Highest sentiment among nurses

Multimodal, Technology-Assisted Intervention for the Management of Menopause after Cancer Improves Cancer-Related Quality of Life – Results from the Menopause after Cancer (Mac) Study

The Mac study was a single arm, phase II trial that evaluated a group of interventions for managing women’s vasomotor symptoms after treatment for cancer, in the setting of contra-indication for conventional menopausal hormone therapy. With the aim of improving quality of life (QOL) outcomes, these interventions included non-hormonal pharmacotherapy, digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, self management strategies via mobile app, and support from an additional identified person. Study participants demonstrated notable increases in global QOL scores, reduction in the frequency and bother of vasomotor symptoms, as well as improvements to insomnia.

At publication, this article was selected by Cancers as their journal title story. Likely because it integrates elements of disease and patient care from several clinical interest areas – including women’s health, oncology, digital health applications, and QOL assessments – sentiment about this publication has been notably high among nurses. This assessment highlights the opportunity to explore interest from healthcare professional audience segments; in this case, among nurses.

For a detailed breakdown of the Altmetric attention click here.

Top Altmetric Score by Publication Type

Peer-Reviewed Clinical Publication

Blood Biomarkers to Detect Alzheimer Disease in Primary Care and Secondary Care

This study examined 1213 Swedish patients with cognitive symptoms, among whom specific cohorts were analyzed for multiple blood biomarkers related to Alzheimer pathology. The amyloid probability score 2 (APS2) blood test demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy, significantly outperforming that of both primary care physicians and dementia specialists in identifying clinical disease in patients with cognitive symptoms.

Given the promise that an accurate blood test for Alzheimer disease represents for streamlining both diagnostic workup and treatment, this publication was rapidly picked up by healthcare industry and news media, as well as social media, leading to a top Altmetric score. Between mid-summer and November 2024, this publication reached an Altmetric score of 3629 (and still rising), with 500+ news stories and nearly 600 X posts.

For a detailed breakdown of the Altmetric attention click here.

Pre-Print

Persistence of S1 Spike Protein in CD16+ Monocytes up to 245 Days in SARS-CoV-2 Negative Post COVID-19 Vaccination Individuals with Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC)-Like Symptoms

This study investigated persistence of COVID-19 spike protein in monocytes of individuals who experienced PASC-like symptoms after COVID-19 vaccination. These individuals exhibited elevated levels of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines and markers of platelet activation, suggesting a potential link between persistence of S1 proteins up to 245 days post-vaccination and the symptoms observed.

While pre-prints normally receive limited Altmetric attention, they have gained traction since the pandemic. At the time of analysis, this paper had an Altmetric score of 2075, mainly driven by X posts.

Many pre-prints haven’t been subject to peer review and are not ultimately published in journals. When considering the impact of a pre-print, care should be taken to recognize the authors and their affiliations. This pre-print focused on a contentious area of science, which is reflected in the sentiment of conversations on X: the bulk of professional voices expressed deep skepticism, while other voices welcomed the research and actively shared it among their networks.

For a detailed breakdown of the Altmetric attention click here.

Active Clinical Trial Registration

A Phase 2 Randomized Study of Adjuvant Immunotherapy With the Personalized Cancer Vaccine mRNA-4157 and Pembrolizumab Versus Pembrolizumab Alone After Complete Resection of High-Risk Melanoma (KEYNOTE-942)

This phase II trial assessed whether postoperative adjuvant therapy with mRNA-4157 and pembrolizumab improved recurrence-free survival compared to pembrolizumab alone, in participants with complete resection of cutaneous melanoma and high risk of recurrence.

As with preprints, clinical trial registrations typically receive limited Altmetric attention. However, this trial accrued an unusually large Altmetric score of 1685 at time of analysis, this being considerably higher than the trial report itself published in The Lancet in January 2024.

We regret the passing this year of Dr. Jeffrey S. Weber, this publication’s lead author and melanoma research pioneer. He led numerous important trials throughout his career and was recognized as one of the Giants of Cancer Care in 2016.

For a detailed breakdown of the Altmetric attention click here.

Publications with Unexpected Impact

Top citation in healthcare policy

Exagamglogene Autotemcel for Severe Sickle Cell Disease

This study demonstrated that exagamglogene autotemcel (exa-cel) cell therapy eliminated vaso-occlusive crises in 97% of patients with severe sickle cell disease for at least 12 months. The treatment involved CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing of autologous hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, and the safety profile was consistent with standard conditioning and transplantation procedures.

Following its release in April 2024, this publication had accrued 58 citations at time of analysis, and four policy citations which from policy documents published by Canada’s Drug Agency and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Policy citations are one of the slowest forms of attention to accrue, making this paper’s study worthy of its inclusion in this Top 10.

For a detailed breakdown of the Altmetric attention click here.

Top citation in patent

Phase 2 Study of the Liposomal Formulation of Eribulin (E7389-LF) in Combination with Nivolumab: Results from the Small Cell Lung Cancer Cohort

Phase 2 Study of the Liposomal Formulation of Eribulin (E7389-LF) in Combination with Nivolumab: Results from the Gastric Cancer Cohort

Two articles published in parallel together represent the publications most cited in patents in 2024. They describe the outcomes of two phase II analyses of treatment with a liposomal formulation of a chemotherapeutic agent in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, in the disease settings of lung and gastric cancer, respectively.

It is often the case that years pass before technical or clinical publications are cited in patents, which are then themselves published. This year, three patent notifications related to the art of this liposomal composition were published in the month of July, all three of which cite the above peer-reviewed clinical publications. It may be relevant to a given evidence generation or publications strategy, and its definition of publication performance, to connect clinical research outputs to patent citations.

For a detailed breakdown of the Altmetric attention click here and here.

Top publication in Rare Disease

Tabelecleucel for Allogeneic Haematopoietic Stem-cell or Solid Organ Transplant Recipients with Epstein–Barr virus-positive Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disease after Failure of Rituximab or Rituximab and Chemotherapy (ALLELE): a Phase 3, Multicentre, Open-label Trial

Tabelecleucel demonstrates clinical benefit for patients with relapsed or refractory Epstein-Barr virus-positive post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, a condition with limited treatment options. The phase III trial showed objective response rates of 50% in hematopoietic stem-cell transplant recipients and 52% in solid organ transplant recipients, with no significant safety concerns compared to other therapies.

This CAR-T therapy drew attention through the volume of news coverage that it received. Although the number of patients with this rare condition is very limited, the communications around this data made it a very tellable story, and positioned it successfully as an innovative therapy while reinforcing the message that all diseases are worthy of research.

For a detailed breakdown of the Altmetric attention click here.

Top publication with extenders

Elinzanetant for the Treatment of Vasomotor Symptoms Associated With Menopause

Elinzanetant, a selective neurokinin-1,3 receptor antagonist, was evaluated for its efficacy and safety in treating moderate to severe menopausal vasomotor symptoms (VMS) in two phase III trial cohorts. The results showed that elinzanetant significantly reduced the frequency and severity of VMS, improved sleep disturbances, and enhanced menopause-related quality of life, with a favorable safety profile.

Attention paid to menopause research has accelerated considerably since 2022, with the mean Altmetric Attention Score in this area doubling in the last two years. Even so, this data received a great deal of attention, which has largely persisted as news coverage and social media interest has continued to grow in the months following publication. The stories are unusually diverse, with many of the talking points appearing in a YouTube interview between the lead author, Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton, and the editors of JAMA.

For a detailed breakdown of the Altmetric attention click here.

Top underdogs

Tuberculosis affects approximately ten million people worldwide every year, with one million dying of this disease annually. Despite this, and despite the urgency with which the World Health Organization and other agencies encourage novel treatments, research in this space often fails to attract attention. Publications describing a novel treatment modality and a novel diagnostic approach, introduced below, should have received more attention than they did. For this reason, they are included as examples of where ‘success’ could (or should) have resulted in higher numbers.

A First-in-class Leucyl-tRNA Synthetase Inhibitor, Ganfeborole, for Rifampicin-susceptible Tuberculosis: a Phase 2a Open-label, Randomized Trial

In this paper, the authors describe a novel treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis, positioning their work in the context of urgent need for new therapies. The paper has received an Altmetric Attention Score of 55, with most of the coverage derived from social media. The paper was frequently tagged as part of World TB Day, with wording such as “Yes! We can end TB!”

For a detailed breakdown of the Altmetric attention click here.

Increased Tuberculosis Case Detection in Tanzanian Children and Adults Using African Giant Pouched Rats

Timely tuberculosis diagnosis is challenging, especially with children who are often unable to produce the volume of sputum required. The not-for-profit organization APOPO have screened close to one million sputum samples using trained African Giant Pouched Rats. Their data showed that rats are faster and cheaper than traditional laboratory diagnostic processes, and with greater accuracy, identifying thousands of positive samples not captured in laboratory testing. Despite the importance of diagnosing tuberculosis, this paper received an Altmetric Attention Score of just 1 at time of analysis, derived from an X post by a publication co-author.

World TB Day takes place annually in March, and as this paper was published in April 2024, this body of work could have benefited from use of relevant hashtags and communications.

For a detailed breakdown of the Altmetric attention click here.