The aim was to study the development of radiographic knee osteoarthritis (RKOA) in individuals with knee pain over 2 years, and the associations between radiographic changes and baseline variables.

Longitudinal cohort study.

This study is part of the Halland Osteoarthritis cohort. The included 178 individuals, aged 30–67, had knee pain, without cruciate ligament injury or radiographic findings and 67% were women. The presence of RKOA was defined as Ahlbäck score of ≥1 in ≥1 knee. (Ahlbäck grade 1: joint space narrowing in the tibiofemoral joint

In all, 13.8% (n=24) developed RKOA in 2 years whereof all had clinical KOA at baseline, as defined by NICE. Deterioration to RKOA was significantly associated with higher BMI, OR 1.119 (95% CI 1.024 to 1.223; p=0.013), and VFA, 1.008 (95% CI 1.000 to 1.016; p=0.049), worse knee pain intensity, 1.238 (95% CI 1.028 to 1.490; p=0.024), worse scores for KOOS Pain, 0.964 (95% CI 0.937 to 0.992; p=0.013) and KOOS Symptoms, 0.967 (95% CI 0.939 to 0.996; p=0.027), KOOS Activities of daily living 0.965 (95% CI 0.935 to 0.996; p=0.026) and KOOS Quality of Life 0.973 (95% CI 0.947 to 0.999; p=0.044), at baseline.

One out of seven individuals with clinical KOA developed RKOA in only 2 years. Baseline variables associated with RKOA after 2 years may possibly be detected early by using the NICE guideline, assessment of obesity and self-reported data of symptoms to support first-line treatment: education, exercise and weight control.

ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04928170)

Pembrolizumab is a programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitor used to treat advanced patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) tumour proportion score (TPS) ≥50. Further sub-division of TPS-based stratification has not been evaluated in the UK, although smoking-induced tumour mutational burden and the immunogenic effects of prior radiotherapy are suggested to improve response.

To investigate if PD-L1 TPS ≥80%, smoking status or radiotherapy before or within 2 months of treatment influenced progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with NSCLC treated with pembrolizumab monotherapy.

PD-L1 TPS, smoking status and radiotherapy exposure were compared in patients with NSCLC in National Health Service (NHS) Tayside (n=100) treated with pembrolizumab monotherapy between 1 November 2017 and 18 February 2022. Survival estimates were compared using log-rank analysis, and Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to investigate the influence of potential confounding factors, including tumour stage and performance status.

PFS was not significantly different (log-rank HR=0.330, p=0.566) comparing patients with PD-L1 TPS 50–79% and PD-L1 TPS ≥80%. Smokers had significantly improved PFS (log-rank HR=4.867, p=0.027), while patients receiving radiotherapy had significantly decreased PFS (log-rank HR=6.649, p=0.012). A Cox regression model confirmed that both radiotherapy (p=0.022) and performance status (p=0.009) were independent negative predictors of PFS.

More rigorous PD-L1 TPS stratification did not influence survival outcomes. Smoking history improved PFS, although it was not an independent response predictor, while radiotherapy and performance status independently influenced clinical response. We suggest that further stratification of PD-L1 TPS is not warranted, while performance status and radiotherapy treatment may be additional clinically useful biomarkers of response to pembrolizumab in patients with NSCLC.

Infographics have the potential to enhance knowledge translation and implementation of clinical practice guidelines at the point of care. They can provide a synoptic view of recommendations, their rationale and supporting evidence. They should be understandable and easy to use. Little evaluation of these infographics regarding user experience has taken place. We explored general practitioners’ experiences with five selected BMJ Rapid Recommendation infographics suited for primary care.

An iterative, qualitative user testing design was applied on two consecutive groups of 10 general practitioners for five selected infographics. The physicians used the infographics before clinical encounters and we performed hybrid think-aloud interviews afterwards. 20 interviews were analysed using the Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven.

Many clinicians reported that the infographics were simple and rewarding to use, time-efficient and easy to understand. They were perceived as innovative and their knowledge basis as trustworthy and supportive for decision-making. The interactive, expandable format was preferred over a static version as general practitioners focused mainly on the core message. Rapid access through the electronic health record was highly desirable. The main issues were about the use of complex scales and terminology. Understanding terminology related to evidence appraisal as well as the interpretation of statistics and unfamiliar scales remained difficult, despite the infographics.

General practitioners perceive infographics as useful tools for guideline translation and implementation in primary care. They offer information in an enjoyable and user friendly format and are used mainly for rapid, tailored and just in time information retrieval. We recommend future infographic producers to provide information as concise as possible, carefully define the core message and explore ways to enhance the understandability of statistics and difficult concepts related to evidence appraisal.

MP011977.