July 2018

A new form of e-cigarette called “JUUL” has been raising eyebrows thanks to its popularity, especially with high school and college students. In a matter of just two years, the product has gained one of the largest market shares in the e-cigarette business, putting younger generations at risk for health problems ranging from early nicotine addiction to diabetes. With a new class of Werner H. Kirsten and summer interns at NCI at Frederick, it is crucial to understand these risks. Here is what you need to know.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antibiotic-resistant bacteria are one of the greatest threats to public health today. While antibiotics are very helpful, they can also be misused, which is one of the reasons resistance has become such a problem.

Ticks may be tiny, but they have a large pathogenic impact. In order to survive, these small arachnids need to gorge on blood in each of their four stages of life. Unfortunately, both humans and pets are attractive sources, making them susceptible to a range of debilitating tickborne diseases, such as Lyme disease.

The latest Occupational Health Services (OHS) Take a Hike event, held on an idyllic July day, featured a new route and welcomed several health-conscious vendors from the Frederick area.

Six-year-old Raylin Payne sprang into action as digital flames crackled to life on a display monitor eight feet away: after pulling a nearby fire alarm, he called 9-1-1 and grabbed a digital fire extinguisher to battle the simulated blaze. When the last of the embers had died away, his score for the R.A.C.E. emergency notification simulator appeared on the screen—a swift 58.5 seconds.

Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus that is responsible for multiple outbreaks across Asia, including in Malaysia, Singapore, and India. The virus has been added to the World Health Organization’s 2018 Priority Diseases List, which indicates a pressing need for further research and development.

On a humid Tuesday at the NCI at Frederick Farmers’ Market, Greg Walsh stood at his booth and offered shoppers a unique deal: correctly answer a small trivia question and get a discount on their next purchase. Those who accepted were directed to a nearby note that read, “What is the chemical formula for photosynthesis?”

After spending a total of five years as an intern for Occupational Health Services (OHS), former Werner H. Kirsten (WHK) intern Esther Shafer moved across the country to join the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She now works on a reservation in southern Arizona, where she is providing medicine—and reading material—for the Tohono O-odham Nation.

In a ceremony held in the Building 1520 auditorium on June 28, Col. Michael Sauer, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Operations, distributed the awards for outstanding presentations and posters at the 2018 Spring Research Festival.

During an address to the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, NCI Director Norman “Ned” Sharpless, M.D., announced that the National Cancer Institute is committing $10 million to support NCI-run clinical trials this year. The funds, which will be given in addition to the normal budget, are dedicated to trials conducted within the NCI Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) and the NCI Community Oncology Research Program.