1.Target Trial Emulation in Health Policy Evaluation: Translation and Challenges from Individual Interventions to Population Effects
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(2):526-533
Randomized controlled trial(RCT) represents the "gold standard" for estimating the causal effects of interventions; however, their implementation in the field of health policy evaluation is frequently hindered by logistical feasibility and ethical constraints. Target Trial Emulation (TTE), a framework originating in clinical epidemiology, facilitates rigorous causal inference from observational data by explicitly emulating the design of an idealized "target trial". Recently, the application of TTE has transitioned from individual-level clinical interventions—such as pharmacological or surgical treatments—to population-level health policy evaluations. This interdisciplinary translation is not a localized conceptual shift but necessitates a series of comprehen-sive methodological adaptations. This paper systematically delineates the core logic of extending the TTEframework into the realm of health policy, providing a profound analysis of the transformation and reconstruction of critical elements, including study units, intervention definitions, time zero, causal estimands, and analytical strategies. Furthermore, it examines the unique challenges inherent in policy contexts, such as policy heterogeneity, staggered adoption, concurrent policy interference, and data granularity limitations. The paper also evaluates the integration of analytical methods, such as instrumental variables (IV) and difference-in-differences (DID), within the TTE framework. This synthesis aims to provide methodological guidance and prospective insights for conducting high-quality policy evaluations using real-world data (RWD).
2.Percutaneous coronary intervention vs . medical therapy in patients on dialysis with coronary artery disease in China.
Enmin XIE ; Yaxin WU ; Zixiang YE ; Yong HE ; Hesong ZENG ; Jianfang LUO ; Mulei CHEN ; Wenyue PANG ; Yanmin XU ; Chuanyu GAO ; Xiaogang GUO ; Lin CAI ; Qingwei JI ; Yining YANG ; Di WU ; Yiqiang YUAN ; Jing WAN ; Yuliang MA ; Jun ZHANG ; Zhimin DU ; Qing YANG ; Jinsong CHENG ; Chunhua DING ; Xiang MA ; Chunlin YIN ; Zeyuan FAN ; Qiang TANG ; Yue LI ; Lihua SUN ; Chengzhi LU ; Jufang CHI ; Zhuhua YAO ; Yanxiang GAO ; Changan YU ; Jingyi REN ; Jingang ZHENG
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(3):301-310
BACKGROUND:
The available evidence regarding the benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on patients receiving dialysis with coronary artery disease (CAD) is limited and inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the association between PCI and clinical outcomes as compared with medical therapy alone in patients undergoing dialysis with CAD in China.
METHODS:
This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in 30 tertiary medical centers across 12 provinces in China from January 2015 to June 2021 to include patients on dialysis with CAD. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke. Secondary outcomes included all-cause death, the individual components of MACE, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria types 2, 3, or 5 bleeding. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between PCI and outcomes. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed to account for potential between-group differences.
RESULTS:
Of the 1146 patients on dialysis with significant CAD, 821 (71.6%) underwent PCI. After a median follow-up of 23.0 months, PCI was associated with a 43.0% significantly lower risk for MACE (33.9% [ n = 278] vs . 43.7% [ n = 142]; adjusted hazards ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.45-0.71), along with a slightly increased risk for bleeding outcomes that did not reach statistical significance (11.1% vs . 8.3%; adjusted hazards ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval, 0.82-2.11). Furthermore, PCI was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities. Subgroup analysis did not modify the association of PCI with patient outcomes. These primary findings were consistent across IPTW, PSM, and competing risk analyses.
CONCLUSION
This study indicated that PCI in patients on dialysis with CAD was significantly associated with lower MACE and mortality when comparing with those with medical therapy alone, albeit with a slightly increased risk for bleeding events that did not reach statistical significance.
Humans
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Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods*
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Male
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Female
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Coronary Artery Disease/drug therapy*
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Retrospective Studies
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Renal Dialysis/methods*
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Middle Aged
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Aged
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China
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Proportional Hazards Models
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Treatment Outcome
3.Exploration of clear surgical margin in human papillomavirus positive oropharyngeal cancer treated with transoral robotic surgery.
Hongli GONG ; Chengzhi XU ; Chunping WU ; Pengyu CAO ; Yongzheng CHEN ; Jianfang WU ; Meiqin SHI ; Ming ZHANG ; Liang ZHOU ; Lei TAO
Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 2025;39(11):1016-1027
Objective:To analyze the relationship between the optimal surgical margin value and clinical prognosis of transoral robotic surgery(TORS) in treating human papillomavirus(HPV) -positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods:A single-center, prospective, observational cohort study was conducted, enrolling patients with early and moderated stage(≤T3 stage) oropharyngeal carcinoma undergoing TORS between July 2020 and April 2024. The proposed optimal surgical margin cutoff value for TORS was set as 2 mm. The primary objectives were to evaluate the optimal clear margin for TORS and its association with overall survival(OS) and progression-free survival(PFS). Logistic regression was used to analyze correlations between surgical margins and clinical variables, while Cox regression models assessed the impact of surgical margins on OS and PFS. Results:A total of 90 patients(60 males, 66.7%) were included, all had squamous cell carcinoma, with a mean age of 58.0±9.0 years(range: 39-84 years) old. The 1, 2 and 3-year OS rates were 92.3%, 89.9% and 85.0%, respectively, while the 1, 2 and 3-year PFS rates were all 90.1%. For surgical margins ≤2 mm, the 1, 2 and 3-year OS rates were 80.8%, 69.3% and 69.3%, respectively, and PFS rates were 77.9% across three time points. For surgical margins>2 mm, the 1, 2 and 3-year OS rates were 96.5%, 96.5% and 90.6%, respectively, with PFS rates of 94.6%. Logistic regression showed no correlation between surgical margins and tumor type, T/N stage, smoking, alcohol use, or gender(P>0.05). Cox analysis identified surgical margins>2 mm as a significant factor improving PFS(HR=0.14, 95%CI 0.02-0.90, P=0.038). Conclusion:This systematic analysis suggests setting a 2 mm and longer as clear surgical margin for TORS. Margins>2 mm are associated with superior postoperative PFS rate and prolonged PFS time in HPV-positive oropharyngeal carcinoma patients.
Adult
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Aged
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Aged, 80 and over
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle Aged
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Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/virology*
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Human Papillomavirus Viruses/isolation & purification*
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Margins of Excision
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Oropharyngeal Neoplasms/virology*
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Papillomavirus Infections/virology*
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Prognosis
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Prospective Studies
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Robotic Surgical Procedures/methods*
4.Observation on curative effect of applying Xunjing Tongbian Guasha technique in skin itching of blood deficiency and wind-dryness type uremia
Jianfang XU ; Yinglei DU ; Li ZHANG ; Yueyan ZHANG
Chongqing Medicine 2025;54(9):2028-2031,2040
Objective To investigate the treatment effect of Xunjing Tongbian Guasha technique in skin itching of blood deficiency and wind-dryness type uremia.Methods Eighty patients with blood deficiency and wind-dryness type uremia skin itching treated in this hospital were selected as the study subjects and divided into the control group and experiment group by using the random number table method,40 cases in each group.The control group adopted the simple conventional treatment regimen and the experimental group a-dopted the combined intervention of Tongbian Guasha on the basis of the control group.The itching VAS score,PSOI score and QOL-BRIEF score were compared between the two groups.Results After treatment,the itching VAS score in the experiment group was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05);after treatment,the each dimensional scores of PSQI in the two groups were lower than those before treatment in the same group,moreover the scores in each dimension in the experiment group were lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).The each dimensional scores of QOL-BRIEF after treatment in the two groups were higher than those before treatment in the same group,moreover the each dimensional scores in the experiment group were higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion Xunjing Tongbian Guasha tech-nique could effectively relieve the itching symptoms of the patients with blood deficiency wind-dryness type uremia and improve the quality of sleep and life.
5.Standard for the management of hyperkalemia—whole-process management mode of multi- department cooperation
Zhiming YE ; Jianfang CAI ; Wei CHEN ; Hong CHENG ; Qiang HE ; Rongshan LI ; Xiangmin LI ; Xinxue LIAO ; Zhiguo MAO ; Huijuan MAO ; Ning TAN ; Gang XU ; Hong ZHAN ; Hao ZHANG ; Jian ZHANG ; Xueqing YU
Chinese Journal of Nephrology 2024;40(3):245-254
Hyperkalemia is one of the common ion metabolism disorders in clinical practice. Hyperkalemia is defined as serum potassium higher than 5.0 mmol/L according to the guidelines at home and abroad. Acute severe hyperkalemia can cause serious consequences, such as flaccid paralysis, fatal arrhythmia, and even cardiac arrest. The use of renin-angiotensin- aldosterone system inhibitors, β-blockers and diuretics, low-sodium and high-potassium diets, and the presence of related comorbidities increase the occurrence of hyperkalemia. Hyperkalemia risk exist in all clinical departments, but there is a lack of a standardization in the management of multi- department cooperation in hospital. Therefore, a number of domestic nephrology and cardiology department experts have discussed a management model for multi-department cooperation in hyperkalemia, formulating the management standard on hospital evaluation, early warning, diagnosis and treatment, and process. This can promote each department to more effectively participate in nosocomial hyperkalemia diagnosis and treatment, as well as the long-term management of chronic hyperkalemia, improving the quality of hyperkalemia management in hospital.
6.Effects of after school exercise service on physical fitness in primary school students
ZHANG Bin, LI Liang, WANG Mengdie, XU Jianfang
Chinese Journal of School Health 2024;45(2):253-257
Objective:
To investigate the effects of after school exercise service (referred to as the "after school ES") on physical health, so as to provide evidence for possible beneficial effect of after school ES.
Methods:
Students in the fourth grade of primary school were recruited from September 2021 to July 2022 in Changsha City and divided into the control group ( n =220) and the after school ES group ( n =220). The control group only participated in the regular physical education activities of the school. The after school ES group received after school ES for one academic year, 4 times a week, 40-50 minutes per time, for a total of 32 weeks. Body shape indicators such as height, weight and percentage of body fat, as well as physical fitness indicators such as 50 meter running, grip strength and progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run (PACER) were measured in September to October 2021 and June to July 2022, respectively. Independent sample t-test, Chi square test and two factors repeated measurement analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis of the data.
Results:
After one academic year, compared with the control group [(13.52±2.30)kg], muscle mass of primary school students in the after school ES group [(13.76±2.32)kg] significantly increased, while waist to hip ratio [(0.95±0.16)] and percentage of body fat [(20.17±7.43)%] significantly decreased compared to the control group [(1.01±0.21), (22.02±12.34)%]( F=330.70, 6.85, 4.33, P <0.05). The proportion of overweight and obesity in after school ES group decreased significantly from 19.5% to 12.3% ( χ 2=4.35, P <0.05). Compared with the control group, the scores of 50 meter running [(10.00±1.06, 10.21±0.83)s], 1 minute sit up [(33.25±8.24, 30.76±9.34)times], sitting and flexion [(14.53±7.50, 8.59±6.32)cm], 1 minute rope skipping [(125.01±30.50, 115.97±32.09)times], eyes closed and single legged standing [(30.00±34.72, 25.72±23.82)s], selective response time [(635.66±91.72, 652.79±120.42)ms] and VO 2max [(45.31± 1.02 , 43.67±0.85)mL/(kg〖 ·min)] in the after school ES group were significantly improved, with statistical significance ( F= 5.32 , 443.14, 97.23, 814.07, 36.49, 6.11, 396.91, P <0.05).
Conclusions
After school ES can improve body shape of primary school students, reduce the risk of overweight and obesity and enhance physical fitness. It is recommended that schools should appropriately increase after school ES to promote physical fitness of students.
7.A community-based serological cohort study on incidence of seasonal influenza virus infection in Macheng city from winter 2019 to spring 2020
Jinsong FAN ; Jianbo ZHAN ; Yue CHEN ; Shaobo DONG ; Jian LU ; Junfeng GUO ; Xiaojing LIN ; Yu LAN ; Kun QIN ; Jianfang ZHOU ; Bing HU ; Cuiling XU
Chinese Journal of Experimental and Clinical Virology 2024;38(3):311-318
Objective:To determine incidence of seasonal influenza virus infection in the community and to analyze the factors influencing seasonal influenza virus infection.Methods:This study recruited residents aged 6-59 years to build a cohort in 15 villages/streets in Macheng city in November 2019. Meanwhile, a cross-sectional baseline survey was conducted immediately to collect sera, information on demographics and child protection knowledge, behaviors, as well as attitudes using a questionnaire from the participants enrolled in the cohort (i.e., before the influenza epidemic season). In July 2020, a cross-sectional follow-up survey was conducted to collect sera once again (i.e., after the influenza season). Paired sera from the two cross-sectional surveys were tested for influenza virus-specific antibodies by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test or micro-neutralization (MN) test using a circulating representative strain of each subtype/lineage of influenza virus as the test antigen. The infections with influenza virus subtype/lineage was confirmed if there was a four-fold or more increase in titers of antibodies against circulating representative strain of the subtype/lineage of influenza virus. Factors influencing infection with influenza A (H3N2) and B/Victoria viruses were analyzed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression.Results:In November 2019, 800 study participants were enrolled in the cohort, including 340 children aged 6-17 years and 460 adults aged 18-59 years; 605 study participants (including 224 children and 381 adults) were followed up in July 2020 and their paired sera were obtained before and after the influenza season. 25.3% (153/605) of the participants were confirmed to be infected with at least one subtype/lineage of seasonal influenza virus by HI and MN tests. The overall incidence of influenza viruses of all subtypes/lineages in children was 44.2% (95% CI: 37.6%-50.8%) which was significantly higher than the incidence of 14.1% in adults (95% CI: 10.7%-17.7%). Children had the highest incidence of influenza A (H3N2) virus infection, followed by B/Victoria. MN or HI antibody titers in A (H3N2)[ OR=0.88 (95% CI: 0.84-0.93)] and B/Victoria[ OR=0.97 (95% CI: 0.95-0.99)] before the influenza season were significantly associated with whether children were infected with that subtype/lineage of influenza virus. Conclusions:The residents aged 6-59 years in Macheng city had a substantial incidence of seasonal influenza virus infection during the influenza season from winter 2019 to spring 2020. Notably, almost half of children aged 6-17 years have been infected with seasonal influenza virus. Higher titers of HI/MN antibodies against seasonal influenza virus before the influenza season would be likely to reduce the risk of infection with influenza A (H3N2) and B/Victoria.
8.Clinical characteristics of patients with moderate or severe valvular heart disease
Hao GAO ; Yuzhu LEI ; Haiyun HUANG ; Xiang XU ; Chao ZHANG ; Jianfang ZHU ; Lihua LI ; Min ZENG ; Shuhui CHEN ; Jinli HE ; Yanxiu CHEN ; Zhihui ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Cardiology 2024;52(10):1200-1206
Objective:To describe the characteristics, etiology and patterns of outpatients and inpatients patients with moderate or severe valvular heart disease (VHD).Methods:This is a cross-sectional study. Outpatients and inpatients with moderate or severe VHD who underwent transthoracic echocardiography for first examination from 1 st January 2001 to 1 st January 2020 in Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University were enrolled. Data were collected from medical records and big data platform of Southwest Hospital. Characteristics of age and gender, etiology and types of VHD were descriptively analysed. Results:A total of 68 354 patients with moderate or severe VHD were enrolled. The age was 63 (50, 72) years. And 35 706 (52.24%) patients were female. (1) Age characteristics: There was similar age trend between male and female patients with moderate or severe VHD. The number of patients increased firstly and then decreased and reached its peak in the age group of 65-69 years old. The peak age of mitral stenosis patients was 45-49 years, which was earlier than that of whole patients with moderate or severe VHD. The median age of patients with bicuspid aortic valve was 42 years. (2) Gender characteristics: The proportion of tricuspid regurgitation, pulmonary regurgitation, mitral regurgitation, mitral stenosis and valve surgery in female patients with moderate or severe VHD were higher than those in male patients. The proportion of aortic regurgitation, aortic stenosis and bicuspid aortic valve in male patients with moderate or severe VHD were significantly higher than those in female patients (all P<0.05). (3) Etiology: The proportion of rheumatic VHD was 13.07% (8 934/68 354), which was higher than that of degenerative VHD (0.67% (458/68 354)). (4) Types of VHD: Tricuspid regurgitation made contribution to the largest proportion with 60.72% (41 503/68 354), followed by mitral regurgitation, aortic regurgitation, mitral stenosis, pulmonary regurgitation and aortic stenosis. Conclusions:There are certain regional characteristics in the prevalence of moderate or severe VHD in southwest China, suggesting different attention should be paid on the whole process of refined management of moderate or severe VHD.
9.Improvement of creating pharmaceutical science popularization with internet medication consultation as orientation
Min SUN ; Benru XIN ; Ying LI ; Xiaoyan QI ; Jianfang LIU ; Li XU
China Pharmacy 2024;35(17):2142-2146
OBJECTIVE To explore the new idea of creating pharmaceutical science popularization oriented by internet medication consultation questions, and provide references for pharmacists to create high-quality pharmaceutical science popularization articles. METHODS By taking the internet medication consultation questions from September 1st, 2021 to February 28th, 2022 in a hospital as samples, pharmaceutical science popularization were created by using the Pareto chart for summarizing and analyzing the demands of the public pharmaceutical knowledge. The readers and creating cycle of pharmaceutical science popularization before and after the implementation of this method were compared by statistical analysis. RESULTS According to the Pareto principle, the types of consultation questions were mainly concentrated on usage and dosage, adverse reactions, and precautions; the types of drug consultation were mainly concentrated on respiratory system medications, anti-infective drugs, rheumatic immune system medications, and orthopedic medications, etc. Fifteen topics of science popularization were identified. Among them, 5 were published before 2022 and did not adopt the Pareto chart method, serving as the pre-method and consistent with the target theme group (A group); 10 were published in 2022 after adopting the Pareto chart method, serving as the post- method group (B group); 5 articles published before 2022 were selected randomly, without adopting the Pareto chart method and inconsistent with the target theme, serving as the pre-method and inconsistencies with the target theme group (C group). Compared with the A group and the C group, the creating cycle of pharmaceutical science popularization in the B group was significantly reduced. Compared with the C group, the readers were significantly increased in the A group and the B group. CONCLUSIONS Pareto chart could help pharmacists utilize medication consultation questions to identify the pharmaceutical science popularization needed by the public, which could improve the efficiency and quality of creating pharmaceutical science popularization by pharmacists.
10.Epidemiological investigation and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy in Yunnan Province
Li SHI ; Xuemei XIA ; Xuhong HOU ; Jianfang LIU ; Xin NIAN ; Yan JIANG ; Yaxian SONG ; Yushan XU
Chinese Journal of Internal Medicine 2024;63(6):613-617
To investigate the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Yunnan Province, explore its risk factors, and provide a basis for the prevention and treatment of chronic complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). This is a large cross-sectional study, in all, 1 524 DM patients in 16 communities and villages of Yunnan Province who were registered in health service centers were included in this study from August to November 2019. All patients completed a uniform questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, biochemical measurements, and auxiliary examinations. Logistic regression analysis was used to screen the risk factors of DR. The prevalence rates of DR, mild non-proliferative DR (mild-NPDR), and referable DR (RDR) were 16.0% (244/1 524), 4.5% (69/1 524), and 11.5% (175/1 524), respectively. Glycated hemoglobin A 1c (HbA 1c)≥7.0% was the risk factor of mild-NPDR ( OR=1.872, 95% CI 1.055-3.323) and RDR ( OR=4.821, 95% CI 2.917-7.969). Blood pressure≥130/80 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) was the risk factor of mild-NPDR ( OR=1.933, 95% CI 1.112-3.358) and RDR ( OR=1.505, 95% CI 1.063-2.130). In Yunnan Province, 16.0% DM patients had accompanying DR, wherein about 71.7% of them required an ophthalmology referral, and the high incidence of RDR in DM patients was associated with poor control of blood glucose and blood pressure.


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