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    Prospective Longitudinal Monitoring of Effectiveness and Safety of Biological Drugs in Patients with Chronic Rheumatic Diseases using BioRx.si

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    Cilj Prikaz uporabnosti podatkov iz registra BioRx.si za spremljanje učinkovitosti (hipotezi 1A in 1B) in varnosti (hipoteza 2) bioloških zdravil (bDMARD), ki jih uporabljamo za zdravljenje revmatskih bolezni. Hipoteze 1A. Pri bolnikih z revmatoidnim artritisom (RA), pri katerih je prvi zaviralec dejavnika tumorske nekroze (TNFi) odpovedal zaradi neučinkovitosti ali ne prenašanja, je preživetje naslednjega bDMARD odvisno od mehanizma njegovega delovanja. 1B. Pri bolnikih z RA, ankilozirajočim spondilitisom (AS) in psoriatičnim artritisom (PsA) ni razlik v preživetju med različnimi TNFi, npr. golimumaba v primerjavi z ostalimi TNFi (oTNFi). 2. Presejanje latentne okužbe z M. tuberculosis (LTBI) pri bolnikih z RA, AS in PsA pred začetkom zdravljenja s TNFi slovenski revmatologi izvajamo v dveh korakih. Prvi korak vključuje anamnezo, tuberkulinski kožni test in pregledno rentgensko sliko prsnih organov. V primeru odklonov v prvem koraku, opravi drugi korak pulmolog, ki po svoji presoji naroči dodatne preiskave in predpiše kemoprofilakso TB. Ta pristop zagotavlja primerljivo nizko pojavnost tuberkuloze pri bolnikih, izpostavljenih TNFi, kot je opisano v dostopni literaturi. Zasnova raziskave, metode in preiskovanci Vsi slovenski revmatologi preko spletnega vmesnika prispevajo podatke v nacionalni register BioRx.si. Podatke o učinkovitosti in varnosti bDMARD zbiramo od leta 2008 za RA, od leta 2010 pa tudi za AS in PsA. V raziskovalne namene lahko podatke iz registra analiziramo na različne načine. Pri vseh analizah smo za opredelitev trenutno preučevane skupine bolnikov uporabili ustrezne opisne statistične metode. Za preučevanje hipotez 1A in 1B smo ocenjevali preživetje bDMARD, ki je sestavljeni kazalec učinkovitosti in varnosti zdravila, z metodami po Kaplan Meierju in Coxu. Za preverbo hipoteze 2 smo pojavnostno stopnjo TB (TB IR) izračunali upoštevaje Poissonovo razporeditev. Za določitev po starosti in spolu standardizirane TB IR smo uporabili neposredno metodo standardizacije. Standardno populacijo je predstavljala slovenska populacija, razdeljena po spolu v 5 letna starostna obdobja. Izračunali smo tudi standardizirano pojavnostno stopnjo (SIR) v primerjavi s splošno slovensko populacijo. Rezultati 1A. 238/688 bolnikov, ki so kot prvi bDMARD prejeli TNFi, smo po prekinitvi zdravljenja z njim zdravili z drugim bDMARD: 130 drug TNFi in 108 rituksimab (31.5%) ali tocilizumab (68.5%) (ne-TNFi). Aktivnost bolezni pred začetkom zdravljenja z drugim bDMARD in prekinitev zdravljenja s prvim TNFi zaradi izostanka ali izgube učinkovitosti sta bila prepoznana kot možna dejavnika pristranosti. Zdravljenje z ne-TNFi je bilo imelo statistično pomembno prednost pred zdravljenjem z drugim TNFi (test log rank, p=0.000). Prednost se je ohranila tudi po analizi, ki je upoštevala učinke možnih dejavnikov pristranosti v z inverznimi verjetnostmi obteženemu Coxovemu modelu (HR 4.3995% CI 2.62–8.01, p <0.001). 1B. Med 7 letnim opazovanjem je 24 slovenskih revmatologov iz 8 centrov prispevalo podatke za 368 bolnikov izpostavljenih golimumabu 849 bolnik let (BL), in 1.654 bolnikov, izpostavljenih ostalim TNFi (oTNFi) 3,321 BL. Dve leti od začetka zdravljenja se deleži bolnikov, ki so še prejemali golimumab ali oTNFi niso bistveno razlikovali: pri RA 53% proti 47%, pri AS 67% proti 65%, in pri PsA 59% proti 59%. Surova in prilagojena razmerja tveganj za prekinitev zdravljenja z golimumabom se niso pomembno razlikovala med za bDMARD-naivnimi in -izkušenimi bolniki ne glede na indikacijo. Nasprotno so bila surova in prilagojena razmerja tveganj za prekinitev zdravljenja v skupini bDMARD-izkušenih bolnikov z AS in PsA, zdravljenih z oTNFi, pomembno zvečana. 2. Med 2.429 bolniki, izpostavljenimi vsaj enemu TNFi, skupno 10.445 (49% RA, 33% AS, and 18% PsA) bolnik let (BL), jih je 99% zaključilo presejanje za latentno okužbo z M. tuberculosis, 6% jih je prejelo kemoprofilakso TB. Šest bolnikov z RA (3 adalimumab, 3 certolizumab), 2 s PsA (2 golimumab) in 0 z AS je zbolelo s TB. 5/8 je imelo miliarno TB, 3/8 pljučno TB, 2 bolnika sta umrla. Po starosti in spolu standardizirane TB IR (95% CI) na 100.000 BL/SIR (95% CI), v primerjavi s splošno slovensko populacijo za trenutno izpostavljenost TNFi, so bile za celotno kohorto 52 (0–110)/6,7 (0,6–80), za RA 47 (0–110)/6,1 (0,3–105) in za PsA 45 (0–109)/5,8 (0,3–112). Zaključki 1A. Ne glede na razlog za odpoved prvega TNFi, je drugi TNFi odpovedal prej kot ne-TNFi. 1B. Preživetje golimumaba pri bolnikih z RA, AS in PsA v Sloveniji je bilo primerljivo z njegovim preživetjem v bogatejših zahodno evropskih državah. Opazili smo tudi, da je imel v primerjavi z oTNFi, golimumab boljše preživetje pri za bDMARD-izkušenih bolnikih z AS in PsA. 2. TB IR pri slovenskih bolnikih z RA, AS in PsA, zdravljenih s TNFi, je bila primerljiva s TB IR v za TB ne-endemskih državah, čeprav je kemoprofilakso TB prejela manj kot desetina bolnikov.Purpose To demonstrate the usefulness of the BioRx.si registry for monitoring effectiveness (hypotheses 1A and 1B) and safety (hypothesis 2) of biological disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) used for treating rheumatic diseases. Hypotheses 1A. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who failed treatment with first tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) due to ineffectiveness or intolerance, the survival of the subsequent bDMARD depends on its mechanism of action. 1B. In patients RA, ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) there is no difference in the persistence of one TNFi, i.e., golimumab, when compared to other TNFis (oTNFi). 2. Two-step national screening for latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI) in patients with RA, AS and PsA treated with TNFis, which in the first step includes medical history, tuberculin skin test (TST), chest X-ray and, in the event of pathological findings in the first step, of the examination at a pulmonologist, who, if necessary, orders additional tests and prescribes TB chemoprophylaxis, ensures a comparably small incidence of infection with mycobacteria tuberculosis in this group of patients, as is described in the available literature. Study concept, methodology, subjects All Slovenian rheumatologists contribute data to the Slovenian national registry BioRx.si on-line. Effectiveness and safety data have been collected for RA since 2008, and for AS and PsA since 2010. For research purposes, data from the registry can be accessed using various parameters and can then be statistically analyzed. In all analyses we used appropriate descriptive statistical methods to characterize the currently studied groups of patients. In the analyses pertaining to hypotheses 1A and 1B we assessed the persistence of bDMARDs, a composite marker of effectiveness, and safety, using the Kaplan-Meier and Cox methods. To test hypothesis 2, we assumed Poisson distribution to determine the TB IR. We determined the age and sex standardized TB IR using the direct method of standardization, with the Slovenian general population divided by sex into 5-year brackets as the standard population. Additionally, we estimated the standardized TB IR (SIR) in comparison with the general Slovenian population. Results 1A. Two hundred thirty-eight out of 688 patients who received a TNFi as the first bDMARD were switched to another bDMARD by December 2012: 130 to a second TNFi and 108 to either rituximab (31.5%) or tocilizumab (68.5%) (non-TNFi). Disease activity at starting the second bDMARD and stopping the first TNFi due to either lack or loss of effectiveness were identified as potential confounders. There appeared to be a statistically significant retention advantage of the non-TNFi over the second TNFi (log rank test, p=0.000). This advantage was retained even after adjusting for measured confounders using the inverse probability-weighted Cox model (hazard ratio (HR) 4.3995% CI 2.62–8.01, p<0.001). 1B. During the 8-year observation period, from 1 January 2010 to 31 July 2018, 24 Slovenian rheumatologists from eight centers contributed data on 368, and 1654 patients treated for 849, and 3321 person-years with golimumab and oTNFis, respectively. The overall proportions of RA, AS and PsA patients being persistent on golimumab vs. oTNFis at 2 years after starting the therapy did not differ significantly and were 53%, 67% and 59% vs. 47%, 65% and 59%, respectively. The crude and adjusted hazard ratios for golimumab discontinuation did not differ significantly between bDMARD-naïve and bDMARD-experienced patients for any of the indications. In contrast, bDMARD-experienced AS and PsA patients treated with oTNFis were significantly more likely to discontinue treatment. 2. Among the 2429 patients exposed to at least one TNFi for a total of 10,445 (49% RA, 33% AS and 18% PsA) person-years (PY), 99% completed LTBI screening and 6% required TB chemoprophylaxis. Six RA (three adalimumab, three certolizumab), two PsA (two golimumab) and zero AS patients developed TB. Five out of eight had miliary TB, three out of eight had pulmonary TB and two patients died. The age-standardized and sex-standardized TB IR (95% CI) per 100,000 PYs/SIRs (95% CI) compared with the general Slovenian population for the current TNFi exposure were 52 (0–110)/6.7 (0.6–80), 47 (0–110)/6.1 (0.3–105), 45 (0–109)/5.8 (0.3–112) overall, in RA and PsA, respectively.   Conclusions 1A. In RA patients that discontinued treatment with the first TNFi due to ineffectiveness or side effects, the persistence of the second bDMARD was better if a non-TNFi agent, rather than a second TNFi was used. 1B. The persistence of golimumab in patients with RA, AS, and PsA in Slovenia was comparable with its persistence in more affluent Western European countries. We observed a better persistence of golimumab compared to other TNFis in bDMARD-experienced AS and PsA patients. 2. The TB IR in the Slovenian RA, AS, and PsA patients treated with TNFi was comparable to TB IRs in TB non-endemic countries with less than a tenth of the patients requiring TB chemoprophylaxis

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship

    Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis

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    We provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis

    Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts

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    We conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more sophisticated methods

    Author Index

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    koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist

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    We have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used

    Author Under Sail The Imagination of Jack London, 1893-1902

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    In Author Under Sail, Jay Williams offers the first complete literary biography of Jack London as a professional writer engaged in the labor of writing. It examines the authorial imagination in London's work, the use of imagination in both his fiction and nonfiction, and the ways he defined imagination in the creative process in his business dealings with his publishers, editors, and agents. In this first volume of a two-volume biography, Williams traverses the years 1893 to 1902, from London's "Story of a Typhoon" to The People of the Abyss. The Jack London who emerges in the pages of Author Under Sail is a writer whose partnership with publishers, most notably his productive alliance with George Brett of Macmillan, was one of the most formative in American literary history. London pioneered many author models during the heyday of realism and naturalism, blurring the boundaries of these popular genres by focusing on absorption and theatricality and the representation of the seen and unseen. London created an impassioned, sincere, and extremely personal realism unlike that of other American writers of the time. Author Under Sail is a literary tour de force that reveals the full range of London as writer, creative citizen, and entrepreneur at the same time it sheds light on the maverick side of machine-age literature.Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Spirit Truth -- 2. From Absorption to Theatricality and Back Again -- 3. "I Will Build a New Present" -- 4. Sons as Authors -- 5. Fathers as Publishers -- 6. The Daughter as Author -- 7. Lovers as Authors -- 8. At Sea with the Family -- 9. Yellow News, Yellow Stories -- 10. The Return Home -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- About Jay WilliamsIn Author Under Sail, Jay Williams offers the first complete literary biography of Jack London as a professional writer engaged in the labor of writing. It examines the authorial imagination in London's work, the use of imagination in both his fiction and nonfiction, and the ways he defined imagination in the creative process in his business dealings with his publishers, editors, and agents. In this first volume of a two-volume biography, Williams traverses the years 1893 to 1902, from London's "Story of a Typhoon" to The People of the Abyss. The Jack London who emerges in the pages of Author Under Sail is a writer whose partnership with publishers, most notably his productive alliance with George Brett of Macmillan, was one of the most formative in American literary history. London pioneered many author models during the heyday of realism and naturalism, blurring the boundaries of these popular genres by focusing on absorption and theatricality and the representation of the seen and unseen. London created an impassioned, sincere, and extremely personal realism unlike that of other American writers of the time. Author Under Sail is a literary tour de force that reveals the full range of London as writer, creative citizen, and entrepreneur at the same time it sheds light on the maverick side of machine-age literature.Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries
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