RAMPVIS: Answering the challenges of building visualisation capabilities for large-scale emergency responses.

The effort for combating the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has resulted in a huge amount of data, e.g., from testing, contact tracing, modelling, treatment, vaccine trials, and more. In addition to numerous challenges in epidemiology, healthcare, biosciences, and social sciences, there has been an urgent need to develop and provide visualisation and visual analytics (VIS) capacities to support emergency responses under difficult operational conditions. In this paper, we report the experience of a group of VIS volunteers who have been working in a large research and development consortium and providing VIS support to various observational, analytical, model-developmental, and disseminative tasks. In particular, we describe our approaches to the challenges that we have encountered in requirements analysis, data acquisition, visual design, software design, system development, team organisation, and resource planning. By reflecting on our experience, we propose a set of recommendations as the first step towards a methodology for developing and providing rapid VIS capacities to support emergency responses.

The von willebrand disease aging and bleeding correlation (VWD ABC) study

Introduction It is well established that von Willebrand factor (VWF) levels increase with age among healthy adults. Recently, there is emerging research demonstrating this may also occur in patients with von Willebrand disease (VWD), particularly type 1 VWD, and may be related to comorbidities. Despite increasing VWF levels, it remains unclear as to whether or not this alters bleeding phenotype. It is also unclear why this occurs most commonly in patients with type 1 VWD, but VWF mutation status may play a role. Older patients commonly undergo invasive procedures, and all VWD patients require periprocedural VWD-specific therapy to ensure appropriate hemostasis. If older type 1 VWD patients have experienced normalization of VWF levels, and no longer have an increased risk of bleeding, VWD-specific therapy may increase thrombosis risk, especially among patients with underlying cardiovascular disease or related risk factors, subject the patient to other adverse reactions such as hyponatremia, and is unnecessarily costly. For these reasons, investigation into the effect of age on VWF levels and bleeding risk in type 1 VWD patients is sorely needed. Methods This is an NHLBI-funded K23 multicenter, cross-sectional study to determine the effect of age on VWF levels and bleeding risk in patients with type 1 VWD, and to determine if pathogenic VWF mutations alter this effect.Individuals with a new or historical diagnosis of type 1 VWD (defined as clinical symptoms consistent with VWD and VWF antigen level or ristocetin cofactor activity <0.50 IU/mL) and age 18 or older are enrolled during routine clinic visits at participating Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTCs). Following enrollment, pertinent medical history is obtained;the condensed MCMDM-1 VWD Bleeding Assessment Tool is administered, with bleeding history based on bleeding symptoms during the past 5 years;and blood samples are collected for the following: VWF antigen (VWF:Ag) level, VWF ristocetin cofactor activity, factor VIII activity, blood type, and VWF gene sequencing. We hypothesize age is associated with increased VWF:Ag levels and lower condensed MCMDM-1 VWD bleeding scores in patients with type 1 VWD, and this association is weaker among those with a pathogenic VWF mutation. In addition, we hypothesize multimorbidity partially explains the association between age and VWF:Ag levels, and VWF:Ag levels partially explain the association between age and condensed MCMDM-1 VWD bleeding scores in patients with type 1 VWD. A sample size of 250 participants provides 90% power to detect an effect size of Beta=±0.032 points per year of age, which is much smaller than the observed effect size, Beta=-0.080, from preliminary data. The primary analyses will be based on multivariable linear regression models with adjustment for blood type O, exogenous estrogen therapy, multimorbidity (defined as 2 or more of the core set of 20 chronic conditions, i.e., cancer, hypertension, stroke, etc., as selected by the United States Department of Health and Human Services), and medications (aspirin, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, and anticoagulants). In the regression models, two-sided t-tests will be used with an alpha=0.05. Results This multicenter, cross-sectional study consists of seven HTCs: Hemophilia Center of Western Pennsylvania, Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania, Mary M. Gooley Hemophilia Center, Ohio State University, Bleeding & Clotting Disorders Institute, Mayo Clinic, and University of California, San Diego. During the first year of the study, site initiation visits were conducted, regulatory approval obtained, and contracts executed. Delays in these activities occurred in large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the first year of the study concludes, all sites are now active and enrolling participants. Thus far, 43 participants have been enrolled (Table 1). No barriers to enrollment have been encountered and very few patients have declined study participation. Discussion In conclusion, this ongoing multicenter, cross-section study seeks to determine the effect ge has on VWF levels and bleeding risk in patients with type 1 VWD while exploring the role of VWF mutations and multimorbidity in this process. The results will be used to justify a longitudinal study, which is the ideal approach to research the effects of aging in this population.

Depression and Anxiety in Persons with Von Willebrand Disease

[Formula presented] Background: Depression and anxiety are associated with poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL), lower functioning and decreased treatment adherence. In 2019, 7% adults in the US had moderate/severe symptoms of depression, while <5% had anxiety. Impacts of depression and anxiety in persons with von Willebrand disease (VWD) are unclear and less studied. Objective: We assessed sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with depression and anxiety in a geographically diverse cohort of individuals with VWD obtaining care at seven US Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTCs). Methods: The study enrolled and collected data on individuals age ≥12 with VWD Type 1 (VWF:Ag/RCo: ≤30%), low VWF(VWF:Ag/RCo: 30-50%), Type 2, and type 3 between September 2018-June 2021. Participants completed a survey at enrollment to collect sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, self-reported pain, joint problems and HRQoL measured by the EQ-5D-3L. A quarterly survey administered one year post-enrollment collected similar data. The patient health questionnaire (PHQ-8) and the generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) were administered with the last follow-up survey after August 2019. Chart reviews ed VWD type information. The association of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics with depression or anxiety was assessed using Chi-square tests for categorical variables, as well as logistic regression models with stepwise selection. Results: We analyzed data from 77 participants who completed both baseline and last follow-up surveys. Mean age was 34.2 (standard deviation (SD)=18.8) years, 74.0% were adults ≥18 years, 79.2% were female, 60.8% had Type 1/low VWF, and 3.9% had Type 3 VWD. Mean age at VWD diagnosis was 13.9 (SD=13.2) years. Overall reported depression rate was 63.4%, and 58.3% for anxiety (values ≥10 on either PHQ-8 or GAD-7). Proportion of those with depression (75% vs. 62%) or anxiety (58% vs. 58%) prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic were not significantly different. Persons with low VWF had higher rates of depression (86.7%) or anxiety (69.2%) as compared to those with type 1 VWD (55.3% for depression, 52.8% for anxiety) or types 2 and 3 (62.5%, 60.9%, p=0.10, not significant (NS) for depression and p=0.56, NS for anxiety, respectively). Females reported a higher rate of anxiety (61.4%) than males (46.7%, p=0.30, NS). When compared to individuals who rated their general health as the same or better than 3-months ago, those who rated their health as worse had significantly higher rates of depression (92.3% vs. 57.8%, p=0.02) and anxiety (83.3% vs. 53.3%, p=0.05). Participants with chronic pain reported a significantly higher depression rate (81.6% vs. 36.8%, p=0.0003). Those who reported having joint problems also reported depression at a significantly higher rate (82.4% vs. 48.8%, p=0.002) or anxiety (74.1% vs. 46.3%, p=0.02) than those without joint problems. Logistic regression analyses demonstrated that among adults or parents of pediatric patients, being single or not with a partner was the most important variable associated with depression (odds ratio (OR)=7.0, confidence interval (CI): 1.7-29.0), followed by having joint problems (OR=6.3, CI=2.0-20.1). The most important variable associated with anxiety was being a youth aged 12-18 years old (OR=6.7, CI=1.6-26.9), followed by being single or not with a partner (OR=10.8, CI=2.5-47.5), or having worse health compared to 3-months prior (OR=12.3, CI=1.3-116.2). Mean covariates adjusted EQ index scores were lower among persons with depression (0.75±standard error (SE) 0.03 vs. 0.83±0.04, p=0.06 NS) or anxiety (0.75±0.03 vs. 0.82±0.04, p=0.7 NS) than among those without depression or anxiety. As compared to individuals without depression or anxiety, mean covariates adjusted EQ VAS was significantly lower in persons with depression (68.7±3.1 vs. 77.6±4.2, p=0.03), but not among those with anxiety (69.3±3.7 vs. 71.3±4.3, p=0.66 NS). Conclusions: Our study revealed higher rates of major depression and anxiety in thi VWD sample than the general US population. Depression had a significant negative impact on HRQoL. Mental health screening is imperative for persons with VWD, especially those with low VWF, chronic pain or joint problems. Special attention should be paid to women and youth. This study underscores the need for a multidisciplinary approach in the comprehensive care of patients seen at HTCs. Disclosures: Roberts: Genentech, Novo Nordisk, Octapharma, Pfizer, Sanofi, Takeda, uniQure: Consultancy;Takeda;Speakers Bureau: Novo Nordisk, Octapharma, Sanofi, Takeda.: Research Funding. Kulkarni: Genentech: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;CSL Behring: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Shire/Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Novo Nordisk: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Bayer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Sanofi Genzyme: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees;Octapharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Sidonio: Bayer: Consultancy;Catalyst: Consultancy;Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding;Novo Nordisk: Consultancy;Guardian Therapeutics: Consultancy;Octapharma: Consultancy, Research Funding;Biomarin: Consultancy;Pfizer: Consultancy;Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding. Carpenter: Genentech: Honoraria;Novo Nordisk: Honoraria;Kedrion Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria;Hemophilia and Thrombosis Research Society: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Konkle: Pfizer, Sangamo, Sanofi, Sigilon, Spark, Takeda and Uniqure: Research Funding;BioMarin, Pfizer and Sigilon: Consultancy. Wu: Baxalta US Inc., Bannockburn, IL (a Takeda Company), CSL Behring L.L.C., Octapharma USA, Inc., Genentech Inc.: Research Funding. Curtis: Pfizer, Bayer, and Novo Nordisk: Consultancy;University of Southern California: Consultancy. Nichol: Pfizer, Genentech Inc., Baxalta US Inc., Bannockburn, IL (a Takeda Company), Octapharma, CSL Behring, Global Blood Therapeutics, and Novo Nordisk: Research Funding.

The CoronaSurveys System for COVID-19 Incidence Data Collection and Processing

CoronaSurveys is an ongoing interdisciplinary project developing a system to infer the incidence of COVID-19 around the world using anonymous open surveys. The surveys have been translated into 60 languages and are continuously collecting participant responses from any country in the world. The responses collected are pre-processed, organized, and stored in a version-controlled repository, which is publicly available to the scientific community. In addition, the CoronaSurveys team has devised several estimates computed on the basis of survey responses and other data, and makes them available on the project's website in the form of tables, as well as interactive plots and maps. In this paper, we describe the computational system developed for the CoronaSurveys project. The system includes multiple components and processes, including the web survey, the mobile apps, the cleaning and aggregation process of the survey responses, the process of storage and publication of the data, the processing of the data and the computation of estimates, and the visualization of the results. In this paper we describe the system architecture and the major challenges we faced in designing and deploying it.