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\"After Dean Martin saves Eddie G. from being hit by a car, Eddie's torpedo buddy Jerry arrives from Brooklyn with the news: somebody's put an open contract out on him. As anybody can cash it in, pros and amateurs alike are coming out of the woodwork to have a shot. So when Eddie is asked by Frank Sinatra to go to LA to help his friend, Judy Garland, with a problem she's having, Eddie and Jerry seize the opportunity to leave Vegas\"--Dust jacket.

Rats are effective model animals and have contributed to the development of human medicine and basic research. However, the application of reproductive engineering techniques to rats is not as advanced compared with mice, and genome editing in rats has not been achieved using embryos obtained by in vitro fertilization (IVF). In this study, we conducted superovulation, IVF, and knock out and knock in using IVF rat embryos. We found that superovulation effectively occurred in the synchronized oestrus cycle and with anti-inhibin antiserum treatment in immature rats, including the Brown Norway rat, which is a very difficult rat strain to superovulate. Next, we collected superovulated oocytes under anaesthesia, and offspring derived from IVF embryos were obtained from all of the rat strains that we examined. When the tyrosinase gene was targeted by electroporation in these embryos, both alleles were disrupted with 100% efficiency. Furthermore, we conducted long DNA fragment knock in using adeno-associated virus and found that the knock-in litter was obtained with high efficiency (33.3–47.4%). Thus, in this study, we developed methods to allow the simple and efficient production of model rats.

Being the metabolic syndrome a multifactorial condition, it is difficult to find adequate experimental models to study this pathology. The obese Zucker rats, which are homozygous for the fa allele, present abnormalities similar to those seen in human metabolic syndrome and are a widely extended model of insulin resistance. The usefulness of these rats as a model of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is nevertheless questionable, and they neither can be considered a clear experimental model of hypertension. Some experimental models different from the obese Zucker rats have also been used to study the metabolic syndrome. Some derive from the spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). In this context, the most important are the obese SHR, usually named Koletsky rats. Hyperinsulinism, associated with either normal or slightly elevated levels of blood glucose, is present in these animals, but SHR/N-corpulent rats are a more appropriated model of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The SHR/NDmc corpulent rats, a subline of SHR/N-corpulent rats, also exhibit metabolic and histopathologic characteristics associated with human metabolic disorders. A new animal model of the metabolic syndrome, stroke-prone–SHR (SHRSP) fatty rats, was obtained by introducing a segment of the mutant leptin receptor gene from the Zucker line heterozygous for the fa gene mutation into the genetic background of the SHRSP. Very recently, it has been developed as a non-obese rat model with hypertension, fatty liver and characteristics of the metabolic syndrome by transgenic overexpression of a sterol-regulatory element-binding protein in the SHR rats. The Wistar Ottawa Karlsburg W rats are also a new strain that develops a nearly complete metabolic syndrome. Moreover, a new experimental model of low-capacity runner rats has also been developed with elevated blood pressure levels together with the other hallmarks of the metabolic syndrome.

Rat bite fever (RBF) is a zoonotic disease caused primarily by Streptobacillus ( S .) moniliformis . Norway or brown rats ( Rattus [ R. ] norvegicus ) are the natural host for S. moniliformis and carry the bacterium in the nasopharynx without clinical disease. Transmission to humans often occurs through rat bites or scratches, but also through contact with the excreta of infected rats. Although human infections with S. moniliformis occur worldwide, they are rarely diagnosed. For decades, S. moniliformis was the only known member of the genus Streptobacillus . In recent years, however, four additional species were identified, two of which being zoonotic pathogens capable of causing symptoms identical to RBF in humans. The aim of this study was to develop a serological assay covering all known Streptobacillus species. A bead-based multiplex fluorescence immunoassay for S. moniliformis detection has been used for years in routine diagnostics of laboratory rodents. Here, this assay was adapted to enable the detection of antibodies against all currently known Streptobacillus species and tested with sera from experimentally inoculated mice and rats, and with negative sera from laboratory rodents. Using this assay, we broadly examined the prevalence of Streptobacillus spp. reactive antibodies in wild rodents. Transudates from a total of 107 Norway rats, 81 black or roof rats ( Rattus rattus ) and 110 house mice ( Mus musculus ) from different husbandries and wildlife populations within Germany were tested. Antibody prevalences of 41% in R. norvegicus and 83% in R. rattus suggest that Streptobacillus spp. are widespread in wild and captive rats in Germany, whereas wild mice seem to be free of infection. Due to its high throughput capacity and multiplex format, the Streptobacillus multiplex serology is well suited for large seroprevalence studies in rodents and has the potential, after adaptation, for use in humans, thereby allowing for the assessment of Streptobacillus infection risk and risk of RBF.

In Parkinson’s disease (PD) there is a selective degeneration of neuromelanin-containing neurons, especially substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons. In humans, neuromelanin accumulates with age, the latter being the main risk factor for PD. The contribution of neuromelanin to PD pathogenesis remains unknown because, unlike humans, common laboratory animals lack neuromelanin. Synthesis of peripheral melanins is mediated by tyrosinase, an enzyme also present at low levels in the brain. Here we report that overexpression of human tyrosinase in rat substantia nigra results in age-dependent production of human-like neuromelanin within nigral dopaminergic neurons, up to levels reached in elderly humans. In these animals, intracellular neuromelanin accumulation above a specific threshold is associated to an age-dependent PD phenotype, including hypokinesia, Lewy body-like formation and nigrostriatal neurodegeneration. Enhancing lysosomal proteostasis reduces intracellular neuromelanin and prevents neurodegeneration in tyrosinase-overexpressing animals. Our results suggest that intracellular neuromelanin levels may set the threshold for the initiation of PD. It is unclear if neuromelanin plays a role in Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis since common laboratory animals lack this pigment. Authors show here that overexpression of human tyrosinase in the substantia nigra of rats resulted in an age-dependent production of human-like neuromelanin within nigral dopaminergic neurons and is associated with a Parkinson’s disease phenotype when allowed to accumulate above a specific threshold.

The host tropism expansion of SARS-CoV-2 raises concern for the potential risk of reverse-zoonotic transmission of emerging variants into rodent species, including wild rat species. In this study, we present both genetic and serological evidence for SARS-CoV-2 exposure to the New York City wild rat population, and these viruses may be linked to the viruses that were circulating during the early stages of the pandemic. Millions of Norway rats ( Rattus norvegicus ) inhabit New York City (NYC), presenting the potential for transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from humans to rats. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 exposure among 79 rats captured from NYC during the fall of 2021. Our results showed that 13 of the 79 rats (16.5%) tested IgG- or IgM-positive, and partial SARS-CoV-2 genomes were recovered from all 4 rats that were qRT-PCR (reverse transcription-quantitative PCR)-positive. Genomic analyses suggest these viruses were associated with genetic lineage B, which was predominant in NYC in the spring of 2020 during the early pandemic period. To further investigate rat susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 variants, we conducted a virus challenge study and showed that Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants can cause infections in wild-type Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, including high replication levels in the upper and lower respiratory tracts and induction of both innate and adaptive immune responses. Additionally, the Delta variant resulted in the highest infectivity. In summary, our results indicate that rats are susceptible to infection with Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants, and wild Norway rats in the NYC municipal sewer systems have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2. Our findings highlight the need for further monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in urban rat populations and for evaluating the potential risk of secondary zoonotic transmission from these rat populations back to humans. IMPORTANCE The host tropism expansion of SARS-CoV-2 raises concern for the potential risk of reverse-zoonotic transmission of emerging variants into rodent species, including wild rat species. In this study, we present both genetic and serological evidence for SARS-CoV-2 exposure to the New York City wild rat population, and these viruses may be linked to the viruses that were circulating during the early stages of the pandemic. We also demonstrated that rats are susceptible to additional variants (i.e., Alpha, Delta, and Omicron) that have been predominant in humans and that susceptibility to infection varies by variant. Our findings highlight the reverse zoonosis of SARS-CoV-2 to urban rats and the need for further monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in rat populations for potential secondary zoonotic transmission to humans.

The laboratory rat was the first mammal domesticated for research purposes. It is descended from wild Norway rats, Rattus norvegicus, which despite their name likely originated in Asia. Exceptionally adaptable, these rodents now inhabit almost all environments on Earth, especially near human settlements where they are often seen as pests. The laboratory rat thrives in captivity, and its domestication has produced many inbred and outbred lines that are used for different purposes, including medical trials and behavioral studies. Differences between wild Norway rats and their laboratory counterparts were first noted in the early 20th century and led some researchers to later question its value as a model organism. While these views are probably unjustified, the advanced domestication of the laboratory rat does suggest that resuming studies of wild rats could benefit the wider research community.

Reviews the global literature on the effects of rats on island flora and fauna, then uses New Zealand as a case study because of its four-decade history of rat eradications and many detailed and innovative studies of how rats affect native species, which include use of exclosures, local manipulations of rat populations, video surveillance, and measurements of responses following eradications. Considers particularly the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), Pacific rat (Rattus exulans), and ship rat (Rattus rattus). Source: National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence.