Human & Animal Health Content

Cats Prefer to Get Free Meals Rather Than Work for Them

Amy M Quinton — August 09, 2021 - 10:00am

When given the choice between a free meal and performing a task for a meal, cats would prefer the meal that doesn’t require much effort.

California Budget Includes Money to Help Homeless Animals

Amy M Quinton — July 28, 2021 - 9:00am

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed budget legislation that includes $45 million in one-time support for a statewide Animal Shelter Assistance Program.

Personalized Medicine for Cats With Heart Disease

Amy M Quinton — July 06, 2021 - 10:30am

Veterinarians at the University of California, Davis, have found that a cat’s DNA alters how it responds to a life-saving medication used to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, a heart disease that affects 1 in 7 cats. The study was published in the Nature Portfolio journal, Scientific Reports.

Study in calves offers hope for respiratory-disease treatment

IET WebDev — July 23, 2015 - 4:06pm

As every parent knows, respiratory illnesses — complete with runny nose, sore throat and cough — are quite routine for young children and usually pass as quickly as they appear.

Scholars present at annual sociological association meeting

IET WebDev — August 18, 2014 - 11:46am

Nearly 60 faculty and students at the University of California, Davis, will attend the 109th annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, with about half presenting papers or leading discussions. The meeting is being held in San Francisco at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square and the Parc 55 Wyndham Hotel Saturday, Aug. 16, through Tuesday, Aug. 19.

Papers from �°��ϲ��Ļ��Ϣ Davis examine the aging gay male population in San Francisco, evangelical Christianity in drug addiction recovery, and depression in older women, among other subjects.

Gene mutation for heart disease in Newfoundland dogs identified

IET WebDev — August 05, 2014 - 2:57pm

Newfoundlands — those massive, furry, black dogs — have captured many a heart with their hallmark size, sweet nature and loyalty. Unfortunately these gentle giants’ own hearts are all too often afflicted with a potentially lethal congenital disease called subvalvular aortic stenosis, or SAS, which also affects children and other dog breeds including the golden retriever.

Powerful bacterial immune response defined by new study

IET WebDev — February 06, 2014 - 12:40pm

T-cells, the elite guard of the immune system in humans and other mammals, ignore normal biologic protocol and swing into high gear when attacked by certain fast-moving bacteria, reports a team of researchers led by a �°��ϲ��Ļ��Ϣ Davis immunologist.

The description of this previously undefined immune pathway provides information vital for designing vaccines and medicines to prevent or treat deadly infectious diseases caused by bacteria such as Salmonella and Chlamydia. The results from this recent mouse-based study are published online in the journal Immunity.

Gene mutation in dogs offers clues for neural tube defects in humans

IET WebDev — July 19, 2013 - 2:35pm

A gene related to neural tube defects in dogs has for the first time been identified by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and University of Iowa.

The researchers also found evidence that the gene may be an important risk factor for human neural tube defects, which affect more than 300,000 babies born each year around the world, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Neural tube defects, including anencephaly and spina bifida, are caused by the incomplete closure or development of the spine and skull.

Preventing injuries to horse racing jockeys

IET WebDev — June 13, 2013 - 9:45am

Steps to prevent injuries to racehorses could also reduce the number of jockeys injured or killed in the United States, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, published June 11 in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine.

Postdoctoral scholar Peta Hitchens, associate professor Ashley Hill and professor Susan Stover from the J.D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory at the �°��ϲ��Ļ��Ϣ Davis School of Veterinary Medicine analyzed data on falls and injuries to jockeys that occurred at race meetings from January 2007 to December 2011.

Mindfulness from meditation associated with lower stress hormone

IET WebDev — March 27, 2013 - 10:18am

Focusing on the present rather than letting the mind drift may help to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, suggests new research from the Shamatha Project at the University of California, Davis.

The ability to focus mental resources on immediate experience is an aspect of mindfulness, which can be improved by meditation training.