How to accurately identify factors of cancer occurrence and to provide intervention early are the key issues that urgently need to be addressed in cancer prevention and treatment. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis uses genetic variants as instrument variables for exposures of interest, which compensates the shortcomings of traditional observational studies and clinical trials. This review introduced the current application status of MR analysis in cancer etiology and treatment researches in details, including assessment of cancer risk factors, exploration of cancer treatment targets, and evaluation of drug efficiency and adverse reactions. The scopes and dimensions of cancer etiology and treatment researches are greatly expanded because of various MR designs and abundant high-level omics data. As well, it provides a practical and feasible method for constructing cancer etiology networks and drug targeted databases, which are promising for supporting the development of precision cancer prevention and treatment.
Mixed reality technology is new digital holographic imaging technology that generates three-dimensional simulation images through computers and anchors the virtual images to the real world. Compared with traditional imaging diagnosis and treatment methods, mixed reality technology is more conducive to the advantages of precision medicine, helps to promote the development of medical clinical application, teaching and scientific research in the field of orthopedics, and will further promote the progress of clinical orthopedics toward standardization, digitization and precision. This article briefly introduces the mixed reality technology, reviews its application in the perioperative period, teaching and diagnosis and treatment standardization and dataization in the field of orthopedics, and discusses its technical advantages, aiming to provide a reference for the better use of mixed reality technology in orthopedics.
Objective To explore the predicted precision of discharged patients number using curve estimation combined with trend-season model. Methods Curve estimation and trend-season model were both applied, and the quarterly number of discharged patients of 363 hospital from 2009 to 2015 was collected and analyzed in order to predict discharged patients in 2016. Relative error between predicted value and actual number was also calculated. Results An optimal quadratic regression equation Yt=3 006.050 1+202.350 8×t–3.544 4×t2 was established (Coefficient of determination R2=0.927, P<0.001), and a total of 23 462 discharged patients were predicted based on this equation combined with trend-season model, with a relative error of 1.79% compared to the actual number. Conclusion The curve estimation combined with trend-season model is a convenient and visual tool for predicting analysis. It has a high predicted accuracy in predicting the number of hospital discharged patients or outpatients, which can provide a reference basis for hospital operation and management.
This paper introduces the background and research design (including site of investigation, study population, baseline survey and follow-up monitoring), which belongs to the Precision Medicine Project of the National Key Research and Development Program of China.
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited retinal disease characterized by degeneration of retinal pigment epithelial cells. Precision medicine is a new medical model that applies modern genetic technology, combining living environment, clinical data of patients, molecular imaging technology and bio-information technology to achieve accurate diagnosis and treatment, and establish personalized disease prevention and treatment model. At present, precise diagnosis of RP is mainly based on next-generation sequencing technology and preimplantation genetic diagnosis, while precise therapy is mainly reflected in gene therapy, stem cell transplantation and gene-stem cell therapy. Although the current research on precision medicine for RP has achieved remarkable results, there are still many problems in the application process that is needed close attention. For instance, the current gene therapy cannot completely treat dominant or advanced genetic diseases, the safety of gene editing technology has not been solved, the cells after stem cell transplantation cannot be effectively integrated with the host, gene sequencing has not been fully popularized, and the big data information platform is imperfect. It is believed that with the in-depth research of gene sequencing technology, regenerative medicine and the successful development of clinical trials, the precision medicine for RP will be gradually improved and is expected to be applied to improve the vision of patients with RP in the future.
The 14th Five-Year Plan for National Health explicitly proposes elevating the comprehensive prevention and control strategy for chronic diseases to the national strategy, aiming to address the growing demand for long-term management and individualized treatment of chronic diseases. In this context, the adaptive treatment strategy (ATS), as an innovative treatment model, offers new ideas and methods for the management and treatment of chronic diseases through its flexible, personalized, and scientific characteristics. To construct ATS, the sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) has emerged as a research method for multi-stage randomized controlled trials. The SMART design has been widely used in international clinical research, but there is a lack of systematic reports and studies in China. This paper first introduces the basic principles of ATS and SMART design, and then focuses on two key elements of the SMART design: re-randomization and intermediate outcomes. Based on these two elements, four major types of SMART designs are summarized, including: (1) SMART designs in which the intermediate outcome corresponds to a single re-randomization scheme (the classical type), (2) SMART designs in which no intermediate outcome is embedded, (3) SMART designs in which the intermediate outcome corresponds to a different re-randomization scheme, and (4) SMART designs in which the intermediate outcome and the previous interventions jointly determine the re-randomization. These different types of SMART designs are appropriate for solving different types of scientific problems. Using specific examples, this paper also analyzes the conditions under which SMART designs are applicable in clinical trials and predicts that the mainstream analysis methods for SMART designs in the future will combine frequentist statistics and Bayesian statistics. It is expected that the introduction and analysis in this paper will provide valuable references for researchers and promote the widespread application and innovative development of SMART design in the field of chronic disease prevention, control, and treatment strategies in China.
Precision medicine is a personalized medical system based on patients' individual biological information, clinical symptoms and signs, forming a new clinical research model and medical practice path. The basic idea of traditional Chinese medicine and the concept of precision medicine share many similarities. The basket trial developed for precision medicine is also suitable for clinical trials and evaluation of the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation and treatment systems. Basket trials are used to evaluate the efficacy of a drug in the treatment of multiple diseases or disease subtypes. It has the advantages of sharing a master protocol, unifying management of subsidiary studies, simplifying the test implementation process, unifying statistical analysis, saving resources, reducing budgets and accelerating the drug evaluation progress. This is similar to the concept of using the "same treatment for different diseases" found in traditional Chinese medicine. This paper introduced the concept and method of basket trials and explored their application and advantages in clinical research into traditional Chinese medicine. This study is expected to provide references for the methodological innovation of clinical research into traditional Chinese medicine.
This article introduces the exploration and practice of the “West China Hospital of Sichuan University-Zhenxiong model”, discusses the model of medical precision poverty alleviation work in the new era. Through in office and online service, the counterpart assistance measures will be deeply integrated with the reality of Zhenxiong, to effectively radiate the high-quality medical resources of West China Hospital of Sichuan University to Zhenxiong, and gradually promote the county to form a cross-regional medical alliance of “West China Hospital of Sichuan University + Zhenxiong medical community”, so as to practice the national medical reform policy. It is hoped that through the practice of this model, non-Communist parties can learn from the experience of participating in poverty alleviation.
In order to promote the responsible development of precision medicine in China, the current situation of precision medicine in three major fields (clinical, research and commercial) was briefly introduced, and key ethical issues or disputes in each field (including informed consent, return of incidental findings, and allocation of medical resources in the clinical field; informed consent, return of research results, and data use and sharing in the research field; genetic counseling, clinical utility of genetic testing, and use of data in the field of direct-to-consumer genetic testing) were discussed. It is necessary to actively meet these ethical challenges for the development of precision medicine in China.
Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors among women. Typically, the operation of breast cancer should include breast surgery and axillary lymph node surgery since breast cancer first metastasizes to regional axillary lymph nodes. However, postoperative breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) in upper limb is the most common long-term complication. The injury to upper limb lymphatic system contributes to causing the postoperative BCRL. Therefore, precision medicine in the extent of axillary lymph node surgery plays an important role in preventing BCRL which can improve the quality of life in breast cancer patients.