I attended the Society of Toxicology's 43rd Annual Meeting (SOT), March 21 to 25, 2004, in Baltimore, Maryland. The SOT Annual Meeting is the largest toxicology meeting and exhibition in the world. It attracted approximately 6,000 scientists from industry, academia, and government. The conference included special lectures, symposia, workshops, roundtable discussions, and platform and poster presentations. More than 2,000 abstracts, plus more than 60 scientific sessions presented the most up to date research in toxicology. I was excited, this was my first big conference, but to get there from Tucson would take a while.

When I first landed in Baltimore, after being in the air for about six hours, all I could say was that it was cold! It sure wasn’t typical 90 degree Tucson weather. However, the view of the city definitely made up for it. Driving into downtown was quite a view with its illuminating lights and tall skyscrapers; it was beautiful. My first impression of Baltimore was wonderful, and it would continue to stay that way throughout my time there. I was able to walk around the city with my roommate. My first view of the inner harbor was a pleasurable. It was different being that close to a body of water in such a big city. My roommate and I must have walked for about five hours and still had not covered half of the downtown area. Since Washington D.C. and Virginia are nearby we were able to visit these cities and their famous landmarks. Being able to see the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, Annapolis Naval Academy, The White House, The Pentagon, and the cities themselves was a real treat. Visiting George Washington University and Georgetown was also a benefit. Although, the sightseeing was enjoyable and cold, the real work would start soon.

The conference was held at the convention center and security was tight. There were posters everywhere, more than 100 at a time being displayed. There were so many people there from every part of the world, including China, Mexico, India, England, and the United States. Everyone was presenting posters that they had been working on for many years. Many were graduate students, PhDs, or MDs. This made me feel intimidated, however once I started viewing posters, asking questions, and observing the way my roommate presented the intimidation faded. Topics ranged from hepatotoxicity, to cardiovascular toxicology, to air pollutants. There was also a ToxExpo, with exhibits from companies who produce products for research purposes. They were informational and some were related to the type of research that is going on in my lab. An advantage to going to these booths, besides the information, was the free stuff, like pens, toys, stress relievers etc. Some even had free espresso bars! All this excitement decreased as my presentation time approached.

I was really nervous and I couldn’t even sleep; talk about a first timer. I had prepared for it the night before and continued to prepare for it throughout the day until it was time to put up my poster. I presented the research I did in Dr. Judith Ulreich’s lab, Surgery. The title was “Precision-Cut Liver Slicing Technology: Effects of Carbon Dioxide vs. Rat Mix Anesthesia.” Since we use rat liver slices to test effects of certain diluents on the liver, we wanted to know if the anesthetic given prior to the euthanasia of the animal would have any effect on the results. The two most commonly used anesthetics today are “Rat Mix”, a mixture of acepromazine, xylazine, and ketamine, and carbon dioxide gas. We thought, since everything that enters the body must pass through the liver to be metabolized, would the two anesthetics differ in their effects. Three tests determined if the anesthetics did affect the liver slice viability -- potassium content, ATP levels, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) amounts in the liver slices would tell us if the live slice was indeed affected. The results showed that the two anesthetics were not significantly different in the way they affected the liver. Therefore, there was no worry as to which anesthetic was used during a precision rat liver slice experiment. Although, there was no significant difference, drugs or other diluents may have the possibility of interacting with the anesthetics.

When the first person asked questions I was ready, still nervous, but nonetheless ready. What made it easier to present and respond to questions was the fact that most people were friendly and nice. Some were doing similar research so they could relate to what I was presenting. I was introduced to many new ideas on how I could expand my research and similarly my poster gave others ideas on where to start their research or improve it. Sometimes it was difficult to answer questions, but my roommate, who also works in the lab with me, was able to help with those questions. It is very helpful for first-time presenters to have someone nearby to help out. The people, the city, and the food made it a very pleasurable time; one that I hope everyone will get a chance to experience.

I would like to thank Carol Bender, Genevieve Kenney, and UBRP for their help and giving me the opportunity to go. Thanks to Dr. Judith Ulreich and the Ulreich lab for their help on the poster. I also wish to thank the HHMI for the funding to attend this conference (grant 52003749).

Amanda Valles, UBRPer in Dr. Judith Ulreich’s lab, Surgery