Testing a model of aging in animal experiments.
A stochastic model of aging is developed in terms of accumulation and expression of intracellular lesions caused by environment or intrinsic genetic program. In contrast to the commonly used Gompertz-Makeham approach to the parametric analysis of mortality data, the model yields a hazard function that is bounded from above. For testing the model in experiments aimed at studying animal longevity, a Kolmogorov-type statistical test is presented with regard to the hypothesis involving unknown parameters. Examples concerning longevity of intact animals of two different species, as well as the effect of a prolonged irradiation at a low dose rate, are given to illustrate the model application and goodness-of-fit testing. The results of the analysis of published data show that the rate of lesion formation is not sustained at a constant level throughout life, though in some cases its variations with age can be considered negligible.
Tyurin YuN
Department of Mathematics, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Yakovlev AYu
Shi
J
J
Bass
L
L
D000375:Aging / Q000528:radiation effects; D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory; D001699:Biometry / Q000379:methods; D003643:Death; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005720:Gamma Rays; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D051381:Rats; D012107:Research Design; D016019:Survival Analysis