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Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) encompass a class of chemically and structurally diverse compounds that are extensively used in industry and detected in the environment. The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) 2021 PFAS Strategic Roadmap describes national research plans to address the challenge of PFAS. Objectives: Systematic Evidence Map (SEM) methods were used to survey and summarize available epidemiological and mammalian bioassay evidence that could inform human health hazard identification for a set of 345 PFAS that were identified by the US EPA's Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE) for in vitro toxicity and toxicokinetic assay testing and through interagency discussions on PFAS of interest. This work builds from the 2022 evidence map that collated evidence on a separate set of ~150 PFAS. Like our previous work, this SEM does not include PFAS that are the subject of ongoing or completed assessments at the US EPA. Methods: SEM methods were used to search, screen, and inventory mammalian bioassay and epidemiological literature from peer-reviewed and gray literature sources using manual review and machine-learning software. For each included study, study design details and health end points examined were summarized in interactive web-based literature inventories. Some included studies also underwent study evaluation and detailed extraction of health end point data. All underlying data is publicly available online as interactive visuals with downloadable metadata. Results: More than 13,000 studies were identified from scientific databases. Screening processes identified 121 mammalian bioassay and 111 epidemiological studies that met screening criteria. Epidemiological evidence (available for 12 PFAS) mostly assessed the reproductive, endocrine, developmental, metabolic, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Mammalian bioassay evidence (available for 30 PFAS) commonly assessed effects in the reproductive, whole-body, nervous, and hepatic systems. Overall, 41 PFAS had evidence across mammalian bioassay and epidemiology data streams (roughly 11% of searched chemicals). Discussion: No epidemiological and/or mammalian bioassay evidence were identified for most of the PFAS included in our search. Results from this SEM, our 2022 SEM on ~150 PFAS, and other PFAS assessment products from the US EPA are compiled into a comprehensive PFAS dashboard that provides researchers and regulators an overview of the current PFAS human health landscape including data gaps and can serve as a scoping tool to facilitate prioritization of PFAS-related research and/or risk assessment activities. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13423, Introduction There is a growing need to understand the human health effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) because human exposure to these persistent and bioaccumulative compounds is widespread. (1) [...]

Environ Health Perspect. 130(5):056001 (2022), https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10343 In the originally published article, 6 of the 171 PFAS included in the evidence map were inadvertently omitted in literature search updates for 2020 [...]

Sarin is a highly toxic nerve agent that was developed for chemical warfare during World War II and is used in present conflicts. Immediate effects of acute sarin exposure are established; however, whether effects persist after initial signs have subsided is debated. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) conducted a systematic review to evaluate the evidence for long-term neurological effects following acute (

We designed a professional development (PD) teacher-mentor program that used problem-based learning (PBL) to accomplish two goals. First, teachers explored how PBL could be used effectively in their classrooms to change the way they think about teaching to include literacy development in content areas. Second, PBL was the basis for PD training to help them improve their own knowledge of PBL, become mentors to other teachers, and implement PBL in their schools across content areas. Educators in the United States are challenged to teach linguistically and culturally diverse (LCD) students with differing literacy levels. The demographics of U.S. classrooms require a rigorous attempt to engage LCD students through collaborative, active learning opportunities (McGroarty, 1998; U.S. Department of Education, 2015). Research shows that literacy learning for all students improves in classroom settings that take a cooperative, student-centered approach (McGroarty, 1988, 1989; NCSS, 1991; Shumway, Saunders, Stewardson, & Reeve, 2001). PBL provides opportunities for students to engage in active learning and allows students with multiple learning styles to negotiate contextualized meaning through a variety of collaborative tasks. PBL has also been shown to be an effective method for teaching learners to be self-directed problem-solvers. However, in the absence of PD and ongoing support, teachers are often resistant to the implementation of PBL. In our program, we used PBL to help teachers learn more about literacy and PBL while providing opportunities for PD and support. As a result, the teacher reflections, discussions, presentations, and self-evaluations demonstrated how, by using PBL in their classrooms while immersing themselves in evidence-based content, they observed enhanced student collaboration. Teachers felt that they were better able to foster a learning environment in their classrooms that would allow students to develop literacy skills in a content-rich context both because of the incorporation of PBL and because of the support they provided for each other. This idea can be easily adapted to foster teacher development and mentoring programs in other fields.

BACKGROUND: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large class of synthetic (man-made) chemicals widely used in consumer products and industrial processes. Thousands of distinct PFAS exist in commerce. The 2019 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Action Plan outlines a multiprogram national research plan to address the challenge of PFAS. One component of this strategy involves the use of systematic evidence map (SEM) approaches to characterize the evidence base for hundreds of PFAS. OBJECTIVE: SEM methods were used to summarize available epidemiological and animal bioassay evidence for a set of ~150 PFAS that were prioritized in 2019 by the U.S. EPA’s Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE) for in vitro toxicity and toxicokinetic assay testing. METHODS: Systematic review methods were used to identify and screen literature using manual review and machine-learning software. The Populations, Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes (PECO) criteria were kept broad to identify mammalian animal bioassay and epidemiological studies that could inform human hazard identification. A variety of supplemental content was also tracked, including information on in vitro model systems; exposure measurement-only studies in humans; and absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME). Animal bioassay and epidemiology studies meeting PECO criteria were summarized with respect to study design, and health system(s) were assessed. Because animal bioassay studies with ≥21-d exposure duration (or reproductive/developmental study design) were most useful to CCTE analyses, these studies underwent study evaluation and detailed data extraction. All data extraction is publicly available online as interactive visuals with downloadable metadata. RESULTS: More than 40,000 studies were identified from scientific databases. Screening processes identified 44 animal and 148 epidemiology studies from the peer-reviewed literature and 95 animal and 50 epidemiology studies from gray literature that met PECO criteria. Epidemiological evidence (available for 15 PFAS) mostly assessed the reproductive, endocrine, developmental, metabolic, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Animal evidence (available for 40 PFAS) commonly assessed effects in the reproductive, developmental, urinary, immunological, and hepatic systems. Overall, 45 PFAS had evidence across animal and epidemiology data streams. DISCUSSION: Many of the ~150 PFAS were data poor. Epidemiological and animal evidence were lacking for most of the PFAS included in our search. By disseminating this information, we hope to facilitate additional assessment work by providing the initial scoping literature survey and identifying key research needs. Future research on data-poor PFAS will help support a more complete understanding of the potential health effects from PFAS exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on data gathered during a seven-month study of the literacy practices of a group of White, working-class girls who have successfully navigated their high school's English curriculum, this ethnography investigates (1) how gender and class influenced the girls' uses of literacy in the classroom and (2) how the girls used texts from English class to construct gender. The study is grounded in constructivist and feminist theory to understand literacy events. Findings suggest that these working-class girls used literature in the English classroom to "get ahead," which meant developing a discourse of a "Good Student," which included hard work, goal orientation, participation, and silence in order to succeed. This strategy often came at the expense of engaging with the texts and expressing opinions. As a result, the girls frequently did not take up literature at school in ways that contributed to a critical understanding of gendered roles in society and the ways these roles might serve to empower or restrict them as women. The girls had begun to recognize and regret this loss of voice but felt that it was in their best academic interest as a Good Student to remain silent. (Contains 2 tables.)

Artistic response is the process by which readers create concrete representations of their transactions with a text through artistic means, including visual arts (e.g. drawing, sculpture, and painting), drama, and music. Research has shown that artistic response helps students form meaningful relationships with texts, as it is a tool that encourages students to enter, explore, make connections, and enjoy stories and characters. In this article we describe an artistic response strategy that we developed and implemented. Recognizing that today's students often know and interact with the world through social media and memes, we draw on this cultural tool to leverage the power of this platform and its familiarity and appeal to our students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]