UC Davis

Applying a new approach to rhesus macaque groups to realistically model individual, family, and group health across the lifespan in human populations. Humans live in societies full of rich and complex relationships that influence our physical and mental health and well-being. In both human and nonhuman primates, social life, and its interaction with factors such as personality, influence our health in complex ways.

Monkeys and humans are similarly affected by deadly heart disease A collaboration between a team of pathologists from the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) and a cardiologist from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has resulted in the identification of an HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) disease model naturally occurring in genetically related rhesus macaques in the CNPRC colony. This finding is considered to be crucial for research into early diagnosis and potential treatments for HCM in both monkeys and humans.

Developing a strategy to prevent and treat Zika virus Research is beginning next week at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) at UC Davis to understand Zika virus. Leading the efforts are Drs. Koen Van Rompay, Eliza Bliss-Moreau, Paul Luciw and John H. Morrison at the CNPRC, and Dr. Lark Coffey, UC Davis. The rapid spread of the virus and potential connection to an otherwise rare birth defect have drawn plenty of attention from the public and from government officials.

Can loneliness make you sick? Loneliness is more than just a socio-emotional condition; it can be a significant cause of poor health, and is of special concern in the elderly. Also known as perceived social isolation, loneliness reflects a discrepancy between desired and actual social relationships, and has been known to be a major risk factor for chronic illness and mortality in humans for more than a quarter century.

Prozac (fluoxetine), a commonly prescribed drug for anxiety and depression, is used during pregnancy by some women. But several studies are showing that prenatal exposure to the drug may increase the risk of having a child with autism. Prozac, Zoloft (sertraline) and Paxil (paroxetine) are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) – a class of antidepressants. SSRIs can cross the placenta, and it’s possible that exposure to the drugs affects fetal brain development, the researchers say.

Research conducted at the CNPRC on chorioamnionitis-induced preterm labor in women has been recommended by Faculty of 1000, in recognition of the research’s high impact in its field. Faculty of 1000 is a collaboration of over 5,000 world-wide faculty experts who identify important articles in biology and medical research publications. Articles that are selected by Faculty of 1000 are rated and highlighted for their significance.

In February 12, 2015, CNPRC Affiliate Scientists Drs. Koen Van Rompay, Peter Beernink, and Dan Granoff announced important findings from a pilot project study conducted at the CNPRC on improving the effectiveness of the meningococcal vaccine for prevention of sepsis and meningitis caused by meningococci group B, a rare, and sometimes deadly, bacterial infection which accounts for one-third of the meningococcal meningitis cases in the U.S.

In February 2, 2015, at the invitation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking comments on the optimal level of ozone for public health, Kent Pinkerton, PhD, Emeritus Scientist in the CNPRC Respiratory Diseases Unit and for the Inhalation Exposure Core, presented the scientific basis for requesting that national ozone standard be set at 60 ppb. He and co-researchers estimate that, at this level of ozone, between 5,210 and 7,990 premature deaths would be prevented annually. Dr.

High rates of non-vaccinated children throughout the US have reached critical numbers of vulnerable individuals, resulting in perfect conditions for a wildfire storm of measles infections, an easily preventable yet highly contagious disease. More than 120 confirmed cases of measles have been reported in 17 states and the District of Columbia in the most recent outbreak that started in December 2014 when at least 40 people who visited or worked at the California Disneyland theme park contracted measles.