Ed Gillis, CEO of Revolution Contraceptives, the social venture company tasked with developing Vasalgel for Parsemus Foundation, traveled to Paris this spring to exchange ideas with other male contraceptive innovators at the second International Congress on Male Contraception. He aimed to network with others in the field, learn about other male contraceptives in development, and… Read more
We regularly hear that obesity is a risk factor for various diseases, and we’re beginning to understand that some diseases have overlapping risk factors and outcomes. For example obesity, type II diabetes, and a diet high in saturated fats are all risk factors for developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. And recent studies have revealed outcomes… Read more
We’ve all heard that spaying or neutering your dog (gonadectomy, or removal of the gonads, i.e. the ovaries or testes) will help reduce its aggressiveness. However, a recent study including over 13,000 dogs concluded that this assumption is incorrect. In the U.S., veterinarians and animal welfare organizations have long supported gonadectomy as a way to… Read more
High levels of vitamin D have been related to lower levels of breast cancer, report scientists from the University of California San Diego. Expanding on epidemiological studies relating higher cancer levels in individuals with vitamin D deficiency, the current study published in PLOS One utilized data from two randomized and one prospective clinical trials. Postmenopausal women… Read more
Results of the TAILORx clinical study may change the treatment recommendations for women with early-stage breast cancer. A recent report indicated that for most women with an intermediate risk score resulting from the 21-gene expression test, there was no benefit of taking chemotherapy in addition to hormone therapy. Authors of the study, which is to be… Read more
Researchers from Ottawa have found that a combination of a flu vaccine and erectile dysfunction drug was able to reduce the number of cancer metastases following tumor removal surgery in a mouse model. While surgery is an effective first step in removing cancerous tumors, the surgery can suppress the immune system – giving an advantage… Read more
Scientists have recently developed methods to detect breast cancer by measuring a patient’s breath and urine. They used electronic nose gas sensors for breath, along with gas-chromatography mass spectrometry to quantify substances found in urine. These diagnostic methods are inexpensive and were found to have 95% accuracy. The new method may be particularly useful in… Read more
The Janet Wood Innovation Award finalists were recently announced, recognizing individuals who created novel products that improve the welfare of laboratory animals. The award, a program of 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 refinement). The products will… Read more
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has proven benefits over “open surgery”: fewer complications, shorter hospitalization, lower rates of readmission and mortality, and lower health care costs. Unfortunately, the population that might benefit the most from this approach is under-served. A recently published study used a Medicare database to analyze minimally invasive vs. traditional open surgeries in elderly… Read more
Millions of animals – mainly rats and mice – are used every year as surrogates for humans in toxicology testing. Such testing is often required by regulatory bodies to evaluate the potential toxicity of new products and chemicals. The search for alternatives to lethal animal toxicology testing in the last few decades has started to… Read more