Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science Ahead of Print

Yorkshire piglets serve as valuable animal models in biomedical research, including partial heart transplantation research. This study characterizes the swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) diversity within a cohort of 16 Yorkshire piglets, including 5 genetically modified to express green fluorescent protein (GFP). Employing SLA typing, we identified 25 unique SLA class I alleles (9 SLA-1, 11 SLA-2, 5 SLA-3) and 17 unique SLA class II alleles (8 DRB1, 6 DQB1, 3 DQA). Notably, an allele of SLA-1*08:XX was detected in 75% of the piglets, while haplotypes Lr-7.26 and Lr-6.12b were most frequent, occurring at 18.75%. Comparative analysis with previous studies revealed consistent genetic trends, although differences in haplotype frequencies underscore the influence of breeding practices and sample size on SLA allele and haplotype distribution. Our findings highlight the significant polymorphism in the SLA complex of Yorkshire piglets, which is relevant for their utility as preclinical models for studying transplantation outcomes. The characterization of GFP piglets provides crucial genomic data for future research in cell tracking and graft integration. While the study’s relatively small cohort may limit its generalizability, it represents the first baseline SLA typing of GFP Yorkshire piglets, offering foundational insights into their genetic diversity. This work emphasizes the importance of standardized genetic mapping to enhance the reproducibility and utility of laboratory swine in biomedical research.

Professional identity formation (PIF) is the dynamic psychosocial process crucial to becoming enculturated into a profession. This nonlinear process starts with entrance into a training program and ideally results in the harmonization of norms, values, and aspirations of the person with those of the chosen field. PIF is most successful when trainees can reflect, have positive role models and mentors, and receive social validation. Those who experience lack of support or hardship during PIF are at risk of burnout and poor mental health during their careers. Medical education research indicates that residency training significantly impacts PIF. This occurs because residents’ new patient care responsibilities force them to grapple with the differences between the ideal practice taught in medical school and the realities of their work lives. Emerging evidence in veterinary medical education research indicates that residents enrolled in laboratory animal medicine (LAM) residency programs experience similar tensions as they navigate relationships with stakeholders, encounter conditional valuation of their veterinary knowledge, and feel powerless to enact changes. To explore best practices for supporting PIF for developing LAM veterinarians, we performed a qualitative analysis of written comments from surveys completed by attendees at the 2022 American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine Forum meeting. Results were organized by 5 themes: (1) empowering residents to step into their authority and understand the limitations of their roles, (2) providing support for learning about the complexities of relationships within LAM, (3) serving as role models and mentors in building relationships, (4) creating opportunities to learn professional communication, and (5) advocating for the specialized and explicit value of the profession (LAM). From these results, we constructed a model that illustrates the PIF process for LAM veterinarians in training, with the goal of raising awareness of the connection between the quality of PIF and career wellness.

In this study we investigated the sedative, anesthetic, and pulmonary histopathologic effects of dexmedetomidine/morphine (DM) and xylazine/morphine (XM) in sheep. We hypothesized that DM would provide profound sedation and better maintain physiologic parameters under anesthesia than XM in sheep undergoing laparoscopic surgery. Nineteen male sheep were premedicated with either DM (dexmedetomidine [0.006 mg/kg] and morphine [0.3 mg/kg]) or XM (xylazine [0.1 mg/kg] and morphine [0.3 mg/kg]). After DM or XM administration, 3 blinded veterinarians evaluated sedation scores (0 [no sedation], 1 [mild], 2 [moderate], 3 [severe]). Sheep were induced with intravenous tiletamine/zolazepam, intubated, and maintained with isoflurane in 100% oxygen. Anesthetic parameters were monitored for 60 min, including heart rate, respiratory rate, indirect blood pressure, oxygen saturation, end-tidal carbon dioxide, body temperature, arterial blood gas analysis, and isoflurane requirement. At the end of the procedure, the sheep were euthanized, and lung pathology (pulmonary edema) was assessed. The results showed that the sedation scores did not differ between DM (0.8 [0.4 to 1.0]) and XM (1.0 [1.0 to 1.0]). In addition, the anesthetic parameters were comparable between the groups, but the DM group exhibited a higher heart rate than the XM group. Finally, marked pulmonary changes, consistent with pulmonary edema, were observed in the XM group. In conclusion, DM and XM provided similar sedation and physiologic stability under isoflurane anesthesia, but DM may help minimize bradycardia and was associated with less evidence of pulmonary edema.

Purpose

The Association of Primate Veterinarians (APV) recognizes that jackets may need to be placed on nonhuman primates (NHPs) and accepts that their use may facilitate aspects of biomedical research projects. To ensure appropriate animal welfare, it is essential that each institution ensures that jacket use is justified, and that users are adequately trained and familiar with potential complications associated with jacket use. The following general guidelines provide basic information for researchers, animal caregivers, veterinarians, and IACUCs to consider when assessing the use of jackets for NHPs. Professional judgment should guide development of institutional policies and standard operating procedures to

Baseline Characterization of Swine Leukocyte Antigen Diversity in GFP-Expressing Domestic Swine

Anshaal FurrukhMBBS,

Herra JavedMBBS,

Kristin WhitworthPhD,

Louis SteenBS,

Chak-Sum HoPhD,,

Malik F AyyadBS, and

Taufiek Konrad RajabMD, DrMed

Comparison of Dexmedetomidine/Morphine and Xylazine/Morphine as Premedication in Isoflurane-Anesthetized Sheep

Ekkapol AkaraphutipornDVM, PhD,

Patmanachatr BunnagDVM, PhD,

Vudhiporn LimprasutrDVM, PhD,

Kasem RattanapinyopitukDVM, MSc, PhD, DTBVP,

Sumit DurongphongtornDVM, DVSc, DTBVS,

Luisito S PabloDVM, DACVAA,

Patrick SharpDVM, MRCVS, MANZCVS, DACLAM,

Cholawat PacharinsakDVM, PhD, DACVAA, and

Chalika WangdeeDVM, MSc, PhD, DTBVS, De Facto AiCVS

AALAS Members