Evaluation of Potential Low-stress Handling Methods in Crl:CDSD Rats ().

Low-stress handling methods have been studied in detail in mice, but relatively little research exists concerning preferred handling methods in rats. Most recommendations for low-stress handling of rats have been extrapolated from the mouse literature, despite known differences in handler interaction between the 2 species. The goal of the current study was to evaluate common methods of handling in rats, including application of recognized, low-stress handling methods from other species to rats, in order to determine relative stress levels associated with the handling methods.

Is there a difference in the analgesic response to intra-articular bupivacaine injection in people with knee osteoarthritis pain with or without central sensitisation? Protocol of a feasibility randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Pain is the main symptom of osteoarthritis (OA) with approximately 50% of patients reporting moderate-to-severe pain. Total knee replacement (TKR) is the ultimate treatment option to alleviate pain in knee OA. Nevertheless, TKR does not provide complete relief for all as approximately 20% of patients experience chronic postoperative pain.

Prevalence of and factors associated with osteoarthritis and pain in retired Olympians compared with the general population: part 2 - the spine and upper limb.

Objectives: (1) To determine the prevalence of spine and upper limb osteoarthritis (OA) and pain in retired Olympians; (2) identify risk factors associated with their occurrence and (3) compare with a sample of the general population.

Methods: 3357 retired Olympians (44.7 years) and 1735 general population controls (40.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Retired Great British Olympians (Berlin 1936-Sochi 2014): Olympic Career Injuries, Joint Health in Later Life, and Reasons for Retirement from Olympic Sport.

Background: The relationship between Olympic career sport injury and the long-term musculoskeletal health of the elite athlete remains unclear. This study describes the lifetime prevalence of medical attention injuries that occurred during training and/or competition as part of the athlete's Olympic career, reasons for retirement from Olympic sport, and the point prevalence of pain and osteoarthritis (OA) among retired Great Britain's (GB) Olympians.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved distributing a questionnaire to retired GB Olympians who had competed at 36 Olympic Games between Berlin 1936 and Sochi 2014.

Self-reported sports injuries and later-life health status in 3357 retired Olympians from 131 countries: a cross-sectional survey among those competing in the games between London 1948 and PyeongChang 2018.

Objective: Describe the self-reported prevalence and nature of Olympic-career injury and general health and current residual symptoms in a self-selected sample of retired Olympians.

Methods: 3357 retired Olympians from 131 countries completed a cross-sectional online survey, distributed by direct email through World Olympians Association and National Olympian Associations databases. The survey captured Olympic sport exposure, significant training and competition injury history (lasting 1 month), general health (eg, depression) during the athlete's career, and current musculoskeletal pain and functional limitations.

Factors associated with pain and osteoarthritis at the hip and knee in Great Britain's Olympians: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Knowledge of the epidemiology and potentially modifiable factors associated with musculoskeletal disease is an important first step in injury prevention among elite athletes.

Aim: This study investigated the prevalence and factors associated with pain and osteoarthritis (OA) at the hip and knee in Great Britain's (GB) Olympians aged 40 and older.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study.

Development and validation of self-reported line drawings of the modified Beighton score for the assessment of generalised joint hypermobility.

Background: The impracticalities and comparative expense of carrying out a clinical assessment is an obstacle in many large epidemiological studies. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a series of electronic self-reported line drawing instruments based on the modified Beighton scoring system for the assessment of self-reported generalised joint hypermobility.

Methods: Five sets of line drawings were created to depict the 9-point Beighton score criteria.

The potential for nutritional components of food items used for enrichment of research animals to act as confounding variables in toxicology studies.

Produce and other non-certified foods may be provided to laboratory animals for enrichment, but this practice can generate scientific concerns, particularly if these food items contain nutrients that are pharmacologically active or affect animals' consumption of the basal diet. The author reviews information on potential for a number of nutritional components of food items to affect study data. On the basis of published effect levels, he proposes an upper limit for the consumption of each component in enrichment items relative to the amount present in a standard basal diet.

The presence and management of contaminants in non-certified, agriculturally sourced food items used as enrichment for laboratory animals.

One enrichment strategy for laboratory animals is the provision of food variety and foraging opportunities. Fresh agricultural items, including produce or packaged human food items, provide variation in palatability, texture and complexity and can therefore be used as enrichment for lab animals. But concerns are often raised that these food items might sometimes carry contaminants that could affect research subjects and confound experimental results.

Auditing laboratory rodent biosecurity programs.

A rodent biosecurity program that includes periodic evaluation of procedures used in an institution's vivarium can be used to ensure that best practices are in place to prevent a microbial pathogen outbreak. As a result of an ongoing comprehensive biosecurity review within their North American and European production facilities, the authors developed a novel biosecurity auditing process and worksheet that could be useful in other animal care and use operations. The authors encourage other institutions to consider initiating similar audits of their biosecurity programs to protect the health of their laboratory animals.

A novel rat model of hereditary hemochromatosis due to a mutation in transferrin receptor 2.

Sporadic iron overload in rats has been reported, but whether it is due to genetic or environmental causes is unknown. In the current study, phenotypic analysis of Hsd:HHCL Wistar rats revealed a low incidence of histologically detected liver iron overload. Here we characterized the pathophysiology of the iron overload and showed that the phenotype is heritable and due to a mutation in a single gene.

Effects of cage density, sanitation frequency, and bedding type on animal wellbeing and health and cage environment in mice and rats.

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of cage density, sanitation frequency, and bedding type on animal growth and welfare. At weaning, Sprague-Dawley rats and C57BL/6 mice were allocated to treatment groups according to sex, bedding type (shredded aspen, cellulose, or a 50:50 mixture), and cage density and sanitation frequency (inhouse cage density standards and sanitation procedures measured against Guide recommendations) for an 8-wk period. Body weight, feed disappearance, cage ammonia, ATP concentrations, behavior, morbidity, and mortality were assessed weekly; fecal corticosterone, microbiology, and lung histopathology (rats only) were evaluated at the culmination of the trial.

Influence of observational study design on the interpretation of cancer risk reduction by carotenoids.

Recently published literature has been reviewed to determine whether lycopene, beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin are associated with reductions in cancer risk and whether study findings differ by study design. A total of 57 publications meeting pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified, with the majority (55) being observational studies. None of the intervention studies supported a significant reduction in cancer risk with carotenoid (beta-carotene) supplementation.

A simple method for assessing analgesic requirements and efficacy in rodents.

Evaluation of pain in the clinical setting is an ongoing challenge for veterinarians, researchers and IACUCs. Behavioral assessment, a common technique for evaluating pain, is subjective and difficult to translate into quantifiable data. The authors propose measuring changes in body weight, food consumption and water consumption as a simple and objective method for evaluating postsurgical pain and analgesic efficacy in rodents.

Refinement of the dosage and dosing schedule of ketoprofen for postoperative analgesia in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Though ketoprofen is commonly used in rodent surgical procedures, an optimal dosing regimen has not yet been established. The authors sought to refine ketoprofen dosage requirements in rats and to determine whether one or two doses were needed. In one experiment they compared the effects of one preoperative dose of ketoprofen with those of two perioperative doses (3 mg per kg body weight).

Development of a percutaneous cerebrospinal fluid collection technique in F-344 rats and evaluation of cell counts and total protein concentrations.

A simple technique for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection was developed in F-344 rats. Cell counts and total protein concentrations were evaluated to assess sample quality. While the 50 to 70 mu L samples of CSF collected on three different days showed a progressive decrease in the total erythrocyte and nucleated cell counts, no significant changes were observed in the total protein concentrations.

The Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917 and synthetic drugs: relieving scarcity, controlling prices, and establishing pre-market licensing controls.

The "Trading with the Enemy Act" (TWEA) was enacted in October 1917 after America's entry into World War I and during a period of wartime scarcity and rising prices of synthetic drugs and dyestuffs that began in 1914. It was described as "An Act to define, regulate, and punish trading with the enemy, and for other purposes." The act and subsequent executive orders authorized an "Alien Property Custodian" to take control of all enemy property within the United States.

Duration of clinical effects and absence of referred hyperalgesia after femoral vein cannulation in rats.

The goal of this study was to assess the duration of pain-related clinical effects and referred hyperalgesia after surgery in rats. Isoflurane anesthesia with or without femoral vein cannulation was performed (n = 6 per group). Body weight and food and water consumption were monitored daily for 48 h, and tail-flick latency was measured twice daily for 24 h after surgery.

Duration of effects on clinical parameters and referred hyperalgesia in rats after abdominal surgery and multiple doses of analgesic.

This study evaluated the duration of clinical effects and referred hyperalgesia in rats (n = 10 per group) undergo ing abdominal surgery with analgesics (ketoprofen at 3 mg/kg and buprenorphine at 0.01 or 0.1 mg/kg) administered intramuscularly twice daily for 72 h beginning prior to surgery; no-surgery and no-analgesia control groups were included.

Assessment of personal protective equipment used for facial mucocutaneous exposure protection in nonhuman primate areas.

Animal caretakers working in NHP areas must wear facial PPE to protect themselves from the zoonotic hazards related to splash exposures, but PPE that is uncomfortable may present its own risks. The authors evaluated the level of protection offered by several types of facial PPE against a variety of simulated facial mucocutaneous exposures of the sort that could occur during typical procedures in Old World NHP facilities and determined that less restrictive PPE can be used without compromising safety.

Carotenoid bioavailability is higher from salads ingested with full-fat than with fat-reduced salad dressings as measured with electrochemical detection.

Background: The amount of dietary fat required for optimal bioavailability of carotenoids in plant matrices is not clearly defined.

Objective: The objective was to quantify the appearance of carotenoids in plasma chylomicrons after subjects ingested fresh vegetable salads with fat-free, reduced-fat, or full-fat salad dressings.

Design: The subjects (n = 7) each consumed 3 salads consisting of equivalent amounts of spinach, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and carrots with salad dressings containing 0, 6, or 28 g canola oil.

Use of body condition scoring to manage body weight in dogs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a body condition scoring system as a tool to manage body weight in our dog colony. We believe that body condition extremes have a pronounced potential impact on pharmaceutical assessment studies. We selected animals from our colony for participation in a dietary management program based on body condition scoring and body weight.

Molecular factor analysis applied to collections of NMR spectra.

It is often useful to identify and quantify mixture components by analyzing collections of NMR spectra. Such collections arise in metabonomics and many other applications. Many mixtures studied by NMR can contain hundreds of compounds, and it is challenging to analyze the resulting complex spectra.