Visualizing cell death in experimental focal cerebral ischemia: promises, problems, and perspectives
One of the hallmarks of stroke pathophysiology is the widespread death of many different types of brain cells. As our understanding of the complex disease that is stroke has grown, it is now generally accepted that various different mechanisms can result in cell damage and eventual death. A plethora of techniques is available to identify various pathological features of cell death in stroke; each has its own drawbacks and pitfalls, and most are unable to distinguish between different types of cell death, which partially explains the widespread misuse of many terms. The purpose of this review is to summarize the standard histopathological and immunohistochemical techniques used to identify …
Changing the Mindset in Life Sciences Toward Translation: A Consensus
Participants at the recent Translate! 2014 meeting in Berlin, Germany, reached a consensus on the rate-limiting factor for advancing translational medicine.
Systematic review of guidelines for internal validity in the design, conduct and analysis of preclinical biomedical experiments involving laboratory animalsSystematic review of guidelines for internal validity in the design, conduct and analysis of preclinical biomedical experiments involving laboratory animals
Over the last two decades, awareness of the negative repercussions of flaws in the planning, conduct and reporting of preclinical research involving experimental animals has been growing. Several initiatives have set out to increase transparency and internal validity of preclinical studies, mostly publishing expert consensus and experience. While many of the points raised in these various guidelines are identical or similar, they differ in detail and rigour. Most of them focus on reporting, only few of them cover the planning and conduct of studies. The aim of this systematic review is to identify existing experimental design, conduct, analysis and reporting guidelines relating to preclinic…
Increased Hypoxic Tolerance by Chemical Inhibition of Oxidative Phosphorylation: “Chemical Preconditioning”
A short ischemic episode preceding sustained ischemia is known to increase tolerance against ischemic cell death. We report early-onset long-lasting neuroprotection against in vitro hypoxia by preceding selective chemical inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation: “chemical preconditioning.” The amplitude of CA1population spikes (psap) in hippocampal slices prepared from control animals (control slices) was 31 ± 27% (mean ± SD) upon 45-min recovery from 15-min in vitro hypoxia. In slices prepared from animals treated in vivo with 20 mg/kg 3-nitropropionate (3-np) 1–24 h prior to slice preparation (preconditioned slices), psap improved to 90 ± 15% (p < 0.01). Posthypoxic oxygen free radical…