ALAT Research Procedures and Techniques Questions and Answers Flashcards
7 cards from real ALAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 ALAT Research Procedures and Techniques Questions and Answers flashcards as text
During a cardiac puncture for terminal blood collection in a rat, where should the needle be directed and why?
Answer: Toward the left ventricle at the apex, to access the highest-pressure chamber
The left ventricle is targeted during cardiac puncture because it is the highest-pressure chamber and provides the greatest blood yield.
A technician needs to collect urine from a mouse for a 24-hour metabolic study. Which housing device is most appropriate?
Answer: Metabolic cage designed to separate urine and feces
Metabolic cages are specifically designed to separately collect urine and feces from research animals over timed periods.
Which of the following is the correct aseptic technique step that MUST occur immediately before making a skin incision during a surgical procedure?
Answer: Draping the surgical site with sterile towels or drapes
Sterile draping of the surgical field immediately before incision creates a sterile barrier that minimizes contamination of the operative site.
An ALAT notices that a rabbit being used for antibody production has a swollen, warm injection site 48 hours after an adjuvant injection. What is the most likely cause?
Answer: Abscess or granuloma formation, a known complication of adjuvant use
Adjuvants such as Freund's Complete Adjuvant are known to cause local tissue reactions including abscess and granuloma formation at injection sites.
What is the purpose of a 'positive control' in a research experiment involving a new drug compound being tested on laboratory animals?
Answer: To verify the experimental system works by using a compound with a known effect
A positive control uses a substance with a known, predictable effect to confirm that the experimental system is functioning correctly.
When performing a tail vein injection in a mouse, which preparation step best facilitates visualization and dilation of the lateral tail vein?
Answer: Briefly warming the tail with warm water or a heat lamp
Gentle warming of the mouse tail causes vasodilation of the lateral tail veins, making them more prominent and easier to cannulate.
An IACUC protocol specifies that animals must receive multimodal analgesia. Which combination best exemplifies this approach for a post-surgical mouse?
Answer: An NSAID (e.g., meloxicam) combined with an opioid (e.g., buprenorphine)
Multimodal analgesia combines drugs from different classes (e.g., NSAID + opioid) to target multiple pain pathways, providing superior pain control with lower doses of each drug.