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Direct Effect Models, Mark J. Van Der Laan, Maya L. Petersen Jan 2008

Direct Effect Models, Mark J. Van Der Laan, Maya L. Petersen

Maya Petersen

The causal effect of a treatment on an outcome is generally mediated by several intermediate variables. Estimation of the component of the causal effect of a treatment that is not mediated by an intermediate variable (the direct effect of the treatment) is often relevant to mechanistic understanding and to the design of clinical and public health interventions. Robins, Greenland and Pearl develop counterfactual definitions for two types of direct effects, natural and controlled, and discuss assumptions, beyond those of sequential randomization, required for the identifiability of natural direct effects. Building on their earlier work and that of others, this article …


Long-Term Consequences Of The Delay Between Virologic Failure Of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy And Regimen Modification, Maya L. Petersen, Mark J. Van Der Laan, Napravnik Sonia, Joseph J. Eron, Richard G. Moore, Steven G. Deeks Dec 2007

Long-Term Consequences Of The Delay Between Virologic Failure Of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy And Regimen Modification, Maya L. Petersen, Mark J. Van Der Laan, Napravnik Sonia, Joseph J. Eron, Richard G. Moore, Steven G. Deeks

Maya Petersen

Objectives: Current treatment guidelines recommend immediate modification of antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected individuals with incomplete viral suppression. These recommendations have not been tested in observational studies or large randomized trials. We evaluated the consequences of delayed modification following virologic failure. Design/methods: We used prospective data from two clinical cohorts to estimate the effect of time until regimen modification following first regimen failure on all-cause mortality. The impact of regimen type was also assessed. As the effect of delayed switching can be confounded if patients with a poor prognosis modify therapy earlier than those with a good prognosis, we used a …