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From the horse's mouth
What do horses and humans have in common when it comes to eating too much and exercising too little? That's one of the things two researchers at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine are trying to find out. Veterinarians Craig Thatcher and Scott Pleasant say human health may substantially benefit from their research if they can make a connection between obese horses and whether the animals suffer from chronic inflammation, much like obese humans do. If Drs. Thatcher and Pleasant can determine that obesity in horses causes inflammation, the possibility would exist for the horse to serve as an animal model for the study of obesity in people for the very first time. For more information, contact Jeffrey Douglas at (540) 231-7911 or jdouglas@vt.edu.

A pepper for the pain
Dr. Dorothy Brown, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, is helping spice things up in an attempt to ease the pain in sick animals and humans alike. Brown is making such significant progress in managing pain in dogs stricken with cancer, that her study has captured the attention of the National Institutes of Health. Brown is studying the pain-killing effects of resiniferatoxin (RTX), a red-hot sap produced by a Moroccan cousin of the chili pepper plant. RTX, about 1,000 times stronger than the capsaicin found in chili peppers, helps kill nerve cells that transmit pain. Human testing of the chemical could begin soon, paving the way for what scientists hope will be an effective tool in managing pain for cancer patients. For more information, contact Gail Luciani at (215) 898-1475 or luciani@vet.upenn.edu.

Fixing lasers on cancer
A collaborative effort between the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences Laser Laboratory at Oklahoma State University and the University of Central Oklahoma Biomedical Physics Department may lead to advances in the treatment of certain cancers in both animals and humans. Researchers have combined three methods of treatment – laser photothermal interaction, photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy – to increase survival time, decrease a cancer's spread and improve cure rates for prostate, breast and skin cancers. By combining the three techniques, the researchers expect a synergistic effect that will enhance tumor destruction by the laser therapy as well as the patient's own immune system. For more information, contact Derinda Lowe at (405) 744-6740 or Derinda.lowe@okstate.edu.

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Public health news
Feeding pet miniature pigs table scraps and other food waste that may be contaminated or improperly cooked is one of several factors that could increase the risk of introducing or transmitting foreign animal diseases, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. All swine, including miniature and potbellied pigs, are susceptible to many foreign animal diseases, according to the study's authors. In fact, the feeding of contaminated food waste to swine has been associated with several outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), including the 2001 FMD outbreak in the United Kingdom. The historical role swine have played in outbreaks puts them at high risk for the introduction and transmission of FMD in the United States. FMD has not occurred recently in the United States, but the potential economic impact of an outbreak here has been estimated at between $6.8 billion and about $14 billion. For more information, contact Dr. Edith S. Marshall at (530) 297-4621 or esmarshall@ucdavis.edu.

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A sampling of interesting upcoming events and pet-related campaigns ...

National Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 20, 2007 – May 26, 2007: The American Veterinary Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Postal Service team their efforts to educate the public and help reduce the 4.7 million dog bites and 800,000 visits to doctors and emergency rooms that occur each year. For more information, visit www.avma.org or www.cdc.gov.

American Animal Hospital Association Annual Conference, March 17, 2007 – March 21, 2007: Companion-animal veterinarians from around the country gather in Lakewood, Colo., to explore the many facets of pet care. For more information, go to www.aahanet.org.

Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians Annual Conference, April 14, 2007 – April 18, 2007: From pet lizards to alligators, the veterinarians who handle some of the more exotic species will meet in New Orleans to further their goals of conservation and humane treatment of all reptiles and amphibians. For more information, go to www.arav.org.

American Board of Veterinary Practitioners Annual Symposium, April 27, 2007 – April 29, 2007: Diplomates certified in species-specific medicine will learn the latest on treating birds, food animals, horses, cats and dogs during a meeting in Long Beach, Calif. For more information, go to www.abvp.com.