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  • Transforming estimates from GEE o linear mixed models into interpretable measures

    Dear Statalists,

    I would like to transform the estimates from a GEE model into estimates easy to interpret. I am analyzing the data from a therapeutic intervention in a pilot study with 26 individuals, randomized to either the treatment or a placebo. The outcome is a set of inflammatory proteins, which expression has been normalized as an arbitrary log2 scale. There are longitudinal measurements at weeks 0, 1, 2 and 3.

    Code:
    * Example generated by -dataex-. For more info, type help dataex
    clear
    input long id float log2_biomarker long treatment float week
     1  -.7054 1 0
     1 -1.2324 1 1
     1 -1.1534 1 2
     1 -1.8024 1 3
     2 -1.8788 1 0
     2  -.6176 1 1
     2  -.9384 1 2
     2 -1.0344 1 3
     3   .1669 2 0
     3   .3913 2 1
     3  -.2084 2 2
     3   .0628 2 3
     4  1.8445 1 0
     4   .7555 1 1
     4   -.679 1 2
     4  -.8782 1 3
     5  -.7671 2 0
     5   -.296 2 1
     5  -.2317 2 2
     5  -.3516 2 3
     6  -.7551 2 0
     6  -.6648 2 1
     6   -.461 2 2
     6   .3682 2 3
     7  -.9501 1 0
     7  -.1625 1 1
     7 -1.5157 1 2
     7  -.1009 1 3
     8   .7412 2 0
     8    .658 2 1
     8   2.391 2 2
     8  2.5516 2 3
     9  -.2701 2 0
     9    .446 2 1
     9   .2264 2 2
     9  -.4364 2 3
    10  -.8445 2 0
    10  -.9837 2 2
    10  -.4747 2 3
    11  -.6203 1 0
    11   -.774 1 1
    11  -.0134 1 2
    11  -.5443 1 3
    12   .2051 1 0
    12   .0964 1 1
    12   1.629 1 2
    12   .0134 1 3
    13  -.6022 1 0
    13 -1.2432 1 1
    13 -1.1496 1 2
    end
    label values id id
    label def id 1 "R01", modify
    label def id 2 "R02", modify
    label def id 3 "R03", modify
    label def id 4 "R04", modify
    label def id 5 "R05", modify
    label def id 6 "R06", modify
    label def id 7 "R07", modify
    label def id 8 "R08", modify
    label def id 9 "R09", modify
    label def id 10 "R10", modify
    label def id 11 "R11", modify
    label def id 12 "R12", modify
    label def id 13 "R14", modify
    label values treatment grupo
    label def grupo 1 "FMT", modify
    label def grupo 2 "Placebo", modify

    To evaluate the impact of treatment on each protein, I have used GEE models. For each protein, the code looks like this:

    Code:
    xtgee log2_biomarker treatment##c.week, family(gaussian) link(identity) corr(ar 1)
    And the model output

    Code:
    GEE population-averaged model                        Number of obs    =    104
    Group and time vars: id week                         Number of groups =     26
    Family: Gaussian                                     Obs per group:  
    Link:   Identity                                                  min =      4
    Correlation: AR(1)                                                avg =    4.0
                                                                      max =      4
                                                         Wald chi2(3)     =  11.38
    Scale parameter = 1.018093                           Prob > chi2      = 0.0098
    
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      log2_biomarker | Coefficient  Std. err.      z    P>|z|     [95% conf. interval]
    -----------------+----------------------------------------------------------------
           treatment |
            Placebo  |   .1010699    .379534     0.27   0.790    -.6428031    .8449428
                week |  -.1841974    .125257    -1.47   0.141    -.4296967    .0613018
                     |
    treatment#c.week |
            Placebo  |   .3919614   .1771402     2.21   0.027      .044773    .7391497
                     |
               _cons |    .063295    .268371     0.24   0.814    -.4627026    .5892926
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The interaction term "treatment#c.week" indicates that this protein increases over time. In order to put it in context with the estimates from models for the other proteins, I would like to translate this 0.39 coefficient into something like this:

    "Subjects in the placebo arm experience a X % (or X-fold) greater protein increase per week".

    But, having a log2 transformed outcome, I am struggling to come up with the correct formula.

    Thanks!
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