OBSERVE: guidelines for the refinement of rodent cancer models.

Existing guidelines on the preparation (Planning Research and Experimental Procedures on Animals: Recommendations for Excellence (PREPARE)) and reporting (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE)) of animal experiments do not provide a clear and standardized approach for refinement during in vivo cancer studies, resulting in the publication of generic methodological sections that poorly reflect the attempts made at accurately monitoring different pathologies. Compliance with the 3Rs guidelines has mainly focused on reduction and replacement; however, refinement has been harder to implement. The Oncology Best-practices: Signs, Endpoints and Refinements for in Vivo Experiments (OBSERVE) guidelines are the result of a European initiative supported by EurOPDX and INFRAFRONTIER, and aim to facilitate the refinement of studies using in vivo cancer models by offering robust and practical recommendations on approaches to research scientists and animal care staff.

Severity Classification of Laboratory Animal Procedures in Two Belgian Academic Institutions.

According to the EU Directive 2010/63, all animal procedures must be classified as non-recovery, mild, moderate or severe. Several examples are included in the Directive to help in severity classification. Since the implementation of the Directive, different publications and guidelines have been disseminated on the topic.

Born to run: The paradox of biomechanical force in spondyloarthritis from an evolutionary perspective.

Spondyloarthritis (SpA) refers to a group of chronic inflammatory arthritic diseases that can be severely debilitating. The most common form of SpA affecting the peripheral skeleton is psoriatic arthritis, while that affecting the axial skeleton is ankylosing spondylitis. SpA has a multifactorial nature, with both genetic and environmental factors initiating and maintaining the disease.

The Role of the Microbiome in Gut and Joint Inflammation in Psoriatic Arthritis and Spondyloarthritis.

Spondyloarthritis (SpA) encompasses a group of diseases characterized by an inflammatory arthritis involving both joints and entheses. However, extraarticular symptoms constitute a large element of the pathology and should not be underestimated. Microscopic gut inflammation is observed in 50% of patients with SpA and has been linked to disease activity, underscoring the effect of gut inflammation in SpA.

A20 inhibition of STAT1 expression in myeloid cells: a novel endogenous regulatory mechanism preventing development of enthesitis.

Objectives: A20 is an important endogenous regulator of inflammation. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in A20 have been associated with various immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, and cell-specific deletion of A20 results in diverse inflammatory phenotypes. Our goal was to delineate the underlying mechanisms of joint inflammation in myeloid-specific A20-deficient mice (A20 mice).

The Effect of Cigarette Smoke Exposure on the Development of Inflammation in Lungs, Gut and Joints of TNFΔARE Mice.

The inflammatory cytokine TNF-α is a central mediator in many immune-mediated diseases, such as Crohn's disease (CD), spondyloarthritis (SpA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Epidemiologic studies have shown that cigarette smoking (CS) is a prominent common risk factor in these TNF-dependent diseases. We exposed TNFΔARE mice; in which a systemic TNF-α overexpression leads to the development of inflammation; to 2 or 4 weeks of air or CS.