In a novel study using canine brain scans, scientists have reported that spayed females had an increased relative risk of brain tumors — 11 times that of intact females. The authors cited the importance of estrogen to brain health, and related their work in dogs to findings in women regarding higher incidence of dementia than… Read more
The Parsemus Foundation was awarded the 2019 Editor’s Choice Innovation Award in Complementary Medicine by the Innovative Veterinary Care Journal. This award recognizes the work that the foundation has done in the area of hormone-sparing dog sterilization. Our goal is to serve as an educational resource for pet owners and veterinarians about the research on… Read more
Thanks to a new patent for treating hearing loss using aldosterone and anti-inflammatory medication, humankind is a big step closer to reversing the #1 neurodegenerative disease of aging. If patent recipients Robert Frisina and colleagues at the University of South Florida successfully complete clinical trials, this method could be the first FDA-approved treatment for hearing… Read more
The Male Contraceptive Initiative interviewed Ed Gillis about male contraception — especially Vasalgel. As CEO of Revolution Contraceptives, the social venture developing Vasalgel, Ed shared his thoughts about the challenges and promise of new male contraceptive development. Funding remains one of the main hurdles, but Ed expressed encouragement given how many individual advocates and physicians… Read more
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