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Paper towel shredding as a novel, affordable, noninvasive method for detecting arousals in hibernating rodents Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-18 Amalie J. Hutchinson, Brynne M. Duffy, Lauren H. Rego, James F. Staples
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Streamlining mouse genome editing by integrating AAV repair template delivery and CRISPR-Cas electroporation Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-10 Natalia Moncaut
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Water restriction still has a place Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-09 Pamela Reinagel
The citric acid (CA) method was recently proposed as an alternative to water restriction, which is commonly used to motivate rodents to perform behavioral tasks. As the person who first developed the CA method1, I read with great interest your Protocol Review article “The weights of refinement and flexibility”2. I am gratified to see that this approach is already so widely adopted and discussed, and
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Humanized mouse models of drug metabolism Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Alexandra Le Bras
Accumulating evidence suggests that species differences between mice and humans can compromise drug efficacy studies. In humans, the pharmacological activity of many small molecules is altered by activity of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) system. Humans have eight genes within the CYP1A, CYP2C, CYP2D and CYP3A subfamilies, while mice have 34 genes within the CYP system. These species differences lead to
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AAV gene therapy to treat Friedreich’s ataxia cardiomyopathy Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Jorge Ferreira
Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA), a common inherited ataxia, affects the nervous system and the heart, causing cardiomyopathy. The disease is associated with a reduced expression of the mitochondrial protein frataxin (FXN), and adeno-associated viral vector (AAV)-mediated gene transfer can be a potential therapeutic approach to induce frataxin expression. While this approach has been effective in cardiac
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The risk of oversight Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Lauren Danridge, Bill Greer, Michelle Aparicio, Sarah Viranda, Elysse Ann Orchard, Louis DiVincenti, Axel Wolff
A clear organizational reporting structure within the Animal Care and Use Program and a collegial working relationship between the Institutional Official, Attending Veterinarian and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee are essential to maintain the highest standards of animal wellbeing and research quality. We invited experts from The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research (Michelle Aparicio)
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Environmental enrichment improves mice motor performance Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Jorge Ferreira
Environmental enrichment (EE) is a well-established concept that shows benefits for both brain development and cognitive function. However, rodents are commonly raised in poorly enriched conditions, which can affect neuroscience data. A study in Scientific Reports shows that providing EE to mice improves conditioned responses and motor performance. EE mice showed slower acquisition of eyeblink-conditioned
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Effect of chronic stress on metastasis Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Jorge Ferreira
Chronic stress, a common issue in daily life, is particularly pronounced in patients with cancer. Chronic stress affects the whole body and perturbs systemic homeostasis, promoting cancer growth in mice. Whether and why chronic stress increases metastasis rates is still unknown. A study in Cancer Cell shows that chronic stress promotes metastasis in a metastatic lung cancer mouse model by increasing
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Cancer resistance in bats Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Alexandra Le Bras
Laboratory mice and rats are traditionally used as model organisms to study the molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis. However, these cancer-prone models have limitations in understanding the mechanisms of cancer resistance. Certain long-lived mammalian species such as naked mole rats seem to have evolved unique anti-cancer mechanisms. Understanding how these animals are protected from cancer could
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Tracking marmoset 3D movement and social behavior Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Jorge Ferreira
A broad range of research areas use behavioral analyses. Despite behavior being extensively used, it is quite uncommon for researchers to analyze long-term continuous behavior, especially in social groups, as it is challenging to accurately track individuals and their behaviors. This is even more pressing in social animals such as marmosets, which show many social close contact behaviors while moving
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Toward phage therapy for tuberculosis Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Alexandra Le Bras
Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which primarily affects the lungs to cause pulmonary TB, but can also affect other tissues to cause extra-pulmonary TB. Mtb is an intracellular pathogen that can evade the immune system and proliferate within host cells, making antibiotic treatment more challenging and potentially resulting in antimicrobial
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Rhesus macaques for human norovirus studies Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-03 Alexandra Le Bras
Norovirus is a common cause of acute gastrointestinal illness worldwide. Norovirus vaccine development is a priority for both public-health and economic reasons, but the search for a vaccine has been hampered by a lack of suitable and reliable animal models. In Nature Microbiology, Rimkute et al. show that rhesus macaques are susceptible to oral infection with human noroviruses from two different genogroups
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Animal models of postpartum hemorrhage Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-25 Sarah E. Hargett, Elaine F. Leslie, Hector O. Chapa, Akhilesh K. Gaharwar
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A primate pregnancy metabolome atlas Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Jorge Ferreira
Pregnancy comes with many bodily changes during fetus development. However, the extent of the metabolic changes is still largely unknown. A study in Cell now presents an atlas of the metabolomes of 23 different maternal tissues of pregnant cynomolgus monkeys, which were analyzed at various pregnancy stages. The study revealed signs of a dynamic metabolic evolution across different tissues and pregnancy
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A new window to image liver spheroids Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Alexandra Le Bras
Recent advancements in 3D in vitro systems such as liver organoids have opened new avenues for studying liver diseases, but the lack of an in vivo environment can limit the physiological relevance of these models. Previous studies have reported the transplantation of liver spheroids into recipient mice to better mimic physiological conditions, but the transplantation sites (under the kidney capsule
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Age is not enough to predict delirium in mice Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Jorge Ferreira
Age is one of the proposed main triggers of neuropsychological disease. However, the effect of age is heterogeneous, and the mechanisms behind disease progression are not fully determined. A study in Communications Biology shows that neuroinflammation and white matter disruption have an important role in the progression of delirium in aged mice. When comparing 8- and 25-month-old mice, older mice were
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A minimal metadata set (MNMS) to repurpose nonclinical in vivo data for biomedical research Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Anastasios Moresis, Leonardo Restivo, Sophie Bromilow, Gunnar Flik, Giorgio Rosati, Fabrizio Scorrano, Michael Tsoory, Eoin C. O’Connor, Stefano Gaburro, Alexandra Bannach-Brown
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DYRK1A causes heart defects in Down syndrome Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Alexandra Le Bras
Down syndrome (DS) is a gene-dosage disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21 (Hsa21). DS is associated with different complex phenotypes, including congenital heart disease (CHD), but the causes of heart defects are unclear. A new study used a previously described mouse model of DS (Dp1Tyb mice) that recapitulates key features of DS and develops CHD to provide
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Cannabis activates hunger neurons in rodents Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Jorge Ferreira
A well-known effect of cannabis is the promotion of appetite. However, the neurobiological mechanism behind this stimulation is still unknown. A study in Scientific Reports demonstrates that neurons within the mediobasal hypothalamus, particularly in the arcuate nucleus, have a role in stimulating rat feeding behavior linked to cannabis exposure. When compared with animals exposed to air, rats exposed
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How mice make sounds Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Alexandra Le Bras
Mice mainly communicate in two ways: via human-audible squeaks when experiencing pain or fear; or through higher-frequency ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) used during courtship and other social interactions. According to a new study, these two different vocalization types are controlled by distinct neural circuits. The researchers at Cornell University showed that TRAP2-mediated ablation of a specialized
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Inhalation-activated drug delivery in mice Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Jorge Ferreira
Chronic diseases are prevalent and pose a considerable challenge to the individual and the healthcare system. The most common route for continuous treatment is injection. However, this method poses a considerable burden on patients, creating an urgent need for improved drug delivery methods. A study in Nature Communications shows the effective treatment of mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
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Mechanisms of gill regeneration in zebrafish Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Alexandra Le Bras
Vertebrate species have evolved efficient respiratory organs – such as gills and lungs – to mediate gas exchange and satisfy their O2 needs. While fish and amphibians can grow and regenerate gills throughout life, mammals only show partial, facultative regeneration of lung tissue following injury. A new study used adult zebrafish to characterize the signaling pathways involved in the early stages of
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The governance and use of genetically modified animals across countries Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Lauren Danridge
In a 2023 Protocol Review, US respondents addressed a scenario1 wherein genetically modified animals (GMAs) were donated to an investigator and used for an unrelated study. In the US, the production and subsequent management of GMAs are governed by specific regulations (PHS Policy, NIH Guidelines), and GMAs that are not used for the intended research would not qualify for other research activities
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Statistical design of experiments: the forgotten component of Reduction Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-21 Penny Reynolds
A strategic and statistically based experimental design is a key component of Reduction, and the backbone of reproducible research. Design basics consist of formal structuring of input variables and clearly defined experimental units. Formal designs can evaluate two or more input factors simultaneously, identify and prioritise the most important inputs, and identify interactions where most discovery
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MRM-MS assays for mice Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Alexandra Le Bras
Mass spectrometry (MS) is the method of choice to quantify tissue proteomes in different model organisms, including mice. Although different MS techniques are available, targeted methods such as multiple reaction monitoring MS (MRM-MS) that analyze a pre-defined set of analytes with high specificity and sensitivity remain the gold standard. However, developing MRM-MS assays is time-consuming, and few
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JAK1 role in murine lung immune responses Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Jorge Ferreira
Cytokine receptors commonly utilize Janus kinases (JAK) to activate effector cell programs, and different JAK inhibitors are in use for the treatment of a number of inflammatory disorders. JAK1 inhibition is also undergoing study for the treatment of asthma and atopic dermatitis (AD), as JAK1 gain-of-function mutations promote AD and asthma in patients. However, increasing evidence suggests that JAK1
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A new brain – tumor neural circuit Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Alexandra Le Bras
Increasing evidence indicates that cancer-induced anxiety can promote tumor progression, but the underlying neural mechanisms are unclear. A new study shows that tumor-bearing mice exhibit anxiety-like behaviors and identifies a direct tumor–nerve crosstalk that controls anxiety-promoting tumor progression. The researchers used several mouse models of breast cancer and neuroscience approaches, including
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Insights into fungus–Drosophila interaction Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Jorge Ferreira
Pathogen–host interactions and safeguard mechanisms are important for combating external insults to the organism, but fungal interactions remain largely unknown. Drosophila melanogaster has been an important model for better understanding fungal immunity, but the knowledge of how parasites circumvent host defenses is limited. A study in Cell Reports now sheds light on how fungal pathogens can suppress
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Isolating brain-derived extracellular vesicles Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Alexandra Le Bras
Increasing evidence suggests that extracellular vesicles (EVs) – nano-sized particles released from nearly all cell types – contribute to the pathophysiology of several neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To date, brain-EVs have been isolated from postmortem brain tissues, and new approaches are needed to isolate EVs from the brain of live animals. A study by Pait et al
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ZEB1 role in atherosclerosis Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Jorge Ferreira
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory degenerative disease of the arterial wall that can lead to cardiovascular accidents in later stages. This complex disease shows accumulation of macrophages within the arterial neointima contributing to atherosclerotic plaque development. A study in Nature Communications now shows the importance of the transcription factor Zeb1 expressed in macrophages in atherosclerotic
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Effect of psilocybin on pain Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Alexandra Le Bras
The past decade has seen a new focus on psychedelics, in particular psilocybin, as powerful medicines for treating psychiatric disorders. However, to date, no study has investigated the effectiveness of psilocybin in attenuating chronic pain. A new study investigated the effects of psilocybin in a rat model of formalin-induced chronic pain. The responses to mechanical and thermal stimuli – evoked by
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Safeguarding genome stability in zebrafish Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Jorge Ferreira
Genome stability during development depends on the precise transmission of genetic and epigenetic information in cells. DNA methylation is a critical mechanism that prevents genome instability. In rapid-developing organisms such as zebrafish, this process is even more important, as post-replication methylation ensures the preservation of parental methylation patterns after mitosis. A study in Communications
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The weights of refinement and flexibility Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Lauren Danridge, Bill Greer, Eric Felde, Stefanie Bittner, Louis DiVincenti, Axel Wolff
IACUCs need to ensure the application of the 3Rs, while allowing researchers to conduct their work with reasonable flexibility. We invited experts from the University of Notre Dame (Eric Felde) and Northwestern University (Stefanie Bittner), along with USDA and OLAW representatives (Louis DiVincenti and Axel Wolff) to respond to a challenging situation at Great Eastern University.
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Rat microbial biogeography and age-dependent lactic acid bacteria in healthy lungs Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Lan Zhao, Christine M. Cunningham, Adam M. Andruska, Katharina Schimmel, Md Khadem Ali, Dongeon Kim, Shenbiao Gu, Jason L. Chang, Edda Spiekerkoetter, Mark R. Nicolls
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Open-source versatile 3D-print animal conditioning platform design for in vivo preclinical brain imaging in awake mice and anesthetized mice and rats Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-26 Zakia Ben Youss, Tanzil Mahmud Arefin, Sawwal Qayyum, Runjie Yi, Jiangyang Zhang, Youssef Zaim Wadghiri, Leeor Alon, Omid Yaghmazadeh
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Deleting enkephalin and mimicking IBS in mice Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-03 Jorge Ferreira
Immune cells, such as neutrophils and macrophages, can produce opioids, regulating analgesia in response to inflammation. Studies in mouse models of intestinal inflammation have revealed that CD4+ T lymphocytes release enkephalins in response to antigens, alleviating abdominal pain. In addition, lymphocyte-deficient mice show higher visceral sensibility when compared to immunocompetent mice. To explore
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Comparing mouse models of ovarian cancer Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-03 Alexandra Le Bras
Mouse models are invaluable to enhance our understanding of the biology of cancer, including high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) – the most common and lethal form of ovarian cancer. Among these models, syngeneic mouse models provide an effective approach to study tumor formation in immunocompetent mice. The number of syngeneic mouse models of HGSOC is growing rapidly, and there is a need to compare
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Next-generation of dopamine sensors Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-03 Alexandra Le Bras
Dopamine (DA) is a neurotransmitter with many functions, including the regulation of memory and cognitive function. DA is released by dopaminergic neurons that project throughout the central nervous system, which complicates its detection across the brain in vivo. A study in Nature Methods reports the generation of new DA sensors for imaging dopaminergic activity in mice under a variety of physiological
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Longer life, slower epigenetic drift Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-03 Jorge Ferreira
Maximum lifespan varies greatly among mammals, and one hypothesis is that epigenetic drift could be the explanation for these variations. Epigenetic drift, which involves the accumulation of changes in an individual’s epigenome over time, influences genomic regulation throughout life. However, the direct link between epigenetic drift and maximum lifespan remains untested. A study in Nature Communications
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Neocortical–hippocampal communication in memory Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-03 Jorge Ferreira
Episodic memory needs precise communication between the neocortex and the hippocampus. However, how this information is exchanged is still poorly understood. Two-photon Ca2+ imaging was used to observe neuronal activity in the secondary motor cortex of male Thy1-GCaMP6s mice. The mice were engaged in a virtual spatial navigation task with both visual and tactile cues. During the resting period after
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A patch for pig chronic heart failure Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-03 Jorge Ferreira
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a considerable burden in the healthcare system, and none of the available treatments target the cause of the disease. One potential way to limit the progression of the pathology is to target the loss of functioning cardiomyocytes through regenerative medicine. However, to date, transplantation of human cells into infarcted hearts has not replaced lost cardiomyocytes as
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Effects of sleep deprivation in mice Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-03 Alexandra Le Bras
Sleep deprivation (SD) can lead to serious health problems, and increasing evidence indicates that it can disrupt the immune system. A study in Cell used a new experimental paradigm in mice to study the effects of SD on systemic inflammation. With mice remaining awake 96% of the time, the new ‘curling prevention by water’ paradigm, consisting of placing mice in a shallow layer of water to prevent sleep
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Amyloid structures in mouse models Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-03 Alexandra Le Bras
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by two abnormalities in the brain: amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Amyloid plaques are primarily composed of insoluble fibrils formed by β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides, which are produced upon intracellular cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein. Despite the frequent use of transgenic mice to study AD and develop therapeutics, the structures of murine
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Emotional support for everyone Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-03 Lauren Danridge, Bill Greer, Erin M. Katz, Carine E. Serageldine, Stephanie Womack, Audrey Harris, Kathy Snell, Axel Wolff
While emotional support animals can provide comfort for those with mental or emotional disabilities, several factors must be considered when determining the necessary oversight of these animals in institutional academic or research buildings. We invited experts from Wayne State University (Erin Katz), University of California San Francisco (Carine Serageldine) and the University of Oregon (Stephanie
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Challenging current scientific practice: how a shift in research methodology could reduce animal use Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-03 S. Helene Richter
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Using mice from different breeding sites fails to improve replicability of results from single-laboratory studies Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-12-27 Ivana Jaric, Bernhard Voelkl, Irmgard Amrein, David P. Wolfer, Janja Novak, Carlotta Detotto, Ulrike Weber-Stadlbauer, Urs Meyer, Francesca Manuella, Isabelle M. Mansuy, Hanno Würbel
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Alzheimer's disease resilience might lie within the thalamic nucleus reuniens. Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Jorge Ferreira
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Short telomeres in Telomice Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Alexandra Le Bras
Smoom. R. et al. Nat Commun. 14, 6708 (2023)
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Generation of a C57BL/6J mouse strain expressing the CD45.1 epitope to improve hematopoietic stem cell engraftment and adoptive cell transfer experiments Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Daphné Laubreton, Sophia Djebali, Céline Angleraux, Benny Chain, Maxence Dubois, Farida Henry, Yann Leverrier, Marie Teixeira, Suzy Markossian, Jacqueline Marvel
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Role of striatum-projecting mPFC neurons in working memory Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Jorge Ferreira
Wilhelm, M. et al. Nat. Commun. 14, 7016 (2023)
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The Pain and Distress of VVC Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Lauren Danridge, Bill Greer
In 2017, Great Eastern University’s (GEUs) IACUC deliberated1,2 on the limits of the application of OLAW’s Guidance on Significant Changes to Animal Activities3 and learned that the veterinary verification and consultation (VVC) process cannot be used for the addition of new procedures that are not previously approved on the protocol. OLAW’s Guidance describes specific significant changes that may
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Inhibiting SGLT2 to manage hypertension in rats Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Jorge Ferreira
Kravtsova, O. et al. Sci. Rep. 13, 19231 (2023)
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What a tangled web of reviews we weave Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Danielle Miller, A. Michele Schuler
The issue at hand pertains to the selection between using VVC, DMR, or FCR for the review and approval of Dr. Silverman’s amendment. VVC is suitable for making significant changes to animal activities that are part of a previously approved protocol. The VVC process may not be used to add new procedures to a previously approved protocol1. All Dr. Silverman’s additional procedures will bring greater
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Finding NELO Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Alexandra Le Bras
Resseguier, J. et al. Sci. Adv. 9, eadj0101 (2023)
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The gut-placenta axis Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Alexandra Le Bras
Pronovost, G.N. et al. Sci. Adv. 9, eadk1887 (2023)
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Compliance Considerations Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Lauren Danridge, Bill Greer
The Protocol Review coordinators offer the following compliance considerations: 1. Types of changes to IACUC-approved activities: OLAW’s Guidance on Significant Changes to Animal Activities1 defines the flexibility afforded to IACUCs in the review and approval of changes to animal activities; specifically: a. Significant changes are those “that have, or have the potential to have, a negative impact
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Conservation of notochord enhancers across vertebrates Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Jorge Ferreira
Kemmler, C.L. et al. Nat. Commun. 14, 6594 (2023)
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The Appropriate Use of the Veterinary Verification and Consultation (VVC) Process Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Noel B. Ramsey
Dr. Jerry Silverman learned that the new VVC process should result in his protocol amendments being quickly approved. Consequently, Jerry asked his veterinarian, Dr. Bernie Rollin to authorize his protocol modifications through the VVC process. Except for the request to increase the animal numbers by less than 10%, Dr. Rollin felt that the other modification requests did not qualify for the VVC process
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Crows can count: role of the telencephalon Lab Anim. (IF 6.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Jorge Ferreira
Kirschhock, M.E. & Nieder, A. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 120, e2313923120 (2023)