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Recent advances in Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) extend the scope of Bayesian inference to models for which the likelihood function is intractable. Although these developments allow us to estimate model parameters, other basic problems such as estimating the marginal likelihood, a fundamental tool in Bayesian model selection, remain challenging. This is an important scientific limitation because testing psychological hypotheses with hierarchical models has proven difficult with current model selection methods. We propose an efficient method for estimating the marginal likelihood for models where the likelihood is intractable, but can be estimated unbiasedly. It is based on first running a sampling method such as MCMC to obtain samples for the model parameters, and then using these samples to construct the proposal density in an importance sampling (IS) framework with an unbiased estimate of the likelihood. Our method has several attractive properties it generates an unbiased estimate of the marginal likelihood, it is robust to the quality and target of the sampling method used to form the IS proposals, and it is computationally cheap to estimate the variance of the marginal likelihood estimator. We also obtain the convergence properties of the method and provide guidelines on maximizing computational efficiency. The method is illustrated in two challenging cases involving hierarchical models identifying the form of individual differences in an applied choice scenario, and evaluating the best parameterization of a cognitive model in a speeded decision making context. Freely available code to implement the methods is provided. Extensions to posterior moment estimation and parallelization are also discussed.

To analyze the results regarding weight loss and complications related to the Spatz3® adjustable intragastric balloon (IGB) in Brazil.

This randomized prospective study covered patients who had undergone treatment using a Spatz3® adjustable IGB between October 2016 and June 2018 at a private clinic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The patients had a minimum body mass index (BMI) of 27kg/m

. The study examined complications of Spatz3® treatment and BMI reduction, percentage of total weight loss (%TWL), and % of excess weight loss (%EWL).

One hundred eighty patients underwent a Spatz3® balloon implant in the period. The patients were randomly divided into one group in which the Spatz balloon was kept at the same volume (600mL) throughout treatment (Control Group), and another adjustment group with 250mL greater volume. The complication rate was 16.14%. No death or major complication occurred during the study. selleck chemical Mean BMI decreased from 39.51 to 32.84kg/m

(p < 0.0001), bodyweight from 111.87 to 90.28kg (p< 0.0001), and excess weight from 41.55 to 22.99kg (p <0.0001). The adjustment resulted in greater mean weight loss of 4.35kg (- 8 to 17.6kg), and the average time of the procedure was 7.12 ± 1.63months. The upward adjustment group did not present greater %TWL, %EWL, or BMI reduction when compared with the control group (p = 0.4413, p = 0,9245, p = 0.2729, respectively).

This study shows that Spatz3® IGB treatment is an effective procedure for weight reduction, with no mortality but higher morbidity compared with traditional IGBs. This procedure also enabled the balloon to stay in place for longer. The efficacy of upward adjustment still requires further confirmation.

This study shows that Spatz3® IGB treatment is an effective procedure for weight reduction, with no mortality but higher morbidity compared with traditional IGBs. This procedure also enabled the balloon to stay in place for longer. The efficacy of upward adjustment still requires further confirmation.

There are few studies assessing how data on adverse drug events from consumers on social media compare with other sources.

The aim of this study was to assess the consistency of adverse event data of statin medications from social media as compared with other sources.

We collected data on the adverse events of statins from Twitter, the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), drug information databases (DIDs) and systematic reviews. We manually annotated 12,649 tweets collected between June 2013 and August 2018. We collected 45,447 reports from FAERS, 10,415 from MHRA, identified 17 systematic reviews with relevant data and extracted data from Facts and Comparisons

and Clinical Pharmacology

. We compared the proportion, relative frequencies and rank of each category of adverse event from each source using MedDRA

primary System Organ Class codes.

Compared with other sources, patients on social media are proportionally far more likely to complain about musculoskeletal symptoms than other adverse events. Most adverse events showed a high level of agreement between Twitter and regulatory data. DIDs tend to demonstrate similar patterns but not as strongly. Systematic reviews tend to examine pre-specified adverse events or those reported by trial investigators.

Combining the data from multiple sources, albeit challenging, may provide a broader safety profile of any medication. Systematically collected social media reports may be able to contribute information on the most pertinent adverse effects to patients.

Combining the data from multiple sources, albeit challenging, may provide a broader safety profile of any medication. Systematically collected social media reports may be able to contribute information on the most pertinent adverse effects to patients.Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a rare and aggressive mesenchymal malignancy, derived from smooth muscle cells or precursor mesenchymal stem cells for this tissue type. LMS has highly complex and unstable karyotypes, and the clinical outcomes in patients with LMS remain dismal as evidenced by the 5-year-survival of 64%. Novel therapeutic approaches are required to improve its clinical outcomes. Patient-derived cancer cell lines are indispensable as a tool to study the molecular mechanisms underlying clinical behaviors of tumor cells such as resistance to treatments, metastasis, and recurrence. However, only a limited number of LMS cell lines are publicly available, probably because of the rarity of patients with LMS, and a paucity of cell lines hinders the research on LMS. This study aimed to develop a patient-derived LMS cell line. We successfully established a cell line from the primary tumor tissue of a 90-year-old female patient with pleomorphic LMS, which we named NCC-LMS2-C1. NCC-LMS2-C1 cells were maintained as a monolayer culture for over 29 passages spanning 10 months.