Guide for Combining Primary Tumors for Statistical Analysis in Rodent Carcinogenicity Studies.

The Tumor Combination Guide was created at the request of the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by a Working Group of biopharmaceutical experts from international societies of toxicologic pathology, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and members of the Standard for Exchange of Nonclinical Data (SEND) initiative, to assist pharmacology/toxicology reviewers and biostatisticians in statistical analysis of nonclinical tumor data. The guide will also be useful to study and peer review pathologists in interpreting the tumor data. This guide provides a higher-level hierarchy of tumor types or categories correlating the tumor names from the International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria (INHAND) publications with those available in the NEOPLASM controlled terminology (CT) code list in SEND. The version of CT used in a study should be referenced in the nonclinical study data reviewer's guide (SDRG) (section 3.1) of electronic submissions to the FDA. The tumor combination guide instructions and examples are in a tabular format to make informed decisions for combining tumor data for statistical analysis. The strategy for combining tumor types for statistical analysis is based on scientific criteria gleaned from the current scientific literature; as SEND and INHAND terminology and information evolve, this guide will be updated.

International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria (INHAND) progress to date and future plans.

The INHAND Proposal (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions in Rats and Mice) has been operational since 2005. A Global Editorial Steering Committee (GESC) manages the overall objectives of the project and the development of harmonized terminology for each organ system is the responsibility of the Organ Working Groups (OWG), drawing upon experts from North America, Europe and Japan.Great progress has been made with 9 systems published to date - Respiratory, Hepatobiliary, Urinary, Central/Peripheral Nervous Systems, Male Reproductive and Mammary, Zymbals, Clitoral and Preputial Glands in Toxicologic Pathology and the Integument and Soft Tissue and Female Reproductive System in the Journal of Toxicologic Pathology as supplements and on a web site - www.goreni.org. INHAND nomenclature guides offer diagnostic criteria and guidelines for recording lesions observed in rodent toxicity and carcinogenicity studies. The guides provide representative photo-micrographs of morphologic changes, information regarding pathogenesis, and key references. During 2012, INHAND GESC representatives attended meetings with representatives of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Enterprise Vocabulary Services (EVS) to begin incorporation of INHAND terminology as preferred terminology for SEND (Standard for Exchange of Nonclinical Data) submissions to the FDA. The interest in utilizing the INHAND nomenclature, based on input from industry and government toxicologists as well as information technology specialists, suggests that there will be wide acceptance of this nomenclature. The purpose of this publication is to provide an update on the progress of INHAND.

Regulatory Forum commentary: through the looking glass--SENDing the pathology data we have INHAND.

During 2011, International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions in Rats and Mice (INHAND) Global Editorial Steering Committee representatives had discussions with representatives of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Enterprise Vocabulary Services (EVS) to examine the potential use of INHAND terminology for SEND (Standard for Exchange of Nonclinical Data) submissions to the FDA. The interest in utilizing the INHAND nomenclature, based on input from industry and government toxicologists as well as information technology specialists, suggests that there will be wide acceptance of INHAND nomenclature. The purpose of this article is 2-fold: (1) to provide a brief historical background on the development of SEND and how it is structured and (2) to discuss the impact of SEND on toxicologic pathology and the role of INHAND.

Calcium lignosulphonate: re-evaluation of relevant endpoints to re-confirm validity and NOAEL of a 90-day feeding study in rats.

A 90-day feeding study in Han/Wistar rats with calcium lignosulphonate was evaluated by the EFSA. The study was considered to be inadequate due to potentially impaired health status of the animals based upon a high incidence of minimal lymphoid hyperplasia in mesenteric/mandibular lymph nodes and Peyer's patches, and minimal lymphoid cell infiltration in the liver in all animals. The EFSA Panel further disagreed with the conclusion that the treatment-related observation of foamy histiocytosis in mesenteric lymph nodes was non-adverse and asked whether this observation would progress to something more adverse over time. A PWG was convened to assess the sections of lymph nodes, Peyer's patches and liver. In addition, all lymphoid tissues were re-examined. The clinical pathology and animal colony health screening data were re-evaluated. The question whether the foamy histiocytosis could progress to an adverse finding with increasing exposure duration was addressed by read-across. In conclusion, the animals on the 90-day feeding study were in good health, the study was adequate for safety evaluation, and the foamy histiocytes in the mesenteric lymph nodes were not considered adverse, but rather an adaptive response that was considered unlikely to progress to an adverse condition with time. The NOAEL was re-affirmed to be 2000 mg/kgbw/d.

Proliferative and nonproliferative lesions of the rat and mouse mammary, Zymbal's, preputial, and clitoral glands.

The mammary gland of laboratory rodents is an important organ for the evaluation of effects of xenobiotics, especially those that perturb hormonal homeostasis or are potentially carcinogenic. Mammary gland cancer is a leading cause of human mortality and morbidity worldwide and is a subject of major research efforts utilizing rodent models. Zymbal's, preputial, and clitoral glands are standard tissues that are evaluated in animal models that enable human risk assessment of xenobiotics. A widely accepted and utilized international harmonization of nomenclature for mammary, Zymbal's, preputial, and clitoral gland lesions in laboratory animals will improve diagnostic alignment among regulatory and scientific research organizations and enrich international exchanges of information among toxicologists and pathologists.

International harmonization of toxicologic pathology nomenclature: an overview and review of basic principles.

The International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions in Rats and Mice is a global project that is publishing criteria for both proliferative and nonproliferative changes in laboratory animals. This paper presents a set of general suggestions for terminology across systems. These suggestions include the use of diagnostic versus descriptive terms, modifiers, combination terms, and grading systems; and the use of thresholds, synonyms, and terminology for some processes that are common to several organ systems. The purpose of this paper is to help the reader understand some of the basic principles underlying the International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions in Rats and Mice process.

Hematopoietic proliferative lesions in the spleen of rasH2 transgenic mice treated with MNU.

In this study, rasH2-Tg mice treated with N-methyl-N-nitrosurea (MNU) developed exuberant hematoproliferative changes in the spleen that included dysplasia and features of neoplasia. Hematoproliferative change was characterized as exuberant proliferation of hematopoietic cells within the spleen that distorted but did not displace normal splenic morphologic features. The hematopoietic cells were of mixed lineage, but one type, often erythroid, predominated. Cellular atypia was present in all mice with hematoproliferative change, and dysplasia was present in five of eight examined. Hematoproliferative neoplasia was characterized by similar cytologic features but also resulted in displacement/disruption of normal splenic architecture and increased numbers of unidentified blast cells. One case was differentiated toward myeloid proliferation, suggesting granulocytic leukemia. Affected mice had other neoplasms, such as lymphoma and anemia. These proliferative and dysplastic lesions of the spleen in rasH2-Tg mice treated with MNU require additional characterization to definitively differentiate them from the reactive hematopoiesis that can occur in response to inflammatory, neoplastic, or hematopoietic insults in mice.

Spontaneous hibernomas in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Hibernomas are rare neoplasms originating in brown adipose tissue of humans and other animal species, including laboratory animals. Background incidence values for these tumors in all common strains of laboratory rats are generally accepted as being <0.1%. Between April 2000 and April 2007, however, sixty-two hibernomas (an overall prevalence of 3.52%) were observed in a total of 1760 Sprague-Dawley rats assigned to three carcinogenesis bioassays at two separate research laboratories. All rats were obtained from Charles River's breeding facilities in either Portage, Michigan, or Raleigh, North Carolina. Tumors (twenty-nine benign and thirty-three malignant) were randomly distributed among test article-treated and control groups and were considered to be spontaneous. Most tumors originated in the thoracic cavity, and they were usually described as soft, mottled to tan masses with nodular to lobulated profiles. Immunohistochemical procedures for uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) confirmed brown adipose tissue as the site of origin rather than white fat. The marked increase in hibernomas in our studies suggests that greater numbers of spontaneous hibernomas may be sporadically encountered in future carcinogenesis studies with Sprague-Dawley rats. The increased potential for hibernomas to arise as spontaneous neoplasms has important implications in studies involving peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor (PPAR) drugs, lipophilic environmental chemicals (e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls), and other molecules or physiologic processes (e.g., beta-adrenergic stimulation) that may target brown fat adipocytes.

Polydentate N(2)S(2)O and N(2)S(2)O(2) Ligands as Alcoholic Derivatives of (N,N'-Bis(2-mercaptoethyl)-1,5-diazacyclooctane)nickel(II) and (N,N'-Bis(2-mercapto-2-methylpropane)-1,5-diazacyclooctane)nickel(II).

The synthesis, structural characterization, spectroscopic, and electrochemical properties of N(2)S(2)-ligated Ni(II) complexes, (N,N'-bis(2-mercaptoethyl)-1,5-diazacyclooctane)nickel(II), (bme-daco)Ni(II), and (N,N'-bis(2-mercapto-2-methylpropane)1,5-diazacyclooctane)nickel(II), (bme-daco)Ni(II), derivatized at S with alcohol-containing alkyl functionalities, are described. Reaction of (bme-daco)Ni(II) with 2-iodoethanol afforded isomers, (N,N'-bis(5-hydroxy-3-thiapentyl)-1,5-diazacyclooctane-O,N,N',S,S')halonickel(II) iodide (halo = chloro or iodo), 1, and (N,N'-bis(5-hydroxy-3-thiapentyl)-1,5-diazacyclooctane-N,N',S,S')nickel(II) iodide, 2, which differ in the utilization of binding sites in a potentially hexadentate N(2)S(2)O(2) ligand. Blue complex 1 contains nickel in an octahedral environment of N(2)S(2)OX donors; X is best modeled as Cl. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n with a = 12.580(6) Å, b = 12.291(6) Å, c = 13.090(7) Å, beta = 97.36(4) degrees, and Z = 4. In contrast, red complex 2 binds only the N(2)S(2) donor set forming a square planar nickel complex, leaving both -CH(2)CH(2)OH arms dangling; the iodide ions serve strictly as counterions. 2 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pca2(1) with a = 15.822(2) Å, b = 13.171(2) Å, c = 10.0390(10) Å, and Z = 4. Reaction of (bme-daco)Ni(II) with 1,3-dibromo-2-propanol affords another octahedral Ni species with a N(2)S(2)OBr donor set, ((5-hydroxy-3,7-dithianonadiyl)-1,5-diazacyclooctane-O,N,N',S,S')bromonickel(II) bromide, 3. Complex 3 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pca2(1) with a = 15.202(5) Å, b = 7.735(2) Å, c = 15.443(4) Å, and Z = 4. Complex 4.2CH(3)CN was synthesized from the reaction of (bme-daco)Ni(II) with 1,3-dibromo-2-propanol. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2/c with a = 20.348(5) Å, b = 6.5120(1) Å, c = 20.548(5) Å, and Z = 4.

A Coordination Polymer of Nickel(II) Based on a Pentadentate N, S, and O Donor Ligand.

The synthesis, structural characterization, and electrochemical properties of a Ni(II) complex derived from the template reaction of N,N'-bis(2-mercaptoethyl)-1,5-diazacyclooctane nickel(II), Ni-1, with ICH(2)CO(2)Na are described. Blue N-(3-thiabutyl)-N'-(3-thiapentanoate)-1,5-diazacyclooctanenickel(II)iodide, [(tbtp-daco)Ni][I], [5]I, contains Ni(II) in an octahedral environment with N(2)S(2)O(2) donor atoms; one oxygen is from an adjacent [(tbtp-daco)Ni] ion and has the same distance to Ni(II) as the intramolecular oxygen, resulting in a coordination polymer. Complex [5]I.H(2)O, C(13)H(27)N(2)O(3)S(2)NiI, crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pbca with a = 10.898(3), b = 18.103(5), c = 19.020(5), and Z = 8. The extent to which the polymer is retained in solution is counterion dependent, which influences redox properties (accessibility of Ni(I) and Ni(III)).

Spontaneous renal tubular hyperplastic and neoplastic lesions in three Sprague-Dawley rats from a 90-day toxicity study.

Multiple renal tubular cell adenomas and atypical tubular hyperplasia were diagnosed in 2 high-dose and 1 mid-dose female Sprague-Dawley (Crl:CD (SD)IGS BR) rats from a 90-day toxicity study of an amino acid found in green tea. The tumors were bilateral multicentric adenomas accompanied by atypical foci of renal tubular hyperplasia in both kidneys of the 3 animals. Toxic tubular changes that typically accompany renal carcinogenesis were not seen in any of the other animals of the study, suggesting rather, an underlying germline mutation of a tumor suppressor gene in these three rats. The histological appearance of these tumors and short latency was reminiscent of the spontaneous lesions reported to arise in Sprague-Dawley rats in the Nihon rat model. Nihon rats develop kidney tumors as a result of a spontaneous mutation in the rat homologue of the Birt-Hogg-Dubé gene (Bhd). Frozen samples of liver from two tumor-bearing rats were assayed for germline alterations in the Bhd gene. The entire coding region (exons 3-13) of the Bhd gene was sequenced, and a guanine (nt106G) to adenine (nt106A) polymorphism was detected resulting in a glycine to arginine (G36R) substitution in both tumor-bearing animals. In the study animals, the frequency of the A-allele (adenine) was determined to be 27% (19/70). Interestingly, rats obtained from two other sources (n = 17) only carried the nt106G-allele, consistent with the published rat sequence for this gene. Genetic fingerprinting of microsatellite loci indicated that the rats had a shared genetic background. Laser capture microdissection (LCM) of the tumor cells demonstrated a loss of heterozygosity in the Bhd gene in neoplastic cells of one of the two animals. Taken together, these data suggest that the tumors observed in these animals arose spontaneously as a result of a shared genetic susceptibility leading to the development of renal tubular neoplasms.