Optimum dietary sources and levels of selenium improve growth, antioxidant status, and disease resistance: re-evaluation in a farmed fish species, Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of sources and levels of selenium (Se) on juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). A completely randomized design involving a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments was used in this study. Organic Se (L-selenomethionine; SeMet) and inorganic Se (sodium selenite; NaSeO) were each added to the basal diet at 1, 3 and 5 mg Se/kg.

Ephedrine and phenylephrine induce opposite changes in cerebral and paraspinal tissue oxygen saturation, measured with near-infrared spectroscopy: a randomized controlled trial.

While the effects of phenylephrine (PE) and ephedrine (E) on cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO) already has been studied, the effect on paraspinal oxygen saturation (rSO) is still unexplored. This study aims to assess the effect of PE and E on rSO and rSO, measured with near-infrared spectroscopy. A randomized 4-treatment cross-over trial was designed in 28 patients under BIS-titrated anaesthesia with sevoflurane.

Power and challenges of using zebrafish as a model for skeletal tissue imaging.

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is now a widely used model organism in biomedical research. The species is also increasingly used for studying skeletal development and regeneration and for understanding human skeletal diseases. The small size of this model organism is an advantage and an extreme challenge for visualizing and diagnosing the animals' skeleton.

Imaging the zebrafish dentition: from traditional approaches to emerging technologies.

The zebrafish, a model organism for which a plethora of molecular and genetic techniques exists, has a lifelong replacing dentition of 22 pharyngeal teeth. This is in contrast to the mouse, which is the key organism in dental research but whose teeth are never replaced. Employing the zebrafish as the main organism to elucidate the mechanisms of continuous tooth replacement, however, poses at least one major problem, related to the fact that all teeth are located deep inside the body.

The Belgian experience with intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke.

Purpose: We report the Belgian results of the Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke - International Stroke Thrombolysis Register (SITS-ISTR). This prospective observational register evaluates the safety and efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis with rtPA (recombinant tissue Plasminogen Activator) for ischemic stroke in routine clinical practice.

Methods: We compared the baseline characteristics, treatment delay, rate of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and functional outcome at 90 days after treatment between patients enrolled in centres in Belgium and the non-Belgian SITS-registry population.