Design, analysis, and presentation of crossover trials

OBJECTIVE: Although crossover trials enjoy wide use, standards for analysis and reporting have not been established. We reviewed methodological aspects and quality of reporting in a representative sample of published crossover trials. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE for December 2000 and identified all randomized crossover trials. We abstracted data independently, in duplicate, on 14 design criteria, 13 analysis criteria, and 14 criteria assessing the data presentation. RESULTS: We identified 526 randomized controlled trials, of which 116 were crossover trials. Trials were drug efficacy (48%), pharmacokinetic (28%), and nonpharmacologic (30%). The median sample size was 15 (interquartile range 8-38). Most (72%) trials used 2 treatments and had 2 periods (64%). Few trials reported allocation concealment (17%) or sequence generation (7%). Only 20% of trials reported a sample size calculation and only 31% of these considered pairing of data in the calculation. Carry-over issues were addressed in 29% of trial's methods. Most trials reported and defended a washout period (70%). Almost all trials (93%) tested for treatment effects using paired data and also presented details on by-group results (95%). Only 29% presented CIs or SE so that data could be entered into a meta-analysis. CONCLUSION: Reports of crossover trials frequently omit important methodological issues in design, analysis, and presentation. Guidelines for the conduct and reporting of crossover trials might improve the conduct and reporting of studies using this important trial design

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

Mitigation of Online Violence and Sextortion through Social Media

The Global Security and Intelligence Studies Senior Capstone has been a three-semester long project with the objective to develop and finalize an intelligence program which will help the clients collect information on violence in social media. The first semester’s goal was to identify the trends of violence in social media, and research was subsequently conducted that identified who is vulnerable to violence in social media. The second semester’s primary goal was to create a preliminary intelligence collection method by working with Prescott Unified School District to establish times for initial collection and presentations for students in four target audiences: 5th to 6th graders, 6th through 8th graders, 9th and 10th graders, and 11th and 12th graders. The third semester’s goal is to finalize this intelligence program and to make final recommendations for the clients as how to best conduct this type program in the future. The initial phase of the third semester was analyzing the research and findings of each of the previous semesters. The second phase was to revise the presentations established by the second semester and to conduct collection and presentations at middle schools and high schools in Prescott and Humboldt Unified School Districts. The final phase will be to analyze the information collected during the final presentations. The objective of this project to develop and finalize an intelligence program which will help the clients collect information on violence in social media will allow the clients to identify specific threats their audiences face, allowing them to create their own customized programs. The results will allow the team to provide recommendations for the clients to establish new policies defining how to deal with cyberbullying and sextortion. Ignite Grant Award, Invited Oral Presentatio