The rapid advancement of causal inference is driving a paradigm shift across various disciplines. "Target trial emulation" has emerged as an exceptionally promising framework for observational real-world studies, attracting substantial attention from medical scholars and regulatory agencies worldwide. This article aims to provide an introduction to CERBOT, an online tool that assists in implementing target trial emulation studies, while highlighting the advancements in this domain. Additionally, the article provides an illustrative example to elucidate the operational process of CERBOT. The objectives are to support domestic researchers in conducting target trial emulation studies and enhance the quality of real-world studies in the domestic medical field, as well as improve the medical service level in clinical practice.
ObjectiveTo select the key questions of the reporting quality of acupuncture therapy network meta-analysis. MethodsA question pool about reporting quality of acupuncture therapy network meta-analysis was conducted by preliminary literature research and qualitative systematic review. A correspondence questionnaire was designed and the selection of key questions was carried out through two rounds of expert consultation using the Delphi method. ResultsA total of 21 key questions were selected for the network meta-analysis report standard of acupuncture, including whether to report details of acupuncture interventions (e.g., needle type, acupoints used, number of needles inserted, depth of needle insertion, retention time, needling techniques, and treatment duration), diagnostic criteria for diseases or traditional Chinese medicine syndromes, and qualifications of acupuncture practitioners. Of these, the only three key questions answered by the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and network meta-analysis (PRISMA-NMA) were summary, protocol and registration, and source of funding, while the remaining 19 were specific to acupuncture-related report standards. ConclusionThe conducted key question on reporting guideline of acupuncture network meta-analysis can improve the standardization and rigor of relevant research and better utilize its academic and clinical value.
ObjectiveTo investigate whether there is a causal relationship between the intake of milk or coffee and the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). MethodsUsing a two-sample Mendelian randomization approach, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with milk or coffee intake were used as instrumental variables, and genome-wide association study data on NAFLD were used as the outcome event. Inverse-variance weighted (IVW) and MR-Egger methods were employed to investigate the causal effect of milk or coffee intake on the risk of NAFLD. ResultsBoth analyses indicated no causal association between milk or coffee intake and the risk of NAFLD (P>0.05). Sensitivity analysis indicated the robustness of the main findings, with no outliers, heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, or significant influence of individual SNPs. ConclusionThis study does not support a causal relationship between the intake of milk or coffee and the risk of NAFLD.
Objective To systematically review the incidence, mortality and disease burden of colorectal cancer (CRC) in China. Methods The CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases were searched to collect cohort studies about the incidence, mortality and disease burden of CRC in China from the establishment of the database to July 2024. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then, meta-analysis was performed by using Stata 18.0 software. Results A total of fifty-six studies were included. The result of meta-analysis showed that the overall incidence of CRC in China was 31‰ (95%CI 29‰ to 33‰), and the incidence of male was 35‰ (95%CI 32‰ to 37‰). The female incidence was 27‰ (95%CI 25‰ to 29‰). The overall mortality of CRC in China was 20‰ (95%CI 17‰ to 22‰), of which the male mortality was 22‰ (95%CI 19‰ to 25‰), and the female mortality was 18‰ (95%CI 15‰ to 20‰). Conclusion The incidence and mortality rates of CRC in China are high, resulting in a significant disease burden that varies regionally. The incidence and mortality of males are significantly higher than those of females. Intervention measures should be taken to reduce the disease burden of CRC in China according to the related risk factors of CRC.
Objective To analyze the disease burden of liver cancer caused by nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) among the Chinese population by utilizing the latest global burden of disease (GBD) 2021 data, and conduct a comparative analysis with the global situation, so as to provide references and lessons for the formulation of public health policies and disease management plans in China. Methods GBD 2021 database publicly released in May 2024 was searched and relevant disease burden data of liver cancer caused by NASH in China and globally from 1990 to 2021 was sorted out. Joinpoint regression model was employed to calculate the average annual percentage change (AAPC) of the age-standardized rates of various burden indicators in order to evaluate the changing characteristics of disease epidemiology over time. Meanwhile, Bayesian method was used to predict the number of incidences and deaths of liver cancer caused by NASH in China and globally from 2022 to 2045. Results Compared with 1990, in 2021, the number of incidences, prevalence, deaths, disability-adjusted life years, age-standardized incidence rate and age-standardized prevalence rate of liver cancer caused by NASH in the overall, male and female populations in China and globally all increased. Moreover, in 1990 and 2021, all the burden indicators of the Chinese male population were higher than those of the female population in the corresponding years. The overall trend analysis showed that during the 32 years from 1990 to 2021, the age-standardized incidence rate [AAPC=0.44%, 95%CI (0.35%, 0.53%), P<0.001] and the age-standardized prevalence rate [AAPC=0.92%, 95%CI (0.73%, 1.11%), P<0.001] of liver cancer caused by NASH in the overall population in China both showed a significant upward trend. In addition, in 1990 and 2021, the age-standardized rates of all the burden indicators of the overall population in China were higher than the global levels in the corresponding years. The prediction results of the Bayesian model showed that from 2022 to 2045, the number of incidences and deaths of liver cancer caused by NASH in the overall, male and female populations in China and globally will generally show an upward trend. Conclusions The disease burden of liver cancer caused by NASH in China and globally is generally on the rise. In order to curb the increasing disease burden, it is necessary to formulate relevant public health policies and disease management plans in a timely manner.
Objective To systematically review the incidence, mortality and disease burden of stroke in China. Methods The CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases were electronically searched to collect cohort studies on stroke epidemiology and disease burden from inception to June 30, 2024. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed using Stata 18.0 software. Results A total of 49 studies were included, and the results showed that the overall incidence of stroke in China was 430/100 000 (95%CI 370/100 000 to 490/100 000); The incidence of stroke in men was 510/100 000 (95%CI 450/100 000 to 580/100 000); The incidence of stroke in women was 370/100 000 (95%CI 320/100 000 to 410/100 000). The overall mortality rate of stroke in China was 220/100 000 (95%CI 160/100 000 to 280/100 000); Stroke mortality in men was 160/100 000 (95%CI 120/100 000 to 190/100 000); Stroke mortality in women was 130/100 000 (95%CI 100/100 000 to 160/100 000). The average standard DALY rate of stroke in China was 2 238.09/100 000, and men (3 510.53/100 000) was higher than that of women (2 083.39/100 000). Conclusion The risk of stroke in men in China is significantly higher than that in women, which is mainly attributed to the higher rate of smoking and drinking alcohol, poor eating habits and the neglect of health management. Moreover, interregional differences in aging, especially the higher aging levels in the eastern and northern regions, also have a significant impact on stroke incidence in these regions.
Surrogate endpoints, defined as biomarkers or intermediate outcomes utilized in clinical trials to replace the ultimate targeted outcomes, have witnessed a growing prevalence in both clinical trials and drug-device approvals in recent years. To standardize the application and reporting of surrogate endpoints in clinical trial protocols and associated studies, relevant scholars published the SPIRIT-Surrogate and CONSORT-Surrogate reporting guidelines in the BMJ in July 2024. This article provides an interpretation of these guidelines in conjunction with published case studies, with the aim of offering references for domestic researchers, elevating the overall quality of related clinical trials, and eventually facilitating the enhancement of domestic healthcare level.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the research issues related to evidence quality grading methods for public health decision making. MethodsPubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang Data, CBM and VIP databases were electronically searched to collect studies related to the application of evidence quality grading methods for public health decision making from inception to December 2022. The questions were constructed according to the SPIDER model. The quality of the included literature was evaluated by using the CASP checklist, and a three-level interpretation analysis of the questions on the application of quality rating methods for public health decision making was conducted using the thematic synthesis method to establish a pool of question entries. ResultsA total of 14 papers were included, covering seven countries. GRADE was the commonly used method for grading the quality of evidence. CASP evaluation results showed eight high quality studies, four medium quality studies and two low quality studies. The thematic synthesis method summarized 13 question entries in 7 categories. ConclusionThe existing methodology for grading the quality of evidence for public health decision making suffers from the diversity of evidence sources and the underestimation of the level of evidence from complex intervention studies.
In response to the need for health economics modelers to apply more appropriate complex systems models to address complex challenges in public health, an international team of more than 40 experts in the field of complex systems models and economic evaluation has developed and recently published a guideline on the application of complex systems models to the economic evaluation of public health interventions. This paper introduces the development process and main content of the guidelines, which can provide references to facilitate the application of the guidelines by domestic researchers, aiming to ultimately improve the overall quality of public health research and services and improve the health of the population in China.
Statistical graph is an indispensable part of scientific papers. It is helpful to promote the communication, dissemination, and application of academic achievements by presenting research results intuitively and accurately through standardized and beautiful visual graphs. The safety of a medical intervention is the basic premise of its clinical application, and randomized controlled trial (RCT) as an important design to determine the efficacy and safety of medical interventions, it is extremely important to accurately present the information on the safety outcomes of interventions found therein. However, the research found that the reports of RCTs didn’t adequately use visual graphs to present harms data. In order to promote clinical researchers to better use visual graphs to present harms data, international scholars recently published a consensus study in BMJ, which identified and recommended 10 statistical graphs for presenting harms data in RCTs. In order to facilitate domestic scholars to understand and apply the consensus, this article interprets the consensus and recommendations, and it is expected to provide help for improving the quality of harms visualization in domestic papers of RCTs.