Browsing by Author "Cameron, Anne P"

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    Subtyping of common complex diseases and disorders by integrating heterogeneous data. Identifying clusters among women with lower urinary tract symptoms in the LURN study.
    (PloS one, 2022-01) Andreev, Victor P; Helmuth, Margaret E; Liu, Gang; Smith, Abigail R; Merion, Robert M; Yang, Claire C; Cameron, Anne P; Jelovsek, J Eric; Amundsen, Cindy L; Helfand, Brian T; Bradley, Catherine S; DeLancey, John OL; Griffith, James W; Glaser, Alexander P; Gillespie, Brenda W; Clemens, J Quentin; Lai, H Henry; LURN Study Group
    We present a methodology for subtyping of persons with a common clinical symptom complex by integrating heterogeneous continuous and categorical data. We illustrate it by clustering women with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), who represent a heterogeneous cohort with overlapping symptoms and multifactorial etiology. Data collected in the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN), a multi-center observational study, included self-reported urinary and non-urinary symptoms, bladder diaries, and physical examination data for 545 women. Heterogeneity in these multidimensional data required thorough and non-trivial preprocessing, including scaling by controls and weighting to mitigate data redundancy, while the various data types (continuous and categorical) required novel methodology using a weighted Tanimoto indices approach. Data domains only available on a subset of the cohort were integrated using a semi-supervised clustering approach. Novel contrast criterion for determination of the optimal number of clusters in consensus clustering was introduced and compared with existing criteria. Distinctiveness of the clusters was confirmed by using multiple criteria for cluster quality, and by testing for significantly different variables in pairwise comparisons of the clusters. Cluster dynamics were explored by analyzing longitudinal data at 3- and 12-month follow-up. Five clusters of women with LUTS were identified using the developed methodology. None of the clusters could be characterized by a single symptom, but rather by a distinct combination of symptoms with various levels of severity. Targeted proteomics of serum samples demonstrated that differentially abundant proteins and affected pathways are different across the clusters. The clinical relevance of the identified clusters is discussed and compared with the current conventional approaches to the evaluation of LUTS patients. The rationale and thought process are described for the selection of procedures for data preprocessing, clustering, and cluster evaluation. Suggestions are provided for minimum reporting requirements in publications utilizing clustering methodology with multiple heterogeneous data domains.
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    Treatment patterns in women with urinary urgency and/or urgency urinary incontinence in the symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network Observational Cohort Study.
    (Neurourology and urodynamics, 2023-01) Bretschneider, Carol Emi; Liu, Qian; Smith, Abigail R; Kirkali, Ziya; Amundsen, Cindy L; Lai, Henry; Geynisman-Tan, Juila; Kirby, Anna; Cameron, Anne P; Helmuth, Margaret E; Griffith, James W; Jelovsek, John Eric; Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) Observational Cohort Study Group

    Background

    Limited epidemiological data exist describing how patients engage with various treatments for overactive bladder (OAB). To improve care for patients with OAB, it is essential to gain a better understanding of how patients interface with OAB treatments longitudinally, that is, how often patients change treatments and the pattern of this treatment change in terms of escalation and de-escalation.

    Objectives

    To describe treatment patterns for women with bothersome urinary urgency (UU) and/or urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) presenting to specialty care over 1 year.

    Study design

    The Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) study enrolled adult women with bothersome UU and/or UUI seeking care for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) between January 2015 and September 2016. An ordinal logistic regression model was fitted to describe the probabilities of escalating or de-escalating level of treatment during 1-year follow-up.

    Results

    Among 349 women, 281 reported UUI and 68 reported UU at baseline. At the end of 1 year of treatment by a urologist or urogynecologist, the highest level of treatment received by participants was 5% expectant management, 36% behavioral treatments (BT), 26% physical therapy (PT), 26% OAB medications, 1% percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation, 3% intradetrusor onabotulinum toxin A injection, and 3% sacral neuromodulation. Participants using BT or PT at baseline were more likely to be de-escalated to no treatment than participants on OAB medications at baseline, who tended to stay on medications. Predictors of the highest level of treatment included starting level of treatment, hypertension, UUI severity, stress urinary incontinence, and anticholinergic burden score.

    Conclusions

    Treatment patterns for UU and UUI are diverse. Even for patients with significant bother from OAB presenting to specialty clinics, further treatment often only involves conservative or medical therapies. This study highlights the need for improved treatment algorithms to escalate patients with persistent symptoms, or to adjust care in those who have been unsuccessfully treated.