Three issues of Alcohol Alert have been published: "New Advances in Alcoholism Treatment," Fetal Alcohol Exposure and the Brain," and "Economic Perspectives in Alcoholism Research." The issue on alcohol and transportation safety has been sent to the printers. Work has begun on the next issue which focuses on cognition.

NIAAA has decided that this will be the last Special Report to Congress for a number of reasons: 1) it is no longer mandated by law; 2) the "state of the science" reports in the Special Report duplicate those in the NIAAA journal Alcohol Research & Health (AH&R) and are less timely; 3) the large amount of resources devoted to producing the 500-page report, for a relatively limited number of users, will be put to use getting out more information, more quickly, to more audiences who can benefit from it.

For the technical audience that benefited from the Special Report to Congress, NIAAA plans to produce a special issue of AR&H every three years that will contain:

• A compilation of state-of-the-science reports that represents a cross-section of NIAAA research areas.

• A cumulative index of all the issues in the past 3 years, which would provide the convenience of the "all in one place" index in the Special Report. The index will be posted on the NIAAA web site, with the page numbers for each entry hot-linked with the appropriate AR&H issue and page.

• A 2-3 page "perspective" piece by the NIAAA director, similar to the introduction to the Special Report that will provide an overview of the past, present, and future of alcohol research.

• A 2-4 page graphic "statistics at a glance" section of eye-catching visuals that tell the story of alcohol's effects on society: the prevalence of alcohol abuse and dependence, morbidity and mortality trends in different groups, economic costs, and more.

• The Physician's Guide to Helping Patients with Alcohol Problems is being revised. An expert panel, chaired by Dr. Richard Fuller, Director, DCPR, was convened in February to advise on the Guide's content and its presentation. Currently, the varied recommendations from the panelists and other sources are being synthesized to develop a proposed approach for the panels' review. In addition, NIAAA is requesting NIH evaluation funds to assess the usability of the revised document, once prototypes are produced.

• The research-based booklet, Make a Difference: Talk to Your Child About Alcohol, has been adapted for Russian parents and caregivers.

• A compendium of published articles on the 1992 National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiological Survey is being developed.

NIAAA in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has developed two television and two radio public service announcements (PSAs) on underage drinking. The PSAs were submitted to the Advertising Council which leads a Task Force that reviews and selects PSAs for the Office of National Control Drug Policy Media Campaign's Pro-Bono Match Program. The NIAAA/SAMHSA PSAs were approved and have been submitted to the major networks. NIAAA and SAMHSA also are disseminating the PSAs to local media outlets and to community organizations and associations. Two new panels were created for our traveling exhibit.

A contract to assess the need for a National Clearinghouse on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome has begun. NIAAA is funding this effort with NIH funds set-aside for evaluation. Work is expected to be completed this summer.

• On May 3, Dr. Robert W. Karp, Program Director for Genetics, hosted visiting speaker Steven McIntire, M.D., Ph.D., from the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center. Dr. McIntire spoke about his genetic analyses of the behavioral responses of the soil nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, to alcohol. This simple organism, although its nervous system consists of only 300 nerve cells, exhibits alcohol-induced depression of its activity, along with tolerance to these effects, and withdrawal signs. The powerful genetic methods available in this organism permit rapid identification of genes influencing these effects. Since this organism shares many of its genes with humans, genetic studies of its responses to alcohol will accelerate the search for genes influencing such responses in humans.

• Dr. Zakhari represented NIAAA on the Trans-NIH Committee on Genetics in the Developing World. The Committee focuses on ways to help developing countries build their infrastructure in genetics and cell biology research in order to study special populations or unique health problems these countries may have.

Grant, BF, Stinson, FS, and Harford, TC . The Five-year Course of Alcohol Abuse among Young Adults.

Stinson, FS, Grant, BF and Dufour, MC. The Critical Dimension of Ethnicity in Liver Cirrhosis Mortality Statistics.

Hanna, EZ, Yi, H., Dufour, MC, and Whitmore, CC. The Relationship of Early Onset of Regular Smoking to Alcohol Use, Depression, Illicit Drug Use, and Other Risky Behaviors during Early Adolescence: Results from the Youth Supplement to the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Hanna, EZ, Yi H, Dufour, MC, Whitmore, CC; The relationship of early onset regular smoking to alcohol use, depression, illicit drug use and other risky behaviors during early adolescence: Results from the youth supplement to the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANESIII). J. Substance Abuse 2001; in press.

Dr. Richard Fuller was a discussant for a symposium entitled "Combining Medications and Behavioral Interventions in Alcoholism Treatment: The COMBINE Study," at the annual ASAM meeting, April 21, 2001, in Los Angeles, California.

The goal of this Cooperative Agreement is to identify optimal combinations of pharmacologic and behavioral interventions for the treatment of alcoholism. Project COMBINE builds on the results and methodology of Project MATCH, and on research with pharmacologic agents that act directly to reduce drinking. The pharmacologic agents being studied are naltrexone and acamprosate. The two behavioral therapies are Medication Management (MM), a brief intervention designed to enhance compliance to medication and encourage drinking cessation, and Combined Behavioral Intervention (CBI), a moderate intensity intervention combining elements from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, and Alcoholics Anonymous.

The main trial began enrolling patients in January 2001. A media announcement was issued in March and a national call center with a toll-free number was established to aid the sites in screening calls. As of May 13, 2001, 178 patients have been enrolled. Of these, 29 percent are females and 19 percent are minorities. Recruitment to date is at the expected rate. Several instances of favorable national and local print and media publicity of the trial have occurred which has stimulated inquiries to the national call center.

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. The second pilot study, involving 108 alcohol dependent patients, was completed this year. It was designed to (a) monitor side effects and safety of both monotherapy and combined therapy in an outpatient setting, (b) test all research methods and behavioral interventions for feasibility of implementation, and (c) evaluate patient compliance to the regimen. Again, there was no significant toxicity from either the monotherapy or the combination therapy. The main side effect was mild/moderate transient diarrhea. Medication adherence, as determined by pill count was high. The Data Safety Monitoring Board reviewed the preliminary results in September 2000 and the final results on April 25, 2001.

• On May 21-22, 2001, Drs. John Allen and Joanne Fertig and Ms. Veronica Wilson met with the Subject Matter Expert Panel to revise Assessing Alcohol Problems: A Guide for Clinicians and Researchers, originally published in 1995. The new manual will thoroughly update the earlier version of the manual in terms of content-oriented chapters. It will also include instruments that now satisfy an inclusion criteria and several new chapters and sections dealing with assessment of adolescents, measurement of co-occurring drug abuse and nicotine dependence, alcohol craving, and treatment process measures. A summary chapter suggesting how instruments can be applied to clinical practice will also be included. The working group reviewed the draft chapters of the revised edition, determined the final set of instruments to be included, discussed the continuation inclusion criteria for instruments in the previous volume, and finalized issues surrounding printing, dissemination, and the Website. The publication of the manual is scheduled at the end of the year and will be available in hardcopy as well as on the NIAAA Website.

• Dr. Joanne Fertig participated in the NIAAA co-sponsored workshop Neuroimaging Consortium Workshop on the Development of Novel PET and SPECT Ligands for Brain Imaging held January 22, 2001. Although tremendous opportunities exist for the application of PET and SPECT imaging in the studies of pathophysiology and treatment of CNS disorders, relatively few radioligands are currently available for functional imaging of target molecules implicated in normal brain function and in CNS disorders. The agenda focused on scientific, logistic, legal and regulatory issues relevant to the development of NIH partnerships with scientists from the pharmaceutical industry and academic nuclear medicine research centers. The goal of this partnership is to develop ligands for PET and SPECT brain imaging with the goal of making radioligands accessible to the research community as essential research tools.

• Dr. Cherry Lowman and DCPR Deputy Director, Dr. Bob Huebner, collaborated with staff in NIAAA's OPLPL to develop an NIAAA-funded, one-day symposium on Adolescents and Alcohol Abuse: New Knowledge, New Challenges. The symposium will be a satellite meeting at the American Psychological Society Annual Meeting and will be held on June 14, 2001 at the Sheraton Toronto Centre Hotel in Toronto. The NIAAA symposium is free to attendees and has been approved for Continuing Education Credits. Results and issues on cutting edge subjects in biological, cognitive, and intervention sciences are discussed by currently funded NIAAA-researchers. The symposium chair, Dr. Sandra A. Brown, will strive to build cross-disciplinary bridges through focused discussions. Dr. Lowman will discuss NIAAA funding opportunities in adolescent research. Attendees will leave with a broad understanding of alcohol-related adolescent research, its future challenges, and funding opportunities.

On February 13, 2001, Dr. Margaret Mattson gave a presentation, "Multisite Clinical Trials of Alcoholism Treatment," as part of a NIH briefing to the Icelandic Health Delegation at the Fogarty International Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

On February 20, 2001, Dr. Mattson gave a presentation, "Issues in Design and Implementation of Clinical Trials," to a working group on Exploiting Clinical Trials to Study as part of the NIAAA workshop on the Biological Basis of Recovery in Bethesda, Maryland.

On March 13, 2001, Dr. Raye Litten gave a presentation, "Advances in Treatment for Alcoholism," at the NIAAA's Treatment of Women with Alcohol Use Disorders worshop in Bethesda, Maryland.

On March 29, 2001, Dr. Raye Litten gave a presentation, "Clinical Applications of Research to Alcoholism Treatment," at the Annual Conference of Virginia Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors in Richmond, Virginia.

Allen JP, Litten RZ, Fertig JB, & Sillanaukee P (2001). Carbohydrate deficient transferrin: An aid to early recognition of alcohol relapse. American Journal on Addictions, 10 (Supplement), 24-28.

Allen JP, Litten RZ, Fertig JB & Sillanaukee P (2000). Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin, Gamma Glutamyl Transferase and Macrocytic Volume as Biomarkers of Alcohol Problems in Women. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 24(4), 492-496.

DelBoca F & Mattson ME. Gender as a Matching Variable. In, Longabaugh D and Wirtz P, Project MATCH Hypotheses: Results and Causal Chain Analyses, Volume 8, Project MATCH Monograph Series. NIH Publication (in press).

Longabaugh R & Wirtz P (Eds.) Project MATCH Hypotheses: Results and Causal Chain Analyses, Volume 8, Project MATCH MONOGRAPH Series. (M.E. Mattson , Series Editor) NIH Publication (in press.)

Mattson ME. Patient-Therapy Matching. Encyclopedia of Psychotherapy. Academic Press, NY (in press).

Rice C, Mohr C, DelBoca F, Mattson ME, Young L, & Nickless C. Self-Reports of Physical, Sexual, and Emotional Abuse in an Alcoholism Treatment Sample. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 62:114-123 (2001).

On July 25-26, 2001, the Prevention Research Branch will convene a working group on Alcohol-Related Violence Intervention Research. Approximately 15 experts will review current knowledge and identify future directions for the next generation of research to reduce alcohol-related violence. The meeting was conceptualized and organized by Dr. Susan Martin.

• Dr. Gayle Boyd participated in an invitational seminar on "Environmental Measurement," hosted by the U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The symposium followed a 'think tank' format and focused on methodology to record changes in environmental factors that may contribute to or mitigate problems arising from alcohol use, especially in connection with colleges and universities and their surrounding communities. The symposium was held February 23-24, 2001, in San Diego, California.

• March 14, 2001, Dr. Susan Martin organized and hosted a meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, of 11 grantees conducting research in response to a Trans-NIH RFA on Youth Violence Prevention. The 11 grantees are funded by four NIH Institutes.

• On April 19, 2001, Dr. Martin participated in a conference, Drugs and Crime: Toward an Agenda for the 21^st Century, hosted by the National Institute of Justice. The Conference was held in Washington, DC.

• Dr. Jan Howard, in collaboration with the Program Planning Committee of the National Prevention Network (a component of NASADAD), has arranged an NIAAA-sponsored plenary session entitled, "Confronting Alcohol Problems on College Campuses," for this year's NPN Research Findings Conference to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 11, 2001. Dr. Ralph Hingson will moderate and present an overview; Dr. Mary Larimer will discuss Prevention Strategies for Individuals at Risk for Alcohol Problems, and Dr. Traci Toomey will discuss Environmentally-Focused Prevention Strategies.

• On May 16, 2001, Dr. Jan Howard gave a presentation at the Prevention Roundtable on preventive interventions, research methodologies, and findings from five community-based studies supported by NIAAA. She also addressed approaches used by the investigators to mobilize the communities studied to effect change. The meeting of the Roundtable was held in Rockville, Maryland.

• On May 24, 2001, Dr. Susan Martin made a presentation on funding opportunities at NIAAA as part of a pre-conference workshop, "Obtaining Federal Support for Health Communications Research, held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the International Communications Association in Washington, DC.

• On June 3, 2001, Dr. Jan Howard participated in a special technical assistance workshop for new investigators wishing to apply to NIAAA, NIDA, NIMH, or OJJDP for funding to study the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drug abuse. The workshop was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research in Washington, D.C.

• Dr. Jan Howard has assumed responsibility for the ARMS (Alcohol Research Mentoring System) contract that was formerly managed by Dr. Heurtin-Roberts. With collaborative support from ORMH, the Prevention Research Branch has developed and implemented a face-to-face and distance-learning program to assist new investigators, primarily members of racial/ethnic minority groups, in designing grant applications concerned with intervention and pre-intervention behavior research. Since 1999 this mentoring effort has resulted in the addition of five minority investigators to the research constituency supported by NIAAA, excluding minority supplements to existing grants.

• On April 17, 2001, Drs. Gayle Boyd and Jan Howard were interviewed by the American Psychological Association Monitor for a special article on research concerning the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse among youth. The Monitor also interviewed a number of extramural researchers supported by NIAAA and NIDA.

• On April 5 and 6, 2001, Dr. Howard attended a working group meeting on Community-Based Prevention Strategies at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS), Stanford, California. The meeting was attended by representatives from the prevention research constituency concerned with drug and alcohol abuse as well as other senior staff from NIH (NIDA, OBSSR, and OAR). A follow-up working-group meeting was held on May 29 in Washington, DC, in association with the annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research.

Publications:

Howard, Jan M.: "Preface" in Mail, Patricia, Suzanne Heurtin-Roberts, Susan Martin, and Jan Howard (eds.) - Alcohol Use Among American Indians and Alaska Natives: Multiple Perspectives on a Complex Problem, Rockville, Maryland: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, in press.

Martin, Susan E. (2001): Alcohol, youth and the justice system: Underage drinking as normative behavior, a status offense, and a risk factor for delinquency. Pp. 159-189 in Susan O. White (ed.) Handbooks of Law and Social Science: Youth and Justice. New York: Plenum.

On February 27, 2001, HSRB issued a Program Announcement, Adoption of Alcohol Research Findings in Clinical Practice (PA 01-058)." This PA solicits applications for studies of the adoption in clinical practice of scientific advances in the treatment of alcohol dependence and abuse. Better understanding of these adoption processes can strengthen effective communication between researchers and providers, thereby facilitating the adoption of emergent research-based advances. Specific areas of research encouraged by the PA include: studies that prepare findings from efficacy trials for real-world clinical adoption, studies of communication channels between the scientific community and the provider community, studies of adoption trials, naturalistic studies of knowledge adoption, contributions toward the theory of the adoption process, studies of organizational change, and studies of the resources required for the adoption of treatment improvements.

• On February 22, 2001, Dr. Michael Hilton represented NIAAA at a briefing held by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation on a survey of Washington-area psychiatrists being conducted to determine the impact of parity in FEHB insurance benefits to federal employees. The meeting was held in the Humphrey Building, Washington, DC.

• On February 23, 2001, Dr. Michael Hilton chaired a planning meeting to inaugurate the North Carolina phase of the Researcher in Residence project, jointly sponsored by NIAAA and CSAT. Attendees included officials from the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, directors of four participating treatment centers in North Carolina, and research scientists recruited to visit those clinics, as well as NIAAA and CSAT staff. The meeting was held at NIAAA's offices in Rockville, Maryland.

• On April 6, 2001, Drs. Hilton and Perl represented NIAAA at a meeting of the Technical Advisory Group for the Study of the Impacts of FEHB Insurance Parity. The meeting was held in Rockville, Maryland.

• On May 1, 2001, Dr. Hilton represented the Institute at a Robert Wood Johnson sponsored conference on "Estimating the Costs of Mental health and Substance Abuse Parity." The conference was held in Washington, D.C.

• On May 4, 2001, Dr. Hilton organized a seminar for NIAAA staff on "Barriers to the Diffusion of Naltrexone in Clinical Practice," in which Dr. Stanley Wallack and Dr. Cindy Thomas of Brandeis University summarized the findings of their NIAAA-sponsored research. The seminar was held at the NIAAA offices in Rockville, Maryland.

• On May 10, 2001, Dr. Harold Perl represented the Institute at a briefing on the first year results of the CSAT sponsored Practitioner Research Network (PRN) meeting held in Bethesda, Maryland.

On April 21, 2001, Dr. Michael Hilton gave a presentation, "Linkages to Addiction Treatment in the Medical Care System," at the annual meeting of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Los Angeles, California.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Researcher in Residence Program: Experiences from New York State. Bethesda, MD; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health. 2001.

Hilton, Michael E., Stephen A. Maisto, Joseph Conigliaro, et al. "Improving Alcoholism Treatment Across the Spectrum of Services." Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, Vol. 25, pp128-135, 2001.

• Due to the caliber of specialized skills possessed by the two leading candidates under consideration for the position of Chief, Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, the Search Committee recommended that two smaller laboratories be created in order to recruit both candidates. The Director and Scientific Director, NIAAA concurred with this course of action, and the following laboratories were established:

• Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience-David M. Lovinger, PhD, has accepted the position of Chief. The laboratory will provide an integrated neuroscience approach that successfully combines cellular/molecular techniques, structural biological approaches, the use of transgenic and knockout animal models and behavioral paradigms. At present, Dr. Lovinger serves as Professor, Departments of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics and Pharmacology and Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

• Laboratory of Molecular Physiology-Stephen R. Ikeda, MD, PhD, has accepted the position of Chief. The laboratory will focus on research into the molecular mechanisms of synaptic signaling in the peripheral and central nervous systems. At present, Dr. Ikeda serves as Director, Guthrie cDNA Resource Center, Guthrie Research Institute.

• Discussions are currently underway with the most highly qualified candidates for Chief, Laboratory of Clinical Studies

• Tenure-Track position, Section of Molecular Genetics, LNG-Sixteen applications were received for this position. Of these 16, 14 candidates were found qualified and 4 were deemed highly qualified by the Search Committee. One highly qualified candidate withdrew from consideration; the remaining 3 were invited for personal interviews and seminar presentations. Based on the Search Committee's evaluation, Robert H. Lipsky, PhD, was ranked the top candidate. IC officials concurred with the Search Committee's assessment, an offer was extended to and accepted by Dr. Lipsky, who was appointed as an Investigator (Tenure-track) on 20 May 2001.

• Tenure-Track position, Section of Molecular Neurobiology, LNG-Four highly qualified candidates were identified by the Search Committee and each was invited to present a seminar in April 2001. As yet, an offer has not been extended. This position was created based on the Board of Scientific Counselors recommendation following its review of LNG in June 2000.

02/09/01 William D Hopkins, PhD (Berry College, Mt. Berry, GA and Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center, Emory University) presented the seminar Evolution of Neuroanatomical Asymmetries in Monkeys and Apes as Revealed by MRI

02/20/01 Dr. Linoel B. Ivashkiv (Weill Medical College, Cornell University) presented the seminar Modulation of Cytokine Jak-STAT Signaling during Inflammation

02/22/01 Robert Swift, MD, PhD (Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University) presented the seminar Transdermal Alcohol Measurement for the Estimation of Human Alcohol Consumption

02/26/01 Yumiko Honse (University of Texas) presented seminar Prenatal Ethanol Effects on Native NMDA Receptors

03/06/01 Dr. Ronald G. Thurman (UNC, Chapel Hill) presented the seminar Role of Endotoxin and Kupffer Cells in Alcoholic Hepatitis: Studies with Knockout Mice and Gene Delivery

03/13/01 Dr. Raymond Dingledine (Emory University) presented the seminar Modulation of NMDA and Kainate Receptors

03/20/01 Dr. Laura Jenski (Marshall University) presented the seminar Membrane Incorporation of DHA: Effects on Cell Function

3/27/01 Dr. Julio Licinio (UCLA School of Medicine) presented the seminar Research Strategies in Depression: Detailed Studies of Candidate Systems and a Search for Novel Targets

03/28/01 Dr. Andras Nagy (Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute) presented the seminar Mouse Chimeras for Dissecting Complex Phenotypes

04/03/01 Dr. Richard Olsen (UCLA) presented the seminar GABARAP-Dependent Clustering of GABA-A Receptors Changes Channel Properties and Drug Modulation

04/06/01 Dr. Robert Messing (UC San Francisco) presented the seminar Protein Kinase C Epsilon in Alcohol Consumption, Dependence, and Alcoholic Polyneuropathy

04/19/01 Dr. A.S. Balajee (Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons) presented the seminar Dual Role of Cockayne Syndrome Group B Protein in DNA Repair and Transcription: Possible Implications for Neurodegeneration (LNG tenure track applicant)

04/24/01 Dr. Igor Garkavtsev (Genome Therapeutics Corp) presented the seminar Novel Tumor Suppressor Gene, ING1 (LNG tenure track applicant)

04/26/01 Dr. Philip J. Brooks (LNG) presented the seminar DNA Damage, DNA Repair, and Neurodegeneration: Mechanisms and Implications for the Pathogenesis of Alcohol Toxicity (tenure track applicant)

05/01/01 Dr. Raj Razdan (Organix) presented the seminar Hashish: A Historical Perspective and the Synthesis of Important Cannabinoid Ligands

05/09/01 Dr. Benjamin Cravatt (Scripps Research Institute) presented the seminar The Enzymatic Regulation of Endogenous Cannabinoid Signaling: How to Achieve a Natural High

05/21/01 Dr. John Cottrell presented the seminar The Next Step: Exploring The Proteome

05/30/01 Marco Leyton, PhD (Dept Psychiatry, McGill University) presented the seminar Monoaminergic Mechanisms in the Regulation of Mood and Impulse-control

2/5/01 Richard L Veech, MD, PhD (LMBB) met with Argose Inc staff, Waltham MA, to discuss methods for measuring blood glucose with fluorescent signals from skin

03/1 & 3/7/01 Calvin W Crutchfield & Michael T King (LMBB) visited Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA, to assist in the design of an apparatus for use in a collaborative research project

04/11/01 Bin Gao, MD, PhD (LPS) visited Dr. Saijun Fan of Albert Einstein College of Medicine to discuss collaboration on microassay analysis of interferon-induced genes

4/12/01 George Kunos, MD, PhD (LPS) met with collaborators and presented the seminar Novel Physicolgic Functions of Endocannabinoids, Merck Research Lab, Rahway NJ

5/12-26/01 David Goldman, MD & Ke Xu, MD, PhD (LNG) met with potential collaborators in several Chinese provinces

5/13-18/01 Wendol A Williams, MD (LCS) visited Dr. A Heinz of the Dept Addict Behav & Med Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, to discuss research collaboration and to present seminar on modeling kinetic parameters

Nadukkudy Eldho presented the poster Docosahexaenoic vs Docosapentaenoic Acid: The Difference that the Loss of a Single Double Bond Makes

Klaus Gawrisch presented the lecture Properties of Polyunsaturated Lipid Membranes and a poster titled Conformation and Flexibility of the Polyunsaturated Docosahexaenoic Acid Drain

Eri Hayakawa presented the lecture The Relationship Between Membrane Curvature Stress and Phospholipid Acyl Chain Packing Free Volume

Burton J Litman & Drake C Mitchell presented the lecture Rate of G Protein-Receptor Coupling Varies with Cholesterol-Content in ROS Disk Membrane

David T Nizza presented the posters NMR Measurements and MD Simulations of Ethanol Membrane Interactions and A Layer Model of Ethanol Partit into Biol Membranes

Ivan V Polozov presented the poster Rhodopsin Effect on the Organization of Lipid Bilayers- Deuterium NMR Studies

Alla Polozova presented the lecture Role of Lipid Headgroup Type in Formation of Microdomains Around Rhodopsin

Walter E Teague presented the poster Influence of Polyunsaturation on Membrane Curvature Elasticity for 1-Steroyl-2-Docohexaenoyl-Sn-Glycero-3-Phosp

Melissa S Gerald (LCS/NN) presented the lecture Reproductive Performance in Captive Male Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta) differing in cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations

Jeffrey C Long (LNG) participated in the symposium Ethical Issues in Biological Anthropology

Myung-Ae Bae (LMBB) presented the poster Cytotoxic Mechanism of Troglitazone, Drug used for Type 2 Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes

Allyson J Bennett (LCS/NN) presented the lecture Initial Alcohol Exposure Results in Stress-Dependent Acute Increases and Subsequent Decreases...

Khaleda A. Bhuiya (U Maryland) presented the poster The Role of Proofreading in the Bypass of 8,5'-Cyclodeoxyadenosine by the Klenow Fragment of E. coli DNA Polymerase. Preceptor: PJ Brooks (LNG)

Cassin E. Kimmel (Brigham Young U) presented the poster Cloning and Identifying a Human 5-HT3A Splice Variant. Preceptor: L Zhang (LMCN)

Kevin K. Makino (Oberlin College) presented the poster Eicosapentaenoic Acid Supplementation in Schizophrenia: Red Blood Cell Fatty Acid Compositional Analysis. Preceptor: JR Hibbeln (LMBB)

Kathleen M. McBride (American U) presented the poster Complex Learning Assessment in Young Rats. Preceptor: N Salem Jr (LMBB)

Edgar M. Moradel (Georgetown U) presented the poster Conversion of Dopamine to a Full Agonist of the 5-HT3A Receptor through Single Amino Acid Mutation at R245A.

Preceptor: L Zhang (LMCN)

Van Anh T Nguyen (Viriginal Commonwealth U) presented the poster Expression of Jak-Stat Signaling Components in Human Cirrhotic and Control Liver Tissues. Preceptor: B Gao (LPS)

Gretchen Voge (Pacific Lutheran U) presented the poster Functional Analysis of C-terminal Deletions in Bacteriorhodopsin. Preceptor: DC Mitchell (LMBB)

Ronald Finnegan presented the poster SNP Informatics

Robert Lipsky presented the poster DNA Melting Analysis

Ke Xu presented the poster Exonuclease Genotyping

Grace W Fong presented the poster Event Related fMRI Reveals Distinct Neural Correlates Reward Anticipation vs Feedback

Brian D Knutson presented the poster Parametric fMRI Confirms Selective Recruitment Nucleus Accumbems During Anticipation Monetary Reward

Daniel E Rio presented the poster Statistical Estimation of Hemodynamic Response Function Application Linear Time Invariant Model Fouier Domain Functional Magnetic Resonance Data

Joannie C Shen presented the poster Differential Brain Activation Response Different Frequency of Electroacupuncture Measured by Bold Signal

Ke Xu (LMCN) presented a poster at the Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Gene Quantification Conference, San Diego CA, 02/12-13/01

Klaus Gawrisch (LMBB) presented the poster Locating Molecules in Bilayers Using MAS Noesy at the 42^nd Experimental Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Conference, Orlando FL, 03/11-16/01

Richard L Veech (LMBB) delivered presentation on Uses of Ketone Bodies and their Esters in Treatment of Human Diseases to the DuPont Pharmaceutical Group, Glenolden PA, 03/12/01

Philip J Brooks (LNG) presented the poster Generation of DNA Repair-Deficient CHO Cells Expressing ADH4 at the Environmental Mutagen Society Meeting, San Diego CA, 03/16-21/01

Richard L Veech (LMBB) participated in meeting Metabolic Complex Systems in the Post Genomic Era at UC Berkeley, Palo Alto CA, 03/26-29/01

Brian D Knutson (LCS) presented lecture on research findings at a meeting of the Emotion Research Group, San Francisco CA, 3/29-4/2/01

Jeffrey C Long (LNG) presented lectures of Ethical, Legal & Social Implications of Gene Research on Med Condition of Indian & Native People at University of Colorado Health Science Center, Aspen CO, 04/03-06/01

James D Higley (LCS/NN) presented the lecture Genotypic and Environmental Influences on the Neurobiology of Excessive Alcohol... at the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Conference, Los Angeles CA, 4/18-22/01

David Goldman presented the lecture COMT, Schizophrenia & Prefrontal Cognitive Function: Genetic Analysis of Complex Psychiatric Ordes at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Biological Psychiatry, New Orleans LA, 5/2-5/01

George Kunos (LPS) participated in the Genes and Gene Delivery for Diseases of Alcoholism Conference at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC, 5/7-10/01

Norman Salem Jr presented the lecture Limited In Vivo Metabolism of N-3 Fatty Acid and Implications for Mammalian Neurodevelopment and Brain Phospholipid Function at the 92^nd American Oil Chemists' Society Annual Meeting and Expo, Minneapolis MN, 05/13-15/01

Boehm EA, Jones BE, Radda GK, Veech RL, Clarke K: Increased uncoupling proteins and decreased efficiency in palmitate-perfused hyperthyroid rat heart. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology 2001;280(3):H977-H83

Brooks PJ, Lipsky RH: Future directions in alcoholism research - Genomics and gene transfer. Alcohol Res Health 2000;24(3):189-92

Brooks PJ, Wise DS, Berry DA, Kosmoski JV, Smerdon MJ, Somers RL, Mackie H, Spoonde AY, Ackerman EJ, Coleman K, Tarone RE, Robbins JH: The oxidative DNA lesion 8,5 '-(S)-cyclo-2 '-deoxyadenosine is repaired by the nucleotide excision repair pathway and blocks gene expression in mammalian cells. J Biological Chemistry 2000;275(29):22355-62

Di Marzo V, Goparaju SK, Wang L, Liu J, Batkai S, Jarai Z, Fezza F, Miura GI, Palmiter RD, Sugiura T, Kunos G: Leptin-regulated endocannabinoids are involved in maintaining food intake. Nature 2001;410(6830):822-5

Elman I, Goldstein DS, Adler CM, Shoaf SE, Breier A: Inverse relationship between plasma epinephrine and testosterone levels during acute glucoprivation in healthy men. Life Sci 2001;68(16):1889-98

Enoch MA, Greenberg BD, Murphy DL, Goldman D: Sexually dimorphic relationship of a 5-HT2A promoter polymorphism with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Biological Psychiatry 2001;49(4):385-8

Feng J, Zheng J, Gelernter J, Kranzler H, Cook E, Goldman D, Jones IR, Craddock N, Heston LL, Delisi L, Peltonen L, Bennett WP, Sommer SS: An in-frame deletion in the alpha(2C) adrenergic receptor is common in African-Americans. Molecular Psychiatry 2001;6(2):168-72

Gao B, Shen XN, Kunos G, Meng QH, Goldberg ID, Rosen EM, Fan SJ: Constitutive activation of JAK-STAT3 signaling by BRCA1 in human prostate cancer cells. FEBS Lett 2001;488(3):179-84

Ghazanfari FA, Stewart RR: Characteristics of endothelial cells derived from the blood-brain barrier and of astrocytes in culture. BRAIN RES 2001;890(1):49-65

Greiner RS, Moriguchi T, Slotnick BM, Hutton A, Salem N: Olfactory discrimination deficits in n-3 fatty acid-deficient rats. Physiology & Behavior 2001;72(3):379-85

Heinz A, Mann K, Weinberger DR, Goldman D: Serotonergic dysfunction, negative mood states, and response to alcohol. Alcoholism-Clinical and Experimental Research.2001;25(4):487-95 (Review)

Hommer DW, Momenan R, Kaiser E, Rawlings RR: Evidence for a gender-related effect of alcoholism on brain volumes. American Journal of Psychiatry 2001;158(2):198-204

Iwata N, Ozaki N, Inada T, Goldman D: Association of a 5-MT5A receptor polymorphism, Pro15Ser, to schizophrenia. Molecular Psychiatry 2001;6(2):217-9

Liesi P, Fried G, Stewart RR: Neurons and glial cells of the embryonic human brain and spinal cord express multiple and distinct isoforms of laminin. Journal of Neuroscience Research 2001;64(2):144-67

Lipsky RH, Mazzanti CM, Rudolph JG, Xu K, Vyas G, Bozak D, Radel MQ, Goldman D: DNA melting analysis for detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms. Clinical Chemistry 2001;47(4):635-44

Masellis M, Basile VS, Meltzer HY, Lieberman JA, Sevy S, Goldman DA, Hamblin MW, Macciardi FM, Kennedy JL: Lack of association between the T -> C 267 serotonin 5-MT6 receptor gene (HTR6) polymorphism and prediction of response to clozapine in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research 2001;47(1):49-58

Moriguchi T, Loewke J, Garrison M, Catalan JN, Salem N: Reversal of docosahexaenoic acid deficiency in the rat brain, retina, liver, and serum. Journal of Lipid Research 2001;42(3):419-27

Pierre PJ, Skjoldager P, Bennett AJ, Renner MJ: A behavioral characterization of the effects of food deprivation on food and nonfood object interaction: an investigation of the information-gathering functions of exploratory behavior. Physiology & Behavior 2001;72(1-2):189-97

Radel M, Goldman D: Pharmacogenetics of alcohol response and alcoholism: The interplay of genes and environmental factors in thresholds for alcoholism. Drug Metabolism And Disposition 2001;29(4):489-94

Reddy DS, Kim HY, Rogawski MA: Neurosteroid withdrawal model of perimenstrual catamenial epilepsy. Epilepsia 2001;42(3):328-36

Song BJ, Soh Y, Bae MA, Pie JE, Wan J, Jeong KS: Apoptosis of PC12 cells by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal is mediated through selective activation of the c-Jun N-Terminal protein kinase pathway. Chemico-Biological Interactions 2001;130(1-3):943-54 (Sp. Iss. SI)

Sternin E, Schafer H, Polozov IV, Gawrisch K: Simultaneous determination of orientational and order parameter distributions from NMR spectra of partially oriented model membranes. Journal of Magnetic Resonance 2001;149(1):110-3

Wassif CA, Zhu PJ, Kratz L, Krakowiak PA, Battaile KP, Weight FF, Grinberg A, Steiner RD, Nwokoro NA, Kelley RI, Stewart RR, Porter FD: Biochemical, phenotypic and neurophysiological characterization of a genetic mouse model of RSH/Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome. Human Molecular Genetics 2001;10(6):555-64

Westergaard GC, Lussier ID, Suomi SJ, Higley JD: Stress correlates of hand preference in rhesus macaques. Dev Psychobiol 2001;38(2):110-5

Ahmad A, Greiner RS, Moriguchi T, Salem N: Docosahexaenoic acid deficiency causes reduction in neuronal size in the hippocampus, piriform cortex and subfornical organ. FASEB J 2001;15(4):A190 (Part 1)

Bae MA, Rhee H, Song BJ: Cytotoxic mechanism of Troglitazone, a widely-used drug for type II non-insulin dependent diabetes. FASEB J 2001;15(4):A507 (Part 1)

Bennett AJ, Sponberg AC, Graham T, Lindell S, Suomi SG, Higley JD, DePetrillo PB: Initial alcohol exposure results in stress-dependent acute increases and subsequent decreases in CSF5-HIAA concentrations and cardiac signal complexity in alcohol-naive rhesus monkeys. FASEB J 15(5):A911 (Part 2)

DePetrillo PB, Wan W: Ritonavir is a competitive inhibitor of calcium-activated protease (calpain) activity in PC12 cells. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics 2001;69(2):P36 (Suppl. S)

Eldho NV, Gawrisch K: Docosahexaenoic vs docosapentaenoic acid - The difference that the loss of a single double bond makes. Biophysical Journal 2001;80(1):525A (Part 2)

Gawrisch K: Properties of polyunsaturated lipid membranes. Biophysical Journal 2001;80(1):32A (Part 2)

Gawrisch K, Feller SE, Eldho NV, Safley AM: Conformation and flexibility of the polyunsaturated docosahexaenoic acid chain. Biophysical Journal 2001;80(1):520A (Part 2)

Gerald MS, Higley S, Higley JD: Reproductive performance in captive male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) differing in cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 2001:69 (Suppl 32)

Goldman D, Malhotra A, Egan M, Warden D, Lipsky R, Salazar A, Xu K, Goldberg T, Weinberger D: COMT, schizophrenia, and prefrontal cognitive function: Genetic analysis of a complex psychiatric disorder using intermediate phenotypes and a candidate allele. Biological Psychiatry 2001;49(8):464 (Suppl. S)

Hayakawa E, Mitchell DC, Litman BJ: The relationship between membrane curvature stress and phospholipid acyl chain packing free volume. Biophysical Journal 2001;80(1):532A (Part 2)

Iwata N, Vallejoa RL, Virkkunen M, Long JC, Suizuki T, Ozaki N, Goldman D: Evidence for linkage of genetic variants at the serotonin 2B receptor gene (HTR2B) with Finnish alcoholics. Biological Psychiatry 2001;49(8):563 (Suppl. S)

Koenig BW, Mitchell DC, Kontaxis G, Louis JM, Litman BJ, Bax A: Structure and orientation of a transducin peptide fragment in the rhodopsin bound state obtained from residual dipolar couplings. Biophysical Journal 2001;80(1):181A (Part 2)

Kolman CJ, Robin RW, Goldman D, Long JC: Allele: phenotype associations in alcohol dependence and alcohol-related disorders. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 2001:92 (Suppl 32)

Mitchell DC, Niu SL, Litman BJ: Rate of G protein-receptor coupling varies with cholesterol content in ros disk membranes. Biophysical Journal 2001;80(1):543A (Part 2)

Noaghiul SF, Hibbeln JR, Weissman MM: Seafood consumption and cross-national prevalence rates of bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. BIOL PSYCHIAT 2001;49(8):110S (Suppl. S)

Polozov IV, Sternin E, Litman BJ, Gawrisch K: Rhodopsin effects on the organization of lipid bilayers - Deuterium NMR studies. Biophysical Journal 2001;80(1):536A-7A (Part 2)

Polozova A, Litman BJ: Role of lipid headgroup type in formation of microdomains around rhodopsin. Biophysical Journal 2001;80(1):85A (Part 2)

Roca CA, Harlow BL, Davis C, Schmidt PJ, Goldman D, Rubinow DR: Role of polymorphisms in the estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) and progesterone receptor (PR) genes in premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Biological Psychiatry 2001;49(8):564 (Suppl. S)

Winterer G, Jones DW, Gorey JG, Lee KS, Higley JD, Pushkas J, Bradley MO, Swindell CS, Weinberger DR: Oral N-docosahexaenoyl-clozapine reduces striatal dopamine receptor availability as measured by [I-123]IBZM SPECT in nonhuman primates. Biological Psychiatry 2001;49(8):403 (Suppl. S)

Yang QF, DePetrillo PB: Calpain inhibitor and ritonavir block glutamate cytotoxicity in PC12 cells. Molecular Biology of the Cell 2001;11:411A-12A (Suppl. S)

Eugene Hayunga, Ph.D. has joined the Office of Scientific Affairs as the Chief of the Extramural Project Review Branch. Dr. Hayunga joined NIH in 1990 as a Scientific Review Administrator for the Special Review Section in the Division of Research Grants. In 1994 he joined the Office for Research on Women's Health (ORWH) where his responsibilities included implementation of the NIH Guidelines on the Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research. In 1997 he worked on the staff of Senator Alfonse D'Amato on Medicare issues. Subsequently he returned to ORWH then moved to the Office of Alternative Medicine, which then became the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine before he joined NIAAA.

Dorita Sewell, Ph.D. is a graduate of Swarthmore College, and the University of Chicago where she received the Ph.D. in Anthropology. Her career in the Federal government has included positions in the Division of Research Grants (now Center for Scientific Review) and in the Office of Policy and Program Coordination in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. Dr. Sewell is serving as the Certificate of Confidentiality Coordinator for NIAAA, and as well, she will take on additional assignments in review.

Osama Nazmy Metwally El-Assal, PhD, was appointed as a Visiting Fellow (04/16/01-04/15/03) in the Section on Liver Biology, Laboratory of Physiologic Studies. Dr. El-Assal received his PhD (2001) in Molecular Biology from Shimane Medical University, Japan and both his Master Degree of Surgery (1992) and MB (1988) from Zagazig University, Faculty of Medicine, Egypt. Before beginning his postgraduate studies in April 1997, Dr. El-Assal served as an Assistant Lecturer of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University. Dr. El-Assal's postgraduate work focused on molecular and biological features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its impact on the clinical presentation and patients' outcome with special regard to tumor angiogenesis, apoptosis, hepatitis C viral-related carcinogenesis and tumor specific antigens. HCC is one of the most common malignancies that occur in individuals with cirrhosis of the liver. During this fellowship, Dr. El-Assal will conduct research on the effects of ethanol on signal transduction in liver injury and carcinoma. He will receive training in cell culture and molecular biology techniques (e.g., isolation and culturing hepatocytes, gene array, signal transduction) that will complement his knowledge of liver biology.

Xianzhang Hu, MD, PhD, was appointed as a Visiting Fellow (05/14/01-05/13/03) in the Section of Human Neurogenetics, Laboratory of Neurogenetics. He earned his MB (1984) from Xinxiang Medical College and his MD (1991) from West China University of Medical Science, majoring in medical psychology with a research focus on stress and coping behavior. From 1991-95, Dr. Hu served as Attending Psychiatrist and from 1995-2000 as Vice Director Psychiatry, Henan Mental Hospital. In May 2000, Dr. Hu received his PhD from the Institute of Mental Health, Beijing Medical University. His thesis addressed the molecular genetics of schizophrenia-the linkage or association between schizophrenia and the polymorphism of genes for 5-HT2a, COMT, MAO and DRD2 promoter in two or more affected offspring families with normal offspring and parents. While with LNG, Dr. Hu will be involved in the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) project. He will learn to screen for SNPs using denaturing gradient high performance liquid chromatography as well as design and perform studies to determine the role of sequence variants in the function of different brain-expressed candidate genes in individuals with behavioral disorders.

Fong Ming Mo, PhD, was appointed as an IRTA Postdoctoral Fellow (05/01/01-04/30/03) in the Section on Neuroendocrinology, Laboratory of Physiologic Studies. Dr. Mo received her PhD (1996) in Physiology from the University of Hong Kong and her BA (1990) in Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining the LPS, Dr. Mo served as a postdoctoral research assistant (1996) in the Department of Physiology and completed postdoctoral fellowships in the Institute of Molecular Biology (1997-98) and the Department of Physiology (1999-2001), University of Hong Kong. While with the LPS, Dr. Mo will be working on a research project related to the role of endogenous cannabinoids in the hemodynamic changes that accompany alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis.

Douglas Osei-Hyiaman, MD, PhD, was appointed as a Visiting Fellow (03/01/01-02/28/03) in the Section on Neuroendocrinology, Laboratory of Physiologic Studies. Dr. Osei-Hyiaman received his PhD (2001) in Medical Sciences, MD (2000) and MS (1998) in Medical Sciences from the Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Japan. He received a BS (1992) in Biology from San Francisco State University. Previously, Dr. Osei-Hyiaman served as a Clinical Fellow (1999-2001), Dept Endocrinology & Metabolism and a Graduate Teaching Assistant of Molecular Biology (1998-2001) at the Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Japan. During his current appointment, Dr. Osei-Hyiaman research focus will be on the central neural circuitry involved in the control of appetite and food intake. This project is ideally suited to meet his interest in endocrinology. He will receive training in various neurophysiologic techniques (e.g., in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, stereotaxic surgery) that will complement his knowledge in molecular biology.

Guan-shan Zhu, MD, PhD, was appointed as a Visiting Fellow (12/06/00-12/05/03) in the Section of Human Neurogenetics, Laboratory of Neurogenetics. Dr. Zhu received his PhD (2000) in Cytogenetics/Molecular Cytogenetics from the University of Essen, Germany and his MS (1995) and MD (1987) from the Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, PR China. Dr. Zhu has an outstanding background in genomics and positional cloning and his research objective is to study functional polymorphisms involved in human disease using positional cloning approaches. While with LNG, his training will encompass methodologies for high-throughput variant detection and genotyping, as well as statistical genetic methods in linkage disequilibrium and population genetics. He will be working on a positional cloning project designed to identify the gene and gene variant within the GABA(A) region of chromosome 4 and/or the DRD4/TH/TPH region of chromosome 11 using DNA and genotype resources from two large family linkage studies on population isolates. Linkage and linkage disequilibrium methods, as well as genome informatics and cloning tools, will be employed in an attempt to identify the gene(s) contributing to alcohol vulnerability.

Dr. Gayle Boyd, Division of Clinical and Prevention Research, and Ms. Diane Miller, Chief of the Science Communications Branch, shared an NIH Plain Language Award for their work developing the NIAAA pamphlet, "Make a Difference: Talk to Your Child About Alcohol," which was published in 2000. This pamphlet arose from a researcher meeting Dr. Boyd organized in 1996, "The Family and Alcohol: Opportunities for Prevention;" and selected participants were invited to assist NIAAA by framing the content of the pamphlet, conducting message focus testing, and providing scientific review.