| 1. |
- Barausse, Enrico, et al.
(författare)
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Prospects for fundamental physics with LISA
- 2020
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Ingår i: General Relativity and Gravitation. - : SPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERS. - 0001-7701 .- 1572-9532. ; 52:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this paper, which is of programmatic rather than quantitative nature, we aim to further delineate and sharpen the future potential of the LISA mission in the area of fundamental physics. Given the very broad range of topics that might be relevant to LISA,we present here a sample of what we view as particularly promising fundamental physics directions. We organize these directions through a "science-first" approach that allows us to classify how LISA data can inform theoretical physics in a variety of areas. For each of these theoretical physics classes, we identify the sources that are currently expected to provide the principal contribution to our knowledge, and the areas that need further development. The classification presented here should not be thought of as cast in stone, but rather as a fluid framework that is amenable to change with the flow of new insights in theoretical physics.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Sieberts, SK, et al.
(författare)
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Crowdsourced assessment of common genetic contribution to predicting anti-TNF treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nature communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 7, s. 12460-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects millions world-wide. While anti-TNF treatment is widely used to reduce disease progression, treatment fails in ∼one-third of patients. No biomarker currently exists that identifies non-responders before treatment. A rigorous community-based assessment of the utility of SNP data for predicting anti-TNF treatment efficacy in RA patients was performed in the context of a DREAM Challenge (http://www.synapse.org/RA_Challenge). An open challenge framework enabled the comparative evaluation of predictions developed by 73 research groups using the most comprehensive available data and covering a wide range of state-of-the-art modelling methodologies. Despite a significant genetic heritability estimate of treatment non-response trait (h2=0.18, P value=0.02), no significant genetic contribution to prediction accuracy is observed. Results formally confirm the expectations of the rheumatology community that SNP information does not significantly improve predictive performance relative to standard clinical traits, thereby justifying a refocusing of future efforts on collection of other data.
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| 5. |
- Askling, J., et al.
(författare)
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How comparable are rates of malignancies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis across the world? A comparison of cancer rates, and means to optimise their comparability, in five RA registries
- 2016
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Ingår i: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ. - 0003-4967 .- 1468-2060. ; 75:10, s. 1789-1796
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background The overall incidence of cancer in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is modestly elevated. The extent to which cancer rates in RA vary across clinical cohorts and patient subsets, as defined by disease activity or treatment is less known but critical for understanding the safety of existing and new antirheumatic therapies. We investigated comparability of, and means to harmonise, malignancy rates in five RA registries from four continents. Methods Participating RA registries were Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of North America (CORRONA) (USA), Swedish Rheumatology Quality of Care Register (SRR) (Sweden), Norfolk Arthritis Register (NOAR) (UK), CORRONA International (several countries) and Institute of Rheumatology, Rheumatoid Arthritis (IORRA) (Japan). Within each registry, we analysed a main cohort of all patients with RA from January 2000 to last available data, and sensitivity analyses of sub-cohorts defined by disease activity, treatment change, prior comorbidities and restricted by calendar time or follow-up, respectively. Malignancy rates with 95% CIs were estimated, and standardised for age and sex, based on the distributions from a typical RA clinical trial programme population (fostamatinib). Results There was a high consistency in rates for overall malignancy excluding non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), for malignant lymphomas, but not for all skin cancers, across registries, in particular following age/sex standardisation. Standardised rates of overall malignancy excluding NMSC varied from 0.56 to 0.87 per 100 person-years. Within each registry, rates were generally consistent across sensitivity analyses, which differed little from the main analysis. Conclusion In real-world RA populations, rates of both overall malignancy and of lymphomas are consistent.
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| 6. |
- Baddley, J W, et al.
(författare)
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Candida infective endocarditis.
- 2008
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Ingår i: European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0934-9723. ; 27:7, s. 519-29
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Candida infective endocarditis (IE) is uncommon but often fatal. Most epidemiologic data are derived from small case series or case reports. This study was conducted to explore the epidemiology, treatment patterns, and outcomes of patients with Candida IE. We compared 33 Candida IE cases to 2,716 patients with non-fungal IE in the International Collaboration on Endocarditis-Prospective Cohort Study (ICE-PCS). Patients were enrolled and the data collected from June 2000 until August 2005. We noted that patients with Candida IE were more likely to have prosthetic valves (p < 0.001), short-term indwelling catheters (p < 0.0001), and have healthcare-associated infections (p < 0.001). The reasons for surgery differed between the two groups: myocardial abscess (46.7% vs. 22.2%, p = 0.026) and persistent positive blood cultures (33.3% vs. 9.9%, p = 0.003) were more common among those with Candida IE. Mortality at discharge was higher in patients with Candida IE (30.3%) when compared to non-fungal cases (17%, p = 0.046). Among Candida patients, mortality was similar in patients who received combination surgical and antifungal therapy versus antifungal therapy alone (33.3% vs. 27.8%, p = 0.26). New antifungal drugs, particularly echinocandins, were used frequently. These multi-center data suggest distinct epidemiologic features of Candida IE when compared to non-fungal cases. Indications for surgical intervention are different and mortality is increased. Newer antifungal treatment options are increasingly used. Large, multi-center studies are needed to help better define Candida IE.
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| 7. |
- Michaud, K., et al.
(författare)
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Can rheumatoid arthritis (RA) registries provide contextual safety data for modern RA clinical trials? The case for mortality and cardiovascular disease
- 2016
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Ingår i: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ. - 0003-4967 .- 1468-2060. ; 75:10, s. 1797-1805
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background We implemented a novel method for providing contextual adverse event rates for a randomised controlled trial (RCT) programme through coordinated analyses of five RA registries, focusing here on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. Methods Each participating registry (Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of North America (CORRONA) (USA), Swedish Rheumatology Quality of Care Register (SRR) (Sweden), Norfolk Arthritis Register (NOAR) (UK), CORRONA International (East Europe, Latin America, India) and Institute of Rheumatology, Rheumatoid Arthritis (IORRA) (Japan)) defined a main cohort from January 2000 onwards. To address comparability and potential bias, we harmonised event definitions and defined several subcohorts for sensitivity analyses based on disease activity, treatment, calendar time, duration of follow-up and RCT exclusions. Rates were standardised for age, sex and, in one sensitivity analysis, also HAQ. Results The combined registry cohorts included 57251 patients with RA (234089 person-years)24.5% men, mean (SD) baseline age 58.2 (13.8) and RA duration 8.2 (11.7) years. Standardised registry mortality rates (per 100 person-years) varied from 0.42 (CORRONA) to 0.80 (NOAR), with 0.60 for RCT patients. Myocardial infarction and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) rates ranged from 0.09 and 0.31 (IORRA) to 0.39 and 0.77 (SRR), with RCT rates intermediate (0.18 and 0.42), respectively. Additional subcohort analyses showed small and mostly consistent changes across registries, retaining reasonable consistency in rates across the Western registries. Additional standardisation for HAQ returned higher mortality and MACE registry rates. Conclusions This coordinated approach to contextualising RA RCT safety data demonstrated reasonable differences and consistency in rates for mortality and CVD across registries, and comparable RCT rates, and may serve as a model method to supplement clinical trial analyses for drug development programmes.
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| 8. |
- Nyberg, Fredrik, 1961, et al.
(författare)
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Using epidemiological registry data to provide background rates as context for adverse events in a rheumatoid arthritis drug development program: a coordinated approach
- 2015
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Ingår i: Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety. - : Wiley. - 1053-8569 .- 1099-1557. ; 24:11, s. 1121-1132
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose Observational studies can provide context for adverse events observed in clinical trials, especially for infrequent events or long-term risks. We developed methods to improve safety contextualization for a rheumatoid arthritis drug development program through coordinated analyses of multiple registries. Methods We identified and characterized differences and similarities across five registries (Swedish Rheumatology Quality of Care Register, Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of North America [CORRONA], Norfolk Arthritis Register, Institute of Rheumatology Rheumatoid Arthritis, and the new CORRONA International), harmonized outcome definitions, and investigated whether restricted subcohorts improved comparability with trial populations. To address confounding, we identified risk predictors for outcomes of interest (mortality, cardiovascular disease, infection, and malignancy). We used patient-level analyses at each registry and central analysis of standardized group-level data. Results Despite data differences, the coordinated approach enabled consistent variable definitions for key baseline characteristics and outcomes. Selection of restricted subcohorts (e.g., using active joint count criteria) improved baseline comparability with trial patients for some rheumatoid arthritis disease activity measures, but less for other characteristics (e.g., age and comorbidity); however, such selection decreased sample size considerably. For most outcomes, age was the most important risk predictor, emphasizing the importance of age/sex standardization to address confounding. The prospective approach enabled use of recent relevant data; the distributed analysis safeguarded confidentiality of registry data. Conclusions Compared with reliance on published data alone, a forward-looking coordinated approach across multiple observational data sources can improve comparability and consistency and better support sensitivity analyses and data interpretation, in contextualizing safety data from clinical trials. This approach may have utility to support safety assessments across diverse diseases and drug development programs and satisfy future regulatory requirements. Copyright (C) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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| 9. |
- Pappas, D. A., et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of cardiovascular disease and major risk factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a multinational cross-sectional study
- 2018
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Ingår i: Clinical Rheumatology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0770-3198 .- 1434-9949. ; 37:9, s. 2331-2340
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To compare the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and major CVD risk factors among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients enrolled in a large US and multinational registry. We compared CVD and CVD risk factor prevalence from 11 countries enrolled in the CORRONA US and CORRONA International registries; patients from the 10 ex-US participating countries were grouped by region (Eastern Europe, Latin America, and India). Unadjusted summary data were presented for demographics and disease characteristics; comparisons for prevalence of CVD risk factors and CVD were age/gender standardized to the age/gender distribution of the US enrolled patients. Overall, 25,987 patients were included in this analysis. Compared to patients from the ex-US regions, US participants had longer disease duration and lower disease activity, yet were more likely to receive a biologic agent. Additionally, CORRONA US participants had the highest body mass index (BMI). Enrolled patients in India had the lowest BMI, were more rarely smokers, and had a low prevalence of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and prior CVD compared to the US and other ex-US regions. Participants from Eastern Europe had a higher prevalence of hypertension and hyperlipidemia and highest prevalence of all manifestations of CVD. Differences in the prevalence of both CVD and major CVD risk factors were observed across the four regions investigated. Observed differences may be influenced by variations in both non-modifiable/modifiable characteristics of patient populations, and may contribute to heterogeneity on the observed safety of investigational and approved therapies in studies involving RA patients from different origins.
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| 10. |
- Tatino, Cristian, 1988-
(författare)
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Performance Aspects in Millimeter-Wave Wireless Networks
- 2018
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The ever-growing data rate and comunications demand pose more challenges for the upcoming generations of mobile communications, i.e., fifth generation (5G) and beyond. To deal with these challenges, several solutions can be deployed, e.g., the use of massive amount of antennas at the transmitter and receiver nodes, the increase of cell density and the increase of the spectrum resources. More precisely, most of the current mobile networks and telecom operators mainly operate from 800 MHz to 6 GHz, however, this frequency range is probably not enough to face the growing traffic demand. For this reason, in the last years, communications in the millimeterwave (mm-wave) frequency range (30-300 GHz) have attracted the interest of many researchers, who consider mm-wave communications a promising solution to deal with the longstanding problem of spectrum scarcity. However, in comparison to lower frequency communications, the signal propagation in the mm-wave frequency range is subject to more challenging conditions. The latter lead to frequent transmission interruptions when the signal path between the transmitter and the receiver, usually line-of-sight (LOS), is blocked. In this thesis, we present three papers that study several aspects of the mm-wave wireless networks and potential solutions to overcome the blockage issue and increase the reliability for the mm-wave communications. The first work studies the contribution of the reected beams for the communications in non line-of-sight (NLOS). This work provides a stochastic model that is able to evaluate the coverage probability not only considering the direct beam, but also including first order reections, which may contribute to the coverage probability in NLOS.The second paper analyzes a possible solution to overcome the blockage issue that is the multi-connectivity (MC). This technique allows the user equipments (UEs) to establish and maintain connections with multiple cells/access points at the same time and it increases the number of possible available links per UE. In this scenario, we propose a novel link scheduling algorithm for network throughput maximization, and quantify the potential gain of MC for mm-wave cellular networks. The proposed algorithm is able to numerically approach the global optimum and overtakes the single connectivity schema in terms of network throughput.Finally, in the third paper, we study a complementary approach to the multi-connectivity schema, i.e., the relying technique. In this work, we perform a throughput analysis of a relay-aided mm-wave wireless network. We consider two possible transmission strategies, by which the source nodes transmit either a packet to both the destination and the relay in the same timeslot (broadcast) or to only one of these two (destination or relay) by using directional transmissions. We analyze and show the optimal transmission strategy with respect to several system parameters, e.g., positions and number of the nodes, by taking into account the different beamforming gains and interference levels of the possible transmission strategies.
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