What is laboratory animal science?

Laboratory Animal Science (LAS) is an indispensable speciality for all biomedical research. It comprises important factors for the correct conductance of animal experiments. Knowledge and ethical consciousness are the fundamental corner-stones on which LAS should be based. A Clear definition of LAS is furthermore an imperative prerequisite for a proper construction of teaching curricula for all categories of people handling lab animals. Unfortunately many scientists misjudge their own state of knowledge in LAS. It is certainly not sufficient to have a pet dog at home, but even — and maybe for obvious reasons — persons with qualifications as physician or veterinary surgeon do often not realize their ignorance of LAS. This is the reason for the initial device in this paper

Endocrine cells share expression of N-CAM with neurones

The reeent explosive interest in eell adhesion molecules (CAMs) is a direet eonsequence of the fundamental roles they are thought to play during early embryogenesis and tissue formation [1,2]. The most weIl known of them, studied independently under the names of N-CAM [3] (neural-CAM), 02 protein [4] and BSP-2 [5], has been shown to consist in brain of a family of three glyeoproteins of Mr 180000, 140000 and 120000 [6,7] which are implicated in neurone-neurone adhesion by a homophilie binding meehanism [8,9]. While N-CAM was originally considered to be limited to neurones in adult tissues, ultrastruetural immunoeytochemical studies have sinee provided unequivocal evidenee that glial cells, both astrocytes [6,10] and Schwann cells [11], also express N-CAM (see also [12,13]). Apart from a very limited expression by skeletal muscle at the neuromuscular junetion [14], its expression in the adult Correspondence address: O.K. Langley, Unite 44 de I'INSERM, and Centre de Neurochirnie du CNRS, 5 rue Blaise Pascal, 67084 Strasbourg Cedex, France has been largely though not exclusively considered to be limited to nervous tissues. N-CAM has been found in eertain eells outside the nervous system (e.g. chromaffin eells in the adrenal medulla [11]) but such eells are derived from the neural crest. Here we extend our previous observations on endocrine eells in the adrenal gland and investigate the possible expression of N-CAM by other endoerine eells whieh have a non-neural origin. The present results indieate a mueh wider distribution of N-CAM in adult tissues than has previously been supposed. N-CAM is shown by immunoeytoehemistry to be expressed by several endoerine eells of non-neural origin. Immunoehemieal data eonfirm the presenee of N-CAM determinants typical of brain in endoerine eells although the relative proportions differ markedly. In addition, in two of the tissues examined a lower molecular mass NCAM positive polypeptide was also detected

Structural identifiability analyses of candidate models for in vitro Pitavastatin hepatic uptake

In this paper a review of the application of four different techniques (a version of the similarity transformation approach for autonomous uncontrolled systems, a non-differential input/output observable normal form approach, the characteristic set differential algebra and a recent algebraic input/output relationship approach) to determine the structural identifiability of certain in vitro nonlinear pharmacokinetic models is provided. The Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide (OATP) substrate, Pitavastatin, is used as a probe on freshly isolated animal and human hepatocytes. Candidate pharmacokinetic non-linear compartmental models have been derived to characterise the uptake process of Pitavastatin. As a prerequisite to parameter estimation, structural identifiability analyses are performed to establish that all unknown parameters can be identified from the experimental observations available

Estimation of free methylpentoses in the presence of glycosidically bound sugar

1. (1) A very sensitive method has been presented for the determination of 0.01-0.5 [mu]moles of methylpentose.2. (2) Many compounds which give rise to acetaldehyde on oxidation with periodate can be determined by this procedure.3. (3) There is very little interference in this procedure from other aldehydes released on oxidation of sugars with periodate.4. (4) Free methylpentose can be detected in the presence of the glycosidically bound sugar.5. (5) The method has been used to determine the stability of fucose to hydrolysis and the lability of the fucosyl-glycosidic bond in furanosides, pyranosides, and a number of fucose-containig oligosaccharides and glycoproteins.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/33487/1/0000892.pd

The CEACAM1 expression is decreased in the liver of severely obese patients with or without diabetes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Type 2 diabetes is mainly caused by insulin resistance. The carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) is an important candidate for causing insulin resistance.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The CEACAM1 expression was evaluated immunohistochemically in the liver tissues of 99 severely obese or non-obese subjects with or without diabetes. The CEACAM1 expression was classified into two categories: a normal expression or a decreased expression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The CEACAM1 expression was markedly decreased in the hepatocytes with macrovesicular steatosis. A decreased CEACAM1 expression was noted in 29 (29%) of 99 cases. The incidence of a decreased CEACAM1 expression was significantly higher in high grade fatty liver as well as severe obesity with or without diabetes (p < 0.05). The incidence of a decreased CEACAM1 expression was not different between the diabetic and non-diabetic groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This data supports that a decreased CEACAM1 expression is related to obesity and a fatty liver.</p

CEACAM6 is a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for gastric carcinoma

This study aims to investigate the prognostic power of carcinoembryonic antigenrelated cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6) in gastric cancer (GC) and its potential role in cancer development and progression. Data mining results show that CEACAM6 is overexpressed in gastric cancer and is correlated with lymph node metastasis. Subsequently, immunohistochemical staining was performed to determine CEACAM6 protein levels in paraffin gastric tumor specimens. Real-time reverse-transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was conducted to detect CEACAM6 mRNA levels in fresh GC samples. CEACAM6 protein and mRNA levels were significantly up regulated in GC compared with paired normal mucosa. The IHC staining intensity of CEACAM6 was positively correlated with tumor size, Lauren's classification, vascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and TNM stage. CEACAM6 expression was inversely correlated with the five-year survival rate of GC patients. Cox multivariate analysis results demonstrated that the overall survival was independently correlated with CEACAM6 expression. A significant association was observed between CEACAM6 and distant metastases. Network analysis of downstream gene signatures revealed several hub genes such as SRC and DNM1L etc. which may mediating tumor promoting functions of CEACAM6. Further data mining discovered that Tamoxifen etc. could be therapeutic alternatives for gastric patients with CEACAM6 overexpression. Collectively, CEACAM6 overexpression is a common characteristic of GC and is associated with poor 5 year survival rate in GC. Besides, potential molecular mechanisms and treatment options were also provided. © Ru et al

Coevolution of activating and inhibitory receptors within mammalian carcinoembryonic antigen families

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Most rapidly evolving gene families are involved in immune responses and reproduction, two biological functions which have been assigned to the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) gene family. To gain insights into evolutionary forces shaping the CEA gene family we have analysed this gene family in 27 mammalian species including monotreme and marsupial lineages.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Phylogenetic analysis provided convincing evidence that the primordial CEA gene family in mammals consisted of five genes, including the immune inhibitory receptor-encoding <it>CEACAM1 </it>(CEA-related cell adhesion molecule) ancestor. Our analysis of the substitution rates within the nucleotide sequence which codes for the ligand binding domain of CEACAM1 indicates that the selection for diversification is, perhaps, a consequence of the exploitation of CEACAM1 by a variety of viral and bacterial pathogens as their cellular receptor. Depending on the extent of the amplification of an ancestral <it>CEACAM1</it>, the number of <it>CEACAM1</it>-related genes varies considerably between mammalian species from less than five in lagomorphs to more than 100 in bats. In most analysed species, ITAM (immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs) or ITAM-like motif-containing proteins exist which contain Ig-V-like, ligand binding domains closely related to that of CEACAM1. Human CEACAM3 is one such protein which can function as a CEACAM1 decoy receptor in granulocytes by mediating the uptake and destruction of specific bacterial pathogens via its ITAM-like motif. The close relationship between <it>CEACAM1 </it>and its ITAM-encoding relatives appears to be maintained by gene conversion and reciprocal recombination. Surprisingly, secreted CEACAMs resembling immunomodulatory CEACAM1-related trophoblast-specific pregnancy-specific glycoproteins (PSGs) found in humans and rodents evolved only in a limited set of mammals. The appearance of <it>PSG</it>-like genes correlates with invasive trophoblast growth in these species.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These phylogenetic studies provide evidence that pathogen/host coevolution and a possible participation in fetal-maternal conflict processes led to a highly species-specific diversity of mammalian CEA gene families.</p