Organizational culture and the 3Rs

The 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) are a set of guidelines that help to promote the ethical use of animals for research. An important question is whether implementing the principles of the 3Rs in legal regulations will increase compliance with the principles of the 3Rs in research organizations. Previous work suggests that organizational culture is just as important for directing behavior as are formalized rules and regulations. Brønstad and Trønsdal Berg introduce the concepts of compliance and organizational culture and discuss their consequences on the implementation of the principles of the 3Rs. The authors describe how the principles of the 3Rs can be integrated into organizational culture and how groups can communicate the principles of the 3Rs and evaluate 3Rs initiatives.

See page 22

Abdominal enlargement and limb weakness

A group of researchers used 40 Wistar female rats to study the effects of hormone replacement on the sexual behavior of aged female rats. Rats received one of four doses of hormones administered through a subcutaneously implanted capsule. Within 4 weeks after the completion of the experiment, three animals showed progressive abdominal enlargement and weakness in the limbs. In the What's Your Diagnosis column, Paredes-Ramos and colleagues describe these three cases and discuss the diagnosis.

See page 14

Ferret urethral catheterization

Credit: Eric Isselée

Researchers use male ferrets for various biomedical research studies. For example, ferrets are excellent study models for virology and immunology research. These hardy animals generally thrive in laboratory conditions. Urethral obstruction can occur in male ferrets of all ages and urethral catheterization may be needed to relieve the obstruction. In the Clinical Techniques column, Brown and Pollock describe urinary catheter selection, placement and monitoring in the male ferret. They also discuss alternatives to catheter placement for relieving urethral obstruction.

See page 19