• Title/Summary/Keyword: animal protection

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AAALAC International Standards and Accreditation Process

  • Gettayacamin, Montip;Retnam, Leslie
    • Toxicological Research
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    • v.33 no.3
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    • pp.183-189
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    • 2017
  • AAALAC International is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes humane treatment of animals in science through a voluntary international accreditation program. AAALAC International accreditation is recognized around the world as a symbol of high quality animal care and use for research, teaching and testing, as well as promoting animal welfare. Animals owned by the institution that are used for research, teaching and testing are included as part of an accredited program. More than 990 animal care and use institutions in 42 countries around the world (more than 170 programs in 13 countries in the Pacific Rim region) have earned AAALAC International accreditation. The AAALAC International Council on Accreditation evaluates overall performance and all aspects of an animal care and use program, involving an in-depth, multilayered, confidential peer-review process. The evaluators (site visitors) consider compliance with applicable local animal legislation of the host country, institutional policies, and employ a customized approach for evaluating overall program performance using a series of primary standards that include the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching, or the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experimental and Other Purposes, Council of Europe (ETS 123), and supplemental Reference Resources, as applicable.

Oligopeptide derived from solid-state fermented cottonseed meal significantly affect the immunomodulatory in BALB/c mice treated with cyclophosphamide

  • Liu, Jiancheng;Sun, Hong;Nie, Cunxi;Ge, Wenxia;Wang, Yongqiang;Zhang, Wenju
    • Food Science and Biotechnology
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    • v.27 no.6
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    • pp.1791-1799
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    • 2018
  • In this study, the immunomodulatory activity of oligopeptide (CP) derived from solid-state fermented cottonseed meal were investigated in immunosuppressed BALB/c mice models by treatment with cyclophosphamide (CY). Results indicated that oligopeptide increased the thymus and spleen indices of CY-treated mice. The count of plague forming cells (PFC) and the content of half serum hemolysis ($HC_{50}$) in immunosuppressive mice were restored to the normal level in CP-10 and CP-20 groups while the cytokines interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$) were increased significantly in CP-20 group. Similar increasing the immunoglobulin of IgG and IgM content in the serum of CP-10 group were also observed. These findings indicated that oligopeptide derived from solid-state fermented cottonseed meal had a strong immune-enhancing activity as well as a protective effect against immunosuppression induced by cyclophosphamide in mice.

Integration of the PubAnnotation ecosystem in the development of a web-based search tool for alternative methods

  • Neves, Mariana
    • Genomics & Informatics
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    • v.18 no.2
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    • pp.18.1-18.5
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    • 2020
  • Finding publications that propose alternative methods to animal experiments is an important but time-consuming task since researchers need to perform various queries to literature databases and screen many articles to assess two important aspects: the relevance of the article to the research question, and whether the article's proposed approach qualifies to being an alternative method. We are currently developing a Web application to support finding alternative methods to animal experiments. The current (under development) version of the application utilizes external tools and resources for document processing, and relies on the PubAnnotation ecosystem for annotation querying, annotation storage, dictionary-based tagging of cell lines, and annotation visualization. Currently, our two PubAnnotation repositories for discourse elements contain annotations for more than 110k PubMed documents. Further, we created an annotator for cell lines that contain more than 196k terms from Cellosaurus. Finally, we are experimenting with TextAE for annotation visualization and for user feedback.

Contribution to the mite (Acari) fauna of the Korean Peninsula

  • Kontschan, Jeno;Park, Sun Jae;Lim, Jae Won;Hwang, Jeong Mi;Seo, Hong Yul
    • Journal of Species Research
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    • v.3 no.1
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    • pp.63-78
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    • 2014
  • 32 mite species are listed from the Korean Peninsula. One species belongs to the order Prostigmata, family Cryptognathidae, the order Mesostigmata has 20 species and the order Oribatida contains 11 species. Four species from the listed 32 are new for the fauna of the Korean Peninsula, one species belongs to the order Prostigmata (Favognathus maritimus (Shiba, 1969)) and three new species are Oribatida [Camisia biurus (Koch, 1839), Camisia biverrucata (Koch, 1839), Camisia horrida (Hermann, 1804)]. The 28 of the found species are collected in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea; the others were collected in the area of Republic of Korea. Illustrations and short descriptions about the newly found and rarely collected species are given.

An Analysis on the Application of Functional Mask for Protection in Fashion Mask (보호용 기능성 마스크를 응용한 패션 마스크 분석)

  • Choi, Jung-Hwa
    • Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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    • v.15 no.6
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    • pp.851-861
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    • 2013
  • This study analyzed the fashionable characteristics of functional fashion mask types. This study reviewed the literature on masks and analyzed fashion photos found in fashion books, fashion collections and on internet fashion sites. The results were categorized into four characteristics. Integration of structure and function showed mask designs that connected to the hood and portable items. It represented the reflection of nomadic life, liberation, obscurity and the consciousness of discomfort. Signs of playfulness showed mask hybrids and animal images, the mask hybrids and humanoid images, the printing of animal characters, body parts and unusual material hybrids. It represented the liberation from a fixed identity, the loss of seriousness, the reduction of tension and the pursuit of pleasure and freedom. The duplicity of aggression and protection showed a futuristic or aggressive helmet facemask, an enclosed mask of intensive color, and the morphological hybrid of a disgusting or aggressive motif. It represented the end of human weakness, the desire of new self-expression and the longing of superhuman power. Fanciful decoration showed masks with glittery decoration, sunglasses with luxury decoration material, a medical facemask made of lace material and fanciful printing. It showed one facet of extreme consumption, the creation of new personality and value, the pursuit of high quality and a mutual coexistence of status and anonymity.

Carbohydrase inhibition and anti-cancerous and free radical scavenging properties along with DNA and protein protection ability of methanolic root extracts of Rumex crispus

  • Shiwani, Supriya;Singh, Naresh Kumar;Wang, Myeong Hyeon
    • Nutrition Research and Practice
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    • v.6 no.5
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    • pp.389-395
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    • 2012
  • The study elucidated carbohydrase inhibition, anti-cancerous, free radical scavenging properties and also investigated the DNA and protein protection abilities of methanolic root extract of Rumex crispus (RERC). For this purpose, pulverized roots of Rumex crispus was extracted in methanol (80% and absolute conc.) for 3 hrs for $60^{\circ}C$ and filtered and evaporated with vacuum rotary evaporator. RERC showed high phenolic content ($211{\mu}g$/GAE equivalent) and strong 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging ($IC_{50}$ = 42.86 (absolute methanol) and $36.91{\mu}g/mL$ (80% methanolic extract)) and reduced power ability. Furthermore, RERC exhibited significant protective ability in $H_2O_2/Fe^{3+}$/ascorbic acid-induced protein or DNA damage and percentage inhibition of the HT-29 cell growth rate following 80% methanolic RERC exposure at $400{\mu}g/mL$ was observed to be highest ($10.2%{\pm}1.03$). Moreover, methanolic RERC inhibited ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and amylase effectively and significantly (P < 0.05). Conclusively, RERC could be considered as potent carbohydrase inhibitor, anti-cancerous and anti-oxidant.

Immunization of Mice with Recombinant Brucella abortus Organic Hydroperoxide Resistance (Ohr) Protein Protects Against a Virulent Brucella abortus 544 Infection

  • Hop, Huynh Tan;Reyes, Alisha Wehdnesday Bernardo;Simborio, Hannah Leah Tadeja;Arayan, Lauren Togonon;Min, Won Gi;Lee, Hu Jang;Lee, Jin Ju;Chang, Hong Hee;Kim, Suk
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.26 no.1
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    • pp.190-196
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    • 2016
  • In this study, the Brucella abortus ohr gene coding for an organic hydroperoxide resistance protein (Ohr) was cloned into a maltose fusion protein expression system (pMAL), inserted into Escherichia coli, and purified, and its immunogenicity was evaluated by western blot analysis using Brucella-positive mouse sera. The purified recombinant Ohr (rOhr) was treated with adjuvant and injected intraperitoneally into BALB/c mice. A protective immune response analysis revealed that rOhr induced a significant increase in both the IgG1 and IgG2a titers, and IgG2a reached a higher level than IgG1 after the second and third immunizations. Additionally, immunization with rOhr induced high production of IFN-γ as well as proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF, MCP-1, IL-12p70, and IL-6, but a lesser amount of IL-10, suggesting that rOhr predominantly elicited a cell-mediated immune response. In addition, immunization with rOhr caused a significantly higher degree of protection against a virulent B. abortus infection compared with a positive control group consisting of mice immunized with maltose-binding protein. These findings showed that B. abortus rOhr was able to induce both humoral and cell-mediated immunity in mice, which suggested that this recombinant protein could be a potential vaccine candidate for animal brucellosis.

In silico characterisation, homology modelling and structure-based functional annotation of blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) Hsp70 and Hsc70 proteins

  • Tran, Ngoc Tuan;Jakovlic, Ivan;Wang, Wei-Min
    • Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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    • v.57 no.12
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    • pp.44.1-44.9
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    • 2015
  • Background: Heat shock proteins play an important role in protection from stress stimuli and metabolic insults in almost all organisms. Methods: In this study, computational tools were used to deeply analyse the physicochemical characteristics and, using homology modelling, reliably predict the tertiary structure of the blunt snout bream (Ma-) Hsp70 and Hsc70 proteins. Derived three-dimensional models were then used to predict the function of the proteins. Results: Previously published predictions regarding the protein length, molecular weight, theoretical isoelectric point and total number of positive and negative residues were corroborated. Among the new findings are: the extinction coefficient (33725/33350 and 35090/34840 - Ma-Hsp70/ Ma-Hsc70, respectively), instability index (33.68/35.56 - both stable), aliphatic index (83.44/80.23 - both very stable), half-life estimates (both relatively stable), grand average of hydropathicity (-0.431/-0.473 - both hydrophilic) and amino acid composition (alanine-lysine-glycine/glycine-lysine-aspartic acid were the most abundant, no disulphide bonds, the N-terminal of both proteins was methionine). Homology modelling was performed by SWISS-MODEL program and the proposed model was evaluated as highly reliable based on PROCHECK's Ramachandran plot, ERRAT, PROVE, Verify 3D, ProQ and ProSA analyses. Conclusions: The research revealed a high structural similarity to Hsp70 and Hsc70 proteins from several taxonomically distant animal species, corroborating a remarkably high level of evolutionary conservation among the members of this protein family. Functional annotation based on structural similarity provides a reliable additional indirect evidence for a high level of functional conservation of these two genes/proteins in blunt snout bream, but it is not sensitive enough to functionally distinguish the two isoforms.

Survey on animal welfare problems in Australian exporting live animals (호주산 수출 생축 동물복지에 관한 조사)

  • Jang Seong-Jun
    • Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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    • v.29 no.2
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    • pp.129-154
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    • 2006
  • Last year, over 800 Australian live cattle were imported, underwent quarantine procedure for one month in the port of Incheon and Busan and distributed to general farm house holds in Gyeongju city, Gyeongbuk province, and Gimhae city, Namhae county, Gyeongnam province. But Hanwoo association took violent actions to prevent from entering the country for fear that the imported live cattle would destroy the 'Hanwoo industry', and in turn leads to the collapse of the industry. In Australia, national animal protection body 'Animals Australia' investigated the level of cruelty involved in this trade and made a report 'The death file'. Australia governments drive to expand Its market for 'live animal exports' and it has resulted in a corresponding increase In casualties associated with the long-haul overseas trade in live livestock animals over the past years. After the stress of transportation, all the surviving cattle and sheep face death on foreign soil, many into countries which have no animal welfare laws or, at best, inadequate laws. They will usually be killed without pre-stunning and often even without adequate restraint facilities. The result is inherent and persistent suffering. West Australian(WA) Police acting on behalf of the West Australian Government and the Office of the WA State Solicitor have laid animal cruelty charges against a leading WA live export company for breaching the WA Animal Welfare Act. With the aim of eventually substituting it for the live sheep trade, the Senate Select Committee on Animal Welfare (SCCAW) recommended that the Federal Government 'promote and encourage the expansion of the refrigerated sheep meat trade to the Middle East and other countries'. Animal welfare standards have been improved time after time, there is another incident, another public outcry, another inquiry and more assurances.

Expression and Localization of Heat Shock Protein 70 in Frozen-thawed IVF and Nuclear Transferred Bovine Embryos

  • Chung, K.S.;Choi, Y.J.;Song, S.J.;Do, J.T.;Yoon, B.S.;Kim, Y.J.;Lee, H.T.
    • Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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    • v.26 no.4
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    • pp.311-320
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    • 2002
  • The objective of this study was to assess the developmental potential in vitro produced embryos frozen-thawed with the various containers, and also examined expression and localization of heat shock protein 70 at these embryos. For the vitrification, 2-cell, 8-cell and blastocyst stage embryos produced by in vitro fertilization (IVF) and nuclear transfer (NT) were exposed the ethylene glycol 5.5 M freezing solution (EC 5.5) for 30 sec, loaded on each containers such EM grid, straw and cryo-loop, and then immediately plunged into liquid nitrogen. Thawed embryos were serially diluted in sucrose solution, each for 1 min. and cultured in CRI-aa medium. Survival rates of the vitrification production were assessed by re-expanded, hatched blastocysts. There were no differences in the survival rates of IVF using EM grid and cryo-loop. However, survival rates by straw were relatively lower than other containers. The use of cryo-loop resulted in only survival of nuclear transferred embryos (43.7%). Also, there embryos after IVF or NT were analysed by semi-quantitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) methods for hsp 70 mRNA expression. Results revealed the expression of hsp 70 mRNh were higher thawed embryos than control embryos. Immunocytochemistry used to localize the hsp 70 protein in embryos. Two and 8-cell embryos derived under control condition was evenly distributed in the cytoplasm but appeared as aggregates in some frozen-thawed embryos. However, in the control, blastocysts displayed aggregate signal while Hsp70 in frozen-thawed blastocysts appeared to be more uniform In distribution. Therefore, this result suggests that the exploiting Hsp 70 in the early embryos may be role for protection of stress condition for increase viability of embryos within IVF, NT and there frozen-thawed embryos.