State of the art in vivo imaging techniques for laboratory animals.

In recent decades, imaging devices have become indispensable tools in the basic sciences, in preclinical research and in modern drug development. The rapidly evolving high-resolution in vivo imaging technologies provide a unique opportunity for studying biological processes of living organisms in real time on a molecular level. State of the art small-animal imaging modalities provide non-invasive images rich in quantitative anatomical and functional information, which renders longitudinal studies possible allowing precise monitoring of disease progression and response to therapy in models of different diseases.

Liver regeneration after different degrees of portal vein ligation.

Background: Selective portal vein ligation (PVL) is followed by ipsilateral atrophy and contralateral hypertrophy of the liver lobes. Although the atrophy-hypertrophy complex induced by PVL is a well-documented phenomenon, the effect of different degrees of extended portal vein occlusion on liver regeneration is not known. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of different degrees of portal occlusion on portal pressure and liver regeneration.