Abstract
Background Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Because of accelerated atherosclerosis and changes in left ventricular (LV) geometry, circumferential and longitudinal (CL 95% CI, 1.01–1.06; P = .04) and concentric LV geometry (odds ratio, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.07–7.15; P = .03). By multiple logistic regression analysis, rheumatoid arthritis emerged as an independent predictor of combined CL 95% CI, 1.06–6.25). The relationship between sc-MS and S′ was statistically significant in the subgroup of 142 patients without combined CL r 2 = 0.19, P It appears clear that, starting from the same 198 patients included in the database, different sub-groups of patients were selected and analyzed in the two papers (they had different echocardiographic characteristics) and, consequently, different factors emerged by the statistical analyses as covariates associated with the different phenotypes of LVSD considered. Importantly, both papers E and J had a very long gestation because all reviewers for the different journals found several and important issues that merited to be addressed: a lot of changes were proposed and much additional information was required, particularly by the reviewers of paper E. Considering this context, it emerges that although paper E was written well before paper J, the two manuscripts were accepted at the same time (we received the letters of acceptance within a couple of weeks). Thus, the uncertainty about the fate of both manuscripts made it very difficult (if not impossible) to cite either of them in the other one and, afterward, we just did not think about this point anymore. Of note, the idea to combine in the analysis longitudinal function came therefore well after the starting process of revision of the paper E and was, in some way inspired by a reviewer's comment. That is why we did not put both findings in the same paper. We think that our explanations provide the broad audience of your journal a perspective of transparency and our respect for the readers' right to understand how the work described in the paper J relates to other work by our research group. Giovanni Cioffi On behalf of all co-authors Ombretta Viapiana, Federica Ognibeni, Andrea Dalbeni, Davide Gatti, Carmine Mazzone, Giorgio Faganello, Andrea Di Lenarda, Silvano Adami, and Maurizio Rossini
Published Version
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