Pembrolizumab is a potent immune-modulating antibody active in advanced melanoma, as demonstrated in the KEYNOTE-001, -002, and -006 studies. Longitudinal tumor size modeling was pursued to quantify exposure-response relationships for efficacy. A mixture model was first developed based on an initial dataset from KEYNOTE-001 to describe four patterns of tumor growth and shrinkage. For subsequent analyses, tumor size measurements were adequately described by a single consolidated model structure that captured continuous tumor size with a combination of growth and regression terms, as well as a fraction of tumor responsive to therapy. This revised model structure provided a framework to efficiently evaluate the impact of covariates and pembrolizumab exposure. Both models indicated that exposure to the drug was not a significant predictor of tumor size response, demonstrating that the dose range evaluated (2 and 10 mg/kg every 3 weeks) is likely near or at the plateau of maximal response.
Extreme events have widespread impact on human and natural systems, and the response to such extreme events is examined by several academic and practicing communities. For decades, the Natural Hazard Research (NHR) tradition in geography, led by White and expanded by scholars like Mitchell, have looked at possibilities of blending and applying technological fixes and societal adjustments to reduce the risk of losses from extreme events. While knowledge about potential impacts of climate change related to extreme events has grown substantially, the consolidation of knowledge to plan for and respond to extreme climate events in the short and long terms has only begun in the past few years. These scholars have emphasized the importance of context, understanding and including the broader range of options, and systematic study of past experiences to elicit knowledge pertaining to effective societal responses to extreme events. Such lessons from the NHR tradition and the works of Mitchell are key to finding the way forward with climate change adaptation.
This article presents the limitations of current climate-related disaster risk reduction policies that do not incorporate the underlying conditions in urban areas like Mumbai. It argues that climate risks exist at the intersection of changing nature of extreme events due to changes in climate (physical risk); presence of people, infrastructure, and resources in locations where these events are occurring (exposure); and the inability of exposed communities to reduce these losses or cope with them (vulnerability) due to simultaneous socioeconomic and political stresses. Hence, the article concludes that it is critical to apply a broader approach to understand the workings of underlying processes that affect all components and contribute to the production of risk and vulnerability in society.
Loss redistribution2 is an embedded coping3 mechanism that plays a significant role in sustaining low income populations during times of crisis. Mumbai provides evidence of existing and emerging loss redistribution practices that may be representative of slums in many other Third World mega cities. In Mumbai slum, populations typically have access to more than one method of loss redistribution, depending on a variety of socio-economic factors, to assist in the recovery process after floods. The study identifies these socio- economic factors that impact the type and number of sources available to affected households and in turn also serve as an indicator of resilience in these communities.