Abstract
One major aim of preclinical intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) research is to develop and test potential neuroprotectants. Published guidelines for experimental design and reporting stress the importance of clearly and completely reporting results and methodological details to ensure reproducibility and maximize information availability. The current review has two objectives: first, to characterize current ICH neuroprotection research and, second, to analyze aspects of translational design in preclinical ICH studies. Translational design is the adoption and reporting of experimental design characteristics that are thought to be clinically relevant and critical to reproducibility in animal studies (e.g., conducting and reporting experiments according to the STAIR and ARRIVE guidelines, respectively). Given that ICH has no current neuroprotective treatments and an ongoing reproducibility crisis in preclinical research, translational design should be considered by investigators. We conducted a systematic review of ICH research from 2015 to 2019 using the PubMed database. Our search returned 281 published manuscripts studying putative neuroprotectants in animal models. Contemporary ICH research predominantly uses young, healthy male rodents. The collagenase model is the most commonly used. Reporting of group sizes, blinding, and randomization are almost unanimous, but group size calculations, mortality and exclusion criteria, and animal model characteristics are infrequently reported. Overall, current ICH neuroprotection research somewhat aligns with experimental design and reporting guidelines. However, there are areas for improvement. Because failure to consider translational design is associated with inflation of effect sizes (and possibly hindered reproducibility), we suggest that researchers, editors, and publishers collaboratively consider enhanced adherence to published guidelines.
Highlights
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a deadly stroke subtype, accounting for ~ 15% of all strokes [1]
Given that experimental design is seen as critical to research translation, the present review aims to provide a snapshot of the quality of experimental design in ICH neuroprotection research and some considerations for researchers
In our analysis of experimental design, we found that 94% of studies clearly report the number of animals used per group
Summary
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a deadly stroke subtype, accounting for ~ 15% of all strokes [1]. ICH affects ~ 5 million people each year worldwide. Of those, ~ 3 million will die within 1 year, and only 12–39% of survivors will regain functional independence [2]. These statistics are concerning given that the incidence of ICH rose globally by 47% between 1990. Translational experimental design is the adoption of a research plan that may advance a novel therapy from bench to bedside [5]. Translational design evolves, changing as the therapeutic approach becomes better understood. Translational research uses information from basic and clinical sciences to advance therapies to the clinical realm
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