Research Methods in Life Sciences Commons^™

The Cruel Deception, Robert Sharpe

Experimentation Collection

With new legislation to replace the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 near at hand, the powerful vested interest groups whose profits and livelihood depend on laboratory animals are stepping up their campaigns to ensure the survival of vivisection. Have the benefits really been so great, and can vivisection achieve major advances in our present state of health?

History shows (McKeown 1979) that the real reasons for the dramatic increase in life expectancy since the middle of the last century are improvements in nutrition, living and working conditions, hygiene and sanitation, with medical measures only having a relatively marginal effect. The …

A Pivotal Year For Lab Animal Welfare, Constance Holden

Popular Press Items

Tighter regulations, higher costs, and refined methodologies likely to lead to decreased animal use

Alternative To Current Uses Of Animals In Research, Safety Testing, And Education: A Layman's Guide, Martin L. Stephens

eBooks

No abstract provided.

Footrot In Sheep And Goats, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock published reports

Reference to sheep in this pamphlet applies equally to goats.

Footrot is a contagious disease of sheep and goats caused by the bacterium Baueroides nodosus.

The bacterium can cause varying degrees of damage to the horn of the foot. The resulting infection can lead to lameness and serious loss of body condition.

A Rapid Concentration And Identification Technique For Human Malaria Infections Using A Mouse Model, Donald D. Barton

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Red blood cells infected with malaria parasites experience a change in density making them lighter (less dense). This paper reports a new, rapid diagnostic technique using this change in density in the infected red blood cell. It is not only easy to use, but it is also compatible with the technological conditions found where the malaria problem is most acute - in many developing countries of the world. A small sample of blood drawn from a simple finger stick can be concentrated and examined microscopically for malaria parasites within 10 minutes. The thick film slide preparation, presently used, takes a …

The Animal Slave Trade: Brutality On The Road To Research

Close Up Reports

The HSUS is working on several fronts to stop the exploitation of our nation's pets. In January, we were instrumental in establishing a coalition to abolish pound seizure-the practice of relinquishing pound and shelter animals for research purposes. Consisting of 11 of the country's leading animal welfare organizations, The National Coalition to Protect Our Pets will be working with local groups to outlaw pound seizure on a state-by-state basis. HSUS investigators will continue to trace the road to research, and we'll be taking legal action against both dealers and research centers whenever necessary. In our effort tore- r duce the …

Cryptosporidiosis In The Immunosuppressed Mouse And In Cell Culture, Mercy Prabhu Das

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Cryptosporidiosis is a parasitic infection primarily of animals that has been recently recognized as an important disease in immunocompromised humans. Most cases to date have occurred in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Persons with abnormal humoral or cellular immune function, and even normal subjects, have also been affected.

To determine whether or not mice, when experimentally immunosuppressed, would develop cryptosporidiosis, a test was designed using the AKR/J strain. This strain was selected because, it was previously reported that it was the strain shown to respond most readily to the production of disease caused by the opportunistic protozoan, Pneumocystis carinii …

Stability In Mechanical Expansion Of The Maxilla With Surgical/Mechanical Expansion Of The Mandible In An Adult Baboon, Robert D. Mitchell

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Expansion of the maxilla at the midpalatal suture has had much investigation and is a recognized option in orthodontic therapy. Lateral expansions of the mandible through surgical separation at the symphysis have been done in animal studies. A combination of these procedures has not yet been done together.

The purpose of this study was to expand both the maxilla and the mandible of a baboon simultaneously while maintaining occlusion. The amount of expansion and stability was studied using photographs, models, cephalograms, and tetracycline bone labels using U.V. microscopy.

A young adult baboon with full dentition and normal occlusion was used. …

Relationship Between Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Activity And Hormone Dependency In Rat Mammary Cancer, Lila S. Berry

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biology by Lila S. Berry on May 2, 1985.

One Man’S Beef, William Severini Kowinski

Profiles

Henry Spira believes that animals have rights but no say. He speaks for all species.

Cruel Cosmetic Testing Could Be Stopped Today If Consumers Demanded It!

Close Up Reports

The HSUS is launching an all-out offensive to bring an end to the terror and torture endured by millions of animals used in product-safety tests for cosmetics. In recent years, pressure from the animal-welfare community has prompted cosmetic companies to begin developing more humane methods of testing their products. Despite what appears to be progress, findings of a new HSUS study indicate that non-animal alternatives for testing cosmetics may never be implemented on an industry-wide basis unless consumers take action now.

Ethical Aspects Of Animal Experimentation, Wolfgang Scharmann

Experimentation Collection

If inquiries are made of people regarding their attitudes towards animal experimentation, there will no doubt be various answers corresponding to the different ethical attitudes today. Three principle points of view are imaginable. The two extremes are: an unrestricted support of all animal experiments; and a radical rejection of any such experiment. These two positions, in all likelihood, are taken by only a minority of the population. The majority will approve of animal experimentation in principle, however, only insofar as it is really necessary to preserve human life. So, the point of controversy arises from the question: When is an …

Three Blind Mice, See How They Run: A Critique Of Behavioral Research With Animals, Michael A. Giannelli

Experimentation Collection

Animal research has been a traditionally accepted and respected part of modern psychology from its earliest days. The prevalent view of animals in contemporary psychology has origins far more basic than the scientific method. Its roots are deeply imbedded in Judaeo-Christian culture, a tradition which postulates a wide gulf between humankind and the animal world. The Darwinian revolution and the ethological outlook it fostered, while of immense biological significance, has for the most part been neglected by modern American comparative psychologists in favor of a positivistic-behaviorist orientation with a heavy reliance upon laboratory experimentation.

In recent years, opposition to animal …

Anthropomorphism Is Not A Four-Letter Word, Randall Lockwood

Experimentation Collection

Most animal scientists are directly or indirectly instructed to avoid any hint of anthropomorphism, yet it is an approach that is invariably applied by scientists and lay people alike. Science may have gained some objectivity in discarding this common view of animals, but it has gone overboard in its rejection of the concept of the continuity of human and animal experiences. I hope to outline how an anthropomorphic perspective can be applied in ways that are a service to science and the animals themselves.

Advances In Animal Welfare Science 1985/86, M. W. Fox (Ed.), A. N. Rowan (Ed.)

eBooks

This second volume of papers dealing with scientific and ethical aspects of animal welfare covers a variety of topics and areas of investigation. It will be of particular interest to those readers seeking more insight into such subjects as farm animal welfare and humane husbandry systems; animal experimentation, especially in the field of psychology; and pain in animals, notably its recognition and alleviation.

Repair Of Lethal Damage Induced In A Hamster X Amphibian Hybrid Tissue Culture Cell Line By Ultraviolet Light And Gamma Ray, Susan Kulp, Ann Page, H. Gaston Griggs

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A hybrid cell line was formed by fusing cells from two established vertebrate tissue culture cell lines (V79B1 hamster and A84 Xenopus), which were known to differ substantially in resistance to some radiation-induced lesions and in associated repair potential. Ultraviolet and gamma ray dose-survival relations were then determined and analyzed for the three cell lines, primarily to compare the radiosensitivity (Do dose) of the hybrid line with that of each parental line for each radiation. Further experimentation was conducted to determine the extent to which observed differences in these Do doses could be attributed to interactions of the combined parental …

Animals In Testing: How The Cpi Is Handling A Hot Issue, Anonymous

Popular Press Items

No abstract provided.

The Role Of The Salivary Glands In Uptake Of Fluoride In Teeth And Bone, Robin E. Vance

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The cariostatic capability of fluoride is generally recognized, in addition, it may also have a beneficial effect on bone. Fluoride is thought to exercise its cariostasis through a local effect on teeth, however, the possibility exists that fluoride exerts its action through a systemic mechanism. Fluoride uptake by rat teeth and its effectiveness as a cariostatic substance was studied in parotidectomized, submaxillariectomized, and totally sialoadenectomized animals (both parotid and submaxillary glands removed). The uptake of fluoride in bone was also quantitated for comparison purposes.

Rats were injected daily with 15 micromoles of fluoride dissolved in 0.1 ml saline. The rats …

Age-Related Changes Of Neurites In Meissner Corpuscles Of Diabetic, Vicky R. Ras

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This thesis is based on a qualitative and quantitative study of the neural component of Meissner corpuscles of diabetic and non-diabetic mice. Age-related changes were also documented in these mechanoreceptors. Corpuscles from forty-six diabetic mice and forty-six non-diabetic mice ranging from 2.5 to 17 months old were studied. Forepaw index digital pads were formalin-fixed and frozen-sectioned parallel to each digit and perpendicular to the skin. Serial sections were then silver-impregnated to allow light microscopic examination of the neurites in the corpuscles.

Neurites became more coarse, tortuous, branched, varicose, and thus more complex until middle age. Corpuscle size appeared greatest at …

The Hsus Condemns Psychological Experimentation On Animals

Close Up Reports

For almost a century, millions of cats, dogs, monkeys, and other laboratory animals have fallen victim to the misguided notion that by torturing animals we may someday find the golden key that unlocks the dark corners and passageways of human psychology. Heedless of any relevance the experiments may have to the human condition or of the differences between humans and other animals, experimental psychologists are exercising unbridled on animals the whole range of suffering, from emotional trauma, like that experienced by the doomed infant monkey, to outright physical torture. Animals have been blinded and returned to the wild to test …

The Effects Of Maternal Administration Of Methadone On Beta-Endorphin Content In The Brain And Pituitary Of The Rat Progeny, Randall L. Braun

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Methadone is often used in the maintenance and detoxification of opioid-dependent pregnant women. This use of methadone during pregnancy is known to be associated with teratogenic effects observed in the progeny. The present study is an attempt to gain insight into possible pathophysiologic mechanism(s) responsible for these teratogenic effects: specifically, a relationship between maternal methadone administration and the content of the endogenous opioid peptide, beta-endorphin, in the brain and pituitary of the rat progeny.

In brief, nulliparous mature female Sprague-Dawley rats received daily injections (5 mg./kg.) of methadone hydrochloride (methadone-treated) or a similar volume of physiological saline (controls), treatment started …

How Rabbit Poisoning Methods Work, S H. Wheeler

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

While the "rabbit plauges" of the past are a distant memory for most farmers, rabbit numbers must still be controlled in many parts of Western Australia. Rabit control techniques rely heavily on poisoning, which given the right conditions can kill a high percentage of rabbits at risk.

Recent research by the Agricultural Protection Board has been aimed at determining how different poisons, baits and poisoning methods work. By knowing in detail how each method works and what influences its results, we can choose the best control method for a particular place and time, avoid costly failures, and increase the effectiveness …

Feral Donkeys : An Assessment Of Control In The Kimberley, S H. Wheeler

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Feral donkeys are one of the major limitations to increased pastoral production in many parts of the Kimberley area of Western Australia, where they compete with cattle for food. In addition donkeys are aggressive animals, driving cattle from watering points and better grazing areas. They eliminate perenial plants by overgrazing and therefore reduce the carrying capacity of the range.

Originally introduced as draught animals, donkeys were released when cars arrived; since then they have bred up to large numbers in many areas.

For several years the Agricultural Protection Board has undertaken a programme of donkey shooting from helicopters. Since this …

Distribution And Proportion Of Immunoreactive Neuron Specific Enoclase Containing Cells In The Rat Pineal Gland, Alfonso Miranda C.

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The distribution and proportion of cytoplasm containing immunoreactive neuron specific enolase (NSE) in the rat pineal have been investigated. Step serial sections of the pineal glands of 7 male Sprague-Dawley rats were stained for NSE using an indirect immunoperoxidase method. The volumes of the pineals and of the regions containing reactive cells were derived from the distance between sections and the sum of the corresponding sectional areas of camera lucida drawings. The proportion of the NSE areas actually consisting of NSE reactive cytoplasm was measured using an image array processor.

Cytoplasm reactive for NSE was consistently localized to the posterior …

Age-Changes Of The Neuronal Component Of Meissner Corpuscles In The Mouse Digital Pad, Roger C. Mathewson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Silver impregnated sections of mouse digital pads were studied using light microscopy to detect age-related changes of the neuronal component of Meissner corpuscles. Direct microscopic observation, photomicrographs and camera lucida tracing were utilized. From qualitative observation, the corpuscular neurites were found to undergo morphological age-related changes of diameter, tortuosity, varicosity, branching and terminal expansion size. Quantitative examination was made of the number of corpuscles, corpuscular neurites, branching neurites, cross-innervations, terminal neurite expansions, neurite intraepidermal continuations and terminal axonal processes. The number of corpuscles and neurite intraepidermal continuations decreased with age while having significant linear correlation; whereas, branching increased with age …

Ld50: A Cruel Waste Of Animals

Close Up Reports

Imagine a test in which up to 100 animals are forced to consume a toxic substance in an amount high enough to kill half of them. Then imagine that the explicit purpose of the test is to kill those animals. Incredibly, such a test not only exists but each year also claims the lives of from two to four million animals.

The test is the lethal dose 50, or LD50 as it's commonly called. Its purpose is to measure the toxicity of a substance by determining how much of that substance will kill half of a group of some 60-100 …

Letter To Editor: Reply To "In Defense Of Pound Dogs In Teaching And Research", A. F. Fraser

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The use of dogs from civic pounds in medical research and teaching is the subject of concern in animal welfare circles today. This matter was the subject of a four-page comment in a recent issue of your journal (Volume 2 (5):241-244, 1981). The title of that item was provocatively given as "Sewer Science and Pound Seizure" by author Kenneth P. Stoller. It should be noted that the use of dogs in biomedical institutions greatly relates to the instruction of medical and veterinary students. Also, millions of dogs are currently being euthanized annually in shelters across the continent. Their use, "before …

Letter To Editor: Animal Suffering: Ethical Dimensions, Judith E. Hampson

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The author comments that the report (in IJSAP 3(3):254) of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) meeting has a misleading description of her exchange with Professor Dollery. The relevant text in the BAAS proceedings of the meeting is quoted.

Letter To Editor: Firm Support For Culture Training, H. C. Rowsell

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

Dr. Rowsell corrects a report in the Journal (IJSAP 3(3): 185) regarding official funding support for a tissue culture training course offered by Professor Sergey Federoff at the University of Saskatchewan.

The Ld50-The Beginning Of The End, Andrew N. Rowan

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

It has long been recognized that the LD50 measure (usually conducted using rats or mice) provides only a rough estimate of the acute toxicity of a chemical in humans. The Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry and the UK Chemical Industries Association have spoken out against the production of precise estimates of LD50 in rodents. However, the UK Home Office Report on the LD50 recommended that the LD50 should be allowed to continue. But scientific support for the test, as exemplified by recent papers in academic journals, has eroded significantly in the last few years.