Biomedical subjects

David Fraser

Publications and source records attributed to David Fraser.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Report of the Working Group on Animal Distress in the Laboratory.

Finding ways to minimize pain and distress in research animals is a continuing goal in the laboratory animal research field. Pain and distress, however, are not synonymous, and measures that alleviate one may not affect the other. Here, the authors provide a summary of a meeting held in February 2004 that focused on distress in laboratory animals. They discuss the difficulties associated with defining 'distress,' propose methods to aid in recognizing and alleviating distressful conditions, and provide recommendations for animal research conduct and oversight that would minimize distress experienced by laboratory animals.

Animal Care Committees↗

PubMed2005

The interpretation and application of the three Rs by animal ethics committee members.

The Three Rs form the basis of review of animal-use protocols by Animal Ethics Committees (AECs), but little research has examined how AECs actually interpret and implement the Three Rs. This topic was explored through in-depth, open-ended interviews with 28 members of AECs at four Canadian universities. In describing protocol review, AEC members rarely mentioned the Three Rs, but most reported applying some aspects of the basic concepts. Comments identified several factors that could impede full application of the Three Rs: incomplete understanding of the Three Rs (especially Refinement), trust that researchers implement Replacement and Reduction themselves, belief by some members that granting agency review covers the Three Rs, focus on sample size rather than experimental design to achieve Reduction, focus on harm caused by procedures to the exclusion of housing and husbandry, and lack of consensus on key issues, notably on the nature and moral significance of animal pain and suffering, and on whether AECs should minimise overall harm to animals. The study suggests ways to achieve more consistent application of the Three Rs, by providing AECs with up-to-date information on the Three Rs and with access to statistical expertise, by consensus-building on divisive issues, and by training on the scope and implementation of the Three Rs.

Animal Experimentation↗

PubMed2005

Changing clinical practice, helping people quit: the Wisconsin Cessation Outreach model.

Six University of Wisconsin-Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI) Regional Outreach Specialists, based in 5 regions across the state, provide training and technical assistance on evidence-based tobacco cessation interventions to clinics, hospitals, health systems, insurers, community organizations and worksites through academic detailing methods. The core of this approach involves individualized training on the U.S. Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guideline, "Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence" as well as follow-up technical assistance to achieve sustainable system changes and a reduction in barriers to tobacco cessation services. The program's scope includes health systems, managed care organizations, hospitals, worksites, and community organizations. The program also links organizations and the communities they serve to the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line and related cessation services. Since 2001, over 10,000 health care providers in over 500 clinics and 26 health systems and managed care organizations have received Guideline-based cessation training through the Outreach program. This paper examines research supporting this Cessation Outreach Model, describes its operation, discusses key outcomes, and reviews future directions and applications.

Community Health Services↗

PubMed2004

Spatial serial order processing in schizophrenia.

The aim of this study was to examine serial order processing deficits in 21 schizophrenia patients and 16 age- and education-matched healthy controls. In a spatial serial order working memory task, one to four spatial targets were presented in a randomized sequence. Subjects were required to remember the locations and the order in which the targets were presented. Patients showed a marked deficit in ability to remember the sequences compared with controls. Increasing the number of targets within a sequence resulted in poorer memory performance for both control and schizophrenia subjects, but the effect was much more pronounced in the patients. Targets presented at the end of a long sequence were more vulnerable to memory error in schizophrenia patients. Performance deficits were not attributable to motor errors, but to errors in target choice. The results support the idea that the memory errors seen in schizophrenia patients may be due to saturating the working memory network at relatively low levels of memory load.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Expanding the three Rs to meet new challenges in humane animal experimentation.

The Three Rs are the main principles used by Animal Ethics Committees in the governance of animal experimentation, but they appear not to cover some ethical issues that arise today. These include: a) claims that certain species should be exempted on principle from harmful research; b) increased emphasis on enhancing quality of life of research animals; c) research involving genetically modified (GM) animals; and d) animals bred as models of disease. In some cases, the Three Rs can be extended to cover these developments. The burgeoning use of GM animals in science calls for new forms of reduction through improved genetic modification technology, plus continued attention to alternative approaches and cost-benefit analyses that include the large numbers of animals involved indirectly. The adoption of more expanded definitions of refinement that go beyond minimising distress will capture concerns for enhancing the quality of life of animals through improved husbandry and handling. Targeting refinement to the unpredictable effects of gene modification may be difficult; in these cases, careful attention to monitoring and endpoints are the obvious options. Refinement can also include sharing data about the welfare impacts of gene modifications, and modelling earlier stages of disease, in order to reduce the potential suffering caused to disease models. Other issues may require a move beyond the Three Rs. Certain levels of harm, or numbers and use of certain species, may be unacceptable, regardless of potential benefits. This can be addressed by supplementing the utilitarian basis of the Three Rs with principles based on deontological and relational ethics. The Three Rs remain very useful, but they require thoughtful interpretation and expansion in order for Animal Ethics Committees to address the full range of issues in animal-based research.

Animal Experimentation↗