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Role of Animals in Research

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Role of Animals in Research

Articles Involving Animal Research and Multivariate Analysis

Article One

In this journal article, Jayakumar, Ahmed and Ebenezar (2016) explore the impact of cucumin on the multivariate and docking evaluation on peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-y. In order to realize this objective, the researchers fed the rats with high fructose diet (Group 2) so as to induce insulin resistance and curriculum was administered orally (Gorup 4) for a duration of eight weeks. A measurement of the biochemical parameters in blood, kidney, and liver tissues were conducted. The outcomes suggest that there was a significant rise in the level of creatinine, glucose, insulin, low density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, and triglyceride. The analysis on liver and kidney tissues indicated a significant reduction in antioxidants, hexokinase, as well as increased glucose 6-phosphatase and fructose 1,6-biophosphate, hydroperoxides and TBARS in Group 2 rats.

The multivariate and loading coefficient analysis indicated that albumin, HDL, glutathione reductase, hexokinase, and vitamin E were the most contributing factors in blood, liver, and kidney. As a result, molecular docking was undertaken to assess the binding efficacy of cucumin as agonist of PPARy. The outcome suggested that there was high affinity in comparison with the pioglitazone. The histology of liver and kidney were also investigated and the administration of curcumin as agonist of PPAR. Overall, the outcome of the study indicated that the preventative role of curcumin on diet induced the insulin resistant in rats by ameliorating the altered levels of metabolic change and potential binding of curcumin with PPARy as agonist in the treatment of insulin resistance. According to this study, diabetes mellitus is characterized by insulin resistance and an important public health concern. Studies have indicated the intention of the ligand activated transcription factor peroximose profilator-activated receptor gamma with naturally occurring molecules often increases the degree of insulin sensitivity.

Article Two

In the second journal article, Ventura et al. (2012) utilize multivariate analysis to assess the genetic groups of pigs for dry-cured ham production. The study was conducted by using records of pig population utilized for dry-cured ham generation to assess the genetic groups through multivariate analyses. The studied genetic groups included DULL, DULA, as well as DUDU. Two pigs were obtained for the carcass characteristics hot carcass weight (HCW), backfat thickness, and loin depth, with groups that included 597 and 341 animals that had been harvested at 130 kg and 160 kg weights, respectively. The multivariate analysis was conducted within each groups of traits and harvest weights, an the animals without records were not included. The first and second canonical variables explained 97 percent and 93.6 percent of the entire variation for the carcass traits at 130k and 160 kg, respectively. The study revealed that Duroc animals showed minimal dispersion related to the carcass traits at 130 kg, and they were not divergent from the DUDU genetic groups for the ham traits at 130 kg.

Based on these studies, the researchers observe that the pork meat sector has significantly improved the generation of items that have high aggregated value to meet the needs in a market niche that consumes products of superior quality. In this respect, dry-cured ham is often significant within this group. Within the generation of dry-cured ham, like Parma and San Daniele, the quality of the raw material in its unprotected situation, is viewed as some of the most essential since the original defects and flaws in the meat cannot be rectified as a result of the fact that the curing procedure is comprised of essentially addition of salt and controlling the environment. Therefore, ham is sought that should reach the end of curing with the desired sensorial traits and reduced losses during the process. Characteristics associated with product acceptance often include fat thickness, intramuscular fat quantity, as well as muscle and fat coloring.

Article Three

In the third article, Gardinali et al. (2017) use multivariate analysis to assess how Cynomolgus monkeys are successfully and persistently infected with hepatitis E virus genotype 3 following prolonged immunosuppressive therapy. According to the authors, previous epidemiological studies have found hepatitis E virus genotype 3 infections were related to chronic hepatitis in immunosuppressive patients. The authors’ research sought to use multivariate analysis to determine the association between the most immunosuppressive statuses and the occurrences of HEV-associated chronic hepatitis. In this respect, the researchers investigate the successful experimental study, with the use of cynomolgus monkeys initially treated with tacrlimus, a potent calcinerium inhibitor immunosuppressant, and infected with Brazilian HEV-3 strain that has been isolated from naturally infested pigs. The HEV infected monkeys were followed up during 160 days post-infection through clinical signs, virological, biochemical and haematological parameters, as well as their liver histopathology.

After four months of follow-up, the study showed that the tacrolimus-immuno-suppressed cynomolgus monkeys infected with a Brazillian swine HEV3 strain showed more serious hepatic lesions that progressed to the chronic hepatitis without liver fibrosis in the same way as indicated in the tacrolimus-immunosuppressed solid organ transplant recipient. The cause-effect association between HHEV infection and the tacrolimus treatment confirmed the multivariate experiment. The study also reveals that different forms of immunosuppressants have the ability to modulate the viral infection through inhibition of the host immunity and directly affecting the virus life cycle. Tacrolimus is a powerful macrolide immunosuppressant that is drawn from the streptomuces tsukubaensis. It is also one of the most common medications that are utilized to minimize the degree of rejection, particularly in parenchymal organ transplantation.

Journals Advocating For and Against Use of Animals in Research

There are numerous journal articles that support the use of animals in research. For instance, in an article titled Animal models in biomedical and biological research, Andersen and Winter (2017) observe that animal models have been utilized in experimental studies for a long time to improve human understanding and contribute to seeking resolutions to biological and biomedical questions. While the researchers observe that there are widespread concerns for the welfare of animals utilized, and a growing awareness on the concepts of animal rights, they hold that the use of animals in research has generated more good than harm. For instance, Andersen and Winter (2017) state that animal research has been used to address many health problems that affect humans. Using Brazil as a case study, the authors state that animal research is not bad so long as the researchers observe ethical and legal standards that have been recommended by many jurisdictions. Moreover, the researchers state that the use of animals in research has promoted increased focus, as well as rapid learning experiences, particularly on issues related to biology. Even in ancient Greece, the authors state that philosophers such as Aristotle utilized animals in their studies, majorly to advance the understanding of living beings. Apart from being utilized to explore the essential principles of life, animals have also been important in developing better understanding of animal and human anatomy, physiology, pathology, as well as pharmacology. The likelihood of experimenting under controlled circumstances and mimicking biological situations of human and animal diseases reinforces the need to develop scientific methods and the creation of the concept of animal biological models.

In the same way, Galley (2010) supports the use of animal in research, stating that studies involving animals have helped to discover medicines and drugs that help to treat diseases. In an article titled Mice, men, and medicine, Galley (2010) argues that while the Helsinki Declaration clarifies the need to safeguard the welfare of animals in research, it does not completely ban its their use on addressing health problems. Instead of focusing on banning animals in research, the researcher states that proper standards should be established in order to use animals in more ethical ways. According to Galley (2010) scientists who use animals in their studies, especially those who are publicly funded, have the task to wholly report the ways in which they design, conduct, and assess their experiments. This ensures that money and animals are not wasted. Moreover, the researcher recommends that journal publishers should have the responsibility of providing a set of guidelines on the reporting of results of animal studies, in collaboration with scientists, statisticians, and journal editors. According to Galley (2010, the contribution of animal research to better health for both men and animals is incontrovertible. Therefore, the medical world should be committed to the publication of research studies that utilize animal models, but they must also demand the same rigorous attention to detail as in clinical trials. Failure to describe research methods and to report results appropriately has the potential scientific and ethical implications for the whole research procedures and the reputation of the individuals involved. In light of these concerns, studies that utilize animals should be appropriately designed, correctly assessed, and then transparently reported. These steps should be made with the purpose of increasing the validity of the outcomes and maximizing the scientific gains. As an ethical step, a minimum amount of relevant data must be incorporated in the scientific publications about use of animals.

Another article that supports the use of animal in research was authored by Barré-Sinoussi and Montagutelli (2015). According to these researchers, the utilization of animals for scientific purposes is not only a long-standing practice in biological research and medicine, but also a frequent issue of debate in the contemporary social system. The article suggests that remarkable anatomical and physiological similarities between human beings and animals, especially mammals, have prompted scientists to determine a broad range of methods and evaluate novel therapies in animal models before employing their discoveries to human beings. This benefit stems from the fact that results that have been obtained from animals can be easily applied to humans. Thus, animal models have been used for a long time to investigate various scientific questions, ranging from basic science to the design and evaluation of novel vaccines and therapies.

One article that opposes the use of animals in research is titled Ethical and scientific considerations regarding animal testing and research. This article proposes the recommendations made by Russel and Burch, which called for the reduction of use of animals in research. Ferdowsian and Beck (2011) state that there is need to emphasize on refinement, reduction, and replacement of animal use. These principles have extensively been known as the 3Rs. The principles encourage researchers to seek ways to minimize the number of animals that are utilized in experiments to the minimum thresholds that are deemed as necessary. This should be followed by a proper plan that refines and limits the pain and distress to which animals used in experiments is exposed. Further, Ferdowsian and Beck (2011) argue that there is need to replace the use of animals with non-animal alternatives if possible.

In the same way, Festing and Wilkinson (2007) argue that while animal research has played a vital role in scientific and medical research in the last centuries, the use of animals in scientific and medical studies has been subject of heated debate for a long time. Festing and Wilkinson (2007) support both animal right extremists and anti-vivisectionist groups, who hold that animal experimentation is cruel and unnecessary, irrespective of its objectives or benefits. Since there is no middle ground for this group, the authors recommend for the immediate and complete prohibition of all animal-related research. If they succeed, it would have immense relief but severe consequences for scientific research. In the same line of reasoning, Festing and Wilkinson (2007) state that no scientist seeks to utilize animals, or cause unnecessary suffering if it can be avoided. Therefore, scientists should acknowledge and accept the controls that are placed on the utilization of animals in research.

Finally, Rands (2011) calls for the incorporation of policies on ethical guidelines in animal experimentations in biomedical sciences. For instance, the researcher states that journals must request a description of animal care and handling practices that were done by the researcher within the experimental protocols. In addition, there is need to mandate that authors confirm that experiments that involve animals to conform to a defined set of ethical guidelines as a minimal requirement that a journal can make to ensure some ethical considerations of the experiments have been observed.

Whether using Animals in Research is Ethical

Based on these articles and other research considerations, the use of animals in research is usually an unethical practice. This is because animals are sometimes subjected to pain, torture, and other forms of inhumane treatments. Pain research in animals often raise unique and sometimes difficult ethical questions for institutional animal care and use committees. In some situations, animals are often locked up and restricted from walking around to interact with others. One of the most painful ways in which animals are treated in research is the practice of vivisectomy. This practice is unethical since animals undergo surgery when they are alive for experimental purposes. This is particularly true for animals with a central nervous system in order to view the internal structure.

In light of this concern, there are various practices that should be embraced by researchers in order to avoid unethical treatment of animals during research. Widely accepted ethical principles and practices that are meant to avert forms of torture should revolve around focusing on the humanness of pain research in animals (Ferdowsian & Beck, 2011). Thus, relevant ethical standards in the modern US laws and regulations and in policy statements of professional research associations should be utilized. Placing attention on ethics is an essential component of veterinarians, animal researchers, and biomedical researchers who affect the lives of research animals. Researchers should be guided by the belief that it is not only appropriate but also morally obligatory to attempt to understand, alleviate, and avoid conditions that harm and kill animals. It would be incongruous and inconsistent to be involved in animal research from this ethical reason and deny the importance of handling ethically with the animals essential to research. Researchers must also ensure that animals that are meant for use in experiments, exhibitions, and use as pets are provided humane care and treatment. Humane care and treatment and treating animals humanely are terminologies that are mainly utilized by researchers, and clearly by ethical philosophers (Ferdowsian & Beck, 2011). Researchers should also avoid or minimize possible discomforts, distress, pain, and depression to the animals. The living conditions of animals must also be appropriate for their species and contribute to their health and comfort.

Studies Using Animals in an Ethical Manner

Types of Statistical Analysis I would Use

The main statistical analysis methods that will be used for the proposed research is Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Since other methods such as t-test cannot be utilized to compare three or more groups, such as animal behavior, ANOVA will be utilized as the main data analysis method (Ali & Bhaskar, 2016). In ANOVA, the researcher tests if there are any significant dissimilarity between the means of two or more groups. This statistical analysis tool the researcher can examine the two variances, such as between-group variability, and within-group variability (Ali & Bhaskar, 2016). The within-group variability, also referred to as error variance, is a form of variation that cannot be easily accounted for in the study designs. It is often premised on random differences that are present within the samples (Ali & Bhaskar, 2016). On the other hand, between-group variability, also referred to as effect variance, is the outcome of treatment. These two major elements can be compared with the utilization of an f-test.

Why these tests are the best choices given the proposed research

There are various reasons why the proposed tests are appropriate to the research that is going to be undertaken. Data analysis can be attained with repeated measures of factorial ANOVA. This allows for the computing of sources of variance, such as subject variance, treatment of variance for both main effects and interaction and three error terms. Separate error terms are utilized to test each treatment effects and the interaction. Another benefit of ANOVA is that it can be utilized to examine the equality of means of three or more groups. A repeated measure ANOVA can also be utilized in situations in which all variables of a sample are evaluated under different situations or at different points in time.

References

Ali, Z., & Bhaskar, S. B. (2016). Basic statistical tools in research and data analysis. Indian

journal of anaesthesia, 60(9), 662.

Andersen, M. L., & Winter, L. M. (2017). Animal models in biological and biomedical research-

experimental and ethical concerns. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências,

(AHEAD), 0-0.

Barré-Sinoussi, F., & Montagutelli, X. (2015). Animal models are essential to biological

research: issues and perspectives. Future Science, 1(4).

Ferdowsian, H. R., & Beck, N. (2011). Ethical and scientific considerations regarding animal

testing and research. PloS one, 6(9), e24059.

Festing, S., & Wilkinson, R. (2007). The ethics of animal research. EMBO reports, 8(6), 526-

530.

Gardinali, N. R., Guimarães, J. R., Melgaço, J. G., Kevorkian, Y. B., de Oliveira Bottino, F.,

Vieira, Y. R., & Uiechi, E. (2017). Cynomolgus monkeys are successfully and

persistently infected with hepatitis E virus genotype 3 (HEV-3) after long-term

immunosuppressive therapy. PloS one, 12(3), e0174070.

Galley, H. F. (2010). Mice, men, and medicine. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 105 (4),

396–400

Jayakumar, V., Ahmed, S. S., & Ebenezar, K. K. (2016). Multivariate analysis and molecular

interaction of curcumin with PPARγ in high fructose diet induced insulin resistance in

rats. SpringerPlus, 5(1), 1732.

Rands, S. A. (2011). Inclusion of policies on ethical standards in animal experiments in

biomedical science journals. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal

Science, 50(6), 901-903.

Ventura, H. T., Lopes, P. S., Peloso, J. V., Guimarães, S. E., Carneiro, A. P., & Carneiro, P. L.

(2012). Use of multivariate analysis to evaluate genetic groups of pigs for dry-cured ham

production. Livestock Science, 148(3), 214-220.