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Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a more efficient technique for producing biofuels from woody plants that significantly reduces the waste that results from conventional biofuel production techniques. The technique is a significant step toward creating a commercially viable new source of biofuels. Continue Reading »

Many people believe that getting older means losing a mental edge, leading to poor decision-making. But a new study from North Carolina State University shows that when it comes to making intuitive decisions – using your “gut instincts” – older adults fare as well as their juniors. Continue Reading »

It’s official: the dog (and cat) days of summer are upon us. When you’re taking steps to beat the heat, don’t forget your furry friends – they suffer the same ill effects that we do when it gets too hot.

“If you are uncomfortable, it’s safe to say that your pet is as well,” says Dr. Steven Marks, clinical associate professor of critical care and internal medicine at North Carolina State University. “Pets can suffer from heat stroke, dehydration and even sunburn. While you sweat through numerous pores to lower body temperature, your pet has few sweat glands – found mostly on the nose and the pads of their feet. They can become dangerously overheated.”

Tips for helping Fido and Fluffy beat the heat:

• Limit exercise on hot and humid days to early morning and evening.
• When exercising, remember that asphalt becomes very hot – which can burn tender foot pads – keep fresh water handy, and ensure that cooling shade is always nearby.
• Never leave a pet in a parked car. “Even with the windows rolled down,” Marks says, “it only takes a few minutes for a dangerous level of heat to build within the interior of a car. Dehydration, heat stroke and even brain damage to the dog or cat can occur.”

While all dogs and cats are at risk, older or very young pets, overweight pets, pets with heavy coats, and short-nosed dogs may need extra care.

According to Marks, if your pet is panting excessively or has difficulty breathing; has an increased heart and respiratory rate; drools; has difficulty walking; appears weak or in a stupor, you need to place the pet in the shade or air conditioning immediately and apply cool – not cold – water to reduce the animal’s core body temperature. Get help from your veterinarian as soon as possible.

Some other summertime (or anytime) tips:

• Keep your pet up-to-date on heartworm medication, as well as flea and tick prevention. This summer in particular cat owners are advised to protect their feline companions from tick-transmitted cytauxzoonosis, a malaria-like infectious disease that left untreated has a mortality rate close to 100 percent.
• Beware of toxic agents such as plant food, insecticides, fertilizer, coolants, citronella candles, oil products, and insect coils that may be around the home and yard.
• Prevent access to compost bins or garbage cans – ingesting the fungus on decomposing objects can cause a potentially lethal condition known as tremorgenic mycotoxin intoxication. Symptoms of this condition are uncontrolled and non-stop shaking.
• The heat, loud noise, and confusion of crowded summer events can be stressful for pets. Unlit fireworks may contain heavy metals such as potassium nitrate, copper, chlorates, and arsenic, which are toxic if ingested.
• Make sure your pet is always wearing a collar or identification such as a microchip.

As a resource for pet owners, the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at NC State provides small animal emergency service weekdays from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., weekends from 5 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Monday, and 24 hours a day on legal holidays. Call 919/513-6911 for more information.

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North Carolina State University Chancellor Randy Woodson conferred 4,566 degrees on 4,299 graduating students when the university held its 2010 Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 15, at the RBC Center in Raleigh.

Candidates for degrees were from 98 North Carolina counties, 38 other states or U.S. territories and 40 foreign countries. NC State holds graduation ceremonies each year in the spring and fall. Continue Reading »

North Carolina State University Chancellor Randy Woodson announced that 6,388 undergraduate students earned Dean’s List honors at NC State during the spring 2010 semester.

To make the Dean’s List, students must earn an academic grade-point average of 3.25 or higher if they are carrying 15 or more hours of course work, or a 3.5 grade-point average if they are carrying 12 to 14 hours. Continue Reading »

Tequila and cheese may sound like the makings of an awkward cocktail party, but new research shows that they have a lot to tell us about efforts to boost rural economies around the world. Continue Reading »

Golden retrievers are highly susceptible to cancers arising in the blood, lymphatic and vascular systems. Now, canine cancer scientists at North Carolina State University, the University of Minnesota, the Broad Institute in Massachusetts and Uppsala University in Sweden are teaming up with two animal-health foundations to find out why. Their findings may benefit humans as well because the genes involved in cancer are often the same in dogs and people.

The researchers’ goal is to discover the genes and genetic changes that lead to about one in five golden retrievers getting hemangiosarcoma, a rare, rapidly growing cancer of the cells that form blood vessels, and about one in eight golden retrievers contracting lymphoma, a cancer of a part of the immune system called the lymphatic system. In addition, the scientists will determine why golden retrievers are predisposed to the cancers, how the risk could be reduced, and whether DNA tests could aid in diagnosis and treatment. They will also study the mutations that occur in the tumors and their susceptibility to chemotherapy to identify the treatments most effective against the cancers.

The three-year project will be funded by a $1 million grant from the Golden Retriever Foundation and Morris Animal Foundation.

The three scientists leading this project represent some of the top canine cancer researchers in the world. They include Dr. Matthew Breen, professor of genomics at NC State and the Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research (CCMTR), and genetics researcher at the University of North Carolina’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center; Dr. Jaime Modiano, professor of oncology and comparative medicine with the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Masonic Cancer Center; and Dr. Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, director of the Vertebrate Genome Biology Program at the Broad Institute, and a professor of comparative genomics at Uppsala University in Sweden.

“Already we have shown that several human and canine cancers share remarkable similarities in their genetic makeup,” Breen says. “This new study provides a ‘golden’ opportunity to accelerate these studies to the next level. Data that emerge from this study should offer new insight into cancer predisposition and progression in dogs, and may have far reaching impact on advancing our understanding of human cancers. Once again, man’s best friend is there for us, right by our side.”

Owners of golden retrievers diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma can support this research by donating a small tumor or blood sample. Blood samples from healthy golden retrievers older than 12 years of age also are needed. For more information about how to make sample donations, visit www.breenlab.org, www.modianolab.org, or www.dogdna.org.

The Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research (CCMTR) is a community of more than 100 research scientists from five North Carolina State University colleges. These investigators are involved in collaborative “One Health” studies with government, private and other academic researchers to advance knowledge and practical applications that improve the health and well being of people and animals.

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