ObjectiveThe study aim was to evaluate a small low-field NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) scanner, the NMR-MOUSE®, for detecting changes in intestinal diffusion under different (patho-) physiological perfusion states.MethodsLaparotomy was performed on 8 female landrace pigs (body weight 70±6 kg) and the feeding vessels of several intestinal loops were dissected. Successively, the intestinal loops were examined using O2C (oxygen to see, LEA Medizintechnik GmbH, Giessen, Germany) for microcirculatory monitoring and the NMR-MOUSE® for diffusion measurement (fast and slow components). On each loop the baseline measurement (physiological perfusion) was followed by one of the following main procedures: method 1 –ischemia; method 2 –flow reduction; method 3 –intraluminal glucose followed by ischemia; method 4 –intraluminal glucose followed by flow reduction. Additionally, standard perioperative monitoring (blood pressure, ECG, blood gas analyses) and histological assessment of intestinal biopsies was performed.ResultsThere was no statistical overall time and method effect in the NMR-MOUSE measurement (fast component: ptime = 0.6368, pmethod = 0.9766, slow component: ptime = 0.8216, pmethod = 0.7863). Yet, the fast component of the NMR-MOUSE measurement showed contrary trends during ischemia (increase) versus flow reduction (decrease). The slow-to-fast diffusion ratio shifted slightly towards slow diffusion during flow reduction. The O2C measurement showed a significant decrease of oxygen saturation and microcirculatory blood flow during ischemia and flow reduction (p < .0001). The local microcirculatory blood amount (rHb) showed a significant mucosal increase (pClamping(method 1) = 0.0007, pClamping(method 3) = 0.0119), but a serosal decrease (pClamping(method 1) = 0.0119, pClamping(method 3) = 0.0078) during ischemia. The histopathological damage was significantly higher with increasing experimental duration and at the end of methods 3 and 4 (p < .0001,Fisher-test).ConclusionMonitoring intestinal diffusion changes due to different perfusion states using the NMR-MOUSE is feasible under experimental conditions. Despite the lack of statistical significance, this technique reflects perfusion changes and therefore seems promising for the evaluation of different intestinal perfusion states in the future. Beforehand however, an optimization of this technology, including the optimization of the penetration depth, as well as further validation studies under physiological conditions and including older animals are required.

Objectives Non-publication and publication bias are topics of considerable importance to the scientific community. These issues may limit progress toward the 3R principle for animal research, promote waste of public resources, and generate biased interpretations of clinical outcomes. To investigate current publishing practices and to gain some understanding of the extent to which research results are reported, we examined publication rates of research projects that were approved within an internal funding program of the Faculty of Medicine at a university medical center in Germany, which is exemplary for comparable research funding programs for the promotion of young researchers in Germany and Europe. Methods We analyzed the complete set (n = 363) of research projects that were supported by an internal funding program between 2004 and 2013. We divided the projects into four different proposal types that included those that required an ethics vote, those that included an animal proposal, those that included both requirements, and those that included neither requirement. Results We found that 65% of the internally funded research projects resulted in at least one peer-reviewed publication; this increased to 73% if other research contributions were considered, including abstracts, book and congress contributions, scientific posters, and presentations. There were no significant differences with respect to publication rates based on (a) the clinic/institute of the applicant, (b) project duration, (c) scope of funding or (d) proposal type. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to explore publication rates associated with early-career medical research funding. As >70% of the projects ultimately generated some form of publication, the program was overall effective toward this goal; however, non-publication of research results is still prevalent. Further research will explore the reasons underlying non-publication. We hope to use these findings to develop strategies that encourage publication of research results.

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