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Group sequential designs for in vivo studies Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Susanne Blotwijk, Sophie Hernot, Kurt Barbé

Interim analysis is the practice of performing a statistical analysis when the data have only been partially collected, for example, to save resources or to handle the uncertainty of the true effect size. Most statistical designs featuring interim analysis have been developed either in a general statistical setting or for application in clinical trials. As a result, most of them make assumptions and have conditions that in a preclinical ...

Timing of part-time group housing for farm rabbits: Effects on reproductive performance, skin injuries and behaviour Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Liesbeth Van Damme, Evelyne Delezie, Bart Ampe, Frank Tuyttens
Commercial rabbit farms commonly house breeding does in single-litter cages that generate concerns for animal welfare. Group housing increases the space per animal and allows for more natural behaviour. When housed in group, however, does exhibit aggressive behaviour around parturition and continuous group housing systems have negative effects on reproductive performances. Part-time group housing aims to reduce aggression by delaying the ...

In vivo potency assay for the screening of bioactive molecules on cartilage formation KU Leuven

Frank Luyten
Cartilage regeneration is a priority in medicine for the treatment of osteoarthritis and isolated cartilage defects. Several molecules with potential for cartilage regeneration are under investigation. Unfortunately, in vitro chondrogenesis assays do not always predict the stability of the newly formed cartilage in vivo. Therefore, there is a need for a stringent, quantifiable assay to assess in vivo the capacity of molecules to promote the ...

Genome-Wide Association Analyses of Osteochondrosis in Belgian Warmbloods Reveal Candidate Genes Associated With Chondrocyte Development KU Leuven

Steven Janssens, Gabriella Lindgren, Nadine Buys
Osteochondrosis (OC) is an important skeletal disease causing profound welfare concerns in horses. Although numerous studies have explored the genetics underlying OC in various breeds, the Belgian Warmblood (BW) remains unstudied despite having a concerning prevalence of 32.0%. As a result, this study aimed to conduct genome-wide association (GWA) analyses to identify candidate variants associated with OC in BWs. To achieve this, blood samples ...

Effect of lower temperature stimuli during incubation on fear and social-related behaviours in broilers KU Leuven

Sara Verlinden, ALI Youssef Ali Amer, Nadia Everaert, Tomas Norton
Temperature is the most influential environmental parameter during egg incubation affecting embryo development, hatchability and post-hatch performance of broilers. Industrial incubation operates to control the temperature and humidity around the eggs closely based on predefined setpoints and keep fluctuations to a minimum. On the other hand, during brooding, the mother hen regularly leaves the nest for self-maintenance resulting in a striking ...

Animal board invited review: Animal source foods in healthy, sustainable, and ethical diets – An argument against drastic limitation of livestock in the food system Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Frédéric Leroy, Fabien Abraini, Ty Beal, Paula Dominguez-Salas, Pablo Gregorini, Pablo Manzano, Jason Rowntree, Stephan Van Vliet
Animal source foods are evolutionarily appropriate foods for humans. It is therefore remarkable that they are now presented by some as unhealthy, unsustainable, and unethical, particularly in the urban West. The benefits of consuming them are nonetheless substantial, as they offer a wide spectrum of nutrients that are needed for cell and tissue development, function, and survival. They play a role in proper physical and cognitive development of ...

Predicting Vaccine Uptake during COVID-19 Crisis: A Motivational Approach KU Leuven

Omer Van den Bergh
The present research examined which motivational factors contribute to individuals' intention to take a vaccine that protects against SARS-CoV-2-virus and their self-reported vaccine uptake several months later. The role of different types of motivation was investigated (i.e., autonomous and controlled regulation) as well as vaccine distrust and effort to obtain a vaccine. Across two large-scale cross-sectional (N = 8887) and longitudinal (N = ...

In vitro cytotoxic effects of 5-Fluorouracil on isolated murine ovarian preantral follicles Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Juliana Z Almeida, L A Vieira, C Maside, A C A Ferreira, N A R Sá, H H V Correia, V R Araújo, R S Raposo, Johan Smitz, C C Campello, et al.

5 fluorouracil (5FU), an antineoplastic drug, is often utilized in the therapeutic regimen for several types of cancer, including the hepatoblastoma in children. The effects of 5FU on the population of ovarian preantral follicles, which is the largest oocyte reservoir, is still poorly understood. The integrity of the ovarian preantral follicle pool is important for lifelong fertility. The better understanding of such effects may favor ...

Individual factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in between and during pandemic waves (July-December 2020) University of Antwerp Hasselt University KU Leuven

Sara Valckx, Jonas Crevecoeur, Frederik Verelst, Maren Vranckx, Greet Hendrickx, Niel Hens, Pierre Van Damme, Koen Pepermans, Philippe Beutels, Thomas Neyens, et al.
Background: A year after the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, the global rollout of vaccines gives us hope of ending the pandemic. Lack of vaccine confidence, however, poses a threat to vaccination campaigns. This study aims at identifying individuals' characteristics that explain vaccine willingness in Flanders (Belgium), while also describing trends over time (July-December 2020). Methods: The analysis included data of 10 survey waves of the ...