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Tom Yates

@tomayates.bsky.social

Epidemiology, infection https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/37299-tom-yates/about

6,227 Followers  |  2,392 Following  |  582 Posts  |  Joined: 18.08.2024  |  2.0698

Latest posts by tomayates.bsky.social on Bluesky

I think there are major advantages to the approach

Why expect optimal duration to be a standard number of days, e.g. 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, etc?

With DURATIONS, even if you don't manage to prove non inferiority of e.g. 7 days, top end of the confidence interval can still allow you to shorten treatment

19.10.2025 08:09 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Mushrooms

Mushrooms

Mushrooms

Mushrooms

Mushrooms

Mushrooms

Mushroom

Mushroom

18.10.2025 18:54 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Perhaps, but Matteo published the DURATIONS design paper 7 years ago now

What if the optimal duration turns out to be e.g. 10 days?

18.10.2025 14:01 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Why are we still doing duration A vs duration B trials?

18.10.2025 12:32 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Table showing marginal tax rates, excluding employer NI, existing and after proposed 2p cut in National Insurance and 2p rise in Income Tax: UK excluding Scotland

Table showing marginal tax rates, excluding employer NI, existing and after proposed 2p cut in National Insurance and 2p rise in Income Tax: UK excluding Scotland

Switching 2p from National Insurance to Income Tax would raise Β£6 billion while protecting pay packets.

The increase in the state pension would mean that all pensioners with incomes below Β£40,000 would still be better off next year than this year.

Read 'Call of duties' now ‡️ buff.ly/BKL1NyD

13.10.2025 15:15 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Scenario I'm considering has patient on long course of cefazolin for another indication

13.10.2025 18:21 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

What do we think about cefazolin for late latent syphilis? @drmichaelmarks.bsky.social

#IDsky

13.10.2025 16:27 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Good listen

12.10.2025 08:25 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Priorities in addressing rifampicin resistant TB Progress in testing and trial design are needed Rifampicin is a critical component of tuberculosis (TB) treatment regimens. Recent positive developments in rifampicin resistant TBβ€”the emergence of ne...

NEW EDITORIAL!

Me, @drjesspotter.bsky.social and Rouxjeane Venter argue

- that rapid near patient DST should be developed alongside new RRTB treatment regimens
- for changes in the design of Phase 3 treatment trials
- we must oppose unprecedented cuts to research funding and development assistance

11.10.2025 09:29 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Priorities in addressing rifampicin resistant TB Progress in testing and trial design are needed Rifampicin is a critical component of tuberculosis (TB) treatment regimens. Recent positive developments in rifampicin resistant TBβ€”the emergence of ne...

NEW EDITORIAL!

Me, @drjesspotter.bsky.social and Rouxjeane Venter argue

- that rapid near patient DST should be developed alongside new RRTB treatment regimens
- for changes in the design of Phase 3 treatment trials
- we must oppose unprecedented cuts to research funding and development assistance

11.10.2025 09:29 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I think people with a CFS label most likely have a mix of different pathology

I think psychiatric and physical illness are equally 'real'

I think these findings won't replicate

Or possibly these are biomarkers common to many different illnesses, perhaps the downstream consequences of inactivity

08.10.2025 23:26 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Young lives cut short on an unimaginable scale: the 18,457 children on Gaza’s list of war dead The children’s names below appear on a list of victims of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, maintained by health authorities in the territory. As of the end of July it ran to 60,199 names, of whom 18,457 were under 18s. Far from comprehensive, the list does not include the thousands still buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings, as well as the war’s many indirect victims As of the end of July there were 18,457 children named on the long official list of Palestinian victims of Israel’s war in Gaza. Over almost two years, that is equivalent to bombs, bullets and shells killing a boy or girl every hour of every day. In reality the deaths are not spaced out so evenly. Siblings, cousins and playmates are often killed together, by an airstrike or artillery shell. Even children shot by snipers or quadcopters are sometimes brought into hospitals in groups, doctors say. Continue reading...

Young lives cut short on an unimaginable scale: the 18,457 children on Gaza’s list of war dead

08.10.2025 07:51 β€” πŸ‘ 307    πŸ” 232    πŸ’¬ 21    πŸ“Œ 26

Even if you disregard likely overfitting, the tiny validation sample and whether the outcome is pathophysiologically coherent, what is this test for?

You don't need a Β£1000 test to distinguish folk with profound fatigue from people with normal activity levels - you can just ask them

08.10.2025 17:47 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Reform UK’s ex-leader in Wales Nathan Gill pleads guilty to bribery charges Gill admits to eight charges while an elected member of the European parliament Nathan Gill, a former leader of Reform UK in Wales, has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to eight bribery charges while an elected member of the European parliament. More details soon … Continue reading...

Reform UK’s ex-leader in Wales Nathan Gill pleads guilty to bribery charges

26.09.2025 12:11 β€” πŸ‘ 155    πŸ” 103    πŸ’¬ 23    πŸ“Œ 39

Powell or Phillipson? I am leaning Powell

26.09.2025 20:44 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I have no idea. The press release suggests two different dosing strategies were tried

25.09.2025 15:00 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

There is a press release
uniqure.gcs-web.com/news-release...

25.09.2025 14:36 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Sham procedures are certainly done to robustly evaluate surgical interventions - you can blind patient and have blinded outcome assessors

Or a blinded MAMS-ROCI across a wide range of doses could have been done - a completely flat dose response curve would suggest no biological activity

25.09.2025 14:23 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I think the regulator/REC dropped the ball

This exercise reduced equipoise without generating sufficient data to allow intervention to be confidently rolled out

To roll out expensive invasive intervention in perpetuity, we really need to know how well it works

25.09.2025 13:34 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

For me, the key question is whether that journey includes a trial demonstrating definitively whether the intervention does more good than harm

25.09.2025 08:07 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I am not sure data of that kind can be sufficiently robust to roll out an invasive intervention without an RCT

25.09.2025 08:06 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Cohort of 29 compared to a propensity score matched group of comparator patients

Unclear from press release whether RCT will be required by regulator

Clear potential for harm - drug instilled during a lengthy neurosurgical procedure

Thoughts? #medsky #statsky

24.09.2025 19:01 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 0

I don't know if those data exist. Will be mix of leaving and not starting research track. The consultant contract partly compensates trainees who delay completing training due to dual specialty or less than full time working, but there is no such protection for time spent in research.

23.09.2025 19:00 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The average main applicant who received a visa 2019-2023 made about 45% more than the average person in the UK.

The average dependent who received a visa 2019-2023 made about 25% less than the average person in the UK.

The average person who received a humanitarian visa made about 33% less than the average person in the UK.

When we take a weighted average of all categories of 2019-2023, the average new migrant who arrived 2019-2023 made Β£24,881 in FY 2023-2024. This is about 4% more than average earnings - even when I have made optimistic assumptions about native-born earnings and excluded any self-employment income for migrants.

It is difficult to see how admitting people who outearn the native-born would be catastrophic for public finances, particularly given that the British state need not pay to educate them. The data certainly does not seem to suggest this cohort is a β€œticking time bomb” for British public finances

The average main applicant who received a visa 2019-2023 made about 45% more than the average person in the UK. The average dependent who received a visa 2019-2023 made about 25% less than the average person in the UK. The average person who received a humanitarian visa made about 33% less than the average person in the UK. When we take a weighted average of all categories of 2019-2023, the average new migrant who arrived 2019-2023 made Β£24,881 in FY 2023-2024. This is about 4% more than average earnings - even when I have made optimistic assumptions about native-born earnings and excluded any self-employment income for migrants. It is difficult to see how admitting people who outearn the native-born would be catastrophic for public finances, particularly given that the British state need not pay to educate them. The data certainly does not seem to suggest this cohort is a β€œticking time bomb” for British public finances

There are actually credible and competent analysts looking at the data.

www.laurenpolicy.com/p/are-recent...

23.09.2025 06:55 β€” πŸ‘ 57    πŸ” 23    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

I don't think that is true for medically trained folk

The current generation exit medical school with ~100k debt

There will generally be clinical work available, to pay bills

Choosing academic path means losing Β£10ks in pay

23.09.2025 06:46 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Maybe not a priority, though I'd point out govt are also opening new prisons, extending freeze on fuel duty, maintaining tax relief for rich pensioners, etc

Leaving things as they are will mean docs from less affluent backgrounds will be underrepresented in next generation of clinical academics

22.09.2025 21:27 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

There is a big financial penalty to pursuing a clinical academic career - delay to CCT (consultant salary), loss of out of hours supplements whilst on research blocks

Unless this can be addressed, it will increasingly become a choice restricted to doctors from wealthy families

22.09.2025 07:05 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Starmer finally said it: β€˜We recognise Palestine.’ But Gaza desperately needs action – where is that? | Nesrine Malik The British PM and others offered fine words, but after all the horror, many will say too little, too late. Palestinians need unfettered support – and now, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik

Starmer finally said it: β€˜We recognise Palestine.’ But Gaza desperately needs action – where is that? | Nesrine Malik

22.09.2025 05:30 β€” πŸ‘ 275    πŸ” 80    πŸ’¬ 14    πŸ“Œ 7
Detection and characterisation of Xpert CT/NG assay Neisseria gonorrhoeae diagnostic escape mutants, England, June 2025 We report the timely detection of a strain of Neisseria gonorrhoeae which was confirmed as a diagnostic escape mutant on the Cepheid Xpert CT/NG assay in England in June 2025. The reason for assay failure was a likely recombination event with Neisseria meningitidis, which removed both assay target sites. Seven historical putative Xpert CT/NG assay diagnostic escape mutants were also identified following subsequent in silico screening of gonococcal genome collections, but currently there is no evidence of widespread circulation.

The @ukhsa.bsky.social STI Reference Lab has identified a strain of Neisseria gonorrhoeae which evades detection on the Cepheid Xpert CT/GC Assay.

Read more in our eurosurveillance article

www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2...

11.09.2025 17:00 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
Results of polling initiated by Compass: 
- 92% of Labour Party members support the public ownership of essential utilities. 
- 91% support taxing the wealth of the richest in our society.
- 84% support an end to the two-child benefit limit.

Results of polling initiated by Compass: - 92% of Labour Party members support the public ownership of essential utilities. - 91% support taxing the wealth of the richest in our society. - 84% support an end to the two-child benefit limit.

There's overwhelming support amongst Labour's membership for a more radical offer on democracy, the economy, child poverty & more.

We believe the voices of radical realists, the vast majority of the Labour Party, must be heard and heeded.

Join us: mainstreamlabour.org/get-involved

09.09.2025 09:12 β€” πŸ‘ 17    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 3

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