Virtual microscopy for comparative pathology.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
Fred R Dee
Publications and source records attributed to Fred R Dee.
Alcohol consumption and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a pooled analysis.
BACKGROUND: Previous epidemiological studies of the relation between alcohol consumption and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) have been inconsistent, probably because of small sample sizes of individual studies that result from stratification by NHL subtype and type of alcoholic beverage. We aimed to assess the role of alcohol consumption in NHL with sufficient sample size to analyse by both type of alcoholic beverage and disease subtype. METHODS: We obtained original data from nine case-control studies from the USA, UK, Sweden, and Italy in the International Lymphoma Epidemiology Consortium (InterLymph), yielding a pooled study population of 15 175 individuals (6492 cases and 8683 controls). We derived odds ratios (OR) and 95% CI from unconditional logistic regression models, controlling for study centre and other confounding factors. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed by comparison of results from joint fixed-effects logistic regression and two-stage random-effects logistic regression, and by calculation of Wald chi(2) statistics. FINDINGS: People who drank alcohol had a lower risk of NHL than did non-drinkers (OR 0.83 [95% CI 0.76-0.89]). Compared with non-drinkers, risk estimates were lower for current drinkers than for former drinkers (0.73 [0.64-0.84] vs 0.95 [0.80-1.14]), but risk did not decrease with increasing alcohol consumption. The protective effect of alcohol did not vary by beverage type, but did change with NHL subtype. The lowest risk estimates were recorded for Burkitt's lymphoma (0.51 [0.33-0.77]). INTERPRETATION: People who drink alcoholic beverages might have a lower risk of NHL than those who do not, and this risk might vary by NHL subtype. Further study designs are needed to determine whether confounding lifestyle factors or immunomodulatory effects of alcohol explain this association.
Adolescent↗
Cigarette smoking and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a pooled analysis from the International Lymphoma Epidemiology Consortium (interlymph).
BACKGROUND: The International Lymphoma Epidemiology Consortium (InterLymph) provides an opportunity to analyze the relationship between cigarette smoking and non-Hodgkin lymphoma with sufficient statistical power to consider non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtype. The results from previous studies of this relationship have been inconsistent, likely due to the small sample sizes that arose from stratification by disease subtype. To clarify the role of cigarette smoking in the etiology of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, we conducted a pooled analysis of original patient data from nine case-control studies of non-Hodgkin lymphoma conducted in the United States, Europe, and Australia. METHODS: Original data were obtained from each study and uniformly coded. Risk estimates from fixed-effects and two-stage random-effects models were compared to determine the impact of interstudy heterogeneity. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were derived from unconditional logistic regression models, controlling for study center, age, sex, and race. RESULTS: In our pooled study population of 6,594 cases and 8,892 controls, smoking was associated with slightly increased risk estimates (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.00-1.15). Stratification by non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtype revealed that the most consistent association between cigarette smoking and non-Hodgkin lymphoma was observed among follicular lymphomas (n = 1452). Compared with nonsmokers, current smokers had a higher OR for follicular lymphoma (1.31; 95% CI, 1.12-1.52) than former smokers (1.06; 95% CI, 0.93-1.22). Current heavy smoking (> or = 36 pack-years) was associated with a 45% increased OR for follicular lymphoma (1.45; 95% CI, 1.15-1.82) compared with nonsmokers. CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette smoking may increase the risk of developing follicular lymphoma but does not seem to affect risk of the other non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtypes we examined. Future research is needed to determine the biological mechanism responsible for our subtype-specific results.
Adult↗
Virtual microscopy for learning and assessment in pathology.
Virtual slides are high-magnification digital images of tissue sections, stored in a multi-resolution file format. Using appropriate software, these slides can be viewed in a web browser in a manner that closely simulates examination of glass slides with a real microscope. We describe the successful implementation of teaching microscopic pathology with virtual slides and, for the first time, their use in summative assessment. Both students and teaching staff readily adapted to the use of virtual microscopy. Questionnaire feedback from students strongly indicated that virtual slides solved a number of problems in their learning, while providing good to excellent image quality. A deliberate policy of allocating two students per workstation promoted collaboration and helped to maintain interest in microscopic pathology. The use of a secure browser facilitated assessment using virtual slides, with no technical or security issues arising despite high peak demand. The new Medicine programme at the University of New South Wales will exclusively utilize virtual microscopy for the study of both histology and histopathology. We believe that the use of high-quality learning resources such as virtual slides can ensure that microscopic examination of tissues remains both meaningful and interesting.
Computer Simulation↗
Implementation of virtual microscope slides in the annual pathobiology of cancer workshop laboratory.
Virtual slides are digital facsimiles of glass microscope slides that, when viewed with a pan and zoom viewer, can emulate viewing a glass slide with a traditional microscope. Based on successful implementation of virtual slides in medical student histology and pathology courses at the University of Iowa, we developed a plan to evaluate the use of virtual slides in the American Association for Cancer Research's annual Pathobiology of Cancer Workshop. In this Workshop, nonphysician predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows working in cancer research explore the morphological, clinical, and molecular aspects of human cancer. Over the course of a week, students examine approximately 100 glass slides in microscope laboratories, facilitated by senior cancer investigators. The goal of the present study was to evaluate virtual slides as a teaching modality in these laboratories, not as a replacement for traditional microscopy, but rather in terms of their utility in facilitating student learning as they examine glass slides with a traditional microscope. Evaluation by questionnaire indicated that virtual slides enhanced students' ability to grasp morphological features better than the traditional photomicrographs. The results of this implementation suggest that virtual slide technology may be successfully extended to other educational venues where traditional microscopy and photomicrographs are currently used.
Computer-Assisted Instruction↗