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Abstract
Emergent coronaviruses such as MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV can cause significant morbidity and mortality in infected individuals. Lung infection is a common clinical feature and contributes to disease severity as well as viral transmission. Animal models are often required to study viral infections and therapies, especially during an initial outbreak. Histopathology studies allow for identification of lesions and affected cell types to better understand viral pathogenesis and clarify effective therapies. Use of immunostaining allows detection of presumed viral receptors and viral tropism for cells can be evaluated to correlate with lesions. In the lung, lesions and immunostaining can be qualitatively described to define the cell types, microanatomic location, and type of changes seen. These features are important and necessary, but this approach can have limitations when comparing treatment groups. Semiquantitative and quantitative tissue scores are more rigorous as these provide the ability to statistically compare groups and increase the reproducibility and rigor of the study. This review describes principles, approaches, and resources that can be useful to evaluate coronavirus lung infection, focusing on MER-CoV infection as the principal example.
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Affiliation(s)
- David K Meyerholz
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA.
| | - Amanda P Beck
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
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2
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Principles and approaches for reproducible scoring of tissue stains in research. J Transl Med 2018; 98:844-855. [PMID: 29849125 DOI: 10.1038/s41374-018-0057-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/31/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Evaluation of tissues is a common and important aspect of translational research studies. Labeling techniques such as immunohistochemistry can stain cells/tissues to enhance identification of specific cell types, cellular activation states, and protein expression. While qualitative evaluation of labeled tissues has merit, use of semiquantitative and quantitative scoring approaches can greatly enhance the rigor of the tissue data. Adhering to key principles for reproducible scoring can enhance the quality and reproducibility of the tissue data so as to maximize its biological relevance and scientific impact.
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3
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Ladiges W, Snyder JM, Wilkinson E, Imai DM, Snider T, Ge X, Ciol M, Pettan-Brewer C, Pillai SPS, Morton J, Quarles E, Rabinovitch P, Niedernhofer L, Liggitt D. A New Preclinical Paradigm for Testing Anti-Aging Therapeutics. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2017; 72:760-762. [PMID: 28329081 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glx019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Testing drugs for anti-aging effects has historically been conducted in mouse life-span studies, but are costly and time consuming, and more importantly, difficult to recapitulate in humans. In addition, life-span studies in mice are not well suited to testing drug combinations that target multiple factors involved in aging. Additional paradigms for testing therapeutics aimed at slowing aging are needed. A new paradigm, designated as the Geropathology Grading Platform (GGP), is based on a standardized set of guidelines developed to detect the presence or absence of low-impact histopathological lesions and to determine the level of severity of high-impact lesions in organs from aged mice. The GGP generates a numerical score for each age-related lesion in an organ, summed for total lesions, and averaged over multiple mice to obtain a composite lesion score (CLS). Preliminary studies show that the platform generates CLSs that increase with the age of mice in an organ-dependent manner. The CLSs are sensitive enough to detect changes elicited by interventions that extend mouse life span, and thus help validate the GGP as a novel tool to measure biological aging. While currently optimized for mice, the GGP could be adapted to any preclinical animal model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren Ladiges
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle.,Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Jessica M Snyder
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Erby Wilkinson
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
| | - Denise M Imai
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, UC Davis, California
| | - Tim Snider
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
| | - Xuan Ge
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Marcia Ciol
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | | | | | - John Morton
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Ellen Quarles
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle
| | | | - Laura Niedernhofer
- Department of Metabolism and Aging, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida
| | - Denny Liggitt
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
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4
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Meyerholz DK, Sieren JC, Beck AP, Flaherty HA. Approaches to Evaluate Lung Inflammation in Translational Research. Vet Pathol 2017; 55:42-52. [PMID: 28812529 DOI: 10.1177/0300985817726117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Inflammation is a common feature in several types of lung disease and is a frequent end point to validate lung disease models, evaluate genetic or environmental impact on disease severity, or test the efficacy of new therapies. Questions relevant to a study should be defined during experimental design and techniques selected to specifically address these scientific queries. In this review, the authors focus primarily on the breadth of techniques to evaluate lung inflammation that have both clinical and preclinical applications. Stratification of approaches to assess lung inflammation can diminish weaknesses inherent to each technique, provide data validation, and increase the reproducibility of a study. Specialized techniques (eg, imaging, pathology) often require experienced personnel to collect, evaluate, and interpret the data; these experts should be active contributors to the research team through reporting of the data. Scoring of tissue lesions is a useful method to transform observational pathologic data into semiquantitative or quantitative data for statistical analysis and enhanced rigor. Each technique to evaluate lung inflammation has advantages and limitations; understanding these parameters can help identify approaches that best complement one another to increase the rigor and translational significance of data.
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Affiliation(s)
- David K Meyerholz
- 1 Department of Pathology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Jessica C Sieren
- 2 Department of Radiology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.,3 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Amanda P Beck
- 4 Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Heather A Flaherty
- 5 Department of Veterinary Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
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Treuting PM, Snyder JM, Ikeno Y, Schofield PN, Ward JM, Sundberg JP. The Vital Role of Pathology in Improving Reproducibility and Translational Relevance of Aging Studies in Rodents. Vet Pathol 2016; 53:244-9. [PMID: 26792843 PMCID: PMC4835687 DOI: 10.1177/0300985815620629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Pathology is a discipline of medicine that adds great benefit to aging studies of rodents by integrating in vivo, biochemical, and molecular data. It is not possible to diagnose systemic illness, comorbidities, and proximate causes of death in aging studies without the morphologic context provided by histopathology. To date, many rodent aging studies do not utilize end points supported by systematic necropsy and histopathology, which leaves studies incomplete, contradictory, and difficult to interpret. As in traditional toxicity studies, if the effect of a drug, dietary treatment, or altered gene expression on aging is to be studied, systematic pathology analysis must be included to determine the causes of age-related illness, moribundity, and death. In this Commentary, the authors discuss the factors that should be considered in the design of aging studies in mice, with the inclusion of robust pathology practices modified after those developed by toxicologic and discovery research pathologists. Investigators in the field of aging must consider the use of histopathology in their rodent aging studies in this era of integrative and preclinical geriatric science (geroscience).
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Affiliation(s)
- P M Treuting
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - J M Snyder
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Y Ikeno
- Barshop Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio; Research Service and Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Center, Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - P N Schofield
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, USA
| | - J M Ward
- Global VetPathology, Montgomery Village, MD, USA
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Ladiges W. Pathology assessment is necessary to validate translational endpoints in preclinical aging studies. PATHOBIOLOGY OF AGING & AGE RELATED DISEASES 2016; 6:31478. [PMID: 27015829 PMCID: PMC4808080 DOI: 10.3402/pba.v6.31478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The Geropathology Research Network has established a plan to identify and use pathology-based surrogate endpoints for aging intervention in preclinical drug studies to provide a predictable and short-term anti-aging drug response in line with clinical trials. The plan involves pathological assessment of tissues and organs from strains of old mice, by independent pathology groups in a concurrent manner in order to characterize the changes in lesion incidence and severity in response to anti-aging drugs at specific time points. This approach allows for connection with translational endpoints of aging, such as serum factors and physiological parameters, between mice and humans. Preclinical drug testing is a critical component of the plan, designed to shorten testing times from lengthy lifespan studies by comparing lesion grades and composite scores in treated and placebo cohorts at cross-sectional time points. In conclusion, a geropathology-based preclinical testing program is a step toward assuring maximum utilization of translational resources and increasing predictability of efficacy of new or repurposed drugs for clinical aging intervention studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren Ladiges
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;
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Sataranatarajan K, Ikeno Y, Bokov A, Feliers D, Yalamanchili H, Lee HJ, Mariappan MM, Tabatabai-Mir H, Diaz V, Prasad S, Javors MA, Ghosh Choudhury G, Hubbard GB, Barnes JL, Richardson A, Kasinath BS. Rapamycin Increases Mortality in db/db Mice, a Mouse Model of Type 2 Diabetes. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2015; 71:850-7. [PMID: 26442901 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glv170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We examined the effect of rapamycin on the life span of a mouse model of type 2 diabetes, db/db mice. At 4 months of age, male and female C57BLKSJ-lepr (db/db) mice (db/db) were placed on either a control diet, lacking rapamycin or a diet containing rapamycin and maintained on these diets over their life span. Rapamycin was found to reduce the life span of the db/db mice. The median survival of male db/db mice fed the control and rapamycin diets was 349 and 302 days, respectively, and the median survival of female db/db mice fed the control and rapamycin diets was 487 and 411 days, respectively. Adjusting for gender differences, rapamycin increased the mortality risk 1.7-fold in both male and female db/db mice. End-of-life pathological data showed that suppurative inflammation was the main cause of death in the db/db mice, which is enhanced slightly by rapamycin treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yuji Ikeno
- Department of Pathology, and The Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio. Research Service and Geriatric Research and Education Center, Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Vivian Diaz
- The Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio
| | | | | | - Goutam Ghosh Choudhury
- Department of Medicine, Research Service and Geriatric Research and Education Center, Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio
| | - Gene B Hubbard
- Department of Pathology, and The Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio
| | | | - Arlan Richardson
- ROCA/Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center and the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center.
| | - Balakuntalam S Kasinath
- Department of Medicine, The Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio. Research Service and
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Ladiges W, Ikeno Y, Niedernhofer L, McIndoe RA, Ciol MA, Ritchey J, Liggitt D. The Geropathology Research Network: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Integrating Pathology Into Research on Aging. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2015; 71:431-4. [PMID: 26243216 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glv079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2014] [Accepted: 05/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Geropathology is the study of aging and age-related lesions and diseases in the form of whole necropsies/autopsies, surgical biopsies, histology, and molecular biomarkers. It encompasses multiple subspecialties of geriatrics, anatomic pathology, molecular pathology, clinical pathology, and gerontology. In order to increase the consistency and scope of communication in the histologic and molecular pathology assessment of tissues from preclinical and clinical aging studies, a Geropathology Research Network has been established consisting of pathologists and scientists with expertise in the comparative pathology of aging, the design of aging research studies, biostatistical methods for analysis of aging data, and bioinformatics for compiling and annotating large sets of data generated from aging studies. The network provides an environment to promote learning and exchange of scientific information and ideas for the aging research community through a series of symposia, the development of uniform ways of integrating pathology into aging studies, and the statistical analysis of pathology data. The efforts of the network are ultimately expected to lead to a refined set of sentinel biomarkers of molecular and anatomic pathology that could be incorporated into preclinical and clinical aging intervention studies to increase the relevance and productivity of these types of investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren Ladiges
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle.
| | - Yuji Ikeno
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio
| | | | | | - Marcia A Ciol
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Jerry Ritchey
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
| | - Denny Liggitt
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
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McInnes EF, Scudamore CL. Aging Lesions: Background Versus Phenotype. CURRENT PATHOBIOLOGY REPORTS 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s40139-015-0078-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Harb MR, Sousa N, Zihl J, Almeida OFX. Reward components of feeding behavior are preserved during mouse aging. Front Aging Neurosci 2014; 6:242. [PMID: 25278876 PMCID: PMC4165288 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2014.00242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2014] [Accepted: 08/25/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Eating behavior depends on associations between the sensory and energetic properties of foods. Healthful balance of these factors is a challenge for industrialized societies that have an abundance of food, food choices and food-related cues. Here, we were interested in whether appetitive conditioning changes as a function of age. Operant and pavlovian conditioning experiments (rewarding stimulus was a palatable food) in male mice (aged 3, 6, and 15 months) showed that implicit (non-declarative) memory remains intact during aging. Two other essential components of eating behavior, motivation and hedonic preference for rewarding foods, were also found not to be altered in aging mice. Specifically, hedonic responding by satiated mice to isocaloric foods of differing sensory properties (sucrose, milk) was similar in all age groups; importantly, however, this paradigm disclosed that older animals adjust their energy intake according to energetic need. Based on the assumption that the mechanisms that control feeding are conserved across species, it would appear that overeating and obesity in humans reflects a mismatch between ancient physiological mechanisms and today's cue-laden environment. The implication of the present results showing that aging does not impair the ability to learn stimulus-food associations is that the risk of overeating in response to food cues is maintained through to old age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mazen R Harb
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry Munich, Germany ; Portugal and ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Institute of Life and Health Sciences (ICVS), University of Minho Braga, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Portugal and ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Institute of Life and Health Sciences (ICVS), University of Minho Braga, Portugal
| | - Joseph Zihl
- Department of Neuropsychology, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany
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Abstract
Mouse models are increasingly being used for the study of human disease, and the generation and functional characterisation of new models is underpinned by high-throughput phenotyping consortia such as the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium. A new study by Adissu and colleagues, published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, demonstrates the usefulness of histopathology in providing corroborative information and uncovering novel phenotypes in genetically modified mice in a high-throughput screen. Although pathology is recognised as a valuable tool to enhance our understanding of animal disease models, it has also been systematically under-resourced. This Editorial aims to highlight ways in which the gap between the usefulness of pathology and its perceived inaccessibility can be addressed by considering pragmatic solutions for planning, resourcing and accessing pathology expertise. The role of funding agencies, academic centres and journals in ensuring that the value of pathology is fully recognised and is adequately supported and funded is also discussed.
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