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Theme D WorkshopsWD1: Searching for Information: A Critical Discussion WD1: Improving Medline Coverage of Alternatives to Animal Use Slightly more than one year ago, a multi-faceted effort was made at the National Library of Medicine to improve the MEDLINE coverage of alternatives to animal use. Nine journals not previously indexed in MEDLINE were approved for indexing, and a number of new MeSH terms were added. Seven of the nine journals are being received in the library and indexed. Indexing of the two additional titles will begin when they are being received in appropriate electronic format. As of January 2002, nearly 1,000 new citations from those additional titles have been indexed and appear in PubMed. All of the terms added to MeSH, including two publication types, have been used. These new publication types have been used extensively, reflecting their utility. The new descriptors, particularly "Animal Use Alternatives" and "Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship" have been used frequently. Investigations into the feasibility of implementation of search screens are underway. We continue to welcome comments and suggestions for improvements in the Medical Subject Headings and related areas. WD1: Search Filters, a New Tool for Alternatives: Locating Mouse Strains as Disease Models Regulations imposed by the University of California, California, and the United States remain constant among the nine UC campuses, requiring UC scientists to consider alternatives by performing thousands of literature searches. This blanket requirement is often perceived as an obstacle, resulting in searches that, though compliant with regulations, are rarely productive. The UC Center for Animal Alternatives makes searching both less onerous and more productive, thereby increasing the chances that alternatives will be integrated into the protocol. Through the use of stored searches, species specific resources, and readily available websites, UCCAA provides user-friendly access to current information. (http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/animal_alternatives/main.htm) Website use statistics continue to increase, indicating that this immediate retrieval of relevant information is meeting our researchers' needs. With the manipulation of available databases and resources, and making use of existing technology, we present here a new tool. Using the PubMed Clinical Queries search filters, together with the JAX/Festing information on mouse strains, we provide precise information on research with mouse strains or disease processes. As mice are by far the most commonly used laboratory animal, consideration of strain characteristics is essential, as well as monitoring previous work by strain to avoid inappropriate comparisons or repetition. WD2: Resources for Teachers WD2: Information Databases on Alternatives to Animals in Education and Training: Norina and TextBase Many sophisticated alternatives to the use of animals in education have been developed during the last decade. A large number of these may also be used to reduce the number of animals used on training courses for researchers and technicians at institutions where animal use cannot be totally abolished. Information about these alternatives is not, however, necessarily easy to obtain. Many of these products are marketed by companies that cover only a small segment of the biomedical sciences. Furthermore, many of the earliest audiovisual aids were relatively simple in their design. It is important to be able to present teachers with a range of products of sufficient sophistication that they are considered relevant as true alternatives. The NORINA database contains detailed factual information on over 3,600 audiovisual aids and other products that may be used as pure replacements to animal use, or as supplements to reduce animal numbers in situations where total replacement is impossible. To aid searching, all items in the database have been categorized by type and scientific disciplines. TextBase complements NORINA by providing information on nearly 1,000 textbooks within the field of laboratory animal science. Many of these books are anatomy and dissection guides that may be used to reduce or replace animals in teaching and training situations. Both databases are in English and are available free of charge on the Internet at http://oslovet.veths.no. WD2: The European Resource Centre for Alternatives in HE WD2: InterNICHE and Other Resources WD3: Multimedia Festival: Presentation of Alternatives, Demonstration of Alternative Methods, and Training Programs WD4: Mechanics for Developing Software: New Projects and Training Programs Moderators: Martha Rooks (USA) and H. van Wilgenburg (The Netherlands) WD4: Web-based Training: Design, Implementation, and Challenges The development of educational programs on the Web requires a combination of teaching skills and a technical knowledge of web design, web applications, and multimedia management. The production of web-based educational programs often involves a team of individuals to bring together a breadth of informational content and web developmental skills. A lack of knowledge of the complexity in programming the software applications can result in unrealistic timelines for completing a project. When professional services are utilized, as in software development or the production and editing of media, budgets and timelines become more difficult to project accurately. This workshop will address the adaptation of teaching styles to a web-based environment, provide an orientation to the types of software tools for developing educational programs, offer practical approaches for working with professional developers, and suggest ways to avoid common pitfalls. WD4: Experimental Design: Computer Simulation for Improving the Precision of an Experiment Poorly designed animal experiments cannot be ethically justified. Understanding variation in order to control variability and to minimize experimental error should be a first priority for designing an experiment if it is to give reliable, efficient results. Realistic experimental conditions can be simulated with computer simulations. A computer-aided learning program has been developed that allows formal designs, such as completely randomized, randomized block, crossover, and sequential design and their statistical analysis. Unwanted variability will increase the number of animals used in subsequent experiments. This can be simulated in examples. Accurate data can then be collected. With visualized mathematical methods, the appropriate sample size can be determined, and a final choice of an optimal experimental design can be selected. By paying careful attention to the factors that affect variability and efficient experimental design, the information provided by real experiments will increase, resulting in a reduction in animal use. WD5: Changes in Technician Training: Developing New Attitudes WD5: Teaching From the Heart: Teaching to Care and to Respect Training and teaching sessions provide an ideal opportunity to address humane methods and the importance of ethical values for individuals who work with laboratory animals. A concern common among trainees is the possibility that they will "hurt the animal." This gentle attitude must be encouraged. The workshop will offer methods by which the instructor can be a role model for these values. These methods include refinements in clinical techniques, species-specific material that is pertinent for instilling respect for the animals; discussion of governmental principles; ethical reasoning and decision-making; recognition and alleviation of pain and distress in animals; and an understanding and honoring of the bond that forms between many lab workers and the animals. It is important to emphasize that animals do not raise their paws, fins, or wings and request to be part of a research project. We humans are the ethical beings in the room. We have very serious responsibilities when using animals for research or teaching. A kind heart should be a prerequisite for lab animal workers. WD5: Teaching Laboratory Animal Science to Scientists--Aiming for Attitude or Skills? The contribution of the Three R's to the quality of animal experimentation is beyond dispute. Consensus on the most adequate way to get this message across to biomedical scientists is still to be achieved. Education and training of laboratory animal science is deemed essential for young scientists, but the teaching varies from one-day workshops to extensive courses. Further, the emphasis of the teaching program can vary from cultivating a humane attitude towards the use of laboratory animals to training in skills for conducting non-invasive techniques. FELASA has produced recommendations for the teaching of the principles of laboratory animal science for caretakers, technicians, scientists, and laboratory animal science specialists. For scientists, FELASA recommends a course of at least 80 hours, comprising theoretical elements, such as animal biology and husbandry, statistics, experimental design, and ethical considerations, as well as practical training in animal handling and some basic experimental techniques. Further, students should critically analyze scientific papers and prepare a protocol for an animal experiment, including options for alternatives and an ethical evaluation. FELASA has developed an accreditation system for these courses so as to promote the harmonization of laboratory animal science education. WD5: Uses of Animals in College and Veterinary Education at the University of California, Davis: Institutional Commitment for Mainstreaming Alternatives Uses of animals in teaching for college and veterinary education in the United States have sharply declined. Economic disincentives and public discussions diminish the use of animals. Uses of live animals in teaching require similar protocol reviews as for research, but not for uses of non-living specimens. Many outstanding alternatives have been created, often by individual faculty members, which supplant some uses of animals. These alternatives are useful but patchy; teachers still must prepare their students in a broad curriculum. Creating alternatives for a comprehensive biological or veterinary curriculum can best be addressed at the institutional level. If leaders support alternatives, an incremental development of alternatives supplants other resources available for learning. Such a commitment at UC Davis facilitates the development of teaching tools and the mainstreaming of alternatives within the standard curriculum. The institutional culture supports enhancing learning with these tools and finding new solutions that require less invasive uses of animals. We will introduce a web-based tool that provides improved access to these resources, accessible from http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/Animal_Alternatives/main.htm. PCP-D1: Are Animals Necessary in Biological Education? Moderator: Roman Kolar (Germany) Speakers: Nick Jukes (UK) and Wayne Carley (USA)
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