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Background: With blinded data, several authors have concluded that there is a negligible chance of inferring a non-null treatment effect. The recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) draft guidance document on adaptive trials, by encouraging blinded sample size reestimation, implies the same.
Purpose: We derive methods to investigate whether the probability of inferring a treatment effect is much larger than previously thought, and whether that is of concern.
Methods: A statistic is developed that contributes to improving signal detection. Additionally, trials that are overpowered, for reasons external to powering the primary objective, further strengthen the chance of finding a signal.
Results: An example of data from a clinical trial shows how revealing a blinded analysis can be. The ability to infer a non-null effect while a blinded trial is ongoing is a serious matter.
Limitations: The methods apply to superiority trials and are of limited use for non-inferiority or equivalence trials.
Conclusion: It is important, therefore, that guidance documents include clear language to limit or prevent inference from blinded data to maintain trial integrity. Simple steps are proposed to make inference difficult.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1740774513499650 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
September 2025
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
Background: Current aftercare in breast cancer survivors aims to detect local recurrences or contralateral disease, while the detection of distant metastases has not been a central focus due to a lack of evidence supporting an effect on overall survival. However, the data underpinning these guidelines are mainly from trials of the 1980s/1990s and have not been updated to reflect the significant advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic options that have emerged over the past 40 years. In this trial, the aim is to test whether a liquid biopsy-based detection of (oligo-) metastatic disease at an early pre-symptomatic stage followed by timely treatment can impact overall survival compared to current standard aftercare.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Prog
September 2025
Xiamen Eye Center and Eye Institute of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen, China.
BackgroundGlaucoma is recognized as the second-leading cause of complete blindness in developed countries and a significant contributor to irreversible vision loss worldwide. Understanding the potential genetic links between neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, and glaucoma is crucial for developing preventive strategies.MethodsThis study utilized data from Genome-Wide Association Studies databases, focusing on European populations without gender restrictions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
September 2025
State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug De
Proliferative retinopathy is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in humans; however, the molecular mechanisms behind the immune cell-mediated retinal angiogenesis remain poorly elucidated. Here, using single-cell RNA sequencing in an oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model, we identified an enrichment of sorting nexin (SNX)-related pathways, with SNX3, a member of the SNX family that is involved in endosomal sorting and trafficking, being significantly upregulated in the myeloid cell subpopulations of OIR retinas. Immunostaining showed that SNX3 expression is markedly increased in the retinal microglia/macrophages of mice with OIR, which is mainly located within and around the neovascular tufts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnesthesiology
October 2025
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Background: Anesthetic exposure in young children raises concerns about neurodevelopmental safety, with preclinical evidence suggesting potential neurotoxicity of volatile anesthetics. This study aimed to assess whether the combination of dexmedetomidine and remifentanil, by reducing sevoflurane exposure, has any differential effect on neurodevelopmental outcomes in young children compared with sevoflurane alone.
Methods: This study was a prospective, double-blind, randomized clinical trial including children younger than 2 yr undergoing nonstaged, nonrepetitive surgeries.
J Korean Med Sci
September 2025
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
Background: Neuropsychological assessments are critical to cognitive care, but are time-consuming and often of variable quality. Automated tools, such as ReadSmart4U, improve report quality and consistency while meeting the growing demand for cognitive assessments.
Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study analysed 150 neuropsychological assessments stratified by cognitive diagnosis (normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease) from the Clinical Data Warehouse of a university-affiliated referral hospital (2010-2020).