Animal Experimentation: Should the Three Rs be Abandoned?

Should chelation therapy be abandoned ?

The intermediate disturbance hypothesis should be abandoned.

A leading idea about how disturbances and other environmental fluctuations affect species diversity is the intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH). The IDH states that diversity of competing species is, or should be expected to be, maximized at intermediate frequencies and/or intensities of disturbance or environmental change. I argue that the IDH has been refuted on both empirical and theore...

Should prostate-specific antigen velocity be abandoned?

P rostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the most widely used biomarker for prostate cancer, but may also be elevated in nonmalignant conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia. Studies in the early 1990s suggested that rapid increases in PSA over time—a concept known as PSA velocity (PSAV)—may be useful to distinguish prostate cancer from the generally slower rise in PSA that may be seen in be...

Should preoperative mechanical bowel preparation be abandoned?

Expanding the three Rs to meet new challenges in humane animal experimentation.

The Three Rs are the main principles used by Animal Ethics Committees in the governance of animal experimentation, but they appear not to cover some ethical issues that arise today. These include: a) claims that certain species should be exempted on principle from harmful research; b) increased emphasis on enhancing quality of life of research animals; c) research involving genetically modified...