Biological Methods

This page has a list of publications and news articles related to Innovative Strategies - Biological Methods. Find more information on Innovation in HEI's research programs.

Research Report 61
Roger W Giese
Paul Vouros
1993

Both environmental and genetic factors are believed to contribute to the multistage process that results in carcinogenesis. Therefore, determining the health risks associated with exposure to known and suspected carcinogenic chemicals is essential for informed decision-making by regulatory agencies. Dr. Roger W. Giese and colleagues at Northeastern University developed sensitive and specific techniques for measuring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-DNA adducts, a class of DNA adducts associated with exposure to constituents of diesel emissions and other combustion products.

Research Report 59
J Dennis McCool
Jonathan M Samet
1993

This document contains two reports by Drs. McCool and Samet and their colleagues who were funded to develop and test methods for measuring ventilation in freely mobile subjects at home or at work. Drs. Dennis McCool and Domyung Paek at the Memorial Hospital in Rhode Island measured ventilation with a body surface displacement (BSD) model. Each subject wore wide elastic bands containing coated wire coils around the chest and abdomen and had special magnets affixed to the breastbone and navel, which yielded data about their breathing patterns, breath frequency, and ventilation. In the second study, Dr. Jonathan Samet and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University wanted to develop methods for estimating ventilation from heart rate for future epidemiologic studies. They used the Heartwatch, a portable, commercial device combining a small transmitter worn on the subject's chest with a wristwatch-style receiver that records heart rate.

Communication 1
Health Effects Institute
1992

HEI Communications 1 contains abstracts for six feasibility studies that were funded under RFA 89-2: Health Effects of Chronic Ozone Inhalation: Collaborative National Toxicology Program–Health Effects Institute Studies: Pilot Studies.

Research Report 45
Michael T Kleinman
William J Mautz
1991

The human health effects that result from breathing air pollutants depend on the amount of pollutant inhaled from the air (exposure dose) and the amount of inhaled material that stays in the respiratory tract (retained dose). Because the retained dose of a pollutant may damage the respiratory tract and cause disease, it is a key factor for determining appropriate government regulations for air pollutants. Drs.

Research Report 40
CP Yu
KJ Yoon
1991

This report describes a study by Drs. Yu and Yoon to mathematically predict the lung burden in rats and humans of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) from automobile emissions. Building on a previously constructed model describing DEP deposition, the present work focused on clearance and retention of DEPs deposited in the lung. The transport rates of each component of DEPs were derived using experimental data and mathematical approximations. The complete model was first developed for rats and then extrapolated to humans of different age groups.

Research Report 39
James S Ultman
Abdellaziz Ben-Jebria
1991

This report describes a study by Drs. Ultman and Ben-Jebria to develop a chemiluminescent ozone analyzer and constructed an ozone bolus generator with the goal of using bolus concentration-response methods to noninvasively measure the longitudinal distribution of ozone absorption in human lungs. The analyzer was based on the chemiluminescent reaction between 2-methyl-2-butene and ozone. Validation of the system was performed in excised pig and sheep tracheas, and the resulting absorption coefficient was computed.

Research Report 10
CP Yu
GB Xu
1987

Dr. Yu's project addressed several important issues regarding improved quantification of dose from known concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter. By focusing first on a specific category of automotive-derived particles, diesel exhaust particulate, Dr. Yu was able to characterize those aerosol properties (such as the mass medican aerodynamic diameter and size distribution) that influence regional deposition. After formulating a mathematical deposition model, Dr.