CONTEXT Publication bias jeopardizes evidence-based medicine, mainly through biased literature syntheses. Publication bias may also affect laboratory animal research, but evidence is scarce. OBJECTIVES To assess the opinion of laboratory animal researchers on the magnitude, drivers, consequences and potential solutions for publication bias. And to explore the impact of size of the animals use...

This is the report of the twenty-seventh of a series of workshops organised by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM). ECVAM’s main goal, as defined in 1993 by its Scientific Advisory Committee, is to promote the scientific and regulatory acceptance of alternative methods which are of importance to the biosciences and which reduce, refine or replace the use of lab...

There exists currently a fair degree of introspection in the pain research community about the value of animal research. This review represents a defense of animal research in pain. We discuss the inherent advantage of animal models over human research as well as the crucial complementary roles animal studies play vis-à-vis human imaging and genetic studies. Finally, we discuss recent developme...

Progress continues to be made in the ongoing efforts to replace, reduce, or refine the use of laboratory animals for Leptospira vaccine potency testing in certain markets/regions. Leptospira-containing vaccines, as with many veterinary vaccines, are manufactured and distributed both on a regional basis by local manufacturers and internationally by large multinational firms. Three general scenar...

In their recent paper Portengen and colleagues have made an important contribution to our understanding of laboratory animal allergy. However, they have omitted to draw attention to an observation of clinical importance to occupational physicians. They have suggested that the lack of decline in lung function in ‘‘experienced’’ workers may be due to the healthy worker effect. Their suggestion is...

Nutritional deficiencies or imbalances are suspected contributory factors to several types of human cancers, and perhaps other human diseases related to long-term metabolic derangements. In order to study these more effectively in laboratory animals, it is suggested that the laboratory diets more closely mimic the nutrient density of suspect human diets. Toxicology and carcinogenic data obtaine...

Two new large animal models of Huntington's disease (HD) have been developed recently, an old world monkey (macaque) and a sheep. Macaques, with their large brains and complex repertoire of behaviors are the 'gold-standard' laboratory animals for testing cognitive function, but there are many practical and ethical issues that must be resolved before HD macaques can be used for pre-clinical rese...

Legislative bodies and the general public both demand that suffering is minimized when animals are used for scientific purposes, which is important for both ethical and scientific reasons. In addition to refined experimental methods and good husbandry practice, the recognition of reduced wellbeing is a prerequisite to assure the welfare of laboratory animals. It is essential to be able to recog...

We report information from two workshops sponsored by the National Institutes of Health that were held to a) assess whether dietary estrogens could significantly impact end points in experimental animals, and b) involve program participants and feed manufacturers to address the problems associated with measuring and eliminating batch-to-batch variability in rodent diets that may lead to conflic...

OBJECTIVES Researchers and technicians who use mice in research are exposed to complex mixtures containing mouse allergen, endotoxin and particulates from animals, bedding and feed. The particle characteristics of these different exposures, and whether they are encountered together or separately, are important to better understand their adjuvant and allergic effects. Endotoxin and mouse allerge...