Although twins often participate in medical research, few clinical trials are conducted entirely in twin populations. The purpose of this review is to demonstrate the substantial benefits and address the key challenges of conducting clinical trials in twin populations, or 'twin-only trials'. We consider the unique design, analysis, recruitment and ethical issues that arise in such trials. In particular, we describe the different approaches available for randomizing twin pairs, highlight the similarity or correlation that exists between outcomes of twins, and discuss the impact of this correlation on sample size calculations and statistical analysis methods for estimating treatment effects. We also consider the role of both monozygotic and dizygotic twins for studying variation in outcomes, the factors that may affect recruitment of twins, and the ethics of conducting trials entirely in twin populations. The advantages and disadvantages of conducting twin-only trials are also discussed. Finally, we recommend that twin-only trials should be considered more often.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/thg.2021.52 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Suboptimal dietary patterns are associated with accelerated biological aging in young adulthood: A study with twins.
Clin Nutr
December 2024
Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, Gerontology Research Center, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland; The Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland, 40620 Jyväskylä, Finland. Electronic address:
Background & Aims: Suboptimal diets increase morbidity and mortality risk. Epigenetic clocks are algorithms that can assess health and lifespan, even at a young age, before clinical manifestations of diseases. We investigated the association between dietary patterns and biological aging in young adult twins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBirth of a Healthy Monozygotic Twin Foal with Hydrops and a Dead Co-Twin.
Vet Sci
December 2024
Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
Transfer of in vitro-produced (IVP) equine embryos is associated with a higher incidence of monozygotic multiple pregnancies, but this remains a rarity. The outcome of monozygotic twin gestation is poor, and good management techniques are lacking. In addition, hydrops conditions are exceptional in horses, with hydroallantois occurring more frequently than hydramnion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMore twins expected in low-income countries with later maternal ages at birth and population growth.
Hum Reprod
December 2024
Laboratory of Fertility and Well-Being, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
Study Question: How are the changing maternal age structure and population growth expected to shape future twinning rates in low-income countries?
Summary Answer: With maternal age at birth projected to shift toward older ages, twinning rates are also estimated to increase in most low-income countries by 2050 and even more by 2100.
What Is Known Already: Many of the sub-Saharan African and South Asian countries are undergoing, and projected to further experience, the shift of maternal age at birth to older ages. Advanced maternal age is a well-established predictor of multiple births at the individual level, but currently, it is unknown how the changes in maternal age distribution are associated with the changes in twinning rates at the population level in low-income countries.
Phenotypic Plasticity During Organofluorine Degradation Revealed by Adaptive Evolution.
Microb Biotechnol
December 2024
Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics and Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA.
A major factor limiting the biodegradation of organofluorine compounds has been highlighted as fluoride anion toxicity produced by defluorinating enzymes. Here, two highly active defluorinases with different activities were constitutively expressed in Pseudomonas putida ATCC 12633 to examine adaption to fluoride stress. Each strain was grown on α-fluorophenylacetic acid as the sole carbon source via defluorination to mandelic acid, and each showed immediate fluoride release and delayed growth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaternal and Infant Health Outcomes in US-Born and Non-US-Born Black Pregnant People in the US.
JAMA Netw Open
December 2024
Center of Excellence in Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, University of California, Berkeley.
Importance: With disparate Black maternal health outcomes in the US and a steadily expanding non-US-born Black population, it is beneficial to investigate Black maternal health outcomes by country of origin.
Objective: To compare the prevalence of maternal morbidity and infant birth outcomes between US-born and non-US-born Black populations in the US.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study included all registered hospital births in the US from the 2021 National Vital Statistics Systems (NVSS) Natality Data.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!