that will be carried out in the main trial. The results indicate that the medications were safe and generally well tolerated and that outpatient compliance to the regime was acceptable.

In addition to finishing the pilot studies, the principal investigators and their teams completed a multitude of scientific and administrative tasks required for the start-up of the trial. The clinical sites, the Coordinating Center and NIAAA staff expended considerable effort on activities that included:

Two additional studies have been approved for the COMBINE protocol. The first is a pharmacogenetics study led by Dr. David Goldman of the NIAAA intramural research program. Patients who give informed consent for this study will have an additional blood sample drawn for DNA analysis. Investigators will analyze gene variants that may be associated with therapeutic response to and side effects from acamprosate and naltrexone. They will also analyze variants of genes potentially affecting relapse-associated behaviors such as anxiety and craving. Finally, investigators will characterize the relationship of gene variants to drinking outcome, reported side effects, and drug and drug metabolite levels.

The second project, led by Dr. Gary Zarkin at the Research Triangle Institute, is a study of the cost effectiveness and cost benefit of the COMBINE treatments. In this study, estimates of economic costs will be collected in four domains: health care, crime, labor market participation, and motor vehicle accidents. These data will be incorporated into the interviews to be conducted at the beginning of the study and at 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 months in the main COMBINE protocol. Additional interviews will be collected at 20-, 24-, 28-, 32-, and 36-month follow up points. Nine of the 11 COMBINE sites are participating in this second project, which will yield data on approximately 1,125 patients.

Staff Activities

• Dr. Kendall Bryant participated in developing the trans-NIH RFA "Adolescent Medicine Trials Network" (ATN) for HIV/AIDS Interventions." The goal of the cooperative agreement is to create a network of researchers to study HIV-infected adolescents with special attention to the needs of high-risk youth. Research conducted by this network will fill an important gap in NIAAA's HIV/AIDS portfolio concerned with the treatment of HIV+ adolescents who are consuming alcohol. Applications were reviewed in November 2000 with anticipated funding in 2001.
• Dr. Bryant also assisted in writing a collaborative program announcement to be issued by NICHD "Examining Social and Sexual Networks As HIV Risk Reduction Methods". From NIAAA's perspective, the goal of this announcement is to expand prior work by systematically examining relationships among social environmental factors, alcohol use, sexual risk behaviors, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for groups at high risk of acquiring and transmitting STIs. The program announcement is to be issued in the first quarter of FY2001.

• October 12 and 13 - Dr. Jan Howard participated in a working group organized by the Prevention Research Branch (PRB) titled: "Beyond the Categories: Concepts and Methods in the Study of Alcohol-Related Health Disparities." The meeting was held in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Suzanne Heurtin-Roberts developed and managed the conference and is responsible for summarizing its conclusions. A broad group of extramural researchers, largely supported by the PRB, formed the nucleus of the working group because of their expertise in studies of racial/ethnic minorities.
• October 26 and 27 - Dr. Howard co-chaired a Working Group meeting on "Efficacious and Effective Interventions to Prevent Alcohol Abuse and Problems," in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Howard organized the working group in collaboration with Drs. Harold Holder and Robert Saltz from the Prevention Research Center in Berkeley, California. Fifteen extramural prevention researchers attended the meeting representing the full range of domains of alcohol-related prevention research. These domains included studies of interventions based in communities, schools, colleges, families, worksites, health-care systems, and the media, as well as tax/price and violence-focused interventions. In addition, the group identified and discussed crosscutting prevention principles. All participants also submitted a short summary of prevention strategies that have proven to be efficacious and/or effective in their areas of expertise.

Jurik, Nancy C. and Susan E. Martin. (2000). Femininities, masculinities, and organizational conflict: Women in criminal justice occupations. In C. Renzetti and L.

Goodstein (Eds.), Women, Crime and Criminal Justice (pp.356-375). Boston, MA: Roxbury.

Martin, Susan E. (2001). Alcohol, youth, and the justice system: Underage drinking as normative behavor, a status offense, and a risk factor for delinquency. In S. O. White (Ed.), Handbook of Youth and Justice (pp.159-189). New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.

Martin, Susan E. (2000). Women professionals in the justice orkplace. In N. Rafter (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Women and Crime (pp. 295-300). Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.

Martin, Susan E. (2000). Police foundation. In N. Rafter (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Women and Crime (p. 300). Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.

Martin, Susan E. (2000). Hate crime. In C. Bryant (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Criminology and Deviant Behavior (Volume 3), Philadelphia: Taylor and Francis.

Martin, Susan E. (1999). Police and the production of hate crimes: Continuity and Change in one jurisdiction. Police Quarterly 2:417-437.

Preusser, David F., Anne T. McCartt and Susan E. Martin (2001). Impaired driving research needs and priorities. In: Alcohol and Other Drugs in Transportation: Research Needs and Priorities (pp. 32-43). Transportation Research Circular #502. Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board/National Research Council.

In November 2000, the HSRB published a special supplement to the international journal, Addiction, entitled "State-of-the-Art Methodologies in Alcohol-Related Health Services Research." Guest editors for the supplement included NIAAA staffers Drs. Harold Perl and Robert Huebner. The papers in this supplement were first written, presented, and discussed at an invited workshop on health services research methodology convened by HSRB in April 1999. Among the major issues covered are: methodological issues in study design and implementation; collecting valid data from community sources; and making the most out of data analysis and interpretation.

Perl, H. I., Dennis, M. L., & Huebner, R. B. (Eds.). (2000). State-of-the-art methodologies in alcohol-related health services research, Addiction, 95(suppl.3), S275-S456.

Perl, H. I., Dennis, M. L., & Huebner, R. B. (2000). Introduction: State-of-the-art Methodologies in alcohol-related health services research, Addiction, 95(suppl.3), S275-S280.

Dennis, M. L., Perl, H. I., Huebner, R. B. & McLellan, A.T. (2000). Twenty-five strategies for improving the design, implementation, and analysis of health services research related alcohol and other drug abuse treatment, Addiction, 95(suppl. 3), S281-S308.

NIAAA computer specialist, Antonia (Toni) Calzone, assisted by Etienne Lamoreaux (NIAAA computer specialist) and Karen Montijo (a former NIDDK contractor), custom designed a database to manage Animal Study Proposals (ASP) and related information using the commercially available relational database software program, FileMaker ProTM (Filemaker Corp, Santa Clara CA). Scripts and templates developed by Ms Calzone, over the past 20 years, were used to implement the tracking system. The goal was to create a multi-function program that would meet the needs of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) members, facility veterinarians and animal facility managers and care personnel. As the reporting requirements of regulations governing laboratory animal use and care become more stringent, an efficient method for centralized storage of data is crucial. IACUC and animal facility personnel need a way to track many elements of an ASP (e.g., annual reviews; renewals; amount/type allotted; investigators/co-investigators, etc). The database custom-designed by Ms Calzone et al. reduces time spent on record-keeping by compiling information in one place and allowing the user to run various reports. The system is accessible across multiple hardware platforms and is straightforward and easy to use. The database scripts and templates were submitted to the NIH Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) under the Employee Invention Program. These scripts and templates are being released, to the public and NIH components, through the OTT under a licensed agreement and also by a Transfer of Materials Agreement. The creation of this database has precluded the need to purchase commercial programs that are not readily adaptable to animal facility user requirements and will save the NIH hundreds of thousands of dollars in material and labor.

Additional Laboratory Of Membrane Biochemistry And Biophysics Staff Presentations At the PUFA In Maternal & Child Health Conference, Kansas City MO, 09/10-13/00

Kathleen McBride presented the poster titled "Complex Learning Behavior in Young Rats"

Robert Pawlosky presented the lecture titled "A Physiologic Model of Essential Fatty Acid Metabolism: Comprehending PUFA Homeostasis"

Walter Teague presented the poster titled "Do Neuronal Receptors Sense Lipid Matrix Curvature Elastic Stress from Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids"

DICBR Staff Participation at the NIH Research Festival, Bethesda MD, 10-13 October 2000

George Kunos (LPS) co-chaired the Mini Symposium "Endocannabinoids and Related Lipid Mediators" and presented the lecture "Novel Physiologic Functions of Endocannabinoids"

Klaus Gawrisch (LMBB) presented the lecture "NMR Evidence for Existence of Microdomains in Polyunsaturated Neural Membranes" in the Mini Symposium "Membrane Microdomains"

Hee-Yong Kim (LMBB) presented the lecture "Characterization of Lipid-Protein Interactions by Surface Plasmon Resonance and Mass Spectrometry" in the Mini Symposium "Protein Analyses and Proteomics: Emerging Methods in Mass Spectrometry"

Burton J Litman (LMBB) presented the lecture "Lateral Domain Formation in Bilayers Containing Polyunsaturated Phospholipids: A Requirement for both Receptor and Cholesterol" in the Mini Symposium "Membrane Microdomains"

Aneeq Ahmad (LMBB) presented the poster "n-3 Fatty Acid Deficiency Affects Hippocampal Morphology"

Mohammed Akbar (LMBB) presented the poster "Anti-Apoptotic Effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Via Phosphatidyl Inositol 3-Kinase Pathway: A Novel Signaling Mechanism in Neuronal Cells"

Allyson J. Bennett (LCS) presented the poster "Early Social Rearing Environment Influences Rhesus Monkeys' Acquisition of Automated, Computerized Joystick Tasks"

PJ Brooks (LNG) presented the poster "Inhibition of Gene Expression by the Oxidative DNA Lesion 8, 5'-Cyclo-2'-Deoxyadenosine: A Possible Mechanism for Neurodegeneration in Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group A"

Paolo B. DePetrillo (LCS) presented the poster "Surface Fractal Computation and Its Application to Immunofluorescent Histochemical Studies of Calpain and Calpastatin"

Ronald W. Finnegan (LNG) presented the poster "Large Scale SNP Genotyping and NT SQL Server Services"

Todd Graham (LCS) presented the poster "Initial Alcohol Exposure Results in Decreased Cardiac Signal Complexity in Alcohol-Naïve Rhesus Monkeys"

Masako Hosoi (LMCN) presented the poster "Mutational Analysis of the Correlation Between the Apparent Agonist Affinity and the Sensitivity of the 5-HT3A Receptor to Ethanol"

Kristina Marie Kaiss (LCS) presented the poster "Relationship Between Multiple Cognitive Measures in Rhesus Monkeys"

Kamran Karimullah (LCS) presented the poster "Modelin of the Time-Related Dynamics of EKG Inter-beat Interval Time-Series in Alcoholic Subjects After Short-Term Abstinence"

Karl Rustom Kevala (LMBB) presented the poster "Very Long Chain Polyunsaturated Phospholipids in Rat Retina Determined by HPLC/ESI-MS"

Jillonne H Kevala (LMBB) presented the poster "Is There Substrate Preference in Phosphatidylserine Decarboxylation?"

Burton J. Litman (LMBB) presented the poster "Critical Role of Lipid Microdomains in Receptor - G Protein Coupling"

Darleen P McKeane (LNG) presented the poster "Fuctionality of the -45 C>T Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of CCK, the gene for Cholecystokinin, Found in Neuronal-like Cell Lines"

Ivan V Polozov (LMBB) presented the poster "Biophysical Mechanisms of Docosahexaenoic Acid Influence on Membrane Receptor Function - Insights form Deuterium NMR Studies"

Jamie Rackoff (LCS) presented the poster "In vitro inhibition of calpain activity in PC12 cells by GSH, GSSG and NO"

Anitza San Miguel (LCS) presented the poster "Ritonavir and Calpain Inhibitor II Prevent Calcium-Stimulated Spectrin Breakdown in PC12 Cells"

Anne C. Sponberg (LCS) presented the poster "The Relationship of Blood Ethanol Concentration, Body Weight, and Total Body Water Content of Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta)"

Hui Sun (LMCN) presented the poster "Identifying the Molecular Site(s) for Phorbol Ester Potentiation of 5-HT3 Receptor-Mediated Current"

John C Umhau (LCS) presented the poster "The Effect of a Yohimbine Infusion on Perpetrators of Domestic Violence and Non-Violent Controls"

Wenshuai Wan (LCS) presented the poster "Ritonavir and Saquinavir are Competitive Inhibitors of Calcium-Activated Protease Activity in PC12 Cell Extracts

Elena A Werby (LMCN) presented the poster "Identifying the Functional Important of the Arginine at 241 of the GABAA Receptor Beta Subunit"

Wendol A. Williams (LCS) presented the poster "Modeling of Kinetic Parameters of Acute Tryptophan Depletion in Human Subjects"

QingFeng Yang (LCS) presented the poster "Calpain Inhibitor I and Ritonavir Prevent Glutamate-Induced Cytotoxicity in Differentiated PC12 Cells"

Allyson Bennett (LCS) presented an abstract titled "Early Social Rearing Environment Influences Acquisition of Self-Paced, Automated Joystick Tasks in Rhesus Monkeys"

Misa Fukuzawa (LMCN) presented an abstract titled "Mutational Analysis of the Apparent Agonist Affinity and the Sensitivity of 5HT3A Receptor to Ethanol"

David Goldman (LNG) presented a poster titled "Drugs of Abuse: Human Studies and Gene Expression Studies"

Xiang-Qun Hu (LMCN) presented an abstract titled "Single Site Mutation in the N-Terminal Domain of the 5-HT3A Receptor Alters the Potency and Efficacy of Agonist Action"

Yoshio Kanemitsu (LMCN) presented an abstract titled "Molecular Determinants for Dynorphin Potentiation of NMDA Receptor-Mediated Responses at Low Extracellular Glycine Concentrations"

Hosoi Masako (LMCN) presented an abstract titled "Mutational Analysis of the Apparent Agonist Affinity and the Sensitivity of the 5-HT3a Receptor to Ethanol"

Charity McManaman (LNG) presented a poster titled "Discovery of Single Nucleotide Polymorphs (SNPS) in (CHAT) and Vesic Acetylcholine Transferase Genes"

Edgar Moradel (LMCN) presented an abstract titled " Conversion of Dopamine to a Full Agonist of the 5-HT3A Receptor Through Single Amino Acid Mutation at R2 45"

Jean Rho (LNG) presented a poster titled "Genomic Diversity in the Human Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor Genes CHRM1-5"

Jeffrey Schoenebeck (LMCN) presented an abstract titled "Cloning and Characterization of a Human 5HT3A Receptor Splice Variant"

Randall Stewart (LMCN) presented an abstract titled "Properties of Neuronal Precursor Cells of the Suza in Slices of Neonatal Rat Forebrain"

Hui Sun (LMCN) presented an abstract titled "Identifying the Molecular Sites for Phorbol Ester Potentation of 5-HT3A Receptor Through Mutational Analysis of the Receptors Large Intracellular Loop"

Elena Werby (LMCN) presented an abstract titled "Identifying the Importance of a Highly Conserved Arginine in the N-Terminal Domain Near the First Transmembrane Domain of the GABAA Receptor

Stephanie White (LNG) presented a poster titled "Nucleotide Sequence Diversity, the Human NMDA Receptor Genes"

Ke-Ming Xiong (LMCN) presented an abstract titled "Histidine Mutation Alters the Apparent Agonist Affinity of P2X4 Receptor"

Ke Xu (LNG) presented a poster titled "The Assoc Study on Mu-Opioid Receptor and Opioid Addiction"

Li Zhang (LMCN) presented an abstract titled "Deletional Analysis of Ethanol Sensitivity of 5HT3 Receptor"

Pingjun Zhu (LMCN) presented an abstract titled "Activation of Nicotinic Receptors Increases the Frequency of Spontaneous GABAergic Synaptic Currents in Rat Amgydala Neurons"

Allyson Bennett presented an abstract titled "Early Stressful Rearing Environment Influences..."

James D Higley presented an abstract titled "Serotonergic Influences on the Life..."

Forrest Weight (LMCN) presented an invited lecture titled "Modulation of NMDA Receptor-Mediated Responses by Endogenous..."

Other Presentations Made or Meetings Attended By DICBR Staff

David Goldman (LNG) presented a lecture titled "Neurogenetic Diversity and Relationship to Function" at the Transgenomic Users' Dinner, Philadelphia PA, 10/04/00

Klaus Gawrisch (LMBB) presented a lecture titled "Structure and Dynamics of Polyunsaturated Neural Receptor Membranes" at the Chemical Spectroscopy, Protein Folding Dynamics & Polymer Dynamics Meeting, Argonne IL, 10/9-11/00

Drake Mitchell (LMBB) presented a seminar titled "Using Osmotic Stress to Dissect the Effects of Ethanol on Receptor Activation" and participated in Principles of Membranes Physiology & Biophys. II Course, Miami FL, 11/1-4/00

Antonia Calzone (AMB) presented a poster titled "An Integrated Database for Managing Animal Study Proposals and Animal Inventory for the Small Animal Facility", at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Assciation for the Laboratory Animal Science, San Diego CA, 11/5-9/00.

Sandor Batkai (LPS) presented a poster titled "Activation of Vascular CB1 Cannabinoid...Cirrhosis of the Liver" at the 73rd Scientific Session of the American Heart Association, New Orleans LA, 11/12-15/00

Joseph Hibbeln (LMBB) presented a lecture titled "Omega-3 Fats in Depressive Disorders and Violence: Nutritional Interventions in Infancy and Adulthood," Cornell University, Ithaca NY, 11/27/00

Klaus Gawrisch (LMBB) presented a seminar titled "Eating Fish is Good for Your Health--Properties of Highly Unsaturated Lipid Membranes," Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia PA, 12/01/00

Qingfend Yang (LCS) presented an abstract at the 40th American Society for Cell Biology, San Francisco CA, 12/9-13/00

Ke Xu (LNG) presented a poster at the 14TH International Symposium on Microscale Separations and Analysis - MPCE 2001, Boston MA, 01/13-19/01

Philip Brooks (LNG) presented a poster at the Gordon Conference on Mammalian DNA Repair, Los Angeles CA, 01/21-26/01

Klaus Gawrisch (LMBB) presented a lecture titled "New Insights Into Biomembrane Structure from Two-Dimen Nuclear Overhuser Enhancement Spectroscopy", Mesilla Chem Wkshp on Structure and Dynamics of Biomembranes, Las Cruces NM, 2/10-14/01

Brooks PJ: Brain atrophy and neuronal loss in alcoholism: A role for DNA damage? Neurochemistry International 2000;37(5-6):403-12

Contreras MA, Greiner RS, Chang MCJ, et al: Nutritional deprivation of alpha-linolenic acid decreases but does not abolish turnover and availability of unacylate docosahexaenoic acid and docosahexaenoyl-CoA in rat brain. J Neurochem 2000;75(6):2392-2400

Cravchik A, Goldman D. Neurochemical Individuality: Genetic diversity among human dopamine and serotonin receptors and transporters. Arch Gen Psych 2000;57(12):1105-14

DePetrillo PB, Yang QF, Rackoff J, SanMiguel A, Karimullah K: Surface fractal computation and its application to immunofluorescent histochemical studies of calpain and calpastatin in PC12 cells. Journal Neuroscience Methods 2000;103(2):191-7

Evans J, Reeves B, Platt H, Liebenau A, Goldman D, Jefferson K, Nutt D: Impulsiveness, serotonin genes and repetition of deliberate self harm (DSH). Psychological Medicine 2000;30(6):1327-34

Funabashi T, Kleopoulos SP, Brooks PJ, Kimura F, Pfaff DW, Shinohara K, Mobbs CV: Changes in estrogenic regulation of estrogen receptor alpha mRNA and progesterone receptor mRNA in the female rat hypothalamus during aging: an in situ hybridization study. Neuroscience Research 2000;38(1):85-92

Habash T, Eskay RL, Kuenzel WJ, et al: Interactions of glucocorticoids, NPY and hypothalamic serotonin. Nutr Neurosci 2000;3(3):183-92

Hamilton J, Greiner R, Salem N Jr, Kim HY: N-3 fatty acid deficiency decreases phosphatidylserine accumulation selectively in neuronal tissues. Lipids 2000;35:863-9

Heinz A, Goldman D: Genotype effects on neurodegeneration and neuroadaptation in monoaminergic neurotransmitter systems. Neurochemistry International 2000;37(5-6):425-32

Hong F, Nguyen VA, Shen X, Kunos G, Gao B: Rapid activation of protein kinaseB/Akt has a key role in antiapoptotic signaling during liver regeneration. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2000;279:974-979

Huster D, Dietrich U, Gutberlet T, Gawrisch K, Arnold K: Lipid matrix properties in cationic membranes interacting with anionic polyelectrolytes: A solid-state NMR approach. Langmuir 2000;16(24):9225-32

Jeong KS, Park SJ, Lee CS, Kim TW, Kim SH, Ryu SY, Williams BH , Veech RL, Lee, YS: Effects of cyclocreatine in rat hepatocarcinogenisis model. Anti Canc Res 2000;20:1627-34

Jeong KS, Soh Y, Jeng J, Felder M, Hardwick JP, Song BJ: Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) dependent production of a 37 kDa acetaldehyde-protein adduct. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 2000;384(1):81-7

Kim HY, Akbar M, Lau A and Edsall L: Inhibition of neuronal apoptosis by docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3): Role of phosphatidylserine in antiapoptotic effect. J Biol Chem 2000;275(45):35215-23

Kunos G, Jarai Z, Batkai S, et al: Endocannabinoids as cardiovascular modulators. Chem Phys Lipids 2000;108(1-2):159-68

Li B, Zhang H, Akbar M, Kim HY: Negative regulation of cytosolic phospholipase A(2) by melatonin in the rat pineal gland. Biochem J 2000;351:709-16

Li CY, Xiong KM, Weight FF: Ethanol inhibition of adenosine 5 '-triphosphate-activated current in freshly isolated adult rat hippocampal CA1 neurons. Neurosci Lett 2000;295(3):77-80

Moriguchi T, Greiner RS, N Salem Jr: Behavioral deficits associated with dietary induction of decreased brain docosahexaenoic acid concentration. J Neurochem 2000;75(6):2563-73

Peoples RW, Stewart RR: Alcohols inhibit N-Methyl-d-aspartate receptors via a site exposed to the extracellular environment. Neuropharmacology 2000;39:1681-91

Polozova A, Litman BJ: Cholesterol dependent recruitment of di22:6-PC by a G protein-coupled receptor into lateral domains. Biophys J 2000;79(5):2632-43

Shen XI, Tian ZG, Holtzman MJ, et al: Crosstalk between interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) and IL-6 signalling pathways: IL-1 beta selectively inhibits IL-6-activated signal transducer and activator of transcription factor 1 (STAT1) by a proteasome-dependent mechanism. BIOCHEM J 2000;352:913-9 (Part 3)

Shen JN, Wenger N, Glaspy J, Hays RD, Albert PS, Choi C, Shekelle PG: Electroacupuncture for control of myeloablative chemotherapy-induced emesis - A randomized controlled trial. Journal American Medical Association 2000;284(21):2755-61

Simopoulos AP, Leaf A, Salem N Jr: Workshop on essentiality of and recommended dietary intakes for omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Prostag Leukotr Ess 2000;63(3):119-21

Soh Y, Jeong KS, Lee IJ, Kim YC, Song BJ: Selective activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway during apoptosis of PC12 cells by 4-hydroxynonenal. Molecular Pharmacology 2000;58:535-41

Westergaard GC, Chavanne TJ, Lussier ID, Suomi SJ, Higley JD: Hormonal correlates of hand preference in free-ranging primates. Neuropsychopharmacol 2000;23(5):502-7

Ehringer MA, Thompson J, Conroy O, et al: Progress toward gene identification for alcohol-related phenotypes. Am J Hum Genet 2000;67(4):329 (Suppl)

Fahlke C, Champoux M, Higley D, et al.: Rearing experiences and plasma cortisol as early risk factors for excessive alcohol intake in nonhuman primates. Int J Psychol 2000;35(3-4):332 (Sp. Iss.)

Feng J, Buzin CH, Craddock N, et al: DOVAM-S: Evidence for generic scanning conditions and application to the steroid receptor gene family. Am J Hum Genet 2000;67(4):352 (Suppl)

Heinz A, Jones DW, Hommer D, et al: Reduction in raphe serotonin transporters in alcoholism is associated with plasma cortisol concentrations. J Nucl Med 2000;41(5):136P

Heinz A, Williams W, Kerich H, et al: FDG-PET shows orbitofrontal activation in alcoholics with low serotonin turnover. J Nucl Med 2000;41(5):204P

Higley JD, Bennett A: Impaired CNS serotonin functioning, and antisocial-like personality: A nonhuman primate model of genetic and environmental influences. Int J Psychol 2000;35(3-4):314 (Sp. Iss.)

Koss MP, Goldman D: Genetic factors and alcoholism. Am J Public Health 2000;90(11):1799

Long JC, Brooks J, Bergen AW, et al: Population genetics of complex alcoholism. Am J Med Genet 2000;96(4):457-8

Porter FD, Zhu P, Kratz L, et al: Phenotypic, biochemical, and neurophysiological characterization of a SLOS mouse model. Am J Hum Genet 2000;67(4):280 (Suppl)

Radel M, Vallejo RL, Iwata N, et al: Linkage and association analyses of sequence variants of the GABRA6, GABRB2, and GABRG2 gene cluster and alcohol dependence in a Finnish sample. Am J Hum Genet 2000;67(4):223 (Suppl)

Rotondo A, Mazzanti CM, Gemignani A, et al: Obsessive-compulsive spectrum and serotonin: A genetic association study. Am J Med Genet 2000;96(4):525

Rudolph JG, Mazzanti CM, McManaman C, et al: Nucleotide sequence diversity in human NMDA receptor genes. Am J Med Genet 2000;96(4):562

Shoaf SE, Carson RE, Herscovitch P, et al.: Does labeled alpha-methyl-L-tryptophan image ONLY blood-brain barrier transport of tryptophan? J Cerebr Blood F Met 2000;20(10):1511 (Reply)

Sommer SS, Feng J, Craddock N, et al: Scanning of steroid hormone receptor genes with DOVAM-S in patients with psychiatric diseases. Am J Med Genet 2000;96(4):481-2

Syagailo YV, Grassle M, Bennett A, et al: A monoamine oxidase A promoter-associated polymorphic region in evolutionary perspective. Am J Med Genet 2000;96(4):562

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Ms. Judith Downey joined the OD on September 10th as a Program Analyst. Ms. Downey received her BA degree in English from Bryn Mawr College and her MA in English from the University of London. She has had a long career in philanthropy and served as Program Director of the William H. Donner Foundation of New York, and Executive Director of the April Trust in Washington, DC. Most recently, she worked in development for the American Institute of Cancer Research. Ms. Downey came to NIAAA last September. Her role here is to undertake a range of activities designed to elevate the visibility of the alcohol issue to a national level of attention and to engage the support of a broad range of partners in bringing new funding to alcohol research and related activities in the field.

Mr. James Vaughan, Deputy Director, Office of Scientific Affairs and Executive Secretary for the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is retiring April 1. Mr. Vaughan has over 37 years of service in the Federal government having started with the former Department of Health, Education, and Welfare as a Management Intern in 1965. Following completion of the Management Intern Program, Mr. Vaughan was a budget analyst at the National Institute of Mental Health from 1968 to 1970 and Budget Officer for the National Center for Family Planning Services from 1970 to 1974.

Mr. Vaughan came to NIAAA in 1974 as the Deputy Executive Officer and became Assistant Director for Extramural Programs in 1977. Mr. Vaughan subsequently became Executive Secretary for the National Advisory Council in 1979 and Deputy Director of the Office of Scientific Affairs in 1982. Mr. Vaughan looks forward to traveling in Europe and North America while the dollar and he are still strong.

L. Tony Beck, Ph.D. joined the Office of Scientific Affairs in October as the SRA for the AA-1 Biomedical Research Review Committee. Dr. Beck has a Master's degree in biochemistry from the University of California, Riverside, and a Doctorate in molecular biology and biochemistry from the University of California, Irvine, and Brookhaven National Laboratory. He performed postdoctoral studies in molecular neurobiology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver and a postdoctoral/faculty position at the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for Cancer Research in Denver where he investigated the gene regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis and posttranslational farnsylation of nuclear and oncogene proteins.

In 1990, Dr. Beck accepted a position with Life Technologies, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, to establish LTI's Molecular and Cellular Biology Training Center. In 1992, he joined Cellco, Inc., as Director of Research Applications and Contracts. During his 7-year tenure with Cellco other duties included collaborative support for Cellco's adoptive immunotherapy clinical customers, protocol development for bioreactor-based Space Shuttle experiments, and in vitro vascular and blood-brain barrier models. Prior to joining NIAAA, Dr. Beck served as VP of Research & Development at Tissue Engineering Sciences, Inc. Germantown, MD., where he directed R&D on bioartificial blood vessels, ex vivo vascular perfusion systems, and an in vitro blood brain barrier drug discovery program.

Lorraine Gunzerath, Ph.D. joined the Office of Scientific Affairs in December, as part of the Planning and Evaluation team. Dr. Gunzerath has a Doctorate in clinical psychology, with research emphasis in behavioral genetics. She was an intramural postdoctoral researcher at the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Laboratory of Biochemistry. Dr. Gunzerath also has a M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and has extensive experience in planning and evaluation with several major corporations in the private sector.

Dr. Mark Green, former Chief of the Extramural Project Review Branch in the Office of Scientific Affairs since 1987, left NIAAA in December to assume a review position with the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Office of Policy, Legislation, and Public Liaison

Mr. Hal Zawacki is OPLPL's most recent Presidential Management Intern (PMI). While on rotation at NIAAA, Mr. Zawacki will be working in the Office of Policy, Legislation, and Public Liaison as well as the Office of Collaborative Research. His work in OPLPL will focus on the college initiative and other outreach activities; with OCR he will be working with Peggy Murray on international projects.

Mr. Zawacki recently moved to Washington, D.C. from San Francisco to become an at-large PMI at NIH. From 1997 to 2000 he attended the University of California at Berkeley and earned a Masters in Public Health (specialization in health policy and management, and international health) and a Masters in Social Welfare (specialization in management and planning). His experience in the field of substance abuse is quite extensive, including: case manager/program administrator at a residential alcohol and drug treatment program serving parolees in San Francisco (4.5 years); substance abuse case manager at San Francisco's largest homeless shelter (1 year); Alcohol & Drug counselor in San Francisco County Jail #7 (1 year); volunteer phone counselor at San Francisco crisis lines, which included the drug information line and the relapse line (5 years).

Dr. Dennis A. Twombly has joined the Division of Basic Research as a Program Officer in Electrophysiology and Pharmacology. Dr. Twombly received a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the UCLA Brain Research Institute, where he did basic and clinical research on the neurophysiology of epilepsy. He conducted postdoctoral work with Toshio Narahashi in the Department of Pharmacology at Northwestern University in Chicago. His research during this period involved patch clamp studies of neuronal ion channels - primarily calcium channels -- and the mechanisms of channel modulation by anti-epileptic agents, anesthetics, neurotoxins, and neuropeptides. Dr. Twombly has since served as a faculty member at Northwestern in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Biological Chemistry, a distinguished faculty in electrophysiology, pharmacology, and molecular biology.

Dr. Twombly has been engaged in alcohol research for more than ten years. He has been awarded a variety of extramural grants from NIAAA and NIA, including an R01 project on cardiac calcium channels. This project involves studies of ethanol action on channel biophysics, as well as regulation of signal transduction mechanisms by ethanol. Over the years, Dr. Twombly has acquired unusually broad expertise in electrophysiology and pharmacology. Research in his lab has included single channel recordings, whole-cell voltage clamp, intracellular recording, multiple unit recording, evoked potentials, EEG recordings, and radiotelemetry. He has worked with preparations ranging from single cells in culture to freely-moving seizure patients.

In addition to his scientific activities, Dr. Twombly has been very active in the Chicago neuroscience community. He served as elected Secretary of the Chicago Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience, and spearheaded several science education initiatives in the Chicago Public Schools.

Dr. Diane Lucas has joined the Division of Basic Research as a Health Scientist Administrator. Dr. Lucas has a longstanding involvement with science and science administration. Academically, she is well grounded in the biological sciences, having obtained a B.S. degree in microbiology from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in cell biology and immunology from Georgetown University. Laboratory research on immunobiology and the regulation of lymphocyte and myeloid cell differentiation had occupied Dr. Lucas' attention for many years and she has numerous publications reflecting her interests in these areas.

Dr. Lucas joined the National Institutes of Health through the Grants Associate Training Program for Scientist Administrators in1983. Afterwards, she became a Health Scientist Administrator with the NHLBI where she was responsible for administering programs in thrombosis and hemostasis. She contributed substantially to the development of new programs in the areas of bleeding and clotting disorders, gene therapy, and the treatment of hemophilia. In 1992, Dr. Lucas took a position at UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (formerly Rutgers Medical School). Here as the senior institutional official (Associate Dean for Research), she was responsible for regulatory oversight and for providing overall direction for the scientific and administrative management of sponsored programs at the medical school. She rejoined the NHLBI in 1997 as a member of the Vascular Research Program where she managed a portfolio of approximately $50 million comprising research grants on the etiology, treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis. Most recently, she has directed her efforts towards developing several new targeted research programs on the immunobiology of cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Mark Egli has joined DBR as a Health Sciences Administrator in the Neurosciences and Behavioral Research Branch. Dr. Egli received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology at the University of Minnesota with emphasis in basic behavioral pharmacology. His graduate work examined the role of opiate systems on food-motivated behavior in animals. At the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, Dr. Egli collaborated on studies examining drug and alcohol effects on laboratory measures of human aggression.

Dr. Egli joins us from the John F. Kennedy Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville where for the past seven years he has participated in trans-disciplanary research with scientists from disciplines including genetics, neuroanatomy, exercise physiology, radiology, and endocrinology. While keeping a hand in basic neuroscience research involving animal subjects, Dr. Egli also participated in a program project on Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), a developmental disability associated with a chromosome 15 abnormality and characterized by a life-threatening eating disorder. Dr. Egli and colleagues found that people with PWS were more likely than control subjects to choose a larger magnitude of a delayed food-reinforcer over a smaller, immediate food-reinforcer, debunking the common belief that people with PWS have no impulse control over their eating. Dr. Egli and colleagues found evidence for a cognitive strength in people having a form of PWS associated with elevated expression of a specific gene product in the hippocampus.

Ms. Carol Vandriak joined DBR as Secretary to the Director. She came to the NIAAA from the Marine Mammal Commission (MMC), a commission under the Executive Branch, which deals with protecting endangered and threatened species of the sea. She was the Executive Secretary to the Executive Director of MMC and has been with the Federal government since 1991.

Carol is very familiar with NIH. She has worked as secretary in the Division of Bioengineering and Physical Sciences at NIH, where she received a Staff Recognition Award. Previously, she worked at NIDA and at SAMHSA, in the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, as secretary to the Director of the Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs.

Division of Biometry and Epidemiology

Two new staff members have joined the Biometry Branch of the Division of Biometry and Epidemiology. They are:

Dr. Frederick Stinson, a research psychologist, comes to the Institute as an experienced alcohol researcher with over 20 years in the field. For the past 20 years, Dr. Stinson was a senior alcohol research and project director at CSR, Incorporated

Mr. Ward Kay, who is an expert in survey design, planning and longitudinal imputation. Mr. Kay comes to the Institute from the Demographic Survey Division of the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Mr. Kay earned his bachelor degree in Statistics and his Masters degree in Survey Research.

Both Dr. Stinson and Mr. Kay have already reflected credit on our Institute and promise to contribute immensely to NIAAA's general population surveys and epidemiologic research.

Division of Clinical and Prevention Research

Dr. Raye Litten has been appointed Chief of the Treatment Research Branch. During the past 10 years, Dr. Litten served as Health Scientist Administrator in the Branch. His primary focus has been in medications development, an area that has experienced significant advances over the past decade. His duties as Branch Chief include providing leadership for the Branch in stimulating and monitoring research in many areas including: evaluating new medications and behavioral/psychosocial interventions for alcohol abuse and dependence, investigating mechanisms for effective alcoholism treatments, developing assessment and diagnostic instruments and effective treatments for adolescents, identifying factors that lead to relapse, and effective treatments for co-existing conditions such as depression, anxiety, and nicotine addiction.

Dr. Suzanne Heurtin-Roberts, who served in the Prevention Research Branch as Program Director for grants concerned with Special Populations, transferred to the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences in the National Cancer Institute. At NCI she will be primarily concerned with health disparity issues.

Barbara Jaruga, Ph.D., was appointed as a Visiting Fellow (02/01/01-01/31/03) in the Section on Liver Biology, Laboratory of Physiologic Studies. Dr. Jaruga received her Ph.D. (2000) in Medical Diagnostics from the L Rydygier Medical University, Poland. Following receipt of her Ph.D., Dr. Jaruga served as a Special Volunteer where her training focused on the molecular mechanism responsible for interferon therapy resistance, using techniques such as Western blot, transfection, report assay, hepatocytes isolation, RNA isolation, PCR and others. During her current appointment, Dr. Jaruga will expand her knowledge of molecular biology through the study of the synergistic effects of alcohol consumption and viral hepatitis on liver disease. She will use techniques such as transfection assay and Northern and Western blotting to explore the interaction of alcohol and viral hepatitis protein-mediated signaling pathways in liver cells. These signaling pathways include nuclear factor kB (NFkB), activated protein 1, protein 2.

Yoshio Kanemitsu, MD, Ph.D., was appointed as a Visiting Fellow (10/01/00-9/31/02) in the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology. Dr. Kanemitsu received both his MD (1989) and Ph.D. (2000) in Psychosomatic Medicine from Kyushu University, Japan. Through this fellowship, Dr. Kanemitsu will have the opportunity to expand his knowledge of molecular biological and electrophysiological techniques. While with the LMCN, he will receive training in several techniques used to study the cellular and molecular physiology and pharmacology of the mammalian nervous system that includes training in molecular biological techniques used to prepare and express cDNA and cRNA from cloned receptors and ion channel or mRNA from brain. He will also receive training in electrophysiological techniques used to study the function of recombinant receptors and ion channels express in Xenopus oocytes or cell lines. Dr. Kanemitsu will apply these techniques to the study of cellular and molecular physiology and pharmacology of neuronal receptors and ion channels and to the interaction of alcohol and other neuroactive substances.

Mari Mineta, MD, Ph.D., was appointed as a Research Fellow, Visiting Program (11/01/00-10/31/01) in the Laboratory of Neurogenetics. Dr. Mineta received her MD (1991) and Ph.D. (1996) in Medical Science from Kyushu University, Japan. Between 1996-98, Dr. Mineta served as a postdoctoral fellow, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, and also as a research associate, Massachusetts General Hospital, Molecular Neurogenetic Unit. Prior to joining the LNG, she served as Assistant Professor and clinician in the Department of Psychiatry, Saga Medical School, Japan. In addition to teaching, Dr. Mineta conducted research. Of particular interest was her work on the Japanese Schizophrenia Sib-Pair Linkage Study where she performed genome screening for schizophrenia linkage. Dr. Mineta's research also involved genetic analysis of movement disorders. She performed linkage analysis on two large families with rapid-onset Dystopia-Parkinsonism using simple sequence repeat markers for a genome-wide scan and developed rapid genotyping methods. Dr. Mineta is interested in studying the etiology of psychiatric diseases and alcoholism. While with LNG, she will pursue genetic variation in the function of central reward pathways that are fundamental to the pathophysiology of alcoholism and mental disorders, gain an understanding of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in complex disorders and be taught advanced techniques such as high throughput genotyping and variant detection methods. Her work will focus on defining new genetic variation and genotype variants for population and linkage studies of alcoholism and related diseases that also involve reward pathways. She will be taught techniques and principles for sequence variant detection, sequencing, genotyping and statistical population and linkage genetics.

Laszlo Offertaler, MD, was appointed as a part-time Research Fellow, Visiting Program (12/01/00-11/30/02) in the Section on Neuroendocrinology, Laboratory of Physiologic Studies. Dr. Offertaler received his MD (1995) from the University Medical School of Debrecen, Hungary. Prior to joining the DIBCR, Dr. Offertaler served as a Development Physician with ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc (Hungary Division) while he pursued his Ph.D. (80% complete) in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from the University Medical School of Debrecen where his research focused on development of new HIV-integrase inhibitors using modified oligonucleotides. While with LPS, Dr. Offertaler research will focus on development and testing of novel ligands for an unidentified cannabinoid receptor that will involve both ex vivo experiments using isolated tissues and radioligand binding. Dr. Offertaler plans to return to the University Medical School of Debrecen to complete his Ph.D.

Zohra Olumee-Shabon, Ph.D., was appointed as a Post-Doctoral Intramural Research Trainee (9/11/00-9/10/02) in the Section of Mass Spectrometry, Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics. Dr. Olumee-Shabon received her Ph.D. (1998) in Chemistry with emphasis in Mass Spectrometry from George Washington University and her BS (1992) in Chemistry from George Mason University. Between 1999-2000, Dr. Olumee-Shabon was a scientist with Stanford Research Systems and worked on developing electrospray deposition system as a Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) sample preparation technique. Dr. Olumee-Shabon's strong affinity for basic research has brought her to LMBB where she will participate in research examining protein-lipid and/or protein-protein interaction, particularly on the conformational changes of proteins involved in cell survival signaling, using mass spectrometry and deuterium exchange and/or cross linking reactions. The effect of polyunsaturates and ethanol on these interactions will be examined in relation to their effect on neuronal cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Dr. Olumee-Shabon will explore the biochemical basis underlying the functional necessity of polyunsaturates in neuronal cells.

Svetlana P Radaeva, Ph.D., was appointed as a Research Fellow, Visiting Program (11/19/00-11/18/02) in the Section on Liver Biology, Laboratory of Physiologic Studies. Dr. Radaeva received her Ph.D. (1991) in Biology from NK Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, USSR Academy of Sciences; Moscow and she hold an MS (1986) in Physiology from Moscow State University. Following receipt of her Ph.D., Dr. Radaeva worked as a Guest Scientist at the Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany (1993-96) that was followed by postdoctoral training at Virginia Commonwealth University and Wayne State University (1996-99). Dr. Radaeva came to the LPS, following an Academic Research Associateship at Georgetown University, Department of Medicine (1999-2000). Dr. Radaeva's prior training has provided experience in molecular biology, immunohistochemistry, and liver biology. While with LPS, her research will focus on the effects of ethanol on signal transduction in liver injury and carcinoma. This work is ideally suited to meet Dr. Radaeva's interest in liver biology. She will receive training in cell culture and molecular biology techniques such as isolation and culturing hepatocytes, gene array and signal transduction, which will enhance her knowledge in liver biology.

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In September, the National Fisheries Institute recognized Dr. William Lands, Senior Scientific Advisor, for his work in Seafood Health and Nutrition Research with a "FINesse Award" that was presented at its annual meeting. The NFI citation noted that "The seafood health & nutrition research award is presented to the company, organization or individual who has made exceptional advances in research efforts to identify new health and nutrition facts on seafood." Not only has Dr. William Lands published more than 240 scientific papers and published what is perhaps the definitive book on fish and human health, he may have created the hook that will grasp the attention of the consuming public. His personalized, interactive computer program allows individuals to check their personal food habits against their risk of cardiovascular death. Changes to abrogate the risk factors include eating more fish or fish oil products."

November 15, Dr. Susan Martin, Division of Clinical and Prevention Research, Prevention Research Branch, was awarded the Distinguished Scholar Award of the Section on Women and Crime of the American Society of Criminology at their annual meeting in San Francisco, California.

Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research

Fellows Award for Research Excellence (FARE) 2001 Award Recipients

Dr. Ivan Polozov (Visiting Fellow, LMBB) was acknowledged for his work in Biochemistry/Lipids and Dr. Shui-Lin Niu (Postdoc IRTA, LMBB) for his work in Signal Transduction/G-Proteins. The Fellows Award for Research Excellence (FARE) is competitive. Although 639 applications were submitted, only 159 awards were granted. FARE recipients are given a $1000 Travel Award to be used to attend a scientific meeting; awardees are scheduled to present research posters following a NIH Wednesday Afternoon Lecture (WALS) and awardees will serve as the "postdoctoral" judges for the FARE 2002 competition.

Prepared: April 2001