REGULAR CONTENT
Final ID
408
Type
Original Scientific Research-Poster Only
Authors
A Brown1, K Carlson1, W Culp1, J Lowery1, M Hellman1, R Skinner1
Institutions
1University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
Purpose
Objective: Clinical stroke incidence and outcomes are influenced by the patient's sex. Males have a higher stroke incidence except in advanced age groups. Animal stroke studies, usually in young rodents, show more severe histologic changes in males. In aging humans and animals, infarct size and functional outcomes are worse in females. Our rabbit angiographic stroke model was reviewed to detect sex differences in percent stroke volume (%SV) and neurological assessment scores (NAS).
Materials & Methods
Methods: A review of 458 animals (published in 8 papers) were analyzed by sex and without concern for specific therapies. All were mature New Zealand White rabbits weighing >8#, mostly retired breeders. All had the same angiographic occlusion procedures, with emboli of one 4 mm aged clot or 2 or 3 spheres 700-900 microns in diameter. Clots are vulnerable to autolysis and spheres are not. Otherwise they both produce similar %SV and functional outcomes. All were categorized as control vs. treatment and clot vs. sphere. Blinded NAS were measured immediately before sacrifice and %SV at death. Students t test and ANOVA were applied.
Results
Results: All previous publications from this data base involved <75 animals/publication and individual treatment group sizes of <21. These publications showed positive treatment findings but no sex bias. When the data was compiled, N=>107 showed a significant sex bias in NAS.
Conclusions
Conclusion: While %SV sphere values did not differ between sexes, the data did show a sex difference in a large therapeutic series (N=>107) revealing more severe NAS in treated males. Smaller series (N=<75) fail to attain statistical significance when %SV and NAS scores are compared in males vs. females. Thus, when large series (N=>107) of rabbit stroke models are analyzed, sex bias must be considered.
Final ID
408
Type
Original Scientific Research-Poster Only
Authors
A Brown1, K Carlson1, W Culp1, J Lowery1, M Hellman1, R Skinner1
Institutions
1University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
Purpose
Objective: Clinical stroke incidence and outcomes are influenced by the patient's sex. Males have a higher stroke incidence except in advanced age groups. Animal stroke studies, usually in young rodents, show more severe histologic changes in males. In aging humans and animals, infarct size and functional outcomes are worse in females. Our rabbit angiographic stroke model was reviewed to detect sex differences in percent stroke volume (%SV) and neurological assessment scores (NAS).
Materials & Methods
Methods: A review of 458 animals (published in 8 papers) were analyzed by sex and without concern for specific therapies. All were mature New Zealand White rabbits weighing >8#, mostly retired breeders. All had the same angiographic occlusion procedures, with emboli of one 4 mm aged clot or 2 or 3 spheres 700-900 microns in diameter. Clots are vulnerable to autolysis and spheres are not. Otherwise they both produce similar %SV and functional outcomes. All were categorized as control vs. treatment and clot vs. sphere. Blinded NAS were measured immediately before sacrifice and %SV at death. Students t test and ANOVA were applied.
Results
Results: All previous publications from this data base involved <75 animals/publication and individual treatment group sizes of <21. These publications showed positive treatment findings but no sex bias. When the data was compiled, N=>107 showed a significant sex bias in NAS.
Conclusions
Conclusion: While %SV sphere values did not differ between sexes, the data did show a sex difference in a large therapeutic series (N=>107) revealing more severe NAS in treated males. Smaller series (N=<75) fail to attain statistical significance when %SV and NAS scores are compared in males vs. females. Thus, when large series (N=>107) of rabbit stroke models are analyzed, sex bias must be considered.