Reporting of Multivariable Methods in the Medical Literature

2008 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 954-957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanette M. Tetrault ◽  
Maor Sauler ◽  
Carolyn K. Wells ◽  
John Concato

BackgroundMultivariable models are frequently used in the medical literature, but many clinicians have limited training in these analytic methods. Our objective was to assess the prevalence of multivariable methods in medical literature, quantify reporting of methodological criteria applicable to most methods, and determine if assumptions specific to logistic regression or proportional hazards analysis were evaluated.MethodsWe examined all original articles in Annals of Internal Medicine, British Medical Journal, Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet, and New England Journal of Medicine, from January through June 2006. Articles reporting multivariable methods underwent a comprehensive review; reporting of methodological criteria was based on each article's primary analysis.ResultsAmong 452 articles, 272 (60%) used multivariable analysis; logistic regression (89 [33%] of 272) and proportional hazards (76 [28%] of 272) were most prominent. Reporting of methodological criteria, when applicable, ranged from 5% (12/265) for assessing influential observations to 84% (222/265) for description of variable coding. Discussion of interpreting odds ratios occurred in 13% (12/89) of articles reporting logistic regression as the primary method and discussion of the proportional hazards assumption occurred in 21% (16/76) of articles using Cox proportional hazards as the primary method.ConclusionsMore complete reporting of multivariable analysis in the medical literature can improve understanding, interpretation, and perhaps application of these methods.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Leonard Naymagon ◽  
Douglas Tremblay ◽  
John Mascarenhas

Data supporting the use of etoposide-based therapy in hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) arise largely from pediatric studies. There is a lack of comparable data among adult patients with secondary HLH. We conducted a retrospective study to assess the impact of etoposide-based therapy on outcomes in adult secondary HLH. The primary outcome was overall survival. The log-rank test was used to compare Kaplan-Meier distributions of time-to-event outcomes. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Ninety adults with secondary HLH seen between January 1, 2009, and January 6, 2020, were included. Forty-two patients (47%) received etoposide-based therapy, while 48 (53%) received treatment only for their inciting proinflammatory condition. Thirty-three patients in the etoposide group (72%) and 32 in the no-etoposide group (67%) died during follow-up. Median survival in the etoposide and no-etoposide groups was 1.04 and 1.39 months, respectively. There was no significant difference in survival between the etoposide and no-etoposide groups (log-rank <i>p</i> = 0.4146). On multivariable analysis, there was no association between treatment with etoposide and survival (HR for death with etoposide = 1.067, 95% CI: 0.633–1.799, <i>p</i> = 0.8084). Use of etoposide-based therapy was not associated with improvement in outcomes in this large cohort of adult secondary HLH patients.


Author(s):  
Joshua R Ehrlich ◽  
Bonnielin K Swenor ◽  
Yunshu Zhou ◽  
Kenneth M Langa

Abstract Background Vision impairment (VI) is associated with incident cognitive decline and dementia. However, it is not known whether VI is associated only with the transition to cognitive impairment, or whether it is also associated with later transitions to dementia. Methods We used data from the population-based Aging, Demographics and Memory Study (ADAMS) to investigate the association of visual acuity impairment (VI; defined as binocular presenting visual acuity &lt;20/40) with transitions from cognitively normal (CN) to cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND) and from CIND to dementia. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models and logistic regression were used to model the association of VI with cognitive transitions, adjusted for covariates. Results There were 351 participants included in this study (weighted percentages: 45% male, 64% age 70-79 years) with a mean follow-up time of 4.1 years. In a multivariable model, the hazard of dementia was elevated among those with VI (HR=1.63, 95%CI=1.04-2.58). Participants with VI had a greater hazard of transitioning from CN to CIND (HR=1.86, 95%CI=1.09-3.18). However, among those with CIND and VI a similar percentage transitioned to dementia (48%) and remained CIND (52%); there was no significant association between VI and transitioning from CIND to dementia (HR=0.94, 95%CI=0.56-1.55). Using logistic regression models, the same associations between VI and cognitive transitions were identified. Conclusions Poor vision is associated with the development of CIND. The association of VI and dementia appears to be due to the higher risk of dementia among individuals with CIND. Findings may inform the design of future interventional studies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-33
Author(s):  
Jiping Zeng ◽  
Ken Batai ◽  
Benjamin Lee

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of surgical wait time (SWT) on outcomes of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and to investigate risk factors associated with prolonged SWT. Using the National Cancer Database, we retrospectively reviewed the records of patients with pT3 RCC treated with radical or partial nephrectomy between 2004 and 2014. The cohort was divided based on SWT. The primary out-come was 5-year overall survival (OS). Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the risk factors associated with delayed surgery. Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to assess relations between SWT and 5-year OS after adjusting for confounding factors. A total of 22,653 patients were included in the analysis. Patients with SWT > 10 weeks had higher occurrence of upstaging. Using logistic regression, we found that female patients, African-American or Spanish origin patients, treatment in academic or integrated network cancer center, lack of insurance, median household income of <$38,000, and the Charlson–Deyo score of ≥1 were more likely to have prolonged SWT. SWT > 10 weeks was associated with decreased 5-year OS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15–1.33). This risk was not markedly attenuated after adjusting for confounding variables, including age, gender, race, insurance status, Charlson–Deyo score, tumor size, and surgical margin status (adjusted HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.04–1.24). In conclusion, the vast majority of patients underwent surgery within 10 weeks. There is a statistically significant trend of increasing SWT over the study period. SWT > 10 weeks is associated with decreased 5-year OS.


Sarcoma ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Leiting ◽  
John R. Bergquist ◽  
Matthew C. Hernandez ◽  
Kenneth W. Merrell ◽  
Andrew L. Folpe ◽  
...  

Perioperative radiation therapy (RT) has been associated with reduced local recurrence in patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS); however, selection criteria remain unclear. We hypothesized that perioperative RT would improve survival in patients with RPS and would be associated with pathological factors. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) from 2004 to 2012 was reviewed for patients with nonmetastatic RPS undergoing curative intent resection. Tumor size was dichotomized at 15 cm based on 8th edition American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging. Patients with the highest comorbidity score were excluded. Unadjusted Kaplan–Meier and adjusted Cox proportional hazards modeling analyzed overall survival (OS). Multivariable logistic regression modeled margin positivity. A total of 2,264 patients were included; 727 patients (32.1%) had perioperative radiation in whom 203 (9.0%) had radiation preoperatively. Median (IQR) RPS size was 17.5 [11.0–27.0] cm. Histopathology was high grade in 1048 patients (43.7%). Multivariable analysis revealed that perioperative radiation was independently associated with decreased mortality (HR 0.72, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 0.62–0.84,p<0.001), and preoperative RT was associated with reduced margin positivity (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.53–0.97,p=0.032). Stratified survival analysis showed that radiation was associated with prolonged median OS for RPS that were high-grade (64.3 vs. 43.6 months,p<0.001), less than 15 cm (104.1 vs. 84.2 months,p=0.007), and leiomyosarcomatous (104.8 vs. 61.8 months,p<0.001). Perioperative radiation is independently associated with decreased mortality in patients with high-grade, less than 15 cm, and leiomyosarcomatous tumors. Preoperative radiation is independently associated with margin-negative resection. These data support the selective use of perioperative radiation in the multidisciplinary management of RPS.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S914-S915
Author(s):  
Kengo Inagaki ◽  
Chad Blackshear ◽  
Charlotte V Hobbs

Abstract Background Race/ethnicity is currently not considered a risk factor for bronchiolitis, except for indigenous populations in western countries. We sought to determine the incidence of hospitalization with bronchiolitis among different races/ethnicities, because such information can lead to more tailored preventive care. Methods We performed a population-based longitudinal observational study using the State Inpatient Database from New York state. Infants born between 2009 and 2013 at term without comorbidities were followed for the first 2 years of life, up to 2015. We calculated incidence among different race/ethnicity groups, and evaluated risks by developing Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results Of 877,465 healthy term infants, 10 356 infants were hospitalized with bronchiolitis. Overall, incidence was 11.8 per 1,000 births. Substantial difference in infants born in different seasons was observed (Figure 1). The incidence in non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and Asian infants was 8.6, 15.4, 19.1, and 6.5 per 1,000 births, respectively (table). On multivariable analysis adjusting for socioeconomic status, the risks remained substantially high among non-Hispanic black (hazard ratio [HR] 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34–1.51) and Hispanic infants (HR 1.77, 95% CI: 1.67–1.87), particularly beyond 2–3 months of age, whereas Asian race was protective (HR 0.62, 95% CI: 0.56–0.69) (Figure 2, 3). Conclusion The risks of bronchiolitis hospitalization in the first 2 years of life was substantially higher among infants with non-Asian minority infants, particularly beyond 2–3 months of age. Further research efforts to identify effective public health interventions in each race/ethnic groups with varied socioeconomic status, such as improvement in access to care and anticipatory guidance, is warranted to overcome health disparity. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


Neurology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. e314-e322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey C. Leasure ◽  
Zachary A. King ◽  
Victor Torres-Lopez ◽  
Santosh B. Murthy ◽  
Hooman Kamel ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo estimate the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) recurrence in a large, diverse, US-based population and to identify racial/ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups at higher risk.MethodsWe performed a longitudinal analysis of prospectively collected claims data from all hospitalizations in nonfederal California hospitals between 2005 and 2011. We used validated diagnosis codes to identify nontraumatic ICH and our primary outcome of recurrent ICH. California residents who survived to discharge were included. We used log-rank tests for unadjusted analyses of survival across racial/ethnic groups and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression to determine factors associated with risk of recurrence after adjusting for potential confounders.ResultsWe identified 31,355 California residents with first-recorded ICH who survived to discharge, of whom 15,548 (50%) were white, 6,174 (20%) were Hispanic, 4,205 (14%) were Asian, and 2,772 (9%) were black. There were 1,330 recurrences (4.1%) over a median follow-up of 2.9 years (interquartile range 3.8). The 1-year recurrence rate was 3.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.8%–3.2%). In multivariable analysis, black participants (hazard ratio [HR] 1.22; 95% CI 1.01–1.48; p = 0.04) and Asian participants (HR 1.29; 95% CI 1.10–1.50; p = 0.001) had a higher risk of recurrence than white participants. Private insurance was associated with a significant reduction in risk compared to patients with Medicare (HR 0.60; 95% CI 0.50–0.73; p < 0.001), with consistent estimates across racial/ethnic groups.ConclusionsBlack and Asian patients had a higher risk of ICH recurrence than white patients, whereas private insurance was associated with reduced risk compared to those with Medicare. Further research is needed to determine the drivers of these disparities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoko Namba-Hamano ◽  
Takayuki Hamano ◽  
Masahiro Kyo ◽  
Yutaka Yamaguchi ◽  
Kawamura Masataka ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Aims Few studies have evaluated long-term graft histology. The aims of this study were to reveal the histological characteristics peculiar to long-term graft and to identify clinical manifestations and histological findings predicting graft survival after biopsy. Method In this retrospective study, we enrolled all allograft biopsies conducted in two institutions between 2002 and 2018 in recipients who had underwent transplantation 10 years before (n=107). The revised Banff criteria were used to evaluate histological findings. For a baseline cress-sectional study, we employed logistic regression analyses, to explore clinical factors associated with each histological parameter. Restricted cubic spline functions were used for non-linear associations. In longitudinal study, log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the death-censored graft loss. Results Median (IQR) of time after transplantation, recipient age at biopsy, and donor age were 13 (11, 19), 49 (42, 59), and 51 years (43, 58), respectively. Median (IQR) eGFR and proteinuria at biopsy was 29 (24,40) mL/min/1.73m2 and 0.46 (0.18,0.80) g/day, respectively. Seventeen patients (16%) had FSGS lesion, which was the most common glomerular abnormality in this cohort. Figure 1 shows the distribution of histological parameters. Donor age, in addition to proteinuria, was found to be associated with the presence of FSGS lesion [Odds ratio 2.37 (95%CI 1.16-4.88) per 10-year]. When constructing a non-linear model, estimated prevalence of FSGS lesion was increased in grafts from donors of &gt; 40 years old (Figure 2). Logistic regression analyses revealed that eGFR at biopsy and transplantation vintage were associated with the presence of ci [Odds ratio 0.48 (95%CI 0.32-0.71) per 10 mL/min/1.73m2, and 1.17 (1.05-1.30) per 10-year, respectively]. We also found that eGFR at biopsy and proteinuria were associated with the presence of ct [Odds ratio 0.40 (95%CI 0.26-0.63) per 10 mL/min/1.73m2, and 2.02 (1.07-3.84) per 1g/day, respectively]. Figure 3 shows Kaplan-Meier curves for death-censored graft survival after biopsy. During 3.5 years of observation, 33% of patients lost their graft functions. Log rank tests revealed that the risk of graft loss is increased in the groups with the presence of ct (p=0.001), and FSGS lesion (p=0.0001), and higher score of cg (p&lt;0.0001). In multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, the highest score of cg in addition to grater proteinuria and lower eGFR at biopsy showed higher risk of graft loss after biopsy [Hazard ratio 3.26 (95% CI 1.25-8.53) as compared to cg0, 1.64 (1.09-2.46) per g/day, and 0.39 (0.24-0.64) per 10 mL/min/1.73m2, respectively]. Conclusion The grafts from older donors, especially older than 40 years old, have FSGS lesion more frequently. Only cg score, not ct score or FSGS lesion, predicts graft survival after biopsy in patients with long transplantation vintage, independently from clinical information.


Author(s):  
Amyn A Malik ◽  
Mercedes C Becerra ◽  
Timothy L Lash ◽  
Lisa M Cranmer ◽  
Saad B Omer ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Completion of tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment is important to optimize efficacy; treatment-related adverse events (AEs) sometimes result in discontinuation. This study describes the occurrence of AEs and their risk factors during a 6-month, 2-drug, fluoroquinolone-based preventive treatment for household contacts of patients with drug-resistant TB in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods The primary outcome was development of any clinical AE during preventive treatment. Adverse events were categorized using the AE grading tables of the National Institutes of Health. Time-to-event analysis with Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models accounting for recurrence were used to analyze associated risk factors. Results Of the 172 household contacts on preventive treatment, 36 (21%) developed 64 AEs during 813 months of treatment. The incidence of AEs over 6 months of treatment was 7.9 per 100 person-months; 16 per 100 person-months with a fluoroquinolone and ethionamide, and 4.4 per 100 person-months with a fluoroquinolone and ethambutol. There were 53 (83%) grade 1 and 11 grade 2 AEs, with no grade 3 or 4 AEs. In multivariable analysis, the risk of AEs was higher in contacts prescribed ethionamide as compared to ethambutol adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.1 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.2–3.6]). Overall, there was no notable difference in treatment completion among the contacts who experienced an AE and those who did not (crude odds ratio, 1.1 [95% CI, .52–2.5]). Conclusions A fluoroquinolone-based preventive treatment regimen for drug-resistant TB exposure is well tolerated. Regimens with ethionamide are more likely to result in AEs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew T. Carr ◽  
Camille J. Hochheimer ◽  
Andrew K. Rock ◽  
Alper Dincer ◽  
Lakshmi Ravindra ◽  
...  

AbstractGlioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive central nervous system tumor with a poor prognosis. This study was conducted to determine any comorbid medical conditions that are associated with survival in GBM. Data were collected from medical records of all patients who presented to VCU Medical Center with GBM between January 2005 and February 2015. Patients who underwent surgery/biopsy were considered for inclusion. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was performed to assess the relationship between survival and sex, race, and comorbid medical conditions. 163 patients met inclusion criteria. Comorbidities associated with survival on individual-characteristic analysis included: history of asthma (Hazard Ratio [HR]: 2.63; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.24–5.58; p = 0.01), hypercholesterolemia (HR: 1.95; 95% CI: 1.09–3.50; p = 0.02), and incontinence (HR: 2.29; 95% CI: 0.95–5.57; p = 0.07). History of asthma (HR: 2.22; 95% CI: 1.02–4.83; p = 0.04) and hypercholesterolemia (HR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.11–3.56; p = 0.02) were associated with shorter survival on multivariable analysis. Surgical patients with GBM who had a prior history of asthma or hypercholesterolemia had significantly higher relative risk for mortality on individual-characteristic and multivariable analyses.


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