Comparative biosciences professor Fred Kummerow, now 100, first reported a link between dietary trans fats and heart disease in 1957. Trained in lipid biochemistry, Kummerow later determined the mechanisms by which trans fats contributed to atherosclerosis in patients with heart disease. In 2009, he petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to ban trans fats from...
Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC), a North American conservation network devoted to amphibians and reptiles and their habitats, recently formed a task force to coordinate response to disease outbreaks impacting those species. Matt Allender, DVM, PhD, of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, along with Matt Gray, PhD, from the University...
A group of undergraduate students at the University of Pennsylvania recently created a video influenced by Dr. Jodi Flaws, professor of comparative biosciences at Illinois. Dr. Flaws specializes in research involving factors such as toxicants that can affect the female reproductive system. One of Dr. Flaws’ recent research projects looked at how bisphenol A (BPA),...
When scientists exposed pregnant mice to levels of bisphenol A equivalent to those considered safe in humans, three generations of female mouse offspring experienced significant reproductive problems, including declines in fertility, sexual maturity and pregnancy success, the scientists report in the journal Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. BPA exposure during pregnancy was associated with reproductive problems...
![[Dr. Jodi Flaws at a microscope]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/news-flaws-photo1-260x157.jpg)
Two studies in mice add to the evidence that the phthalate DEHP, a plasticizing agent used in auto upholstery, baby toys, building materials and many other consumer products, can undermine female reproductive health, in part by disrupting the growth and function of the ovaries. In the first study, reported in the journal Reproductive Toxicology, researchers...
![[Multidisciplinary team studies endometriosis]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/news-jan21-ko1-260x157.jpg)
Two new drug compounds – one of which has already proven useful in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis – appear to be effective in treating endometriosis, a disorder that, like MS, is driven by estrogen and inflammation, scientists report in Science Translational Medicine. The researchers hope to eventually use the new compounds and others like...
![[screen capture from video]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TedEdDiabetes1-260x157.jpg)
Dr. Duncan Ferguson, head of comparative biosciences, and Dr. Margarethe Hoenig, veterinary clinical medicine, recently worked with a TED Ed team to create an educational video entitled “What did dogs teach humans about diabetes?” TED-Ed Original lessons feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. The description of the video...
![[Matt Allender in his lab with a snake]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Allender20141-260x157.png)
Now we can identify the infections earlier, we can intervene earlier and we can potentially increase our success of treatment or therapy. Researchers have developed a faster and more accurate way to test for infection with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, a fungus that is killing snakes in the Midwest and eastern United States. The test also allows...
Researchers have conducted hundreds of studies of the potential health effects of exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical compound found in some plastic food containers, cash-register receipts and resin coatings in food-storage cans. Because it is a hormone mimic, a key concern is that exposure to BPA disrupts normal reproductive function. University of Illinois...
Dr. Jodi Flaws, professor in comparative biosciences, was awarded the title of Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences on March 26, 2014, at a reception for that organization held in conjunction of the Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology (SOT). The designation Fellow identifies toxicologists who are recognized by their peers for expertise...