A new view on Lyme disease: Rodents hold the key to annual risk
In the United States, Lyme disease incidence has skyrocketed from 497 cases reported in 1982 (the first year national statistics were collected) to a record 23,763 in 2002. Lyme disease, like other zoonoses, is transmitted by a vector that picks up the pathogen during a blood meal from a vertebrate host. In the eastern and central United States, the spirochete bacterium Borrelia burgdor...Longer-lived rodents have lower levels of thyroid hormone
The thyroid may play an important role in longevity, with longer-lived rodents showing significantly lower levels of a thyroid hormone that speeds metabolism, a new study has found. The study further strengthens the theory that the faster an animal's metabolism, the shorter its life, and vice versa, said Mario Pinto, the study's lead author. The thyroid releases hormones that regulate meta...Rodents to be replaced with Dogs for cancer Research
Researchers from National Cancer Institute, US is to start testing their drug efficacy trial on dogs as the researchers feel that drug metabolize, enzyme kinetics and drug action mechanisms in dogs are similar to humans than that of rodents//. Dr. Chand Khanna, Veterinary Oncologist said, “It turns out that many cancers, such as lymphoma, melanoma and osteosarcoma, are well represente...Longer-Lived Rodents Have Lower Levels of Thyroid Hormone
The thyroid may play an important role in longevity, with longer-lived rodents showing significantly lower levels of a thyroid hormone that speeds metabolism, a new study has found.// The study further strengthens the theory that the faster an animal’s metabolism, the shorter its life, and vice versa, said Mario Pinto, the study’s lead author. The thyroid releases hormones that regulat...Glucose Causes Death of Brain Cells in Rodents Following Hypoglycemic Coma
It was thought that hypoglycemic coma causes brain damage. On the contrary brain damage occurs only when glucose is given to treat the coma//, as discovered by researchers from San Francisco VA Medical Center, during a study on rodents. The study results may have implications on the treatment of diabetics in hypoglycemic coma, though detailed research is necessary before it can be appl...