Drug-Survival Profiling of Second-Line Biologic Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Choice of Another TNFi or a Biologic of Different Mode of Action?

OBJECTIVES: Aiming to assess the best choice of second-line therapy between second-line TNF-inhibitor (TNFi) and biologics of different mode of action (BDMA-rituximab/tocilizumab/abatacept) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by assessing their drug-survival spanning more that 10years, after discontinuation of the first-line TNFi. METHODS: This retrospective-observational drug-survival study was performed across 2-different hospitals in UK by conventional-statistics and machine-learning approach. RESULTS: From a total of 435-patients, 213 [(48.9%); TNFi-n=122 (57.3%), BDMA-n=91(42.7%)] discontinued their second-line biologic [median-drug-survival: TNFi-27months (95%CI 22-32months) vs BDMA-37months (95%CI 32-52months)]. As second-line, BDMA was likely to reduce the risk of treatment-discontinuation [Hazard-ratio/HR-0.63 (95%CI 0.48-0.83)] compared to TNFi, but only in seropositive-patients [HR-0.52 (95%CI 0.38-0.73)], not in seronegative-RA. Uncovered by the survival-tree and adjusted by propensity-score, drug-survival benefit of BDMA over TNFi was not observed if the seropositive-patients were previously exposed to monoclonal-TNFi (HR-0.77, 95% CI 0.49-1.22) versus soluble TNFi (etanercept or its biosimilar) or if first-line TNFi was terminated within 23.9months of initiation (HR-0.97, 95%CI 0.56-1.68). CONCLUSION: BDMA, as second-line biologic, is more likely to be sustained in seropositive-patients particularly if they were previously not exposed monoclonal TNFi. Drug-survival benefit of BDMA was not observed in seronegative-patients or if the first-line TNFi was stopped within 2 years

Seasonal Incidence of Onion Thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman in Gird Region of Madhya Pradesh, India

An investigation was undertaken to study the seasonal incidence of onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, on onion in the Grid region of Madhya Pradesh, India. The experiment revealed that the thrips infestations in plants occurred during 52 Standard Metrological Week (SMW) in 2022–23 and 2023–24, with an average of 6.28 and 5.80 thrips per plant, respectively. The maximum incidence was 41.70 and 41.98 thrips per plant, respectively, during the 9 SMW in both consecutive years. The number of thrips was significantly positively correlated with minimum and maximum temperature during both the consecutive years of study. However, evening relative humidity was negatively correlated with thrips population during 2022–23 and 2023-24, but the morning relative humidity showed negative correlation only during 2022-23