Jockeys in quarter horse races had greater fall, injury rates than those in thoroughbred races.

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 UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine analyzed data on falls and injuries to jockeys that occurred at race meetings from January 2007 to December 2011.

The study showed that in California, jockeys riding in quarter horse races had greater fall and injury rates than those riding in thoroughbred races. A jockey riding in California can expect to have a fall every 318 rides in quarter horse races and every 502 rides in thoroughbred races, with more than half of falls resulting in a substantive injury to the jockey.

“Catastrophic injury or sudden death of the horse was reported as the most common cause of jockey falls in both thoroughbred and quarter horse races,” Hitchens said.

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UC Davis study could help advance efforts to treat, prevent ailments in canines and humans.

The prevalence of genetic disorders among purebred and mixed-breed dogs depends on the specific condition, according to a UC Davis study.

If you think your mixed-breed pup is naturally hardier than the neighbor’s purebred, you may want to think again. A new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, indicates that mixed breeds don’t necessarily have an advantage when it comes to inherited canine disorders.

Findings of the new study, available online in the June issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, are of particular interest because dogs are second only to humans in the number of identified genetic disorders that affect them.

The results provide a better understanding of the prevalence and source of such disorders, and could advance efforts to prevent and treat genetic ailments in both dogs and humans.

“Overall, the study showed that the prevalence of these genetic disorders among purebred and mixed-breed dogs depends on the specific condition,” said animal physiologist Anita Oberbauer, professor and chair of the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis and lead author of the study.

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ViVita Technologies includes UC Davis vet, three biomedical engineering doctoral students.

The winning team for both first place and People's Choice: (from left) Maelene Wong, biomedical engineering graduate student; Leigh Griffiths, assistant professor of veterinary medicine and epidemiology; Jeni Lee, biomedical engineering graduate student; and Gina MacBarb, biomedical engineering graduate student.

A new approach to tissue preparation that makes heart valve replacements less likely to be rejected by the body’s immune system — potentially giving transplant patients longer, healthier lives — was the clear favorite in this year’s UC Davis business plan competition — sweeping both the first prize and the People’s Choice award.

ViVita Technologies, a team comprising a UC Davis veterinarian and three biomedical engineering doctoral students, took home a total of $12,000 in the 13th annual Big Bang! Business Plan Competition, run by MBA students in the UC Davis Graduate School of Management: $10,000 for first place, decided by a team of judges, and $2,000 for the People’s Choice award, decided by a vote of the approximately 150 people who attended the awards ceremony Thursday evening (May 16) at the UC Davis Conference Center.

Second prize of $5,000 went to Davis Chem, a team that is working to commercialize a sustainable method of producing isobutryaldehyde, a common base chemical used in everything from paint to cosmetics, with genetically modified E. coli bacteria rather than with the petroleum products currently used in production.

ViVita Technologies was driven to create its product to address the current shortage of organs. “But unlike with current heart valve transplants, the patient would be free from a lifetime of drugs,” said Maelene Wong, chief executive officer of the nascent company.

The ViVita process removes substances that trigger patients’ immune response while preserving the structural integrity and functional properties of the replacement valve tissue. The method has been successfully tested on small animals, they said.

The proprietary process allows the patient’s own cells to join and grow with the transplant tissue — a process that the team says could eventually be used for any organ transplant. Such an organ transplant would allow the person to lead a normal, healthy life without fear of organ rejection and the need to spend a lifetime on anti-rejection medication. It would also allow for better transplant methods for children, who often need new transplants, and additional surgeries, when their bodies grow, Wong said.

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Influenza strain that reached pandemic levels among humans detected in elephant seals.

Researchers have discovered the H1N1 flu virus in elephant seals off the coast of central California.

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, detected the H1N1 (2009) virus in free-ranging northern elephant seals off the central California coast a year after the human pandemic began, according to a study published today (May 15) in the journal PLOS ONE. It is the first report of that flu strain in any marine mammal.

“We thought we might find influenza viruses, which have been found before in marine mammals, but we did not expect to find pandemic H1N1,” said lead author Tracey Goldstein, an associate professor with the UC Davis One Health Institute and Wildlife Health Center. “This shows influenza viruses can move among species.”

UC Davis researchers have been studying flu viruses in wild birds and mammals since 2007 as part of the Centers of Excellence in Influenza Research and Surveillance program funded by National Institutes of Health. The goal of this research is to understand how viruses emerge and move among animals and people.

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“COW-lifornia Girls” spoof wins ultrasound machine in national contest.

The Food Animal and Reproduction Medicine (FARM) Club at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine recently won a new, handheld digital ultrasound machine in a national competition among veterinary medicine university organizations. After initial entries of photos and an essay — which were judged on knowledge, creativity, and desire for the machine — the contestant list was narrowed to the top eight universities. Those eight then had to create a short video which would be voted on by the public.

The FARM Club’s “COW-lifornia Girls” (spoofing the popular “California Girls” by Katy Perry) proved to be the most popular video. After a widespread marketing campaign, the FARM Club’s video garnered more than 2,000 votes out of a total of 8,000 for all eight videos. Being the only entry from the state of California, the FARM Club reached out for promotional help to a wide network of closely connected organizations that were eager to support a California cause, including the California Beef Council, the California Veterinary Medical Association, California 4-H, CBS13 Sacramento Evening News and Good Day Sacramento.

The ultrasound machine will provide an invaluable experience to FARM Club members, and other students, for years to come. It will allow UC Davis veterinary students early exposure to ultrasonography and become proficient with ultrasound technology before the clinical portion of their studies begins.

The UC Davis FARM Club provides extracurricular learning and networking opportunities for students interested in production medicine. The club promotes the belief of providing the utmost care for animals, while working to ensure a healthy, wholesome and safe food supply to benefit consumers. The FARM Club teaches students about the unique responsibility veterinarians have to bring sound scientific evidence to future clients and to educate the consuming public about the food they eat. This mission begins in veterinary school and continues throughout a career as a food animal practitioner.

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$58.5M UC Davis facility is dedicated to making discoveries in science and health.

The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine today celebrated the public opening of a new four-story, $58.5 million research building, dedicated to making discoveries in basic science as well as human, animal and environmental health.

The new building will house part of the vet school’s $63.7 million research enterprise, which is the largest in the nation among veterinary colleges.

“Research discoveries begin with an idea, as did the planning for this facility,” said Michael Lairmore, dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine, during the opening ceremonies, which drew more than 200 guests and members of the campus community.

Lairmore noted that the concept of developing a unified veterinary medical campus at UC Davis was first conceived in the 1960s and resolutely carried forward to fruition by four consecutive veterinary school deans.

“I am humbled by the vision of my predecessors and so very grateful that they built a facilities foundation and future for us,” Lairmore said. “Their collective efforts over more than four decades are also indicative of the ongoing discoveries associated with improving animal, human and environmental health, which take time and many, many partners and participants.”

The new Veterinary Medicine Research Facility 3B provides modern biomedical research space for 40 teams that are engaged in a broad spectrum of research related to animal, human and environmental health. Their studies focus on a variety of topics including diseases that affect animals and humans, autism, nutrition, reproduction, respiratory disease, neurobiology, food safety, toxicology and aquatic toxicology. The building also is home to the ambitious 100K Genome Project, which aims to sequence the genomes of 100,000 infectious microorganisms and speed diagnosis of foodborne illnesses.

In all, the new building provides 76,000 square feet of assignable space and is located northeast of the school’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. The building replaces antiquated facilities at various campus locations and is UC Davis’ newest research hub.

Also speaking during today’s ceremonies were UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi; state Sen. Lois Wolk; state Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada; and Andrea Fascetti, the veterinary school’s executive chair of the faculty.

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Elevated levels of antimicrobial lysozyme effective in treating disease in study with pigs.
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Milk from goats that were genetically modified to produce higher levels of a human antimicrobial protein has proved effective in treating diarrhea in young pigs, demonstrating the potential for food products from transgenic animals to one day also benefit human health, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.

The study is the first on record to show that goats’ milk carrying elevated levels of the antimicrobial lysozyme, a protein found in human breast milk, can successfully treat diarrhea caused by bacterial infection in the gastrointestinal tract.

The findings, slated to appear today (March 13) in the online scientific journal PLOS ONE, offer hope that such milk may eventually help prevent human diarrheal diseases that each year claim the lives of 1.8 million children around the world and impair the physical and mental development of millions more.

“Many developing parts of the world rely on livestock as a main source of food,” said James Murray, a UC Davis animal science and veterinary medicine professor and lead researcher on the study. “These results provide just one example that, through genetic engineering, we can provide agriculturally relevant animals with novel traits targeted at solving some of the health-related problems facing these developing communities.”

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U.S. News gives high marks to UC medical schools.

University of California Health ranked among the nation’s best graduate schools in a survey released today (March 12) by U.S. News & World Report.

Five UC medical schools placed in the top 50 nationally for research rankings and four placed in the top 40 nationally for primary care rankings.

In research, UC San Francisco was the top-ranked public school and tied for fourth among all U.S. schools, with UCLA 13th overall, UC San Diego 15th, and UC Davis and UC Irvine tied for 42nd. In primary care, UCSF ranked fourth, UCLA ranked 11th, UC Davis tied for 19th and UC San Diego tied for 39th, with UC Irvine tied for 66th. UCSF has the only medical school ranked in the top five of both categories.

UC medical schools also received high marks in a number of specialty programs. UCSF ranked first for its medical program in AIDS, second in both internal medicine and women’s health, tied for second in drug/alcohol abuse education, fourth in family medicine, sixth in geriatrics, and seventh in pediatrics. UCLA ranked third in geriatrics, seventh in drug/alcohol abuse education, tied for ninth in AIDS and 10th in women’s health. UC San Diego ranked ninth in drug/alcohol abuse education and 11th in AIDS.

U.S. News’ 2014 America’s Best Graduate Schools rankings were released online today (March 12) and can be viewed at www.usnews.com/grad.

The new rankings include previous assessments of a number of other health fields, which U.S. News also surveys but not each year. UCLA ranked first in clinical psychology, UCSF ranked first in pharmacy, UC Davis ranked second in veterinary medicine, UCSF ranked fourth for both its master’s of nursing program (tied) and its nursing-midwifery program, while in public health UC Berkeley tied for eighth and UCLA was 10th. The surveys do not rank dental or optometry schools.

UC Health runs five academic health centers and the nation’s largest health sciences education system with more than 14,000 students and 18 health professional schools and programs in medicine, dentistry, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, public health and veterinary medicine. UC’s sixth medical school, UC Riverside, will enroll its first class this fall.

Related links:

• UC Davis
• UC Irvine
• UCLA
• UC San Diego
• UC San Francisco

Researchers solve puzzle of when ancient canines expanded from Southeast Asia.

Part of the ancient mystery of the makeup of the modern Western dog has been solved by a team led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine.

Several thousand years after dogs originated in the Middle East and Europe, some of them moved south with ancient farmers, distancing themselves from native wolf populations and developing a distinct genetic profile that is now reflected in today’s canines.

These findings, based on the rate of genetic marker mutations in the dog’s Y chromosome, supply the missing piece to the puzzle of when ancient dogs expanded from Southeast Asia. The study results are published online this month in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.

“Our findings reconcile more than a decade of apparently contradictory archaeological and genetic findings on the geographic origins of the dogs,” said Ben Sacks, lead study author and director of the Canid Diversity and Conservation Group in the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Considerable archaeological evidence indicates that the first dogs appeared about 14,000 years ago in Europe and the Middle East, while dogs did not appear in Southeast Asia until about 7,000 years later. Scientists have been puzzled, though, because growing genetic evidence suggests that modern Western dogs, including modern European dogs, are derived from a Southeast Asian population of dogs that spread throughout the world.

The problem: If dogs originated in Europe, why does genetic evidence suggest that modern European dogs are originally from Southeast Asia? Sacks and his team think they’ve found the answer.

“Data from our study indicate that about 6,000 to 9,000 years ago, during what is known as the Neolithic age, ancient farmers brought dogs south of the Yangtze River, which runs west to east across what is now China,” Sacks said.

“While dogs in other parts of Eurasia continued to readily interbreed with wolves, the dogs that moved into Southeast Asia no longer lived near wolves, and so they developed a totally different evolutionary trajectory, influenced by the agriculture of Southeast Asia,” he said. “Those ancient dogs apparently underwent a significant evolutionary transformation in southern China that enabled them to demographically dominate and largely replace earlier western forms.”

To calculate when the modern European and Southeast Asian dogs diverged, the researchers calculated the mutation rate of genetic markers on the Y chromosome in a sample of 100 Australian dingoes, a dog population known to have appeared about 4,200 years ago. Knowing the rate at which these genetic mutations occur, the researchers were able to backtrack through history and estimate the point when dogs of Eurasia and Southeast Asia parted company as being roughly 7,000 years ago.

“So, in a sense, both of the original hypotheses are true: Dogs did originate in Europe and the Middle East, but modern dogs trace their ancestry most recently to the East and specifically Southeast Asia,” Sacks said.

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Study of 759 dogs finds a doubling of hip dysplasia among males neutered before age 1.

Neutering, and the age at which a dog is neutered, may affect the animal’s risk for developing certain cancers and joint diseases, according to a new study of golden retrievers by a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis.

The study, which examined the health records of 759 golden retrievers, found a surprising doubling of hip dysplasia among male dogs neutered before one year of age. This and other results will be published today (Feb. 13) in the online scientific journal PLOS ONE.

“The study results indicate that dog owners and service-dog trainers should carefully consider when to have their male or female dogs neutered,” said lead investigator Benjamin Hart, a distinguished professor emeritus in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

“It is important to remember, however, that because different dog breeds have different vulnerabilities to various diseases, the effects of early and late neutering also may vary from breed to breed,” he said.

While results of the new study are revealing, Hart said the relationship between neutering and disease-risk remains a complex issue. For example, the increased incidence of joint diseases among early-neutered dogs is likely a combination of the effect of neutering on the young dog’s growth plates as well as the increase in weight on the joints that is commonly seen in neutered dogs.

Dog owners in the United States are overwhelmingly choosing to neuter their dogs, in large part to prevent pet overpopulation or avoid unwanted behaviors. In the U.S., surgical neutering — known as spaying in females — is usually done when the dog is less than 1 year old.

In Europe, however, neutering is generally avoided by owners and trainers and not promoted by animal health authorities, Hart said.

During the past decade, some studies have indicated that neutering can have several adverse health effects for certain dog breeds. Those studies examined individual diseases using data drawn from one breed or pooled from several breeds.

Against that backdrop, Hart and colleagues launched their study, using a single hospital database. The study was designed to examine the effects of neutering on the risks of several diseases in the same breed, distinguishing between males and females and between early or late neutering and non-neutering.

The researchers chose to focus on the golden retriever because it is one of the most popular breeds in the U.S. and Europe and is vulnerable to various cancers and joint disorders. The breed also is favored for work as a service dog.

The research team reviewed the records of female and male golden retrievers, ranging in age from 1 to 8 years, that had been examined at UC Davis’ William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for two joint disorders and three cancers: hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear, lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma and mast cell tumor. The dogs were classified as intact (not neutered), neutered early (before 12 months age), or neutered late (at or after 12 months age).

Joint disorders and cancers are of particular interest because neutering removes the male dog’s testes and the female’s ovaries, interrupting production of certain hormones that play key roles in important body processes such as closure of bone growth plates, and regulation of the estrous cycle in female dogs.

The study revealed that, for all five diseases analyzed, the disease rates were significantly higher in both males and females that were neutered either early or late compared with intact (non-neutered) dogs.

Specifically, early neutering was associated with an increase in the occurrence of hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear and lymphosarcoma in males and of cranial cruciate ligament tear in females. Late neutering was associated with the subsequent occurrence of mast cell tumors and hemangiosarcoma in females.

In most areas, the findings of this study were consistent with earlier studies, suggesting similar increases in disease risks. The new study, however, was the first to specifically report an increased risk of late neutering for mast cell tumors and hemangiosarcoma.

Furthermore, the new study showed a surprising 100 percent increase, or doubling, of the incidence of hip dysplasia among early-neutered males. Earlier studies had reported a 17 percent increase among all neutered dogs compared to all non-neutered dogs, indicating the importance of the new study in making gender and age-of-neutering comparisons.

Other researchers on this UC Davis study were: Gretel Torres de la Riva, Thomas Farver and Lynette Hart, School of Veterinary Medicine; Anita Oberbauer, Department of Animal Science; Locksley Messam, Department of Public Health Sciences; and Neil Willits, Department of Statistics.

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UC Davis veterinarians offer tips.

Pets can get sick from eating the holiday decorations and treats.

Veterinarians at the University of California, Davis, offer some helpful tips to keep your pets safe this holiday season.

While the holidays are filled with traditional foods and decorations, those same items can cause harm to your pets if ingested. Every year at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, veterinarians treat pets that get sick from eating the holiday decorations and treats.

“We love to decorate our homes for the holidays,” said Karl Jandrey, an assistant professor of clinical small animal emergency and intensive care at UC Davis. “But, we need to keep in mind that some of our decorations and treats can be hazardous to our pets.

“Thankfully, most of the items ingested are only minimally harmful. However, some seemingly harmless holiday items can cause internal damage or even death to your pet,” he said.

Items to watch out for:

• Chocolate — Chocolate contains ingredients that can be toxic to pets. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. While dogs are the most susceptible, cats and other species may be affected, too. It is best to avoid letting any of your pets eat chocolate. If they have eaten chocolate and show signs of anxiety, agitation or vomiting, consult a veterinarian immediately.
• Poinsettias and holly — These traditional holiday plants can cause mild irritation to a pet’s mouth and may cause minor drooling, decreased appetite or vomiting. Seek veterinary care if these signs progress.
• Mistletoe — In small amounts, mistletoe can cause gastrointestinal irritation, possibly resulting in drooling, vomiting or diarrhea. Larger amounts could cause more severe harm. Consult veterinary care immediately if your pet has eaten any mistletoe.
• Electrical cords — Pets can easily be electrocuted if they chew through holiday light cords, which are usually thin and not insulated. Respiratory distress is a sign of electrocution, as well as a burn mark across the lips or tongue. Consult veterinary care immediately if your pet has these signs.
• Tinsel — While it makes a beautiful decoration, tinsel can be deadly to your pet if swallowed. It can easily cause an intestinal blockage and leakage of the consumed material into the abdomen. If you suspect your pet has eaten tinsel, and it has a loss of appetite, vomiting or diarrhea, seek veterinary care.

Keep a close eye on your cats and dogs around these items to help to ensure a safe and happy holiday season. The best medicine may be prevention.

The UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital is open and ready 24/7 for emergencies during the holidays.

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