Latest news with #UC_Davis
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Union presses California's key bird flu testing lab for records
The union representing workers at a UC Davis lab that tests and tracks bird flu infections in livestock has sued the university, demanding that records showing staffing levels and other information about the lab's operations be released to the public. Workers in the lab's small biotechnology department had raised concerns late last year about short staffing and potentially bungled testing procedures as cases of avian flu spread through millions of birds in turkey farms and chicken and egg-laying facilities, as well as through the state's cattle herds. The University Professional and Technical Employees-CWA Local 9119 said that it requested records in December 2024 in an attempt to understand whether the lab was able to properly service the state's agribusiness. But UC Davis has refused to release records, in violation of California's public records laws, the union alleged in a lawsuit recently filed in Alameda County Superior Court. Read more: With bird flu cases on the rise, staff at California lab say they are overworked and burned out UC Davis spokesperson Bill Kisliuk declined to comment on the lawsuit's specific allegations. "The university looks forward to filing our response in court. We are grateful for the outstanding work of the CAHFS lab staff, including UPTE-represented workers, during the 2024 surge in avian flu testing," Kisliuk said in an email. UC Davis has previously denied that workplace issues have left the lab ill-equipped to handle bird flu testing. Kisliuk had said the facility 'maintained the supervision, staffing and resources necessary to provide timely and vital health and safety information to those asking us to perform tests." According to copies of email correspondence cited in the lawsuit, UC Davis in January denied the union's request for records regarding short staffing or testing errors, calling the request "unduly burdensome." It also denied its request for information about farms and other businesses that had samples tested at the lab, citing an exemption to protect from an "invasion of personal privacy." Workers at the lab had previously told The Times that they observed lapses in quality assurance procedures, as well as other mistakes in the testing process. Amy Fletcher, a UC Davis employee and president of the union's Davis chapter, said the records would provide a necessary window into how staffing levels could be hurting farms and other businesses that rely on the lab for testing. Fletcher said workers have become afraid to speak about problems at the lab, having been warned by management that the some information related to testing is confidential. The Davis lab is the only entity in the state with the authority to confirm bird flu cases. The union, known as UPTE, represents about 20,000 researchers and other technical workers across the University of California system's 10 campuses. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Beauty spot famed for its crystal clear water is suddenly becoming murkier... and experts don't know why
The once pristinely clear waters of Lake Tahoe - the freshwater vacation paradise straddling the California-Nevada border - are suddenly become murkier and scientists don't know why. The annual Lake Tahoe Clarity Report, released Monday by UC Davis' Tahoe Environmental Research Center, found that the lake's clarity in 2024 was 62.3 feet, nearly six feet shallower than it was in 2023. To determine clarity, researchers have been lowering a 10-inch white disk into Lake Tahoe for nearly 60 years. The depth at which the disc is no longer visible by researchers is considered the clarity level. Since observations of the lake began in the late 1960s, average clarity has declined by about 40 feet. The clearest reading ever, taken a February day in 1968, was 141 feet deep. This year's average of 62.3 feet is the third least clear on record and the worst in several years. It has only been surpassed in 2021, when wildfire smoke covered the region, and 2017, when there were many runoff-heavy storms carrying debris into the lake. 'It's not, at this point, noticeably worse. But it's not getting better, and we need to find out why,' said Stephanie Hampton, director of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center, in a statement. The goal is to get the lake back to a see-through depth of 97.4 feet, which was commonplace throughout the 1980s. In recent years, there have been massive efforts carried out by the California Tahoe Conservancy, a state agency established in 1984, and environmental organizations to preserve the integrity of the 191-square-mile lake. Researchers did say there has been progress, with management agencies preventing more than 500,000 pounds of fine sediment and other clarity-harming pollutants from finding their way into the lake every year. This is mainly done through maintaining roads and erosion-control projects. Even with that success, the lake's waters are still getting murkier, which has convinced scientists there could be something else at play. 'It may be the lake is different than it was 20 years ago, when these policies and practices were implemented,' Hampton said. 'We need to investigate these particles again to find out what kind of particles they are. Are they still mostly sediment? Or are there more algae, wildfire ash or other particles? That may be key to understanding why water clarity is not improving,' she added. One theory that has gained some traction in the scientific community is that a buildup of microscopic plankton has led to the declining clarity over time. The report doesn't provide any definitive conclusions with regard to plankton's effect on clarity. It does point out that 'water clarity tends to be at its highest when phytoplankton are at their minimum densities during the winter season.' Data from 2024 shows that Lake Tahoe was at most 50 feet clearer in the winter than in the summer, when there were far more plankton in the water. Scientists have concluded that since clarity levels have stabilized, conservation efforts have worked to a certain extent. However, they all seem to agree that more work needs to be done to uncover the underlying problem. 'Science-driven policies have underpinned Lake Tahoe's protection for decades, and seeing lake clarity stabilize is an indicator that we are making progress,' said Julie Regan, executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. The agency leads the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP), which was formed in 1997. A coalition made up of EIP, the state governments of California and Nevada, and more than 80 public and private organizations have consistently worked together to prevent sediment from leaking into the lake. Because this hasn't improved clarity, Regan said the state of Lake Tahoe is 'concerning.' 'We will continue to work closely with the science community to understand where to direct our management efforts next,' she said.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Vets Share The Most Common Signs Of Lyme Disease In Dogs
Summer brings lots of great elements, such as barbecues, beach days and later sunsets ― but it also means the start of a widely despised time: tick season. The small parasites can be hugely problematic in many parts of the country. Some carry the risk of Lyme disease, a debilitating tick-borne illness that can infect both people and animals — including dogs. 'Nearly 90% of cases of Lyme disease in people and in dogs occur in the northeastern United States, and the remaining 10% of cases are primarily occurring in the Midwest, and the Upper Midwest area — Minnesota, Wisconsin ... and then there's a small percentage in Northern California, but the overall spatial distribution of the disease is increasing,' said Dr. Jane Sykes, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in California. 'Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi ... dogs are infected when bitten by a tick that carries the organism,' said Dr. Michael Stone, internal medicine veterinarian and associate clinical professor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Massachusetts. Not all ticks are carriers of the disease. In the Northeast and Midwest, deer ticks are carriers; in California, western black-legged ticks transmit the illness, according to Sykes. No matter what, it's always unsettling to find a tick on yourself, on your pet or in your home. While people can vocalize any symptoms they have after finding a tick, the same can't be said for dogs. Even more troubling: 'Most dogs show no signs at all when they're infected,' Sykes said. Dogs can develop antibodies to the bacteria without symptoms, she added. 'And when veterinarians are testing dogs routinely ... with tests that include a test for Lyme disease, getting positive results on that doesn't mean that your dog has Lyme disease. It just means your dog was exposed to Borrelia and developed antibodies to Borrelia, but it's not a reason to treat,' Sykes said. In some instances, dogs can experience issues related to Lyme disease. Here are the signs: According to Sykes, it takes at least a month for any signs of Lyme disease to appear in a dog (if they have signs at all). 'The dogs that do develop signs, they can have sort of nonspecific signs like a fever and decreased appetite,' Sykes explained. They also may be more tired than usual and less active than usual too, she said. However, just because your dog has these signs doesn't automatically mean they have Lyme disease. Many issues, from kennel cough to canine influenza to a gastrointestinal blockage can cause these issues. Either way, it's a good idea to make an appointment with your vet if your pet shows any out-of-the-ordinary behavior. There are treatments available for most instances of Lyme disease in dogs, Sykes noted. A dog infected with Lyme disease may experience limping in one or multiple legs, Stone said. Specifically ― as with people, too ― Lyme disease in dogs can cause arthritis, Sykes noted. 'The small joints ... of the limbs become inflamed, and that leads to lameness and sometimes swelling of those joints,' Sykes explained. 'And so these dogs that are infected, they look almost like they're walking on eggshells because every joint hurts.' Their lameness may shift from one leg to another in this case, she added. In a small percentage of dogs — particularly retriever breeds — a serious kidney complication called Lyme nephritis can happen, Sykes said. 'It's an acute kidney injury, there's kidney failure and protein loss into the urine, and that can be very hard to treat,' she said. Signs of this rare condition include vomiting, more frequent urination and weight loss, according to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. 'And that's really the thing that we want to prevent the most through efforts to prevent Lyme disease,' Sykes added. 'My primary recommendation is tick prevention,' Stone said. 'There are many effective products available from your veterinarian.' Sykes added that many of the preventative products kill ticks within 24 hours of attachment to your pup. (A tick typically needs to be attached for at least 24 hours before it can spread Lyme.) 'So, you can use preventative products, and they're not going to be 100%, especially in areas where you've got lots of ticks ... they'll decrease the chance of transmission,' Sykes noted. There are both prescription and non-prescription formulations available, Stone added, 'but some products are more effective than others.' Lyme vaccinations and preventive pills are available, along with tick prevention collars and anti-tick sprays. As mentioned above, these preventive products don't mean a tick won't end up on your dog. If you do find a tick on your pup, you can remove it yourself using tweezers. To figure out the best medication for your pup, chat with your veterinarian, he said. And if your dog does become infected, your veterinarian can help determine the best treatment, too. 'If your dog gets diagnosed with Lyme disease, or even if your dog has just a positive test result ... it means that your dog's getting exposed, and you in your household are also at risk of getting infected and exposed,' Sykes said. Check yourself for ticks and be mindful of the signs of Lyme disease in people, which include joint pain, fever, chills, stiff neck and headache, according to Penn Medicine. The bull's eye rash is a commonly known red flag, too. While it's important to check your dogs for ticks after walks, it's just as important to check yourself. Wearing protective clothing can also help keep ticks from attaching your skin, Sykes noted. Lyme disease can be serious in dogs and serious in people, too, making it crucial that both you and your pet stay protected. 6 Signs Your Dog Is Happy The 1 Thing Every Dog Owner Should Do With Their Pet On A Walk The 4 Biggest Early Warning Signs Of Lyme Disease
CBS News
12-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
UC Davis breakthrough lets ALS patient speak using only his thoughts
Allowing people with disabilities to talk by just thinking about a word, that's what UC Davis researchers hope to accomplish with new cutting-edge technology. It can be a breakthrough for people with ALS and other nonverbal conditions. One UC Davis Health patient has been diagnosed with ALS, a neurological disease that makes it impossible to speak out loud. Scientists have now directly wired his brain into a computer, allowing him to speak through it using only his thoughts. "It has been very exciting to see the system work," said Maitreyee Wairagkar, a UC Davis neuroprosthetics lab project scientist. The technology involves surgically implanting small electrodes. Artificial intelligence can then translate the neural activity into words. UC Davis researchers say it took the patient, who's not being publicly named, very little time to learn the technology. "Within 30 minutes, he was able to use this system to speak with a restricted vocabulary," Wairagkar said. It takes just milliseconds for brain waves to be interpreted by the computer, making it possible to hold a real-time conversation. "[The patient] has said that the voice that is synthesized with the system sounds like his own voice and that makes him happy," Wairagkar said. And it's not just words. The technology can even be used to sing. "These are just very simple melodies that we designed to see whether the system can capture his intention to change the pitch," Wairagkar said. Previously, ALS patients would use muscle or eye movements to type on a computer and generate a synthesized voice. That's how physicist Stephen Hawking, who also had ALS, was able to slowly speak. This new technology is faster but has only been used on one patient so far. Now, there's hope that these microchip implants could one day help other people with spinal cord and brain stem injuries. "There are millions of people around the world who live with speech disabilities," Wairagkar said. The UC Davis scientific study was just published in the journal "Nature," and researchers are looking for other volunteers to participate in the program.
CBS News
11-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Think you don't need sleep? This rare gene mutation may be why.
Imagine getting only a few hours of sleep and being raring to go the next day. A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows the discovery of a gene mutation that lets some people get away with only 3-6 hours of sleep. "They truly find themselves going to bed at say 10 p.m. and wake up at say 3 in the morning, and they are wide awake, refreshed and ready for the day," said Dr. Temitayo O. Oyegbile-Chidi, associate professor in the department of neurology at UC Davis Health. Dr. Oyegbile-Chidi says they've known about genes associated with short sleep for a while. This is just the latest, and while it sounds great, you probably don't have it. "What's quite special about these is they are very unique and very uncommon, so what I find is whenever a new mutation comes out, people say, 'Maybe I have that mutation. Let me get tested for that,' " she said. "And that's where I often say it's very, very rare." So, how do you know if you're a short sleeper? Well, you can get tested, or you can ask yourself: Are you tired? "If you find yourself managing during the week on 2-3 or 2-4 hours of sleep, but then you end up on the weekends sleeping in for 10 hours, you probably are not a short sleeper," Dr. Oyegbile-Chidi said. So make sleep a priority. Get a routine bedtime with no screens in a cool room. "Make sure you are actually getting a good amount of sleep and getting that 7-9 hours," Dr. Oyegbile-Chidi said.
