Rodent

Animal welfare assessment after severe traumatic brain injury in rats

Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a multifactorial injury process involving respiratory, cardiovascular and immune functions in addition to the brain. Thus, live animal models are needed to study the molecular, cellular and systemic mechanisms of TBI. The ethical use...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Allioux, C., Achaintre, L., Cheataini. F. et al. 2022. Animal welfare assessment after severe traumatic brain injury in rats. Laboratory Animals 56(6), 528-539.

Vole husbandry at Colorado University Boulder

Since they arrived at CU Boulder, we have learned a lot about the voles from the laboratory, other institutions, and our trial-and-error. We hope this information can be helpful to any considering adding voles to their census.

Year Published: 2022Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Other Rodent, Rodent

Citation: Abazaris, J., Hashway, S. 2022. Vole husbandry at Colorado University Boulder. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 10(4) (July/August), 12-15.

The husbandry and management of naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber)

Naked mole-rats (NMRs) have unique husbandry requirements that need to be considered when maintaining them in captivity. We have successfully maintained NMRs at the University of Illinois at Chicago for more than 20 years. This article aims to describe the...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Adams, C. R., Park, T. J. 2022. The husbandry and management of naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber). Laboratory Animal Science Professional 10(4) (July/August), 16-18.

Naked Mole rat modular housing system

Naked Mole-rats have been studied in laboratories for decades due to their unique behavior and physiology. They are one of a few species of mammals that maintain a hive social structure, are highly resistant to cancer, and can survive and...

Year Published: 2022Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Mole Rat, Rodent

Citation: Pantophlet, J., Rodriguez, A., Niekrash, J. et al. 2022. Naked Mole rat modular housing system. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 10(4) (July/August), 24-25.

Using restaurant glassware and flatware wash racks for washing water bottles and cage accessories

In the event of an emergency resulting in our automatic watering system being shut off, we identified the need to increase the number of rodent water bottles we have on hand. Once we realized we had a limited number of...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Semus, H. 2022. Using restaurant glassware and flatware wash racks for washing water bottles and cage accessories. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 10(4) (July/August), 32-33.

Compressed paper column housing enrichment for Naked Mole-rats

Naked Mole-rats are relative newcomers in the research world. Due to the complexity of their natural subterranean tunneling system, it has been difficult to replicate in the laboratory environment. Housing standards often differ from the hard solidified lateritic loam soils...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Pantophlet, J., McClusky, D. 2022. Compressed paper column housing enrichment for Naked Mole-rats. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 10(5) (September/October), 42-44.

Environmental enrichment: Dissociated effects between physical activity and changing environmental complexity on anxiety and neurogenesis in adult male Balb/C mice

Several factors, including environmental modifications, stimulate neuroplasticity. One type of neuroplasticity consists in the generation of new neurons in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Neurogenesis is modulated by environmental enrichment (ENR, tunnels plus running wheel) and affected by the...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Ramírez-Rodríguez, G. B., Gutiérrez-Vera, B., Ortiz-López, L. et al. 2022. Environmental enrichment: Dissociated effects between physical activity and changing environmental complexity on anxiety and neurogenesis in adult male Balb/C mice. Physiology & Behavior 254, 113878.

A multicentre study on spontaneous in-cage activity and micro-environmental conditions of IVC housed C57BL/6J mice during consecutive cycles of bi-weekly cage-change

Mice respond to a cage change (CC) with altered activity, disrupted sleep and increased anxiety. A bi-weekly cage change is, therefore, preferred over a shorter CC interval and is currently the prevailing routine for Individually ventilated cages (IVCs). However, the...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Ulfhake, B., Lerat, H., Honetschlager, J. et al. 2022. A multicentre study on spontaneous in-cage activity and micro-environmental conditions of IVC housed C57BL/6J mice during consecutive cycles of bi-weekly cage-change. PLOS ONE 17(5), e0267281.

Pivotal role of micro-CT technology in setting up an optimized lung fibrosis mouse model for drug screening

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease with no curative pharmacological treatment. The most used animal model of IPF for anti-fibrotic drug screening is bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis. However, several issues have been reported: the balance among disease resolution,...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Khalajzeyqami, Z., Grandi, A., Ferrini, E. et al. 2022. Pivotal role of micro-CT technology in setting up an optimized lung fibrosis mouse model for drug screening. PLOS ONE 17(6), e0270005.

Evaluation of active warming and surgical draping for perioperative thermal support in laboratory mice

Surgical procedures are commonly performed using mice but can have major effects on their core body temperature, including development of hypothermia. In this study, we evaluated active perioperative warming with and without surgical draping with adherent plastic wrap to refine...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Bailey, K. T., Jantre, S. R., Lawrence, F. R. et al. 2022. Evaluation of active warming and surgical draping for perioperative thermal support in laboratory mice. JAALAS 61(5), 482-494.