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Lab Anim 2022 May 25:236772221097472. Epub 2022 May 25.

Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK.

Rodents are the most widely used species for scientific purposes. A critical pre-requisite of their use, based on utilitarian ethical reasoning, is the provision of a humane death when necessary for scientific or welfare grounds. Focussing on the welfare challenges presented by current methods, we critically evaluate the literature, consider emerging methodologies that may have potential for refinement and highlight knowledge gaps for future research. Read More

Lab Anim 2022 May 22:236772221090801. Epub 2022 May 22.

Center for Animal Resources and Education, Cornell University, USA.

Consideration of The Three R's (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) is essential when setting Humane Endpoints; however, a common interpretation assumes that Humane Endpoints are timepoints to perform euthanasia. This interpretation is not always consistent with the three Rs. There are many available intervention options that - when used to respond to pain, discomfort, or distress - facilitate application of the three Rs while achieving experimental goals. Read More

Lab Anim 2022 May 12:236772221095949. Epub 2022 May 12.

Section of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Percutaneous catheterization is currently utilized for central venous access in adult and adolescent porcine models; however, neonatal models require a cut down to gain venous access. This approach requires general anesthesia and can result in systemic inflammation, which can confound studies investigating other inflammatory triggers. Here we present the first successful series of percutaneous, ultrasound-guided, durable central venous access in newborn piglets weighing 1 kg with a novel method of tunneling the catheter subcutaneously using a needle. Read More

Lab Anim 2022 May 10:236772221092634. Epub 2022 May 10.

Department of Experimental Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.

Lab Anim 2022 May 10:236772221092933. Epub 2022 May 10.

Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Fourth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Objective: The objective of this work was to anatomically locate the urethral orifice in female minipigs and describe the use of video laryngoscopes in urethral catheterization.

Methods: Urethral catheterization guided by a video laryngoscope was attempted in 16 adult female Bama minipigs. The anatomical location of urethral orifices, operating time and complications (mucosal edema and bleeding in the vaginal vestibule, and the numbers of red blood cells (RBCs) and white blood cells (WBCs) in mid-stream urine samples) were recorded. Read More

Lab Anim 2022 May 6:236772221096527. Epub 2022 May 6.

Institute of Cell Biology and Neurosciences (IBCN CONICET-UBA). Argentina.

Lab Anim 2022 04;56(2):201-203

University of Leeds, UK.

Lab Anim 2022 04;56(2):200

FELASA Honorary Secretary, FELASA, UK.

Lab Anim 2022 04;56(2):204-205

Lleida, 17-19 November 2021.

Lab Anim 2022 04;56(2):206

Lab Anim 2022 Apr 7:236772221086392. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

Laboratory Animal Facility, Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer, Navi Mumbai, India.

Lab Anim 2022 Mar 31:236772221085356. Epub 2022 Mar 31.

Unidad de Reactivos y Biomodelos de Experimentación, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay.

Young female Wistar rats from a specific pathogen free breeding colony presented an outbreak of infertility along with neurological symptoms and malignant lymphomas. We evaluated the presence and the potential role of the rat leukemia virus (RaLV) in the disease because these clinical signs could be compatible with a retrovirus. RaLV is a mammalian type C endogenous retrovirus initially isolated from in vitro Sprague-Dawley rat embryo cultures. Read More

Lab Anim 2022 Mar 31:236772221080827. Epub 2022 Mar 31.

Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell, UK.

The main objective of a post mortem is to identify, at a macroscopic level, any anatomical features that characterise mutant or sick mice and to describe lesions contributing to morbidity and mortality. Tissues collected for subsequent examination require appropriate handling and preservation to prevent deterioration. Therefore, efficient routine procedures are essential to facilitate histology and to ensure high-quality samples. Read More

Lab Anim 2022 Feb;56(1)

Biological Research Facility, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.

Lab Anim 2022 Mar 9:236772221080833. Epub 2022 Mar 9.

Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Germany.

Animal experiments in biomedical research are debated in public, within the scientific community and among students. Despite increased efforts to reduce, refine and replace animal experiments, they remain integral components of the job of a biomedical scientist. In Germany, persons must have a university degree and adequate education and training to perform and direct animal experiments. Read More

Lab Anim 2022 Mar 6:236772221078725. Epub 2022 Mar 6.

Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, Italy.

The exact timing of puberty is fundamental in preclinical studies. In male rats, the age at sexual maturity varies considerably between 40 and 60 days of age. Here, we summarize pubertal onset evaluation of two outbred rat strains (Crl:CD(SD) and Crl:LE), relying on the balano-preputial separation test. Read More

Lab Anim 2022 Feb 25:236772211069775. Epub 2022 Feb 25.

Laboratory of Organism's Biology and Physiology, Neurobiology Team, Biological Sciences Faculty, USTHB, Algeria.

Selection of the appropriate species and strain of laboratory animals are among the scientist's major concerns. Tarabul's gerbil () is a small, seasonally breeding, desert rodent native to Africa. Despite its unique biological features, which make it an ideal model candidate for biomedical research, only a few reports have used it in research. Read More

Lab Anim 2022 Feb 10:236772211072977. Epub 2022 Feb 10.

Translational Neurosurgery and Neurobiology, Department of Neurosurgery, 9165RWTH Aachen University, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Germany.

In mice, burrowing is considered a species-typical parameter for assessing well-being, while this is less clear in rats. This exploratory study evaluated burrowing behaviour in three rat strains during training and in the direct postoperative phase after complex intracranial surgery in different neuroscience rat models established at Hannover Medical School or Aachen University Hospital. Male Crl:CD (SD;  = 18), BDIX/UlmHanZtm (BDIX;  = 8) and RjHan:WI (Wistar;  = 35) rats were individually trained to burrow gravel out of a tube on four consecutive days. Read More

Lab Anim 2022 Feb 1:236772211062861. Epub 2022 Feb 1.

Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School (MHH), Germany.

Health monitoring of laboratory rodents not only improves animal health but also enhances the validity of animal experiments. In particular, infections of laboratory animals with murine parvoviruses influence biomedical research data. Despite strict barrier housing, prevalence remains high in animal facilities, leading to increased risk of parvovirus introduction after the import of contaminated mice. Read More

Lab Anim 2022 Jan 24:236772211069249. Epub 2022 Jan 24.

Department of Dentistry, 67883State University of Ponta Grossa, State University of Ponta Grossa, Brazil.

Denture stomatitis is the most prevalent form of oral candidiasis and the most frequent oral lesion in removable prosthesis wearers. It is characterized by an inflammatory response of the denture-bearing mucosa, especially the palatal mucosa, and its clinical signs include chronic edema and erythema, and papillary hyperplasia. Despite having a multifactorial etiology, its main etiological agent is the infection by . Read More

Lab Anim 2022 Jan 21:236772211065915. Epub 2022 Jan 21.

Laboratory of Applied Sport Physiology, School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas, Limeira, Brazil.

Laboratory rodents spend the entire day housed in standard cages that provide a restricted area for movements and might, therefore, limit physical activity. However, it has not been tested in immature rodents of ages ranging from weaning to adulthood (adolescence period) whether the restricted area per animal does actually reduce physical activity and impact the body composition. We analyzed the spontaneous physical activity and feeding behavior during the adolescence of mice kept in two different housing conditions (standard stocking density (SSD) versus low stocking density (LSD)). Read More

Lab Anim 2022 04 21;56(2):207. Epub 2022 Jan 21.

Lab Anim 2022 02 20;56(1):99-100. Epub 2022 Jan 20.

FELASA President 2021-2022.

Lab Anim 2022 Jan 13:236772211065920. Epub 2022 Jan 13.

School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, 1980University of Bristol, University of Bristol, UK.

The advancement and quality of science rely on research that is robust and unbiased in its experimental design, execution, analysis, and reproducibility. In preclinical research, a better understanding of animal emotions and refinement of their husbandry, housing, and handling are important goals in providing good animal welfare in a laboratory setting which underpins rigorous research quality. Induction of positive emotional state in animals is a key component of their well-being, and one approach is to increase their environmental complexity using, for example, ball pits or playpens in rats. Read More

Lab Anim 2022 Jan 13:236772211067456. Epub 2022 Jan 13.

Institute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC), RWTH Aachen University, Germany.

Since the embedding of the principles of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) in national and international regulations on the use of animals, scientists have been challenged to find ways to reduce the number of animals in their research. Here, we present a digital platform, called '3R Backboard', linked to a laboratory animal management system, which facilitates sharing of surplus biological materials from animals (e.g. Read More

Lab Anim 2022 04 13;56(2):117-118. Epub 2022 Jan 13.

Department of Pharmacology Room 209 Institute of Biological Sciences Federal University of GoiasAvenida Esperança s/n, Câmpus Samambaia CEP 74690-900 Goiânia, Goiàs, Brazil.

Lab Anim 2022 Feb 7;56(1):101-102. Epub 2022 Jan 7.

Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University London, UK.

Lab Anim 2021 Dec 21:236772211055966. Epub 2021 Dec 21.

Mouse and Animal Pathology Laboratory (MAPLab), Fondazione Unimi, Italy.

Spontaneous infections of the preputial glands represent overlooked health problems in mice that could raise welfare concerns and potentially confound scientific experiments. Agents involved in preputial gland infections have rarely been investigated, with opportunistic pathogens of laboratory animals usually detected in inflamed preputial glands. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of bacterial infection in the preputial glands and the relationship between haematological and pathological changes and infection status. Read More

Lab Anim 2021 12;55(6):579

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Lab Anim 2021 12;55(6):577

FELASA Honorary Secretary, FELASA, UK.