Glucocorticoids (corticosterone in birds and rodents and cortisol in all other mammals) are glucoregulatory hormones that are synthesized in response to a range of stimuli including stress and are regularly measured in the assessment of animal welfare. Glucocorticoids have many normal or non-stress-related functions, and glucocorticoid synthesis can increase in response to pleasure, excitement,...

Since the time of Muybridge and Marey in the last half of the nineteenth century, studies of animal movement have relied on some form of high-speed or stop-action imaging to permit analysis of appendage and body motion. In the past ten years, the advent of megapixel-resolution high-speed digital imaging with maximal framing rates of 250 to 100,000 images per second has allowed new views of musc...

The article discusses the main stages in history of science school ecological physiology animals at Institute Biology Karelian Research Center Russian Academy Sciences and contributions individual scientists to its development. specifics development scientific achievements members over a half-century period are recounted. Current research areas prospects for future considered. emergence is asso...

Hormone analysis is a precise and widely accepted tool for monitoring reproductive function and responses to stressors. Although hormones are present and can be measured in various biological matrices, non-invasive methods have gained popularity over the past 30 years as a more practical approach for assessing ovarian, testicular and, more recently, adrenocortical activity in intractable wildli...

The recent discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) has introduced a new layer of complexity to the process of gene regulation. MiRNAs are essential for cellular function, and their dysregulation often results in disease. Study of miRNA expression and function in animal models and human lymphomas has improved our knowledge of the pathogenesis of this heterogeneous disease. In this paper, we attempt to d...

Furry mammals kept as pets, farm and laboratory animals are important allergen sources. The prevalence of sensitization to furred mammals appears to be increasing worldwide. Several mammalian allergens from diverse species are well characterized with regard to their molecular structure and immunogenicity, and some are already available for component-resolved allergy diagnostics. The distributio...

Major evolutionary trends in animal physiology have been heavily influenced by atmospheric O2 levels. Amongst other important factors, the increase in atmospheric O2 which occurred in the Pre-Cambrian and the development of aerobic respiration beckoned the evolution of animal organ systems that were dedicated to the absorption and transportation of O2, e.g., the respiratory and cardiovascular s...

Much anecdotal information has been exchanged in recent years concerning the degree to which medical schools do or do not utilize live animals in the course of their instruction of undergraduate medical students. To gain an accurate assessment of this issue, the Association of American MedicalColleges (AAMC) has recently undertaken a several-phase survey of all 126 accredited medical schools in...