在机能实验教学中加强动物实验伦理学教育的实践与思考

动物实验是机能实验学中的主要研究手段,对帮助医学生加深课堂理论知识的理解,提高动物实验操作技能有十分重要的作用。实验动物的伦理问题已经在生物医学研究中得到广泛关注,在机能实验教学中加强动物实验伦理学教育是医学生医德培养的重要途径。     

医药院校教学中应注重培养实验动物福利观念

在生命科学、医学和药学研究中,实验动物作为直接的实验材料和人类的替难者,具有不可替代的地位和作用。实验动物福利影响着实验动物的身心健康和动物实验的质量,进而影响到科学研究的科学性、可靠性和公众认可程度。各医药院校是培养未来医务人员、科研工作者的机构,在其教学中,都涉及到利用实验动物进行实际操作的训练学习,许多学科都与实验动物学科有着密不可分的内在联系。因此,在医药院校教学中,树立和培养医学生实验动物福利观念具有重要意义。     

优化实验动物学授课内容和方法

实验动物是医学生物学研究的四大支撑条件之一。实验动物学是研究实验动物和动物实验的一门学科。学习实验动物学知识,不仅使学生能够了解国家有关实验动物的法律、法规,同时也能够使学生准确地选择和正确地使用实验动物,有助于促进实验动物学与医学生物学的融合,因而对医学生来说具有生特殊重要的意义。     

动物福利在研究生实验动物学教学中的应用初探

在医学研究中,实验动物具有不可替代的地位和作用,越来越多的人开始关心动物福利。各医学院校是培养未来科研工作者的机构,实验动物在医学院校的使用量非常大,因此,在课堂教学中,培养医学生树立保护动物福利的观念具有重要意义。本文从课堂教育、实验动物处理、3R原则的实施等方面探讨了如何在教学过程中开展动物福利教育。     

实验动物的麻醉方法简介

在动物学和动物生理学等实验中,许多项目需要动物,如蟾蜍、家兔,猫等。这些动物在急性或慢性实验中,都必须事先给予麻醉以消除实验动物的兴奋。麻醉的深浅度可以从给与的剂量来控制,也应注意动物的机能状况,否则将会由于剂量过大,麻醉过深而引起呼吸中枢的麻醉,     

冬眠哺乳动物心血管机能特点

冬眠动物心血管系统适应于冬眠和激醒过程的特殊生理条件形成了其显著的机能稳定性。我们在总结已有研究的基础提出了冬眠动物心血管系统具有耐低体温,抗主律失常,耐缺氧三大机能特点。这些特点不仅是冬眠动物五非冬眠动物的区别,也是冬眠动物在冬眠季机能强化的方面。     

小白鼠淋巴结分布的初步研究

淋巴结是淋巴系统的重要组成部分。它能产生淋巴细胞,与机体的免疫机能有着密切的关系。小白鼠是生物学和医学中常用的实验动物之一,而其淋巴系统,尤其是淋巴结更是常用的实验材料。为此,对小白鼠淋巴结的分布和大小做了初步的研究。现将结果报告如下:     

血小板与动脉粥样硬化和冠心病的关系

当前对于动脉粥样硬化的发病机理提出了一些学说。不管提什么学说,研究血小板在其中所起的作用都是重要的。宏观的动物实验证实了一定数量的、机能正常的血小板是形成粥样病变及动脉血栓的必要条件,亚细胞水平的研究揭示了血小板的奥秘行径;循环血中血小板聚集物的形成,往往扰乱微循环而引起致命的危害。这说明了血小板与动脉粥样硬化症的密切关系。值得注意的是动脉粥样硬化症患者的血小板机能,往住高于正常人。     

电刺激家兔大脑皮层的降压效应及其机制的分析

在动物实验中,电刺激大脑皮层特别是古皮层所谓边缘叶时,往往引起心血管系统及其它植物性机能的变化(Kaada,1951;Anand和Dua,1956;Kaada,1960;Hoff,1963;Delgado和Livingston,1948)。我们在兔和描的实验中,刺激和带回不同区域也看到血压的时相性变化。不少作者发现这些古皮层兴奋时,躯体活动和行为往往与植物性机能变化同时出现;同样,刺激新皮层,如皮层运动区,除了引起躯体运动外,植物性机能也有所     

抗生素对BALB/C小鼠免疫机制的影响

本文给普通BALB/C小鼠口服不同剂量的链霉素、新霉素干扰动物肠道菌群平衡状态,初步研究了肠道菌群平衡紊乱对动物迟发型超敏反应、脾脏抗体形成细胞数、外周血白细胞化功能、腹腔巨噬细胞吞噬活性的影响,以初步探讨普通动物中正常菌群与免疫机制间的微生态关系。结果表明,口服两种抗生素破坏动物正常菌群平衡均可导致机体免疫机能水平降低;免疫机能降低程度与抗生素抗菌谱、药物剂量及用药时间有密切关系。提示,口服抗生素引起机体肠道正常菌群平衡紊乱是导致机体免疫机能下降的重要原因;正常菌群与机体保持稳定的平衡状态对机体免疫机能的正常发挥是必不可少的。     

Statistical review of animal trials—A guideline

Any experiment involving living organisms requires justification of the need and moral defensibleness of the study. Statistical planning, design, and sample size calculation of the experiment are no less important review criteria than general medical and ethical points to consider. Errors made in the statistical planning and data evaluation phase can have severe consequences on both results and conclusions. They might proliferate and thus impact future trials—an unintended outcome of fundamental research with profound ethical consequences. Unified statistical standards are currently missing for animal review boards in Germany. In order to accompany, we developed a biometric form to be filled and handed in with the proposal at the concerned local authority on animal welfare. It addresses relevant points to consider for biostatistical planning of animal experiments and can help both the applicants and the reviewers in overseeing the entire experiment(s) planned. Furthermore, the form might also aid in meeting the current standards set by the 3+3R's principle of animal experimentation: Replacement, Reduction, Refinement as well as Robustness, Registration, and Reporting. The form has already been in use by the concerned local authority of animal welfare in Berlin, Germany. In addition, we provide reference to our user guide giving more detailed explanation and examples for each section of the biometric form. Unifying the set of biostatistical aspects will help both the applicants and the reviewers to equal standards and increase quality of preclinical research projects, also for translational, multicenter, or international studies.     

A moderate Buddhist animal research ethics

Though there is a burgeoning interest in applied Buddhist ethics, Buddhist animal research ethics remains an underdeveloped area. In this paper I will explore how some central Buddhist ethical considerations can usefully engage our use of other animals (henceforth, animals) in science. As the scientific use of animals is broad, I will narrow my focus to laboratory science. I will show that, though a Buddhist abolitionism would not be unmotivated, it is possible to reject it. While doing so, it will be important to resist emphasizing elements of Buddhist thought that merely provide reasons to adopt the dominant ethical framework governing laboratory animal research ethics, known as the 3Rs. Though I will suggest how a Buddhist animal research ethics can sometimes permit the use of animals in harmful research, it will also require ethical constraints that resonate with some of the more progressive elements in ‘Western’ bioethics.     

Animal Research Ethics in Africa: Is Tanzania Making Progress?

The significance of animals in research cannot be over‐emphasized. The use of animals for research and training in research centres, hospitals and schools is progressively increasing. Advances in biotechnology to improve animal productivity require animal research. Drugs being developed and new interventions or therapies being invented for cure and palliation of all sorts of animal diseases and conditions need to be tested in animals for their safety and efficacy at some stages of their development. Drugs and interventions for human use pass through a similar development process and must be tested pre‐clinically in laboratory animals before clinical trials in humans can be conducted. Therefore, animals are important players in research processes which directly and indirectly benefit animals and humans. However, questions remain as to whether these uses of animals consider the best interests of animals themselves. Various research and training institutions in Tanzania have established some guidelines on animal use, including establishing animal ethics committees. However, most institutions have not established oversight committees. In institutions where there may be guidelines and policies, there are no responsible committees or units to directly oversee if and how these guidelines and policies are enforced; thus, implementation becomes difficult or impossible. This paper endeavours to raise some issues associated with the responsible use of animals in research and training in Tanzania and highlights suggestions for improvement of deficiencies that exist in order to bridge the gap between what ought to be practised and what is practised.     

Practical aspects of experimental design in animal research

A brief overview is presented of the key steps involved in designing a research animal experiment, with reference to resources that specifically address each topic of discussion in more detail. After an idea for a research project is conceived, a thorough review of the literature and consultation with experts in that field are pursued to refine the problem statement and to assimilate background information that is necessary for the experimental design phase. A null and an alternate hypothesis that address the problem statement are then formulated, and only then is the specific design of the experiment developed. Likely the most critical step in designing animal experiments is the identification of the most appropriate animal model to address the experimental question being asked. Other practical considerations include defining the necessary control groups, randomly assigning animals to control/treatment groups, determining the number of animals needed per group, evaluating the logistics of the actual performance of the animal experiments, and identifying the most appropriate statistical analyses and potential collaborators experienced in the area of study. All of these factors are critical to designing an experiment that will generate scientifically valid and reproducible data, which should be considered the ultimate goal of any scientific investigation.     

改进动物肠平滑肌取材进行实验的质效比较研究

目的 :探讨以较经济的实验动物豚鼠肠替代成本较高的家兔小肠 ,作生理特性实验的比较研究。方法 :取自于豚鼠的十二指肠标本 ,依常规实验课项目作平滑肌生理特性实验。结果 :豚鼠十二指肠能得到与兔十二指肠相同的效果。结论 :在一些实验课中 ,用小动物替代价格高的较大动物 ,既能降低实验成本又能保证教学质量。     

The role of the statistician in the Scottish Agricultural and Biological Research Institutes

Several of the Scottish Agricultural and Biological Research Institutes carry out research on domestic animal health and welfare. Statistical services are provided by Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland, a sister research organisation. At one of these institutes, a statistician has been an integral member of the animal experiments and ethics committee for over 10 years, and each animal experiment is examined by the committee statistician as part of the review process. This paper will describe this review process, and then discuss those areas in which statistical advice has had most impact in the reduction of animal numbers. It is suggested that most benefit does not come from simple sample-size calculations, but rather from the application of the principles of good experimental design and close collaboration between the scientist and the statistician in the design and analysis of experiments. The final conclusion is that scientists welcome constructive, long-term statistical input, although budgetary issues can prove to be a barrier.     

Enriching the concept of vulnerability in research ethics: An integrative and functional account

The concept of vulnerability is widely used in research ethics to signal attention to participants who require special protections in research. However, this concept is vague and under‐theorized. There is also growing concern that the dominant categorical approach to vulnerability (as exemplified by research ethics regulations and guidelines delineating vulnerable groups) is ethically problematic because of its assumptions about groups of people and is, in fact, not very guiding. An agreed‐upon strategy is to move from categorical towards analytical approaches (focused on analyzing types and sources of vulnerability) to vulnerability. Beyond this agreement, however, scholars have been advancing competing accounts of vulnerability without consensus about its appropriate operationalization in research ethics. Based on previous debates, we propose that a comprehensive account of vulnerability for research ethics must include four components: definition, normative justifications, application, and implications. Concluding that no existing accounts integrate these components in a functional (i.e., practically applicable) manner, we propose an integrative and functional account of vulnerability inspired by pragmatist theory and enriched by bioethics literature. Using an example of research on deep brain stimulation for treatment‐resistant depression, we illustrate how the integrative‐functional account can guide the analysis of vulnerability in research within a pragmatist, evidence‐based approach to research ethics. While ultimately there are concerns to be addressed in existing research ethics guidelines on vulnerability, the integrative‐functional account can serve as an analytic tool to help researchers, research ethics boards, and other relevant actors fill in the gaps in the current landscape of research ethics governance.     

A search filter for increasing the retrieval of animal studies in Embase

Collecting and analysing all available literature before starting a new animal experiment is important and it is indispensable when writing systematic reviews of animal research. In practice, finding all animal studies relevant to a specific research question turns out to be anything but simple. In order to facilitate this search process, we previously developed a search filter for retrieving animal studies in the most often used biomedical database, PubMed. It is a general requirement for systematic reviews, however, that at least two databases are searched. In this report, we therefore present a similar search filter for a second important database, namely Embase. We show that our filter retrieves more animal studies than (a combination of) the options currently available in Embase. Our search filters for PubMed and Embase therefore represent valuable tools for improving the quality of (systematic) reviews and thereby of new animal experiments.