The Future Is Not Bright: Evaluation of Rat Preferences for Color and Intensity of Light.

Light is a key factor influencing the welfare of laboratory rodents, but little is known about their optimal lighting condition. It i common knowledge that rats prefer dim light, so bright light is mitigated with red-tinted shelters or cages, which alter both the color and intensity of light. Because both aspects are altered, the contribution of each feature to rodent preference is unknown.

Equitable Care for Hypertension: Blood Pressure and Patient-Reported Outcomes of the RICH LIFE Cluster Randomized Trial.

Background: Disparities in hypertension control are well documented but underaddressed.

Methods: RICH LIFE (Reducing Inequities in Care of Hypertension: Lifestyle Improvement for Everyone) was a 2-arm, cluster randomized trial comparing the effect on blood pressure (BP) control (systolic BP ≤140 mm Hg, diastolic BP ≤90 mm Hg), patient activation, and disparities in BP control of 2 multilevel interventions, standard of care plus (SCP) and collaborative care/stepped care (CC/SC). SCP included BP measurement standardization, audit and feedback, and equity-leadership training.

Acute Effects of Hypothermia and Inhalant Anesthesia on Ultrasonic Vocalizations and Neuroendocrine Markers in Neonatal Rats.

Neonatal rodents undergo anesthesia for numerous procedures and for euthanasia by anesthetic overdose. However, data regarding whether neonatal anesthesia is humane are limited. Hypothermia (cryoanesthesia) is the most commonly used anesthetic protocol for neonatal rats 10 d of age or younger.

Voices, Images, And Experiences Of Community Health Workers: Advancing Antiracist Policy And Practice.

Community health workers (CHWs) are front-line public health personnel who share common attributes with or have a nuanced understanding of the communities they serve. Their membership in marginalized communities gives them expertise in delivering contextualized interventions that mitigate their clients' social risk factors, but it also places them at greater risk for exposure to various harms. We employed the photovoice method to illuminate how the lived experiences of CHWs working, residing, or both in Baltimore City, Maryland, dovetail with facets of their jobs.

Euthanasia of Neonatal Rats and Mice using Carbon Monoxide.

Minimization of potential pain and distress of rodents undergoing euthanasia is a touchstone of veterinary clinical medicine. Evaluation of this issue in postweanling rodents has supported revisions to the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) Guidelines on Euthanasia in 2020. However, relatively little information is available on humane aspects of anesthesia and euthanasia in neonatal mice and rats.

Minimal Exposure Times for Irreversible Euthanasia with Carbon Dioxide in Mice and Rats.

When using an anesthetic overdose to euthanize laboratory rodents, a secondary method of euthanasia is recommended to ensure that the apparent death is irreversible. This secondary method usually is accomplished through the collection of tissues that are required to complete the research project. However, frequently laboratory rodents must be euthanized because they cannot be used for studies; in these cases, caretakers must perform a secondary method of euthanasia.

Gender of Authors in Laboratory Animal Medicine and Science in 2 Peer-Reviewed U. S. Journals.

Multiple recent surveys have examined the prevalence of female first or senior authors on publications for various scientific and medical disciplines. First and senior authorships are significant achievements for purposes of professional advancement, especially in academia. Such surveys can also provide information regarding diversity and inclusion.

Effectiveness of the Glass Bead Sterilizer for Sterilizing Surgical Instruments.

Survival rodent surgery requires the use of sterile instruments for each animal, which can be challenging when performing multiple surgeries on batches of animals. Glass bead sterilizers (GBS) are widely considered to facilitate this practice by sterilizing the tips of the instruments between animals. However, other disciplines have raised questions about the efficacy of the GBS, especially when used with surgical tools that have grooves or ridges that may contain organic debris.

Predictive Value of Grooming Behavior for Development of Dermatitis in Selectively Bred P Rats as a Model of Trichotillomania Hair Pulling Disorder.

Trichotillomania (TTM) is a body-focused repetitive disorder affecting as much as 0.5 to 2% of the population, with women four times more likely to be affected than men. This disorder causes impairment in daily function and significant distress.

Honoring Dr. Shalon Irving, A Champion for Health Equity.

Shalon Irving's 2017 death brought national attention to maternal mortality among Black women in the US. This essay remembers her life and legacy.

Evaluation of Carbon Dioxide Euthanasia of Female Sprague Dawley Rats Alone or With Unfamiliar Conspecifics.

Most studies evaluating methods of euthanasia to date have focused on the euthanasia of individual animals. However, larger chambers are commonly used to euthanize multiple cages of animals at once. This study evaluated the use of a commercially available system for euthanasia of 1, 2, or 4 cages containing an individual female Sprague-Dawley rat using volume per minute displacement rates (VDR/min) of either 25% or 50% of 100% carbon dioxide.

Evaluation of Treatment Options for Ulcerative Dermatitis in the P Rat.

Rotational outbred adult rats, phenotypically selected to prefer drinking alcohol ("P" rats) frequently present with selfinflicted wounds and ulcerative dermatitis, similar to that seen in C57BL/6 mice. Historically, veterinary interventions used to address this clinical condition have included triple antibiotic ointment (TABO), Columbia wound powder (CPW), nail trims, or plastic tubes that allow affected animals to hide. More recent studies have suggested that nail trims are the most successful intervention in mice, but this has not been evaluated previously in rats.

Wellbeing of Mice Euthanized with Carbon Dioxide in Their Home Cage as Compared with an Induction Chamber.

The AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia state that, to decrease potential distress of animals, the home cage should be used for the euthanasia of mice. The current study evaluated this recommendation by comparing behavioral and physiologic changes in ICR and SJL mice that were euthanized by using a 30% volume per minute displacement rate of 100% CO₂ in either their home cage or an induction chamber. Blood samples were collected to assess blood glucose, serum corticosterone, and serum noradrenaline as markers of physiologic wellbeing.

Isoflurane and Carbon Dioxide Elicit Similar Behavioral Responses in Rats.

Euthanasia in rodents is an ongoing topic of debate due to concerns regarding the aversive nature of gases with anesthetic properties such as carbon dioxide (CO) and isoflurane. The aim of this study was to expand upon previously published work evaluating the aversiveness of CO by introducing an isoflurane treatment group in parallel. Aversion was tested using a forced exposure setup and an aversion-avoidance setup.

Welfare Impact of Carbon Dioxide Euthanasia on Laboratory Mice and Rats: A Systematic Review.

There has been increased concern about the suitability of CO as a method for euthanasia of laboratory mice and rats, including the potential discomfort, pain or distress that animals may experience prior to loss of consciousness; time to loss of consciousness; best methods for use of CO; and the availability of better alternatives. These discussions have been useful in providing new information, but have resulted in significant confusion regarding the acceptability of CO for rodent euthanasia. In some cases, researchers and veterinarians have become uncertain as to which techniques to recommend or use for euthanasia of laboratory mice and rats.

The Impact of Social and Behavioral Factors on Reproducibility in Terrestrial Vertebrate Models.

The use of animal models remains critical in preclinical and translational research. The reliability of the animal models and aspects of their validity is likely key to effective translation of findings to medicine. However, despite considerable uniformity in animal models brought about by control of genetics, there remain a number of social as well as innate and acquired behavioral characteristics of laboratory animals that may impact on research outcomes.

Review of Rodent Euthanasia Methods.

The optimal choice of euthanasia method for laboratory rodents depends on a number of factors, including the scientific goals of the study, the need to minimize animal pain and/or distress, applicable guidelines and laws, the training and proficiency of personnel, and the safety and emotional needs of the personnel performing the euthanasia. This manuscript aims to provide guidance to researchers so they may select the method of euthanasia that results in minimal experimental confounds, such as the creation of artifact and alteration of tissues and analytes. Specific situations addressed include euthanasia of large numbers of rodents and euthanasia of neonates.

Hypertension Self-management in Socially Disadvantaged African Americans: the Achieving Blood Pressure Control Together (ACT) Randomized Comparative Effectiveness Trial.

Background: Effective hypertension self-management interventions are needed for socially disadvantaged African Americans, who have poorer blood pressure (BP) control compared to others.

Objective: We studied the incremental effectiveness of contextually adapted hypertension self-management interventions among socially disadvantaged African Americans.

Design: Randomized comparative effectiveness trial.

Glucocorticoid Induced Leucine Zipper in Lipopolysaccharide Induced Neuroinflammation.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are steroid hormones secreted as the end-product of the neuroendocrine stress cascade. Both absence and elevated GC mediate neurotoxic responses, suggesting that a narrow window ranging from physiological to slightly high GC mediate protective responses. The beneficial effects of GC are attributed to the transactivation of regulatory proteins and inhibition mediated by glucocorticoid receptor (GR) interactions with other co-factors.

Effects of Various Commercially Available Enrichment Options on Handling and Chronic Stress Markers in Female ICR Mice.

Although social housing of mice generally is preferred, mice must be individually housed in some situations. In these cases, enhanced attention to environmental enrichment is encouraged, but few studies assess the wellbeing of mice provided various enrichments. In this study, we used female ICR mice to evaluate enrichment strategies that encouraged natural behaviors including foraging, exercise, sheltering, and socialization.

Association of a Care Coordination Model With Health Care Costs and Utilization: The Johns Hopkins Community Health Partnership (J-CHiP).

Importance: The Johns Hopkins Community Health Partnership was created to improve care coordination across the continuum in East Baltimore, Maryland.

Objective: To determine whether the Johns Hopkins Community Health Partnership (J-CHiP) was associated with improved outcomes and lower spending.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Nonrandomized acute care intervention (ACI) and community intervention (CI) Medicare and Medicaid participants were analyzed in a quality improvement study using difference-in-differences designs with propensity score-weighted and matched comparison groups.

Wellbeing of Alcohol-preferring Rats Euthanized with Carbon Dioxide at Very Low and Low Volume Displacement Rates.

The 2013 recommend the use of very-low or low flow rates of 100% carbon dioxide to euthanize small rodents. Although inhalation of high concentrations of carbon dioxide are generally recognized as painful in humans, whether the use of these low-flow methods of euthanasia increase potential distress for rats is unclear. This study compared physiologic and behavioral markers of animal wellbeing for rats euthanized by using 10% volume displacement per minute (VD/min), 30% VD/min, and 70% VD/min of 100% carbon dioxide.

Effects of Music Enrichment on Individually Housed Male New Zealand White Rabbits.

The beneficial effect of music has been demonstrated in many species. Although commercially available music CDs intended for use with rabbits are available, these enrichments have not been critically evaluated to determine whether they reduce distress. In this study, we used an aging colony of male rabbits to evaluate how the provision of music enrichment affected the wellbeing of the colony.

Characterization and Etiology of Swollen Muzzles in Irradiated Mice.

Several investigators performing bone marrow transplantation studies have previously reported sporadic increases in mortality that were associated with pronounced swelling in the face, head and neck of mice. Over the past few years, we and others have noted an increasing number of experiments in which mice that have received total-body irradiation (TBI) or partial-body irradiation (PBI) develop swollen muzzles, drastic thickening of the upper lip and redness, bruising and/or swelling around the nose and muzzle and sometimes over the top of the head. We refer to this rapid and extreme swelling after irradiation as swollen muzzle syndrome (SMS).