Imaging in experimental models of diabetes

Innovative Experimental Ultrasound and US-Related Techniques Using the Murine Model in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Systematic Review

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a cancer with one of the highest mortality rates in the world. Several studies have been conductedusing preclinical experiments in mice to find new therapeutic strategies. Experimental ultrasound, in expert hands, is a safe, multifaceted, and relatively not-expensive device that helps researchers in several ways. In this systematic review, we propose a summary of the applications of ultrasonography in a preclinical mouse model of PDAC. Eighty-eight studies met our inclusion criteria. The included studies could be divided into seven main topics: ultrasound in pancreatic cancer diagnosis and progression (n: 21); dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) (n: 5); microbubble ultra-sound-mediated drug delivery; focused ultrasound (n: 23); sonodynamic therapy (SDT) (n: 7); harmonic motion elastography (HME) and shear wave elastography (SWE) (n: 6); ultrasound-guided procedures (n: 9). In six cases, the articles fit into two or more sections. In conclusion, ultrasound can be a really useful, eclectic, and ductile tool in different diagnostic areas, not only regarding diagnosis but also in therapy, pharmacological and interventional treatment, and follow-up. All these multiple possibilities of use certainly represent a good starting point for the effective and wide use of murine ultrasonography in the study and comprehensive evaluation of pancreatic cancer.

Realistic aspects behind the application of the rat model of chemically-induced mammary cancer: Practical guidelines to obtain the best results

Cancer is one of the most important public health problems worldwide. Despite the great contribution of in-vitro studies for biomedical research, animals are essential to study diseases' biopathology and diagnosis, and searching for new preventive and therapeutic strategies. Breast cancer is currently the most common cancer globally, accounting for 12.5% of all new annual cancer cases worldwide. Although the rat model of mammary cancer chemically-induced is widely used to study this disease, there is a lack of standardization in procedures for cancer induction, sample collection, and analysis. Therefore, it is important to provide a practical guide for researchers aiming to work with this model to make the analysis of results more uniform. Thus, in this review, we provide the researchers with a detailed step-by-step guide to implement a rat model of mammary cancer, based on our wide experience in this field, to obtain the best results, maximum throughput of each experiment, and easy comparison among researches.