Veterinary News and Research

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Low-cost thermometer identifies cows with poor hoof health

A low-cost hand-held infrared thermometer can successfully identify cows with potentially treatable hoof lesions, report researchers in the Veterinary Record.

26 Sep 2012

Old anti-inflammatory drug possible candidate to treat TB

After testing about 5,600 existing medications for their effectiveness against drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis (TB), researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that oxyphenbutazone, "an anti-inflammatory medication marketed in the 1950s as Tandearil and still used in veterinary medicine," killed both latent and active TB bacteria in test-tube experiments, the Los Angeles Times' "Booster Shots" blog reports.

13 Sep 2012

Classical music could ease the ‘dog’s life’ of kennels

Playing classical music to dogs housed in kennels on either a temporary or permanent basis results in them spending more time sleeping, and less time vocalizing, report researchers.

12 Sep 2012

Polysaccharopeptide improves survival in dogs with hemangiosarcoma

Dogs with hemangiosarcoma that were treated with a compound derived from the Coriolus versicolor mushroom had the longest survival times ever reported for dogs with the disease.

11 Sep 2012

Oxyphenbutazone can kill drug resistant TB

An off-patent anti-inflammatory drug that costs around two cents for a daily dose in developing countries has been found by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College to kill both replicating and non-replicating drug resistant tuberculosis in the laboratory -- a feat few currently approved TB drugs can do, and resistance to those is spreading.

11 Sep 2012

JQ1 compound dramatically prevents sperm production in mice

Attention men: The day may be coming soon when you can take your own birth control pill with no side effects, according to a study done by a group of scientists that includes a Texas A&M University researcher.

6 Sep 2012

Diabetes prevention: an interview with Julian Baines, CEO of EKF Diagnostics

NICE public health guideline 38 ‘Preventing type 2 diabetes: Risk identification and interventions for individuals at high risk’.

From EKF Diagnostics 3 Sep 2012

Risk factors for obesity in pet rabbits similar to those in other animals

Companion rabbits that are female and neutered are more likely to be overweight than their male, entire counterparts, report UK researchers who highlight that these are similar risk factors for overweight as have been previously seen in cats and dogs.

29 Aug 2012

BioTime amends license agreement with University of Utah for HyStem technology

BioTime, Inc. announced that the company has amended its license from the University of Utah to expand the field of use for which BioTime is licensed to produce and market products covered by the core patents underlying HyStem technology.

27 Aug 2012

Researcher describes structure and function of tuberculosis efflux pump regulator

Edward Yu took note of the facts - nearly 2 million deaths each year, 9 million infected each year, developments of multidrug-resistant, extensively drug-resistant and now totally drug-resistant strains - and decided to shift his research focus to tuberculosis.

23 Aug 2012

Semen protein acts on the female brain to prompt ovulation

An international team of scientists led by Gregg Adams at the University of Saskatchewan has discovered that a protein in semen acts on the female brain to prompt ovulation, and is the same molecule that regulates the growth, maintenance, and survival of nerve cells.

21 Aug 2012

Lack of certain gene occurs in almost 28% of breast cancers

More than one out of every four cases of breast cancer is associated with a specific, missing gene - a finding that could have significant implications for chemotherapy treatments, according a recent study by Cornell University researchers.

20 Aug 2012

UCP2 uncoupling protein occurs mainly in cells of the immune system

When uncoupling proteins are active, mitochondria produce heat instead of ATP. This may be useful under certain circumstances, such as when an animal is hibernating. But non-hibernating animals also have them. Particularly poorly understood is the uncoupling protein UCP2. Elena Pohl and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, show that the protein occurs mainly in cells of the immune system.

18 Aug 2012

No aping around after anesthetic combination

A combination of medetomidine and ketamine administered intramuscularly to chimpanzees, orangutans, and gorillas results in reliable immobilization for both the animals and personnel handling them, report researchers.

15 Aug 2012

Scientists discover how pten gene causes brain changes that lead to autism-like behavior

Scientists affiliated with the UC Davis MIND Institute have discovered how a defective gene causes brain changes that lead to the atypical social behavior characteristic of autism. The research offers a potential target for drugs to treat the condition.

13 Aug 2012

Chemotherapy is appropriate adjunct to surgery for oral melanoma in dogs

The addition of chemotherapeutic treatment with carboplatin for dogs with oral malignant melanomas that have undergone surgical excision may be a reasonable alternative to adjunctive radiotherapy, report researchers.

8 Aug 2012

Mutations in Ras gene alone may not cause tumours

Despite a huge amount of research effort, the molecular mechanisms that underlie the transition from a "normal" cell to a cancerous cell are only poorly understood. After the discovery of the first cancer-causing genes or oncogenes and the finding that they are mutated forms of normal cellular genes, it was widely believed that a single mutation was enough to cause cancer.

6 Aug 2012