The continued importance of animals in biomedical research.

In the rapidly evolving field of biomedical research, the role of animal models has long been a topic of scientific and ethical debate. However, despite advancements in alternative modeling approaches, animal models remain an essential component of scientific discovery and medical advancement.

Brain incorporation of [11C]arachidonic acid in young healthy humans measured with positron emission tomography.

Arachidonic acid (AA) is an important second messenger involved in signal transduction mediated by phospholipase A2. The goal of this study was to establish an in vivo quantitative method to examine the role of AA in this signaling process in the human brain. A simple irreversible uptake model was derived from rat studies and modified for positron emission tomography (PET) to quantify the incorporation rate K* of [11C]AA into brain.