1. Introduction
Invertebrates are used in many disciplines in biomedical research, sometimes; invertebrate species are regarded as "replacement" alternatives for vertebrates (Office of Technology Assessment, 1986), presumably because they are thought to be less sentient than vertebrate species due to the fact that they have a less developed brain and nervous system. While invertebrates make up a vast number of animal species on earth, their welfare is overlooked, compared to the concern shown to higher vertebrates. In the study of pain, often ethical issues arise about testing the pain response in different animal species. The majority of research on invertebrates is concentrated on crustaceans as they are widely consumed. Campaigners have been trying to get legislation introduced that will give some sort of protection for invertebrate species. As scientists prove that different species can indeed feel pain, then often animal welfare legislation is put in place to help protect these species as a direct result from the research. Recently the European Union revised Directive (2010/63/EU)1 “on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes” covers “live cephalopods” under Article 1, 3b (however, decapod crustacea—e.g., crabs, lobsters— were included in drafts of the new EU legislation but not in the adopted directive). Member states are required to transpose it into national legislation by November 2012 and apply it by January 2013. (Crook, 2013) stated that welfare considerations for invertebrates in terms of research are similar to those for vertebrate animals in research, although there is often far less information readily available to inform on concerns that arise during research. Concerns about appropriate housing, fe...
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... it produces a certain sensation when in contact with tissue, and it is not damaging to the tissue, it is very useful in the study of pain. (Laird et al, 2001) conducted an experiment on mice with both capsaicin and mustard oil, both of with enacted a response in the tested mice. The capsaicin produced a greater response than the mustard oil even in smaller quantities than the mustard oil; this shows that the capsaicin is a better noxious stimulant than mustard oil, in the context of pain research. When the mice were injected with the capsaicin they exhibited a behavioural response and there was inflammation in the affected area suggesting that it triggered a pain response. This research project will follow up the research completed on decapod crustaceans by (Barr, 2008) with the first use of capsaicin to investigate responses in the shore crab (Carcinus maenas).
Cephalopods are known to be exceptionally intelligent by invertebrate standards and in some respects even rival “higher” vertebrates. These animals have many highly evolved sensory and processing organs that allow them to gain a greater understanding of their environment and their place within it. Due to their advanced structures, many of which are analogous to vertebrate structures, and abilities they have been widely studied. Their methods of learning have been of prime interest and many experiments have been conducted to determine the different ways in which octopuses can learn. From these experiments four main kinds of learning have been identified in octopuses: associative learning, special learning,
It has been shown that intrathecal administriton of GABA receptor antagonists cause hyperalgesia and allodynia. Constitutive, the increase in the endogenous GABA activity in the spinal cord alleviate pain resulting from noxious and innoxious mechanical and thermal stimuli. Different GABA receptors have different roles in alleviating thermal and mechanical pain in different animal pain models. There is no study to date that has examined the involvement of GABA A and GABA B in sensory dimension of neuropathic pain resulting from compression of spinal cord. The current study tests the hypothesis that GABA A or GABA B receptors contributes to the allodynia and hyperalgesia observed after spinal cord injury. The results showed that the effect of GABA A and GABA B receptors on mechanical hyperalgesia is similar but these receptors have different effects on thermal hyperalgesia. While using baclofen as GABA B receptor agonist does not affect the thermal pain, thermal hyperalgesia resulting from spinal cord injury was greatly alleviated by different doses of GABA A agonist, muscimol. Both Baclofen and muscimol are able to reduce the mechanical and cold allodynia has been seen after spinal cord injury but the effect of baclofen is dose dependent with no effect in higher doses used in this study. While almost all doses of muscimol were used in this study reduce the amount of cold and mechanical allodynia. The other result obtained in this study is the short term effect of GABA agonist. The anitinociceptive effect of Baclofen and muscimol appear to be maxium at 15 min after injection and gradually diminished by time and their analgesic effect disappeared 3 hours after injection.
The Humane Society of the United States promotes research methods that can potentially replace, reduce, or refine animal use so that animals experience less suffering. An opinion poll was taken by the HSUS on September 23, 2001 on pain and distress in research. The findings were that 62% of people would approve of testing if little or no pain was experienced by the animals, while 75% disapprove when severe pain is experienced.
Scorpaenidae are mostly marine fish,very few found in fresh and brackish water. The family have around around 45 different genera and 380 different species. They are mostly found in the India Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Most of them lives in coral, tropical reefs and shallow waters, warmer areas. Not all of the family fish lives in the shallow water, small portion of the Scorpaenidae live deep as around 7,000 feet. Just like most of the coral reef fish are, Scorpaenidae have camouflaged body. Their characteristic reflects their name, they have sharp spine that can sting other organisms. Their spine are covered with venomous mucus just like how some other kind of fish are covered with the venomous mucus. Their body are covered with scales. Generally speaking, the Scorpaenidae family fish have different number of spines over the course of the body. Most known type pf Scorpaenidae are lionfish and scorpionfish. Lionfish have preorbital bone with 3 spines, spines and third below the diagonal; , big mouth, end position, oblique fissure. Mandible, vomer and jaw bone with villiform teeth group. Gill openings are wide, tetrabranchiate membranes without the isthmus, pre-opercular margin with 5 spines. Body are ctenoid scales, round head. On the side, there are about eight to nine dorsal fin, fin spines and rays of an anal fin; five to six pectoral fins, they are large, round, and are branched from the upper fin rays. There are about one to five pelvic, sub thoracic; caudal fin rounded truncate. Reef stonefish are extremely camouflaged, they could look exactly like a rock when hiding for predation. The spines of Scorpaenidae are hard and rough, some of their fin spines have poison, can cause serious pain, swells and fatal wounds. Some of ...
The most common and well described pain transmission is “gate control theory of pain”. This theory was first proposed by Melzack and Wall in 1965 whereby they used the analogy of gate to explain the inhibition of pain which exists within the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. For instance, when tissue damage occurs, substances such as prostaglandin, serotonin, histamine and bradykinin are released from the injured cell. Individual usually consume or apply pain medications such as NSAIDs whereby these medications will cause electrical nerve impulse at the end of the sensory nerve fiber via nociceptor. Nociceptor is a pain receptor that is commonly found in the skin, cornea of eye and organ of motion such as muscles and ligaments. These nerve impulses
Have you ever wondered why when you stub your toe on the chair in the living room, it helps tremendously to yell out an expletive or two and vigorously rub the area? I may not be able to discuss the basis for such language in this paper, but we will explore the analgesic response to rubbing that toe, in addition to the mechanism of pain and alternative treatments such as acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.
“Taxonomically speaking, a lobster is a marine crustacean of the family Homaridae, characterized by five pairs of jointed legs, the first pair terminating in large pincerish claws used for subduing prey…. Moreover, a crustacean is an aquatic arthropod of the class Crustacea, which comprises of crabs, shrimp, barnacles, lobsters, and freshwater crayfish” (Wallace, 55). This is an example of Logos since the author uses scientific facts to convey the message he wants to communicate in an objective way. Wallace also uses logos as a persuasive device by presenting facts on the science of the lobster’s neurological system and its ability to feel pain. The Maine Lobster Promotion Council states “The nervous system of a lobster is very simple, and is in fact most similar to the nervous system of a grasshopper. It is decentralized with no brain. There is no cerebral cortex, which in humans is the area of the brain that gives the experience of pain”. Wallace counter-argues this statement by mentioning the fact that since lobsters have a simpler nervous system compared to humans, they are unable to produce their own natural opiates. “One can conclude that lobsters are maybe even more vulnerable to pain, since they lack mammalian nervous systems’ built-in analgesia, or, instead, that the absence of natural opioids implies an absence of the really intense
Drosophila is a small fruit fly, it is about 3mm long. This insect is a model organism most commonly used in developmental biology and genetics. The Drosophila fruit flies are especially suited in experiments because of their short life cycle which consist of two weeks; they easily reproduce many offspring, and are also cheap1. The drosophila contains four chromosomes that can easily be experimented on, which allows in-depth observation. In this experiment, Drosophila melanogaster were used to identify the properties of Mendelian inheritance. The Law of Segregation states that allele pairs separate during gamete formation and randomly unite during fertilization and is carried by every individual. The Law of Independent Assortment states that each parent randomly passes on alleles to their offspring. Although, the Law of Independent assortment does not take in account the patters of sex-linked inheritance.
Marijuana has a long medical history, ranging from its anecdotal use in ancient times, through medical prescribing in the 19th and early 20th centuries to modern. "The first record of cannabis as a medicine can be found in the oldest Chinese pharmacopeia, Shen Nag Ben Cao Jing, written in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 AD to 220 AD). It was indicated for rheumatic pain, malaria, constipation, and disorders of the female reproductive system" (Greenwell, 2012, Vol. 26 Issue 1). Pain is one of the most common reasons that medical cannabis is recommended. "Scientists have long known that tetrahydracannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, is an effective pain killer" (Mcdonagh, 2003). Studies of medical marijuana show significant improvement in various types of pain. "Marijuana appears to exert its pain relieving effects by acting on certain sites in the brain and spinal nerves. These specific sites are called cannabinoid receptors. The cannabinoid compound connects to these receptors, much like two puzzle pieces fitting together. Once, joined, the receptor alters the way the brain cell or nerve cell functions. This alteration of function changes the way the cell perceives painful stimulus, often reducing the intensity of pain that is interpreted by the brain" (Greenwell, 2012, Vol. 26 Issue 1). "The effect that cannabinoid compounds have on the cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) found in the brain can create varying pharmacologic responses based on formulation and patient characteristics" (Borgelt, Franson, & Nussbaum, 2013). Several small clinical studies have confirmed the usefulness of THC, which at doses of 15 to 20mg was found to be comparable to 60 to 120mg pharmaceutical painkillers. But which form of pain manag...
In Chinese tradition, Shark fin soup is called as “a celebration soup”, which people eat it to celebrate in various occasions. Moreover, people also believed that shark fin consisted of diverse nutrition values which provide them virility, wealth, and power(Wolchover, 2011). These beliefs lead to the beginning of poaching for sharks, the top of food chain in the sea world. Surprisingly, although people are aware of the decreasing number of sharks since the old days, around hundred million of sharks are still hunted each year(Heltus, 2013), to be served on luxury tables surrounded by those believers in things that they do not even prove whether the belief is reliable. Therefore, in the generation that people are mostly educated, sharks should no longer have to be continuously killed for their fins.
For centuries scientists have used animals to study the causes of diseases; to test drugs, vaccines and surgical techniques; and to evaluate the safety of chemicals used in pesticides, cosmetics and other products. However, many scientists amongst animal- right activists forbid the use of animals in scientific research regardless how many illnesses are eliminated through the use of animals in scientific research. Amongst animal right activists, David Suzuki also raises concerns towards animal experimentation. In his article, The Pain of Animals, Suzuki argues that humans have no right to exploit animals because--much like humans--animals also experience pain. In contrast to Suzuki, Haldane, in his article, Some Enemies of Science, argues because animals are very similar to humans, scientists have no choice but to use animals in scientific experiments. Both authors greatly contrast their opinions towards animal experimentation; however Haldane has a more explanatory approach towards animal experimentation. He argues animal experimentation should be acceptable because other forms of animal exploitation are acceptable in society. Secondly, unlike other forms of exploitation which seek pleasure in killing animals such as leisure sport, scientists, most likely do not harm animals; if pain is intended on an animal it is strictly for the purpose of scientific advancement. Thirdly, although, animal experimentation may cause some extinction, it is only one of many other causes of extinction, if other causes are not condemned; then neither should animal experiment...
Drosophila melanogaster, commonly known as fruit fly, is mainly used as a human disease model organism for genetic analysis. It was during the 20th century that D. melanogaster was considered as the most significant model organism. D. melanogaster is small in size, and it has a short life span with a good reproduction rate, perfect for raising in large number and generation counts for genetics experiments. Additionally, it has a small genome which makes it easier for geneticists to keep track of changes in molecular level. Geneticists were able to uncover many human genetic diseases through the homologous genome of human and fruit flies. It started out with a small group of people led by Thomas Hunt Morgan at Columbia University. Many principles and rules of transmission genetics that are still being used in the generation of today were established in the laboratory of Dr. Morgan. Many animal models were being used before fruit flies. Using the whole-animal as a model set limitations to the types and amounts of experiments can be conducted. The use of Drosophila was able to led geneticists to overcome these limitations with tremendous promises in finding greater quality results. It was Frank Lutz, who wrote many papers on Drosophila, which introduced Drosophila to Dr. Morgan. Many experimental works on plants and animals were carried out on Drosophila instead. Through Drosophila, the discovery of mutation, recombination, relocation of chromosome, and many others were made possible. The cinnabar, cn, gene encodes an enzyme essential in the eye color formation of drosophila. It codes for the enzyme, kynurenine-3-monooxygenase, that is essential in the biological pathway of ommochrome for the brown pi...
You probably think horseshoe crabs are crustaceans, but you’d be wrong. They actually aren’t crabs at all, and there’s more about the horseshoe crab that you wouldn’t believe. This weird-looking marine animal survived two mass extinctions and lived in the Ordovician Period.
The major thing about Mr. Wallace’s article is his concern about suffering of Lobster which he briefly explain the facts, he’s article feature the Maine Lobster Festival in Maine which the festival will cook 25,000 pound of lobsters, the World Largest Lobster Cooker as they call it, lobster will be cook in a gruesome way which he is concerned. Mr. Wallace characterized the lobster that boiling them is really hard for him to watch. Example is in his article he said that “Lobster looks like they are suffering as they hang their claws in the pot”. But this explains why the violent reaction of lobsters to boiling water is a reflex to noxious stimuli. And to add, Based on review by the Scottish animal welfare group Advocate for Animals released reported, a scientific evidence that strongly suggests that there is a potential for lobsters to experience pain and suffering. This is primarily because lobsters and other decapod crustaceans have opioid receptors and respond to opioids analgesics such as morphine in a similar way to vertebrates, indicating that lobsters' reaction to injury changes when painkillers are applied. The similariti...
Whales are notable for being mammals which are fully adapted to oceanic life. These are three groups of Whales in their phylogenetic tree; Archaeocetes, Mysticeti and Odontoceti. The first group are known from their fossils and are seen to be a transitionary form as they retained a number of features associated with land mammals e.g. hind limbs with feet and limbs. The two other groups diverged around the start of the Oligocene; when the ice caps started to grow in the poles of the earth. It has been suggested that this may be due to the rise of seasonal planktonic production which could have led to specialisation (Houben, 2013); this ties in nicely with other summarisations which link the diversions of Whales in this time period. Mysticeti and Odontoceti differ on two counts; Mysticeti possess baleen making them filter feeders of plankton, in comparison Odontoceti possess a single set of teeth and have the ability to echolocate.