An Interesting and Productive Research and Clinical Career.

To begin, I wish to thank the Academy of Toxicological Sciences for bestowing this honor on me. I have had a rewarding career in basic research and clinical medicine, beginning with research in high school and always planning on becoming a physician. I have had the good fortune of having outstanding mentors, wonderful parents, and a supportive and intuitive wife and family. This article provides a brief overview of some of the events of my career and individuals who have played a major role, beginning with the M.D./Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin, pathology residency and faculty at St. Vincent Hospital, Worcester, Massachusetts, a year as visiting professor at Nagoya City University, and my career at the University of Nebraska Medical Center since 1981. This could not have happened without the strong input and support from these individuals, the numerous students, residents and fellows with whom I have learned so much, and the more than 500 terrific collaborators.

[Concise history of toxicology - from empiric knowledge to science]. / A toxikológia rövid története ­ a tapasztalattól a tudományig.

Toxicology is a science of poisonings by xenobiotics and endogenous physiological changes. Its empiric roots may be traced back to the emerging of the human race because the most important pledge of our predecessors' survival was the differentiation between eatable and poisonous plants and animals. In the course of social evolution, there were three main fields of using poisons: 1) hunting and warfare, 2) to settle social tensions by avoiding military conflicts through hiding strategy of eliminating enemies by toxic substances, 3) medicines applied first as anti-poisons and later by introducing strong substances to defeat diseases, but paradoxically active euthanasia is also a part of the whole story. The industrial revolution of the 19th century changed the sporadic occupational diseases to mass conditions. Later the chemical industry and subsequently the mass production of synthetic materials turned out as a global environmental catastrophe. This latest change initiated the emerging of ecological toxicology which is a future history of the concerning ancient science. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(3): 83-90.

Cornerstones of Toxicology.

The 35th Annual Society of Toxicologic Pathology Symposium, held in June 2016 in San Diego, California, focused on "The Basis and Relevance of Variation in Toxicologic Responses." In order to review the basic tenants of toxicology, a "broad brush" interactive talk that gave an overview of the Cornerstones of Toxicology was presented. The presentation focused on the historical milestones and perspectives of toxicology and through many scientific graphs, data, and real-life examples covered the three basic principles of toxicology that can be summarized, as dose matters (as does timing), people differ, and things change (related to metabolism and biotransformation).

Twenty-Year History of the Organization of the International Interdisciplinary Toxicological Conferences TOXCON.

This is an overview and assessment of the value of the International Interdisciplinary Toxicological Conferences TOXCON, which have been organized reciprocally in Slovakia and the Czech Republic since 1996. Characterization of the individual annual conferences and the results of mutual cooperation between the Slovak Toxicology Society (SETOX) and the Toxicological Section of the Czech Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology of the Czech Medical Association of J. E. Purkyne (TS CSEKFT CLS JEP) are presented. Moreover, cooperation and common efforts to promote toxicology as a modern interdisciplinary subject with toxicological organizations from the Visegrad Group (V4) and within the Federation of European Societies of Toxicology EUROTOX are also highlighted.

[Cracovian clinical toxicologists international activity in last 50 years].

We present 50 years of scientific activity Depertment of Toxicology Jagiellonian University Medical Collage in Krakow on national and international arena. Scientific achievements are presented divided into thematic groups. The subject group covers a broad spectrum of research taking into account the epidemiology of poisoning, occupational and population exposure to chemical substances, specific toxicological problems like; diagnosis of poisoning, predicting the severity of poisoning, the implementation of appropriate treatment depending on the phase of intoxication and its severity, effectiveness evaluation diagnostic and treatment procedures, prevention and prophylaxis of poisoning.

Profiles in drug metabolism and toxicology: Richard Tecwyn Williams (1909-1979).

This article pays homage to the life and work of a veritable pioneer in toxicology and drug metabolism, namely a Welshman, Richard Tecwyn Williams, FRS. Professor Williams, or RT as he was known, made major contributions to knowledge about the metabolism and toxicology of drugs and xenobiotics during a scientific career spanning nearly 50 years. Author or coauthor of close to 400 research articles and reviews, including a classic book, entitled Detoxication Mechanisms, Williams and his research school investigated virtually all aspects of drug metabolism, especially conjugations. In particular, the concepts of phase 1 and phase II metabolic pathways were introduced by Williams; the biliary excretion of drugs was extensively studied as were species differences in drug metabolism and detoxication. Besides investigating the metabolism of many pharmaceutical drugs, such as sulfonamides and thalidomide, Williams and his group investigated the disposition and fate in the body of organic pesticides and recreational drugs of abuse, such as amphetamine, methamphetamine and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).

[Venom as a cure--some notes on ancient medicine]. / Tiergifte als Heilmittel--ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der antiken Medizin.

Very little is known today about the linguistics and facts relating to venoms in the ancient world. The article concerns itself initially with the terminology: How were venoms conceptualized and what position did they occupy among medicines and other poisons? Additionally ancient knowledge of the constitution and location of the venoms will be examined. Furthermore, it shall be outlined how it was perceived that the poisons actually took effect. The results of our investigations indicate that it was unlikely that venoms were used for medicinal purposes in ancient times.

[The professor Jacques Étienne Bérard (1789-1869)]. / Le professeur Jacques Étienne Bérard (1789-1869).

In the Languedoc region, chemist J.E. Bérard was a key character XVIIIth century. First Professor of toxicology in Montpellier, pioneer in the fields of chemical and pharmaceutical engineering in France, he became Managing Director of la Paille, a manufacturing site founded by J.A. Chaptal in 1782. He was among youngest members of the Arcueil Society, chaired by the famous scholar, Berthollet.

Origin of the linearity no threshold (LNT) dose-response concept.

This paper identifies the origin of the linearity at low-dose concept [i.e., linear no threshold (LNT)] for ionizing radiation-induced mutation. After the discovery of X-ray-induced mutations, Olson and Lewis (Nature 121(3052):673-674, 1928) proposed that cosmic/terrestrial radiation-induced mutations provide the principal mechanism for the induction of heritable traits, providing the driving force for evolution. For this concept to be general, a LNT dose relationship was assumed, with genetic damage proportional to the energy absorbed. Subsequent studies suggested a linear dose response for ionizing radiation-induced mutations (Hanson and Heys in Am Nat 63(686):201-213, 1929; Oliver in Science 71:44-46, 1930), supporting the evolutionary hypothesis. Based on an evaluation of spontaneous and ionizing radiation-induced mutation with Drosophila, Muller argued that background radiation had a negligible impact on spontaneous mutation, discrediting the ionizing radiation-based evolutionary hypothesis. Nonetheless, an expanded set of mutation dose-response observations provided a basis for collaboration between theoretical physicists (Max Delbruck and Gunter Zimmer) and the radiation geneticist Nicolai Timoféeff-Ressovsky. They developed interrelated physical science-based genetics perspectives including a biophysical model of the gene, a radiation-induced gene mutation target theory and the single-hit hypothesis of radiation-induced mutation, which, when integrated, provided the theoretical mechanism and mathematical basis for the LNT model. The LNT concept became accepted by radiation geneticists and recommended by national/international advisory committees for risk assessment of ionizing radiation-induced mutational damage/cancer from the mid-1950s to the present. The LNT concept was later generalized to chemical carcinogen risk assessment and used by public health and regulatory agencies worldwide.