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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Medicine and Health Sciences

Selected Works

2014

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Articles 1 - 30 of 351

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Examining The Regulatory Value Of Multi-Route Mammalian Acute Systemic Toxicity Studies, Troy Seidle, Pilar Prieto, Anna Bulgheroni Dec 2014

Examining The Regulatory Value Of Multi-Route Mammalian Acute Systemic Toxicity Studies, Troy Seidle, Pilar Prieto, Anna Bulgheroni

Troy Seidle, PhD

Regulatory information requirements for pesticides call for submission of acute systemic toxicity data for up to three different exposure routes (oral, dermal, inhalation) for both active ingredients and formulated products. Similar multi-route testing is required in the European Union and elsewhere for industrial chemicals. To determine the value of acute toxicity testing by more than one route, oral-dermal and oralinhalation concordances among regulatory classifications were examined for large data sets of chemicals and pesticide active ingredients. Across all sectors examined, oral acute toxicity classifications for pure active substances were more severe than those derived from dermal data in more than …


An Evaluation Of The Us High Production Volume (Hpv) Chemical-Testing Programme: A Study In (Ir)Relevance, Redundancy And Retro Thinking, Andrew Nicholson, Jessica Sandler, Troy Seidle Dec 2014

An Evaluation Of The Us High Production Volume (Hpv) Chemical-Testing Programme: A Study In (Ir)Relevance, Redundancy And Retro Thinking, Andrew Nicholson, Jessica Sandler, Troy Seidle

Troy Seidle, PhD

Under the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) High Production Volume (HPV) Challenge Programme, chemical companies have volunteered to conduct screening-level toxicity tests on approximately 2800 widely-used industrial chemicals. Participating companies are committed to providing available toxicity information to the EPA and presenting testing proposals for review by the EPA and posting on the EPA Web site as public information. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and a coalition of animal protection organisations have reviewed all the test plans submitted by the participating chemical companies for compliance with the original HPV framework, as well as with animal welfare guidelines …


Cross-Sector Review Of Drivers And Available 3rs Approaches For Acute Systemic Toxicity Testing, Troy Seidle, Sally Robinson, Tom Holmes, Stuart Creton, Pilar Prieto, Julia Scheel, Magda Chlebus Dec 2014

Cross-Sector Review Of Drivers And Available 3rs Approaches For Acute Systemic Toxicity Testing, Troy Seidle, Sally Robinson, Tom Holmes, Stuart Creton, Pilar Prieto, Julia Scheel, Magda Chlebus

Troy Seidle, PhD

Acute systemic toxicity studies are carried out in many sectors in which synthetic chemicals are manufactured or used and are among the most criticized of all toxicology tests on both scientific and ethical grounds. A review of the drivers for acute toxicity testing within the pharmaceutical industry led to a paradigm shift whereby in vivo acute toxicity data are no longer routinely required in advance of human clinical trials. Based on this experience, the following review was undertaken to identify (1) regulatory and scientific drivers for acute toxicity testing in other industrial sectors, (2) activities aimed at replacing, reducing, or …


A Modular One-Generation Reproduction Study As A Flexible Testing System For Regulatory Safety Assessment, Richard Vogel, Troy Seidle, Horst Spielmann Dec 2014

A Modular One-Generation Reproduction Study As A Flexible Testing System For Regulatory Safety Assessment, Richard Vogel, Troy Seidle, Horst Spielmann

Troy Seidle, PhD

The European Union’s Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) legislation mandates testing and evaluation of approximately 30,000 existing substances within a short period of time, beginning with the most widely used “high production volume” (HPV) chemicals. REACH testing requirements for the roughly 3000 HPV chemicals specify three separate tests for reproductive toxicity: two developmental toxicity studies on different animal species (OECD Test Guideline 414) and a two-generation reproduction toxicity study (OECD TG 416). These studies are highly costly in both economic and animal welfare terms. OECD TG 416 is a fertility study intended to evaluate reproductive performance of animals …


Levels Of Citation Of Nonhuman Animal Studies Conducted At A Canadian Research Hospital, Anne Innis Dagg, Troy K. Seidle Dec 2014

Levels Of Citation Of Nonhuman Animal Studies Conducted At A Canadian Research Hospital, Anne Innis Dagg, Troy K. Seidle

Troy Seidle, PhD

The publication of scientific articles that receive few or no citations raises questions of the appropriate use of resources as well as ethics. In the case of animal research, the ethics issue extends beyond human patients to nonhuman animals, as the research subjects them to pain and, typically, to death. This study is a citation analysis of animal research conducted at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children (HSC). Of the 594 publications (1990 to 1995) on animal research by affiliates of HSC, 29% received Iower than 10 citations in a 10-year period. We compare the research history of 13 "best" and …


Humane Society International’S Global Campaign To End Animal Testing, Troy Seidle Dec 2014

Humane Society International’S Global Campaign To End Animal Testing, Troy Seidle

Troy Seidle, PhD

The Research & Toxicology Department of Humane Society International (HSI) operates a multifaceted and science-driven global programme aimed at ending the use of animals in toxicity testing and research. The key strategic objectives include: a) ending cosmetics animal testing worldwide, via the multinational Be Cruelty-Free campaign; b) achieving near-term reductions in animal testing requirements through revision of product sector regulations; and c) advancing humane science by exposing failing animal models of human disease and shifting science funding toward human biology-based research and testing tools fit for the 21st century. HSI was instrumental in ensuring the implementation of the March 2013 …


Brain And Law: An Eeg Study Of How We Decide Or Not To Implement A Law, Armando Rocha, Eduardo Massad, Fábio Rocha, Marcelo Buratini Dec 2014

Brain And Law: An Eeg Study Of How We Decide Or Not To Implement A Law, Armando Rocha, Eduardo Massad, Fábio Rocha, Marcelo Buratini

Armando F Rocha

Brazil has introduced a referendum regarding the prohibition of firearm commerce and propaganda arguments has invoked socially and personally driven issues in the promotion of voting in favor of and against firearm control, respectively. Here, we used different techniques to study the brain activity associated with a voter’s perception of the truthfulness of these arguments and their influence on voting decisions. Low Resolution Tomography was used to identify the possible different sets of neurons activated in the analysis of the different types of propaganda. Linear correlation was used to calculate the amount information provided by different electrodes about how these …


The Fine-Scale Habitat Use Of Risso’S Dolphins Off Bardsey Island, Cardigan Bay (Uk), Marijke N. De Boer, Sonja Eisfeld, Mark P. Simmonds Dec 2014

The Fine-Scale Habitat Use Of Risso’S Dolphins Off Bardsey Island, Cardigan Bay (Uk), Marijke N. De Boer, Sonja Eisfeld, Mark P. Simmonds

Mark P. Simmonds, OBE

The main objectives of this study were (1) to estimate the population size of Risso’s dolphins off Bardsey Island using mark-recapture techniques (De Boer et al., 2013); and (2) to study habitat-use in relation to fine-scale oceanographic features. This work provides preliminary information on the habitat-use of Risso’s dolphins and will benefit future studies, along with the development of effective conservation measures for this species throughout the region.


Photo-Identification Methods Reveal Seasonal And Long-Term Site-Fidelity Of Risso’S Dolphins (Grampus Griseus) In Shallow Waters (Cardigan Bay, Wales), Marijke N. De Boer, Josephine Clark, Mardik F. Leopold, Mark P. Simmonds, Peter J.H. Reijnders Dec 2014

Photo-Identification Methods Reveal Seasonal And Long-Term Site-Fidelity Of Risso’S Dolphins (Grampus Griseus) In Shallow Waters (Cardigan Bay, Wales), Marijke N. De Boer, Josephine Clark, Mardik F. Leopold, Mark P. Simmonds, Peter J.H. Reijnders

Mark P. Simmonds, OBE

A photo-identification study on Risso’s dolphins was carried out off Bardsey Island in Wales (July to September, 1997-2007). Their local abundance was estimated using two different analytical techniques: 1) mark-recapture of well-marked dolphins using a “closed-population” model; and 2) a census technique based on the total number of iden-tified individual dolphins sighted over the study period. The mark-recapture estimates of 121 (left sides; 64 - 178, 95% CI; CV 0.24) and 145 dolphins (right sides; 78 - 213, 95% CI; CV 0.24) closely matched the census technique estimates (population size of 90 - 151). It was found that the dolphins …


Cetaceans And Marine Debris: The Great Unknown, Mark Peter Simmonds Dec 2014

Cetaceans And Marine Debris: The Great Unknown, Mark Peter Simmonds

Mark P. Simmonds, OBE

Plastics and other marine debris have been found in the gastrointestinal tracts of cetaceans, including instances where large quantities of material have been found that are likely to cause impairment to digestive processes and other examples, where other morbidity and even death have resulted. In some instances, debris may have been ingested as a result of the stranding process and, in others, it may have been ingested when feeding. Those species that are suction or “ram” feeders may be most at risk. There is also evidence of entanglement of cetaceans in marine debris. However, it is usually difficult to distinguish …


The Swedish Studies Of The Adopted Children Of Alcoholics, Jill Littrell Dec 2014

The Swedish Studies Of The Adopted Children Of Alcoholics, Jill Littrell

jill l littrell Dr.

The authors of the widely cited studies analyzing the Swedish adoption records of the children of alcoholics have advanced the notion that there are three distinct paths for the inheritance of alcoholism. One path results in moderate alcoholism in men and a form of somatization but no alcoholism in women. A second path results in severe and mild alcoholism in men and alcoholism in women. The third path results in a particular variety of alcohol abuse in men and a particular variety of somatization in women. This article analyzes the authors' claims. It is argued that the data were improperly …


Incorporating Information From Neuroscience And Endocrinology Regarding Sexual Orientation Into Social Work Education, Jill Littrell Dec 2014

Incorporating Information From Neuroscience And Endocrinology Regarding Sexual Orientation Into Social Work Education, Jill Littrell

jill l littrell Dr.

The brains of heterosexual males and heterosexual females are different. Moreover, the brains of gay men are similar to heterosexual females whereas the brains of lesbians are similar to heterosexual males. Neuroscience research supporting these postulates is reviewed. The gestational processes that might explain the differences in brain structure and function corresponding with gender are reviewed. Following a discussion of the physiological bases for sexual orientation, a discussion of the physiological bases for the expression of gender related traits and a discussion of factors contributing to sexual identity are provided. Throughout the article, alternative ways to think about gender are …


Is There Evidence For The Bipolar Spectrum And The Safety Of Pharmaceutical Interventions?, Jill Littrell Dec 2014

Is There Evidence For The Bipolar Spectrum And The Safety Of Pharmaceutical Interventions?, Jill Littrell

jill l littrell Dr.

Social workers constitute a high proportion of mental health professionals and a high percentage of social workers provide mental health care. Thus, psychiatric diagnoses and pharmaceutical interventions are relevant for many social workers. This paper reviews the rise in the diagnoses of Bipolar spectrum disorders for both children and adults. It considers the safety of antipsychotic medications, a mainstay of treatment for children and adults, which, in addition to other well-documented negative side effects, have recently been shown to decrease brain volume by a significant percent. These issues are particularly relevant for children in the foster care system.


Controversies In Psychiatry And Dsm-5: The Relevance For Social Work (Occasional Essay), Jill Littrell, Jeffrey R. Lacasse Dec 2014

Controversies In Psychiatry And Dsm-5: The Relevance For Social Work (Occasional Essay), Jill Littrell, Jeffrey R. Lacasse

jill l littrell Dr.

This essay addresses recent controversies surrounding the forthcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5—the first major revision of the DSM since 1994), as well as questions regarding the safety and efficacy of psychotropic medications discussed in the public domain. Mental health professionals across a wide range of professions have signed a petition to the DSM-5 Task Force protesting changes in the new edition, and critiques of psychiatric medications are increasingly disseminated in the media. These issues have particular relevance for children in foster care, who receive diagnoses and medication at high rates. The general …


Taking The Perspective That A Depressive State Reflects Inflammation: Implications For The Use Of Antidepressants, Jill Littrell Dec 2014

Taking The Perspective That A Depressive State Reflects Inflammation: Implications For The Use Of Antidepressants, Jill Littrell

jill l littrell Dr.

This paper reviews both the evidence that supports the characterization of depression as an inflammatory disorder and the different biochemical mechanisms that have been postulated for the connection between inflammation and depression. This association offers credible explanation for the short term efficacy of antidepressants, which have short term anti-inflammatory effects. Evidence for those anti-inflammatory effects is discussed. Evidence of the contrary long-term effects of antidepressants, which increase rather than decrease inflammation, is also reviewed. It is argued that this increase in inflammation would predict an increase in chronicity among depressed patients that have been treated with antidepressants drugs, which has …


The Controversy Over Antidepressant Drugs In An Era Of Evidence-Based Practice, Jill Littrell, Jeffrey Lacasse Dec 2014

The Controversy Over Antidepressant Drugs In An Era Of Evidence-Based Practice, Jill Littrell, Jeffrey Lacasse

jill l littrell Dr.

Questions regarding the efficacy of antidepressant drugs have been a recent focus of attention in the national news both in print and in the television media. Many clients will have questions regarding what they can believe and how they can address mood problems. Social workers constitute a greater percentage of the mental health work force than any other profession. Thus, social workers will probably be asked by clients about these issues. This article presents information on the efficacy of antidepressants for both the short and long term. It covers adverse effects and withdrawal symptoms. Clients' self-determination should be honored. However, …


Perspectives Emerging From Neuroscience On Why People Become Addicted And What To Do About It, Jill Littrell Dec 2014

Perspectives Emerging From Neuroscience On Why People Become Addicted And What To Do About It, Jill Littrell

jill l littrell Dr.

This paper reviews the new ideas emerging from neuroscience regarding the question of why some people are compelled to use drugs. During the process of drug exposure, the brain’s motivational system is changed in ways that co-opts the individual’s motivational system. Changes in the brain’s motivational structures along with changes in the brain’s self-regulatory structures compel an individual to drug use. Ways to reverse those changes in an addicted brain have been identified, as have ways to enhance self-regulatory control. The information from neuroscience offers a new perspective on “loss of control” as well as offering implications for treatment.


Can A Diagnosis Be Epidemic, With Therapeutic Efforts The Catastrophe?, Jill Littrell Dec 2014

Can A Diagnosis Be Epidemic, With Therapeutic Efforts The Catastrophe?, Jill Littrell

jill l littrell Dr.

The diagnosis of Bipolar Spectrum Disorders (BSD) given for office visits has risen 40 fold for children and has risen dramatically for adults as well. Some of the growth may have been fueled by re-categorization of individuals who would previously have received diagnoses of major depression along with the widening of diagnostic criteria for BSD. Concomitant with the rise in BSD diagnoses, the number of adults and children receiving atypical antipsychotics has increased dramatically. Recent evidence finds that atypical antipsychotics cause considerable reduction in brain volume. It is thus imperative to ensure that those with diagnoses comprising BSD—Bipolar I, Bipolar …


How Addiction Happens, How Change Happens, And What Social Workers Need To Know To Be Effective Facilitators Of Change, Jill Littrell Dec 2014

How Addiction Happens, How Change Happens, And What Social Workers Need To Know To Be Effective Facilitators Of Change, Jill Littrell

jill l littrell Dr.

During the last two decades, neuroscience research has proliferated examining brain mechanisms that explain why some people are compelled to pursue drugs and alcohol. The findings suggest that addiction is independent of pleasure, and that drug seeking can be triggered outside of conscious awareness (Berridge, Robinson, & Aldridge, 2009; Goldstein et al., 2009; Kalivas, Volkow, & Seamans, 2005). The observations and conclusions from this research can be used to advantage in treating addiction. The use of social psychological principles, in the context of motivational interviewing, offers a platform for taking advantage of these new insights. After a brief sketch of …


Children In Foster Care And Excessive Medications, Jill Littrell Dec 2014

Children In Foster Care And Excessive Medications, Jill Littrell

jill l littrell Dr.

Children in foster care system are more likely to receive diagnoses of major mental illness and to be medicated with powerful medications such as antipsychotic drugs. Reasons for the increased risk of the actual mental illnesses and for the diagnoses of illness among children in foster care are reviewed. The reliabilities of various diagnoses are considered. The legitimacy of the rationale for early medications to prevent later disability is discussed. The very real hazards of medicating with antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, stimulants, mood stabilizers and antidepressants are reviewed. A discussion of advocacy efforts occurring around the United States on behalf of medicated …


Book Review: “Mental Illness In The Family: Issues And Trends”, Jill Littrell Dec 2014

Book Review: “Mental Illness In The Family: Issues And Trends”, Jill Littrell

jill l littrell Dr.

No abstract provided.


The Mind-Body Connection: Not Just A Theory Anymore, Jill Littrell Dec 2014

The Mind-Body Connection: Not Just A Theory Anymore, Jill Littrell

jill l littrell Dr.

The field of psychoneuroimmunology has witnessed an explosion of empirical findings during the last two decades. Research has documented the mechanisms through which stressful emotions alter white blood cell function. Stress diminishes white blood cell response to viral infected cells and to cancer cells. Moreover, vaccination is less effective in those who are stressed and wounds heal less readily in those who are stressed. While stress decreases the activity of some white blood cells, stress does not compromise the function of all types of white blood cells. Indeed, some types of autoimmune disease, which involve particular subsets of white blood …


New Developments In Understanding Cardiovascular Disease And The Implications For Social Work, Jill Littrell Dec 2014

New Developments In Understanding Cardiovascular Disease And The Implications For Social Work, Jill Littrell

jill l littrell Dr.

Cardiovascular disease is now viewed as an inflammatory disease. An index of chronic inflammation (viz., C-Reactive Protein) is as good a predictor of heart attacks as are fats in blood. The data suggest that stressful events are so closely associated with chronic inflammatory states, that the body’s stress response can be viewed as an inflammatory state. This paper summarizes and explains the link between stress and cardiovascular disease. Negative health outcomes, particularly for cardiovascular diseases, are higher among those of lower socio-economic status. Differential stress among socio-economic tiers is considered as an explanation for the disparities. The literature linking cardiovascular …


Create Workshop 2014: Leveraging Mobile Technology And Social Media In Behavioral Research, Andre M. Müller Dec 2014

Create Workshop 2014: Leveraging Mobile Technology And Social Media In Behavioral Research, Andre M. Müller

Andre M Müller

The 2014 CREATE workshop brought together some forty young health behavior researchers from thirteen different countries, all sharing an interest in mobile technology and social media research. The three- day workshop was held in Innsbruck, Austria,...


Making Women's Health Connections: Between Researchers And To Resources, Martha E. Meacham, Len L. Levin, Lisa A. Palmer, Elaine Martin Dec 2014

Making Women's Health Connections: Between Researchers And To Resources, Martha E. Meacham, Len L. Levin, Lisa A. Palmer, Elaine Martin

Lisa A. Palmer

The Lamar Soutter Library at the University of Massachusetts Medical School has recently completed the second year of a National Library of Medicine grant funded project; the Women’s Health Resources Dissemination Outreach Project. The goals include assisting women’s health researchers by providing them with access to information and making them more aware of opportunities and available resources. This, ultimately, enables both an improvement in women’s health and the advancement of women in academic medicine. Moreover, by supporting women’s health research and women researchers through the objectives of this project, women researchers build connections, knowledge, and skills. This facilitates meaningful contributions …


The Economics Of Implementing Population Health Strategies, Glen P. Mays Dec 2014

The Economics Of Implementing Population Health Strategies, Glen P. Mays

Glen Mays

Successful strategies to scale up and spread complex community-level interventions require an understanding of the resources required for implementation, how best to distribute them among supporting institutions, and how resource consumption and distribution varies across settings. This session reviews methods and early findings from the RWJF’s Public Health Delivery and Cost Studies (DACS) Initiative, which includes 12 inter-related studies examining the causes and consequences of variation in the costs of delivering complex community-level prevention strategies across more than 300 community settings in 12 states. Findings from these studies highlight the value of studying the economics of implementation, the measurement and …


Clear: Conversations: A Collaborative Regional Project To Help Patients Improve Their Health Visits, Michelle L. Eberle, Margot Malachowski, Alberta Richetelle, Monina Lahoz, Linda Mcintosh, Bradley Moore, Jen Searl, Judy Kronick Dec 2014

Clear: Conversations: A Collaborative Regional Project To Help Patients Improve Their Health Visits, Michelle L. Eberle, Margot Malachowski, Alberta Richetelle, Monina Lahoz, Linda Mcintosh, Bradley Moore, Jen Searl, Judy Kronick

Margot G Malachowski, MLS, AHIP

Objective: The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region’s Clear: Conversations project aimed to teach health literacy skills to help patients communicate better with their health care providers including how to: ask for simple language and slow down the provider, use teach-back, bring medications and supplements for a brown bag review, and get need-to-know information. Methods: Five organizations were awarded with Clear: Conversations materials that were adapted from a program created by Health Literacy Missouri. A highlight of the workshop was a role play between a health care provider and patient. Awardees were required to offer the workshop …


Effect Of Apolipoprotein Ε4 On Hippocampal And Brain Volume In Intractable Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, Robyn Busch, Darlene Floden, Tara Lineweaver, Jessica Chapin, Kanjana Ungwongse, Tim Wehner, Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, Imad Najm Dec 2014

Effect Of Apolipoprotein Ε4 On Hippocampal And Brain Volume In Intractable Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, Robyn Busch, Darlene Floden, Tara Lineweaver, Jessica Chapin, Kanjana Ungwongse, Tim Wehner, Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, Imad Najm

Tara T. Lineweaver

This study investigated the relationship between the apolipoprotein (APOE) ε4 allele and brain volumes in patients with medically intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). MRI-based volumetric analyses of the hippocampi, cerebral hemispheres, and whole brain were conducted in 59 patients with TLE (31 with left TLE, 28 with right TLE) with hippocampal sclerosis (HS). There were no differences in hippocampal, hemispheric, or whole brain volumes as a function of ε4 status even after correcting for hemispheric and total brain volumes. However, APOE ε4 carriers showed a trend toward having a smaller discrepancy between ipsilateral and contralateral hippocampal volumes than patients without …


Report Of The Working Group On Animal Distress In The Laboratory, Marilyn Brown, Larry Carbone, Kathleen Conlee, Marian Dawkins, Ian J. Duncan, David Fraser, Gilly Griffin, Victoria A. Hampshire, Lesley A. Lambert, Joy A. Mench, David Morton, Jon Richmond, Bernard E. Rollin, Andrew N. Rowan, Martin L. Stephens, Hanno Würbel Dec 2014

Report Of The Working Group On Animal Distress In The Laboratory, Marilyn Brown, Larry Carbone, Kathleen Conlee, Marian Dawkins, Ian J. Duncan, David Fraser, Gilly Griffin, Victoria A. Hampshire, Lesley A. Lambert, Joy A. Mench, David Morton, Jon Richmond, Bernard E. Rollin, Andrew N. Rowan, Martin L. Stephens, Hanno Würbel

Andrew N. Rowan, DPhil

Finding ways to minimize pain and distress in research animals is a continuing goal in the laboratory animal research field. Pain and distress, however, are not synonymous, and often measures that alleviate one do not affect the other. Here, the authors provide a summary of a meeting held in February 2004 that focused on distress in laboratory animals. They discuss the difficulties associated with defining ‘distress,’ propose methods to aid in recognizing and alleviating distressful conditions, and provide recommendations for animal research conduct and oversight that would minimize distress experienced by laboratory animals.


The Three Rs: The Way Forward, Michael Balls, Alan M. Goldberg, Julia H. Fentem, Caren L. Broadhead, Rex L. Burch, Michael F.W. Festing, John M. Frazier, Coenraad F.M. Hendriksen, Margaret Jennings, Margot D.O. Van Der Kamp, David B. Morton, Andrew N. Rowan, Claire Russell, William M.S. Russell, Horst Spielmann, Martin Stephens, William S. Stokes, Donald W. Straughan, James D. Yager, Joanne Zurlo, Bert F.M. Van Zutphen Dec 2014

The Three Rs: The Way Forward, Michael Balls, Alan M. Goldberg, Julia H. Fentem, Caren L. Broadhead, Rex L. Burch, Michael F.W. Festing, John M. Frazier, Coenraad F.M. Hendriksen, Margaret Jennings, Margot D.O. Van Der Kamp, David B. Morton, Andrew N. Rowan, Claire Russell, William M.S. Russell, Horst Spielmann, Martin Stephens, William S. Stokes, Donald W. Straughan, James D. Yager, Joanne Zurlo, Bert F.M. Van Zutphen

Andrew N. Rowan, DPhil

This is the report of the eleventh of a series of workshops organised by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), which was established in 1991 by the European Commission. ECVAM's main goal, as defined in 1993 by its Scientific Advisory Committee, is to promote the scientific and regulatory acceptance of alternative methods which are of importance to the biosciences and which reduce, refine or replace the use of laboratory animals. One of the first priorities set by ECVAM was the implementation of procedures which would enable it to become well-informed about the state-of-the-art of non-animal test …