213 research outputs found
Changes in disease characteristics and response rates among patients in the United Kingdom starting anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy for rheumatoid arthritis between 2001 and 2008
Objectives. Anti-TNF therapy has significantly improved outcomes for patients with severe RA. In the UK, changing financial restrictions and increasing experience with their use may have resulted in changes to the way physicians use anti-TNF therapies. The aim of this analysis was to examine changes in disease characteristics and response rates among patients starting anti-TNF therapy for RA over an 8-year period
Effects of switching between anti-TNF therapies on HAQ response in patients who do not respond to their first anti-TNF drug
Objectives. Small studies have shown an improvement in disease activity in patients with RA who have switched between anti-TNF therapies for reasons of inefficacy. However, it is not clear whether switching improves longer term outcomes, such as disability. This analysis compares changes in HAQ scores 1 yr following lack of response to a first anti-TNF based on subsequent treatment during that year
How to develop, externally validate, and update multinomial prediction models
Multinomial prediction models (MPMs) have a range of potential applications
across healthcare where the primary outcome of interest has multiple nominal or
ordinal categories. However, the application of MPMs is scarce, which may be
due to the added methodological complexities that they bring. This article
provides a guide of how to develop, externally validate, and update MPMs. Using
a previously developed and validated MPM for treatment outcomes in rheumatoid
arthritis as an example, we outline guidance and recommendations for producing
a clinical prediction model using multinomial logistic regression. This article
is intended to supplement existing general guidance on prediction model
research. This guide is split into three parts: 1) Outcome definition and
variable selection, 2) Model development, and 3) Model evaluation (including
performance assessment, internal and external validation, and model
recalibration). We outline how to evaluate and interpret the predictive
performance of MPMs. R code is provided. We recommend the application of MPMs
in clinical settings where the prediction of a nominal polytomous outcome is of
interest. Future methodological research could focus on MPM-specific
considerations for variable selection and sample size criteria for external
validation
Predictors of response to anti-TNF therapy in ankylosing spondylitis: results from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register
Objective. Few data exist on the use of anti-TNF drugs for AS during routine clinical use in the UK. This report describes an improvement in Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) after 6 months of therapy in 261 patients enrolled in a national prospective observational register
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