Table 1

Criteria for scoring muscle damage. The pathological changes were graded on 4 transversal sections of the right gastrocnemius. The total damage score is a compilation of scores of apoptosis, hyaline degeneration, myoblasts regeneration, and inflammation. All scores are ranging from 0 to 3.


Score

0
1
2
3

Apoptosis Number of apoptotic cells / bodies in 10 random 20 × magnification fields
0–1
<5
5–13
>13
Hyaline degeneration Percentage of fibers affected.
0–1%
1–10 %
10–50%
> 50%
Myoblasts Number of myoblasts in 10 random 20 × magnification fields
0–1
<5
5–13
>13
Inflammation Diffuse or multifocal inflammation in muscle fibers
Normal background
Increase of inflammatory cells
Aggregates of inflammatory cells
Aggregates of inflammatory cells obscuring the muscle architecture

Lefesvre et al. BMC Pharmacology 2003 3:11   doi:10.1186/1471-2210-3-11