Tag: Primates

Utah Records Committee Refuses to Waive Fee for Research Details

Earlier this year, animal rights activist and University of Utah student Jeremy Beckham won a victory when the Utah State Records Committee unanimously ruled that the university had to provide him information on primate studies that Beckham requested under the freedom of information act. But the university turned around and demanded that Beckham pay $300 for the primate research information.

Beckham appealed that proposed charge to the State Records Committee which in September ruled that the university had acted appropriately and could charge such fees.

The university claims that because the “proprietary nature of the research involved” that it had to employ a lawyer, a research scientist and a lab technician to analyze the information and decide what could and could not be released under the state’s freedom of information act. The university then gave Beckham a bill for $299.08 to cover those expenses.

Utah’s freedom of information act contains a vague statement that state agencies may charge “reasonable” fees to cover their costs in compiling information requested, and the commission decided that in this case the University of Utah’s fees were reasonable. In its decision the committee wrote,

In this unique circumstance, scientists, technicians and lawyers are the lowest paid employees of the University who have the necessary skill and training to perform the review of the requested records necessary to identify the portions that must be redacted to protect the UniversityÂ’s intellectual property and other information protected by GRAMA. After considering the evidence, the Committee is persuaded that the segregation and redaction fees detailed by the University are reasonable. Therefore, we affirm the UniversityÂ’s decision to deny Mr. BeckhamÂ’s request for a fee waiver.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Records Committee member Cherie Willis noted that when the committee was deciding the issue of whether or not the records could be made public at all, testimony from witnesses indicated that specialists would be required to compile the information,

In our previous discussions, we heard testimony from expert witnesses who said these type of individuals would be required and that it would be expensive. There were no objections to it at that time.

Beckham for his part continued to insist that $300 is unreasonable,

All this means is that the taxpayer has no right to information as to how their money is being used to conduct these experiments unless they are wealthy.

The full text of the Records Committee’s decision can be read here.

Source:

State panel won’t drop fees for public information. Salt Lake Tribune, September 17, 2004.

Alliance for Animals Files Complaint Over Deaths of Marmosets at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Alliance for Animals has filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the death of three marmosets at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center in July.

Center director Joseph Kemnitz told the Associated Press that the three animals died when they were left in a cage that was being sanitized. According to Kemnitz the employee responsible apparently became distracted and the marmosets were not removed before the sanitizing procedure began,

It was a terrible accident. Probably the animals died of the heat exposure. It was probably a very quick death.

Alliance for Animals’ Lori Nitzel, however, charges that it was negligence. She told the Associated Press,

This appears to be a case of gross negligence and suggests that the operating procedures and training of staff at WNPRC are insufficient to assure compliance with the animal welfare act.

According to Kemnitz, the Center reported the incident reported to the USDA in July. The employees responsible for the marmoset’s deaths were removed from caring for the primates while they underwent retraining.

Sources:

Animal rights groups filed complaint over marmosets’ deaths. Associated Press, August 25, 2004.

Animal-Rights Group Files Complaint Over Monkeys. Gena Kittner, Wisconsin State Journal, August 25, 2004.

Three Marmosets Boiled Alive at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. Press Release, Animal Alliance, August 24, 2004.

Japan Anti-Vivisection Association Loses Lawsuit

Japan Today reports that the Japan Anti-Vivisection Association lost a recent lawsuit aimed at preventing the transfer of Japanese monkeys from a zoo to a primate research facility.

The group wanted to stop the transfer of animals from the Maruyama Zoo in Sapporo to the Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute.

As many as 2,400 monkeys may be transferred as part of the plan. The monkeys are to be used to stock a primate breeding facility to provide primates for biomedical research in Japan.

Sources:

Animal rights group loses suit to halt use of monkeys for research. Japan Today, July 30, 2004.

Stop plans to use Japanese zoo monkeys for lab research. Press Release, International Primate Protection League, October 7, 2003.

Research in Monkeys Suggests Dietary Soy Does Not Contribute to Breast Cancer

There has been some speculation that natural plant estrogens found in soy might increase the risk of breast and other cancers in postmenopausal women if eaten in large enough quantities. But a recently published study of the effects of high soy diets in monkeys suggest that a high soy diet does not increase the risk of breast or uterine cancer .

As lead researcher Dr. Charles Wood notes, there has been concern about carrying out research on the high use of high soy content diets over fears that such diets might spur cancer,

Evidnece from observational studies in women indicates that soy intake may help prevent breast cancer. But there has still been reluctance to conduct research studies in women because of concerns that isoflavones may stimulate breast cell growth and increase the risk of breast cancer.

So Woods followed groups of postmenopausal monkeys who ate one of three diets for three years — either soy without isoflavones, soy with isoflavones, or soy without isoflavones but with Premarin added.

Researchers then measured a number of indicators of breast and uterine cell growth as well as estrogen levels in the bodies of the monkeys. The study found that monkeys on the soy with Premarin diet had higher levels of a number of markers for cancer, but the monkeys on the soy with isoflavones diet did not.

In a press release, Dr. Wood said,

These findings suggest that high dietary levels of soy isoflavones do not increase makers for breast and uterine cancer risk in postmenopausal monkeys and may contribute to an estrogen profile associated with reduced breast cancer risk.

Source:

Animal research suggests plant estrogens in soy do not increase breast cancer risk. Press Release, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, July 6, 2004.

Yerkes Researchers Demonstrate Efficacy of Combination Therapy to Reduce Cocaine Use in Non-Human Primates

Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center of Emory University in June published the results of their research showing that a combination of drug therapies significantly reduced cocaine use in nonhuman primates conditioned to self-administer the drug.

The researchers administer a combination of drugs that inhibit both dopamine and serotonin transport to a group of rhesus macaques who were conditioned to self-administer cocaine. In press release announcing the forthcoming publication of the results in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Yerkes’ Leonard Howell said,

It appears DAT (dopamine transport) inhibition serves to substitute for cocaine while SERT (serotonin) inhibition may limit the abuse potential of the medication. Our results, therefore, showing a combination of DAT and SERT inhibition were more effective than either alone are very promising.

According to Yerkes, this is the first time that a combination therapy has been shown to reduce cocaine use in nonhuman primates. According to the Yerkes press release, Howell will continue research into the combination therapy, turning to finding the optimal dosage level for reducing cocaine use.

Source:

Yerkes researchers discover combination of drug therapies reduces cocaine use in primates. Press Release, Emory University Health Sciences Center, May 24, 2004.

Is Feeding Monkeys Soy Cruel Treatment?

Researchers Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center recently reported on the effects of long-term consumption of a diet rich in soy isoflavones on male monkeys, finding that such a diet had adverse effects on the monkeys.

Published in Hormones and Behavior, the study found that,

In the monkeys fed the higher amounts of isoflavones, frequencies of intense aggressive and submissive behavior were elevated. In addition, the proportion of time spent by these monkeys in physical contact with other monkeys was reduced by 68 percent, time spent in proximity to other monkeys was reduced 50 percent and time spent alone was increased 30 percent.

. . .

To the best of our knowledge, the present study may be the first to demonstrate that long-term consumption of isoflavones can alter patterns of agnostic and social behavior in primates. The present findings suggest that careful attention will be required to balance beneficial and potentially adverse effects.

Certainly animal rights activists are going to jump on this and I might as well get out in front of them — I can’t think of anything much crueler than forcing monkeys to eat a soy-heavy diet. Yuck. The next thing you know, they’ll be trying to force vegan food on cats and dogs.

Source:

In male monkeys, too much soy has adverse effects. Press Release, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, April 30, 2004.