The incremental value of the contribution of a biostatistician to the reporting quality in health research-A retrospective, single center, observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND The reporting quality in medical research has recently been critically discussed. While reporting guidelines intend to maximize the value from funded research, and initiatives such as the EQUATOR network have been introduced to advance high quality reporting, the uptake of the guidelines by researchers could be improved. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of a biostatistician to the reporting and methodological quality of health research, and to identify methodological knowledge gaps. METHODS In a retrospective, single center, observational cohort study, two groups of publications were compared. The group of exposed publications had an academic biostatistician on the author list, whereas the group of non-exposed publications did not include a biostatistician of the evaluated group. Rating of reporting quality was done in blinded fashion and in duplicate. The primary outcome was a sum score based on six dimensions, ranging between 0 (worst) and 11 (best). The study protocol was reviewed and approved as a registered report. RESULTS There were 131 publications in the exposed group published between 2017 and 2018. Of these, 95 were either RCTs, observational, or prediction / prognostic studies. Corresponding matches in the group of non-exposed publications were identified in a reproducible manner. Comparison of reporting quality overall revealed a 1.60 (95%CI from 0.92 to 2.28, p <0.0001) units higher reporting quality for exposed publications. A subgroup analysis within study types showed higher reporting quality across all three study types. CONCLUSION Our study is the first to report an association of a higher reporting quality and methodological strength in health research publications with a biostatistician on the author list. The higher reporting quality persisted through subgroups of study types and dimensions. Methodological knowledge gaps were identified for prediction / prognostic studies, and for reporting on statistical methods in general and missing values, specifically

Monitoring Alzheimer Amyloid Peptide Aggregation by EPR

Plaques containing the aggregated β-Amyloid (Aβ) peptide in the brain are the main indicators of Alzheimer’s disease. Fibrils, the building blocks of plaques, can also be produced in vitro and consist of a regular arrangement of the peptide. The initial steps of fibril formation are not well understood and could involve smaller aggregates (oligomers) of Aβ. Such oligomers have even been implicated as the toxic agents. Here, a method to study oligomers on the time scale of aggregation is suggested. We have labeled the 40 residue Aβ peptide variant containing an N-terminal cysteine (cys-Aβ) with the MTSL [1-oxyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-Δ-pyrroline-3-methyl] methanethiosulfonate spin label (SL-Aβ). Fibril formation in solutions of pure SL-Aβ and of SL-Aβ mixed with Aβ was shown by Congo-red binding and electron microscopy. Continuous-wave 9 GHz electron paramagnetic resonance reveals three fractions of different spin-label mobility: one attributed to monomeric Aβ, one to a multimer (8–15 monomers), and the last one to larger aggregates or fibrils. The approach, in principle, allows detection of oligomers on the time scale of aggregation

mini me swift the first mobile owl reasoner for ios

Mobile reasoners play a pivotal role in the so-called Semantic Web of Things. While several tools exist for the Android platform, iOS has been neglected so far. This is due to architectural differences and unavailability of OWL manipulation libraries, which make porting existing engines harder. This paper presents Mini-ME Swift, the first Description Logics reasoner for iOS. It implements standard (Subsumption, Satisfiability, Classification, Consistency) and non-standard (Abduction, Contraction, Covering, Difference) inferences in an OWL 2 fragment. Peculiarities are discussed and performance results are presented, comparing Mini-ME Swift with other state-of-the-art OWL reasoners

On the dynamics of the adenylate energy system: homeorhesis vs homeostasis.

Biochemical energy is the fundamental element that maintains both the adequate turnover of the biomolecular structures and the functional metabolic viability of unicellular organisms. The levels of ATP, ADP and AMP reflect roughly the energetic status of the cell, and a precise ratio relating them was proposed by Atkinson as the adenylate energy charge (AEC). Under growth-phase conditions, cells maintain the AEC within narrow physiological values, despite extremely large fluctuations in the adenine nucleotides concentration. Intensive experimental studies have shown that these AEC values are preserved in a wide variety of organisms, both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Here, to understand some of the functional elements involved in the cellular energy status, we present a computational model conformed by some key essential parts of the adenylate energy system. Specifically, we have considered (I) the main synthesis process of ATP from ADP, (II) the main catalyzed phosphotransfer reaction for interconversion of ATP, ADP and AMP, (III) the enzymatic hydrolysis of ATP yielding ADP, and (IV) the enzymatic hydrolysis of ATP providing AMP. This leads to a dynamic metabolic model (with the form of a delayed differential system) in which the enzymatic rate equations and all the physiological kinetic parameters have been explicitly considered and experimentally tested in vitro. Our central hypothesis is that cells are characterized by changing energy dynamics (homeorhesis). The results show that the AEC presents stable transitions between steady states and periodic oscillations and, in agreement with experimental data these oscillations range within the narrow AEC window. Furthermore, the model shows sustained oscillations in the Gibbs free energy and in the total nucleotide pool. The present study provides a step forward towards the understanding of the fundamental principles and quantitative laws governing the adenylate energy system, which is a fundamental element for unveiling the dynamics of cellular life

Is reporting quality in medical publications associated with biostatisticians as co-authors? A registered report protocol

BACKGROUND Quality in medical research has recently been criticized for being low, especially in observational research. Methodology is increasingly difficult, but collaboration between clinical researchers and biostatisticians may improve research and reporting quality. The aim of this study is to quantify the value of a biostatistician in the team of authors. METHODS Single-center, retrospective observational study following the STROBE reporting guidelines. We will systematically review all medical publications with biostatisticians from our center as co-authors or authors and review corresponding papers without biostatisticians from our center during the same time range. We will compare aspects of reporting quality, overall and for the three study types observational, randomized trial, and prognostic separately. DISCUSSION We anticipate that the results of the study will raise awareness of the importance of high methodological quality, as well as appropriate reporting quality in clinical research. CONCLUSION Our study will have a direct impact on our center by making each of us more aware of the reporting guidelines for various research designs. This in turn will enhance reporting quality in future research with our involvement. Our study will also raise awareness of the important role that biostatisticians play in the design and analysis of health research projects

Cardinality Restrictions Within Description Logic Connection Calculi

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Is reporting quality in medical publications associated with biostatisticians as co-authors? A registered report protocol.

BackgroundQuality in medical research has recently been criticized for being low, especially in observational research. Methodology is increasingly difficult, but collaboration between clinical researchers and biostatisticians may improve research and reporting quality. The aim of this study is to quantify the value of a biostatistician in the team of authors.MethodsSingle-center, retrospective observational study following the STROBE reporting guidelines. We will systematically review all medical publications with biostatisticians from our center as co-authors or authors and review corresponding papers without biostatisticians from our center during the same time range. We will compare aspects of reporting quality, overall and for the three study types observational, randomized trial, and prognostic separately.DiscussionWe anticipate that the results of the study will raise awareness of the importance of high methodological quality, as well as appropriate reporting quality in clinical research.ConclusionOur study will have a direct impact on our center by making each of us more aware of the reporting guidelines for various research designs. This in turn will enhance reporting quality in future research with our involvement. Our study will also raise awareness of the important role that biostatisticians play in the design and analysis of health research projects