Journal article
Observational Study Design in Veterinary Pathology, Part 2: Methodology
Veterinary pathology, Vol.55(6), pp.774-785
11/2018
DOI: 10.1177/0300985818798121
PMID: 30227783
Abstract
Observational studies are a basis for much of our knowledge of veterinary pathology, yet considerations for conducting pathology-based observational studies are not readily available. In part 1 of this series, we offered advice on planning and carrying out an observational study. Part 2 of the series focuses on methodology. Our general recommendations are to consider using already-validated methods, published guidelines, data from primary sources, and quantitative analyses. We discuss 3 common methods in pathology research—histopathologic scoring, immunohistochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction—to illustrate principles of method validation. Some aspects of quality control include use of clear objective grading criteria, validation of key reagents, assessing sample quality, determining specificity and sensitivity, use of technical and biologic negative and positive controls, blinding of investigators, approaches to minimizing operator-dependent variation, measuring technical variation, and consistency in analysis of the different study groups. We close by discussing approaches to increasing the rigor of observational studies by corroborating results with complementary methods, using sufficiently large numbers of study subjects, consideration of the data in light of similar published studies, replicating the results in a second study population, and critical analysis of the study findings.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Observational Study Design in Veterinary Pathology, Part 2: Methodology
- Creators
- Jeff L Caswell - Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, CanadaLaura L Bassel - Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, CanadaJamie L Rothenburger - Department of Ecosystem and Public Health; Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (Alberta), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, CanadaAndrea Gröne - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the NetherlandsJan M Sargeant - Department of Population Medicine and Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, CanadaAmanda P Beck - Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USAStina Ekman - Department of Biomedicine and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, SwedenKatherine N Gibson-Corley - Department of Pathology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USAThijs Kuiken - Department of Viroscience, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the NetherlandsElise E. B LaDouceur - Joint Pathology Center, Silver Spring, MD, USADavid K Meyerholz - University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 1165 Medical Laboratories, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USAFrancesco C Origgi - Centre for Fish and Wildlife Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, SwitzerlandHorst Posthaus - Institute of Animal Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, SwitzerlandSimon L Priestnall - Department of Pathobiology & Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, UKLorenzo Ressel - Department of Veterinary Pathology and Public Health, Institute of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UKLeslie Sharkey - Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA, USALeandro B. C Teixeira - Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USAKazuyuki Uchida - Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, JapanJerrold M Ward - GlobalVetPathology, Montgomery Village, MD, USAJoshua D Webster - Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USAJyoji Yamate - Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Izumisano City, Osaka, Japan
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Veterinary pathology, Vol.55(6), pp.774-785
- DOI
- 10.1177/0300985818798121
- PMID
- 30227783
- ISSN
- 0300-9858
- eISSN
- 1544-2217
- Grant note
- DOI: 10.13039/501100000038, name: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, award: RGPIN-2017-03872
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/2018
- Academic Unit
- Pathology; Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984083879402771
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