Safety Evaluation of a 405-nm LED Device for Direct Antimicrobial Treatment of the Murine Brain.

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem in human medicine that extends to biomedical research. Compared with chemical-based therapies, light-based therapies present an alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals and are less vulnerable to acquired bacterial resistance. Due to immunologic privilege and relative tissue sensitivity to topical antibiotics, the brain poses a unique set of difficulties with regard to antimicrobial therapy.

Disaster Planning for Animals in Hazardous Agent Containment Units.

Disaster response planning for laboratory animal facilities is a time- and personnel-intensive undertaking. This article outlines numerous considerations in formulating a plan for disaster response in a high containment animal unit. The planning process is discussed around a set of elements: planning team formation, situational understanding, goal and objective determination, plan development, preparation, and rehearsal or implementation.

Assessment of pre-operative maropitant citrate use in macaque (Macaca fasicularis & Macaca mulatta) neurosurgical procedures.

Background: Retrospective analysis of post-operative vomiting (POV) in non-human primates at our institution was 11%. Based on this additional risk factor for post-operative complications, we aimed to eliminate or decrease POV by adding an antiemetic, maropitant citrate, to the pre-medication protocol.

Methods: Retrospective and prospective data were collected over a 5-year period from 46 macaques of two species during 155 procedures.

Image-guided PO2 probe measurements correlated with parametric images derived from 18F-fluoromisonidazole small-animal PET data in rats.

Unlabelled: (18)F-fluoromisonidazole PET, a noninvasive means of identifying hypoxia in tumors, has been widely applied but with mixed results, raising concerns about its accuracy. The objective of this study was to determine whether kinetic analysis of dynamic (18)F-fluoromisonidazole data provides better discrimination of tumor hypoxia than methods based on a simple tissue-to-plasma ratio.

Methods: Eleven Dunning R3327-AT prostate tumor-bearing nude rats were immobilized in custom-fabricated whole-body molds, injected intravenously with (18)F-fluoromisonidazole, and imaged dynamically for 105 min.

Total IgE as a serodiagnostic marker to aid murine fur mite detection.

Mites of 3 genera-Myobia, Myocoptes, and Radfordia -continue to plague laboratory mouse facilities, even with use of stringent biosecurity measures. Mites often spread before diagnosis, predominantly because of detection difficulty. Current detection methods have suboptimal sensitivity, are time-consuming, and are costly.

Infectious disease survey of Mus musculus from pet stores in New York City.

Most mice used in research are purchased devoid of specific pathogens. Experimental studies required us to evaluate the profile of infective agents harbored in mice sold as pets or food for captive reptiles. Anecdotal reports regarding disease in these mice abound, but there are few published reports on disease prevalence.

A comprehensive laboratory animal facility pandemic response plan.

The potential of a severe influenza pandemic necessitates the development of an organized, rational plan for continued laboratory animal facility operation without compromise of the welfare of animals. A comprehensive laboratory animal program pandemic response plan was integrated into a university-wide plan. Preparation involved input from all levels of organizational hierarchy including the IACUC.