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animal care and use

the treatment of nonhuman animals used in research and experimentation. Various regulations, standards, and principles have been developed to protect the well-being of such animals and ensure that they are treated in a humane and ethical manner. In the United States, examples include the Animal Welfare Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1966 and subsequently amended several times, most recently in 2008; and the American Psychological Association’s “Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Nonhuman Animals in Research,” developed in 1968 by the Committee on Animal Research and Ethics (CARE) and revised in 2012. See Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

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Psychology term of the day

February 12th 2025

aminotransferase

aminotransferase

n. any of a class of transferase enzymes that catalyze the transfer of an amino group (–NH2) from a donor molecule to a recipient molecule. Two of the better known aminotransferases are aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, which are normally found in the liver and heart, respectively, and are released into the bloodstream as a result of damage to those organs. Hence, they are used as indicators in liver and heart function tests.