That’s the question posed by dog expert and cognitive scientist Dr. Alexandra Horowitz in an opinion piece in the New York Times titled “Dogs are not here for our convenience.” Central to her article is the issue of spaying and neutering dogs as a matter of standard practice. She argues that we domesticated canines to… Read more
Elaine Lissner, founder of the Parsemus Foundation, recently participated in an ideation workshop in San Francisco for the Male Contraceptive Initiative (MCI). The goal of the workshop, which was moderated by IDEO, was to gather key stakeholders and use design thinking to explore the biggest challenges and opportunities facing male contraceptive development. Seventy-two individuals representing… Read more
The 2019 annual conference of the Society for Theriogenology, held in July in Savannah, Georgia, gathered veterinarians from around the globe who specialize in animal reproduction. A full day was dedicated to discussing the impacts of the loss of natural hormones through spay and neuter on the health of dogs and cats. In recognition of… Read more
Current treatments for breast cancer result in an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, as reported in the journal Menopause. A group of postmenopausal women who survived breast cancer were compared to a matched group without breast cancer. The Brazilian research team found that previous breast cancer was associated with metabolic syndrome, diabetes, atherosclerosis, high triglycerides, and… Read more
Given the rapid aging of the world population, it’s no surprise that research on Alzheimer’s disease has become a scientific focus. Simply understanding the mechanisms resulting in the disease has been a major undertaking, but we’re starting to make progress. A research study recently published in Nature Communications by scientists at the Van Andel Research… Read more
We’ve all seen it – pet parents who waltz into dog parks and let their canines run amok without any consideration. Here’s how hormones and training play a role in this social environment, and what you can do to keep your pup safe. The dog park can be an idyllic setting for you and your… Read more
The “Rat Scratcher” was presented with the 2019 Janet Wood Innovation Award at the Institute of Animal Technology Congress in Liverpool, England earlier this month. The award, a program of the Datesand Group, aims to encourage laboratory animal technicians to come up with ideas that support the Three R’s of animal research: replacement, reduction and… Read more
Researchers from the University of Basel have helped to unravel the relationship between stress hormones and cancer metastasis. Using a rodent model of triple negative breast cancer, the scientists found that metastases had increased levels of glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Mice with metastases also had higher levels of stress hormones like cortisol, which increased GR levels…. Read more
Breast cancer is a very active area of research, and we regularly review publications about new treatments. But experience shows that early-stage, preclinical research results do not often translate into successful treatment in humans. So when we saw the promising outcomes of a clinical trial of a new “smart drug” to treat women with metastatic… Read more
Diet and exercise play a role in the development of a number of chronic diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes and heart disease. Cancer and diet have also been associated, but until now, scientists did not understand why. Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have found the likely link. AGEs – or advanced glycation… Read more