3,151 research outputs found
Stephanie Mathson interviews poet and author Judith Kerman
No full textPoet and author Judith Kerman talks about her experience as a Fulbright scholar in the Dominican Republic, her work translating poems by Cuban poet Dulce Mar\ueda Loynaz, learning Spanish, translating poems from Spanish, and her book "Retrofitting Blade Runner". Kerman is interviewed by Stephanie Mathson of the Michigan State University Libraries. Part of the MSU Libraries' Michigan Writers Series
Stephanie Mathson interviews poet and author Jack Ridl
No full textPoet and author Jack Ridl explains how he began writing, the writer series at Hope College, his coach poems, his chapbook "Against elegies," how working and living in Michigan shapes his work, and works in progress. Ridl is interviewed by Stephanie Mathson of the Michigan State University Libraries. Part of the MSU Libraries' Michigan Writers Series
Stephanie Mathson interviews poet and author Josie Kearns
No full textPoet and author Josie Kearns, professor of creative writing and literature at the University of Michigan, talks about teaching and writing, natural scenery in Michigan, her editorship of the book "New Poems From the Third Coast", her book "New Numbers", and other works in process. Kearns is interviewed by Stephanie Mathson from the Michigan State University Libraries for the MSU Libraries' Michigan Writers Series
Kara Gust interviews author and bioregionalist Stephanie Mills
No full textAuthor and ecologist Stephanie Mills talks about how she started writing and publishing, writing on nature and the environment, the challenges of being a writer, the influence of Michigan on her work, bio-regionalism, and a new book she is working on. Mills is interviewed by Michigan State University Librarian Kara Gust for the Michigan State University Libraries' Michigan Writers Series
Making a market for Miscanthus: Can new contract designs solve the biofuel investment hold-up problem?
Full text linkWe present designs for optimal contracts to solve the investment hold-up problem for perennial crops for the biofuel industry. A fixed-price contract is ex-ante efficient but renegotiation-proof for a limited range of discount parameters. A perfectly- indexed contract is both renegotiation-proof and ex-post efficient. Provided long-run land prices are stationary, the expected cost for both contracts converges to the long-run expected price of land for a risk-neutral farmer.Biofuels, Miscanthus, contract theory, industrial organization, renegotiation-proof contract, Marketing,
Author and bioregionalist Stephanie Mills reads her selected works at the Michigan Writers Series
No full textAuthor and ecologist Stephanie Mills reads from her first book "Whatever happened to ecology?" and from "Tough little beauties," then answers questions from the audience. The event is convened by Peter Berg, head of Michigan State University Libraries' Special Collections. Part of the Michigan State University Libraries' Michigan Writers Series. Held in the Main Library
Stephanie Mathson interviews essayist and memoirist Robert Root
No full textEssayist and memoirist Robert Root, professor of English at Central Michigan University, talks about his book "Recovering Ruth" and the genealogical research research in his work and his role as both a university professor and an author. He also shares his views on creative nonfiction, Michigan as a source of inspiration, and works in progress. Root is interviewed by Stephanie Mathson of the Michigan State University Libraries for the MSU Libraries' Michigan Writers Series
From Pediatric to Adult Care: Validating JADAS for Adults with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
No full textDistinct Clusters of JIA at Methotrexate Initiation Identified Using Topological Data Analysis
Full text linkBackground
Stratified medicine requires the identification of unique strata of a disease within which to base prognostic and treatment decisions. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) offers a unique challenge in its inherent heterogeneity. The current ILAR classification, whilst useful for clinical categorisation, does not correlate with treatment outcomes. Therefore, further refinement, clustering and correlation of patient characteristics with treatment response are urgently required.
Objectives
To identify novel, phenotypically consistent subgroups of children and young people (CYP) with JIA at the point of starting methotrexate, across 19 patient and disease characteristics.
Methods
MTX-naïve CYP with JIA were selected if enrolled prior to April 2021 in one of four national JIA studies contributing to the UK CLUSTER consortium. Data from 19 harmonised study variables were extracted at point of starting MTX. Topological data analysis using a Gower similarity metric was used to identify clusters with distinct characteristics. Intervals and percent overlap between clusters were varied until an optimal model identified stable, potentially clinically plausible clusters. Significant differences in characteristics between identified clusters were tested using Kruskall-Wallis and Chi-Squared statistics.
Results
Of 2915 CYP included, the majority were female (68%), of white ethnicity (90%); with the most common ILAR categories being oligoarthritis (35%) and RF-negative JIA (34%).
The optimal TDA model identified six clusters which significantly differed across 16 of the 19 clinical variables at MTX initiation: Adolescents with low-moderate disease (Cluster 1, 41%), adolescents with predominantly sJIA and moderate-high disease (Cluster 2, 4%), children with predominantly sJIA and high disease (Cluster 3, <1%), children with oligo/RF-polyarthritis and low-moderate disease (Cluster 4, 43%) and two ANA-positive groups of largely females with moderate (Cluster 5, 11%) and high (Cluster 6, 1%) disease (Figure 1). Clustered groups also significantly differed in gender proportions (p<0.001), ethnicities (p<0.001), history of uveitis (p<0.001) and disease duration to both diagnosis (p<0.001) and MTX initiation (p<0.001), but did not differ in limited joint count (p=0.117), height (p=0.245) or BMI (p=0.394) z-scores.
Figure 1.Clusters identified at MTX initiation in children and young people recruited to the UK BSPAR-ETN, BCRD, CAPS and CHARMS studies.
Conclusion
This study shows substantial heterogeneity in JIA at the point of MTX initiation, with six clusters identified across 19 demographic and clinical variables. ILAR categories across clusters were not always indicators of disease activity or symptom burden. Future analyses will correlate MTX treatment response within each cluster to understand what role these combined factors may have on initial treatment response.
Disclosure of Interests
Stephanie Shoop-Worrall: None declared, Kimme Hyrich Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Grant/research support from: BMS, UCB, and Pfizer, Lucy Wedderburn Grant/research support from: AbbVie and Sobi, Nophar Geifman: None declare
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