In the United States(US),the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results(SEER)program is the only comprehensive source of population-based information that includes stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis and patient s...In the United States(US),the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results(SEER)program is the only comprehensive source of population-based information that includes stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis and patient survival data.This program aims to provide a database about cancer incidence and survival for studies of surveillance and the development of analytical and methodological tools in the cancer field.Currently,the SEER program covers approximately half of the total cancer patients in the US.A growing number of clinical studies have applied the SEER database in various aspects.However,the intrinsic features of the SEER database,such as the huge data volume and complexity of data types,have hindered its application.In this review,we provided a systematic overview of the commonly used methodologies and study designs for retrospective epidemiological research in order to illustrate the application of the SEER database.Therefore,the goal of this review is to assist researchers in the selection of appropriate methods and study designs for enhancing the robustness and reliability of clinical studies by mining the SEER database.展开更多
Fertility is a couple concept that has been measured since the beginning of demography, and male fecundity （his biological capacity to reproduce） is a component of the fertility rate. Unfortunately, we have no way o...Fertility is a couple concept that has been measured since the beginning of demography, and male fecundity （his biological capacity to reproduce） is a component of the fertility rate. Unfortunately, we have no way of measuring the male component directly, although several indirect markers can be used. Population registers can be used to monitor the proportion of childless couples, couples who receive donor semen, trends in dizygotic twinning, and infertility diagnoses. Studies using time-to-pregnancy （TTP） may identify couple subfecundity, and TTP data will correlate with sperm quality and quantity as well as sexual activity and a number of other conditions. Having exposure data available for couples with a fecund female partner would make TTP studies of interest in identifying exposures that may affect male fecundity. Biological indicators such as sperm quality and quantity isolate the male component of fertility, and semen data therefore remain an important source of information for research. Unfortunately, often over half of those invited to provide a sperm sample will refuse, and the study is then subject to a selection that may introduce bias. Because the most important time windows for exposures that impair semen production could be early fetal life, puberty, and the time of ejaculation; longitudinal data over decades of time are required. The ongoing monitoring of semen quality and quantity should continue, and surveys monitoring fertility and waiting TTP should also be designed.展开更多
BACKGROUND Recent publications from several countries have reported that more young people(mainly girls)are experiencing precocious puberty(PP)/menarche during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic compared to the pas...BACKGROUND Recent publications from several countries have reported that more young people(mainly girls)are experiencing precocious puberty(PP)/menarche during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic compared to the past.This variation is attributed to the stress of confinement,lack of exercise,obesity and disturbed sleep patterns.A common feature of the relevant papers,however,is the small number of reported cases of PP.Studies have shown that searches for diseases on the internet also reflect to some extent the epidemiology of these diseases.AIM To estimate,through internet searches for PP,any changes in the epidemiology of PP.METHODS We assessed in Google Trends searches for 21 PP-related terms in English internationally(which practically dwarf searches in other languages),in the years 2017-2021.Additionally,we assessed local searches for selected terms,in English and local languages,in countries where a rise in PP has been reported.Searches were collected in Relative Search Volumes format and analyzed using Kendall’s Tau test,with a statistical significance threshold of P<0.05.RESULTS Internationally,searches for three PP-related terms showed no noticeable change over the study period,while searches for eight terms showed a decrease.An increase was found over time in searches for nine PP-related terms.Of the 17 searches in English and local languages,in countries where a rise in PP has been reported,5 showed a significant increase over time.CONCLUSION Over the study period,more than half of the search terms showed little change or declined.The discrepancy between internet searches for PP and the reported increase in the literature is striking.It would be expected that a true increase in the incidence of PP would also be aptly reflected in Google trends.If our findings are valid,the literature may have been biased.The known secular trend of decreasing age of puberty may also have played a role.展开更多
基金Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Informatization(2021B1212040007)Clinical Frontier Technology Program of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University,China(JNU1AF-CFTP-2022-a01235)Science and Technology Projects in Guangzhou,China(202201020054,2023A03J1032).
文摘In the United States(US),the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results(SEER)program is the only comprehensive source of population-based information that includes stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis and patient survival data.This program aims to provide a database about cancer incidence and survival for studies of surveillance and the development of analytical and methodological tools in the cancer field.Currently,the SEER program covers approximately half of the total cancer patients in the US.A growing number of clinical studies have applied the SEER database in various aspects.However,the intrinsic features of the SEER database,such as the huge data volume and complexity of data types,have hindered its application.In this review,we provided a systematic overview of the commonly used methodologies and study designs for retrospective epidemiological research in order to illustrate the application of the SEER database.Therefore,the goal of this review is to assist researchers in the selection of appropriate methods and study designs for enhancing the robustness and reliability of clinical studies by mining the SEER database.
文摘Fertility is a couple concept that has been measured since the beginning of demography, and male fecundity （his biological capacity to reproduce） is a component of the fertility rate. Unfortunately, we have no way of measuring the male component directly, although several indirect markers can be used. Population registers can be used to monitor the proportion of childless couples, couples who receive donor semen, trends in dizygotic twinning, and infertility diagnoses. Studies using time-to-pregnancy （TTP） may identify couple subfecundity, and TTP data will correlate with sperm quality and quantity as well as sexual activity and a number of other conditions. Having exposure data available for couples with a fecund female partner would make TTP studies of interest in identifying exposures that may affect male fecundity. Biological indicators such as sperm quality and quantity isolate the male component of fertility, and semen data therefore remain an important source of information for research. Unfortunately, often over half of those invited to provide a sperm sample will refuse, and the study is then subject to a selection that may introduce bias. Because the most important time windows for exposures that impair semen production could be early fetal life, puberty, and the time of ejaculation; longitudinal data over decades of time are required. The ongoing monitoring of semen quality and quantity should continue, and surveys monitoring fertility and waiting TTP should also be designed.
基金Athanasios Tselebis,ORCID number: 0000-0002-2591-965XLina Zabuliene ,ORCID number:0000-0002-7889-0862+1 种基金Charalampos Milionis ,ORCID number:0000-0003-2442-3772Corresponding author:Ioannis Ilias,MD,PhD,Consultant Physician-Scientist,Department of Endocrinology,Elena Venizelou General and Maternity Hospital,2,Elena Venizelou Square,Athens GR-11521,Greece.iiliasmd@yahoo.com,ORCID number: 0000-0001-5718-7441.
文摘BACKGROUND Recent publications from several countries have reported that more young people(mainly girls)are experiencing precocious puberty(PP)/menarche during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic compared to the past.This variation is attributed to the stress of confinement,lack of exercise,obesity and disturbed sleep patterns.A common feature of the relevant papers,however,is the small number of reported cases of PP.Studies have shown that searches for diseases on the internet also reflect to some extent the epidemiology of these diseases.AIM To estimate,through internet searches for PP,any changes in the epidemiology of PP.METHODS We assessed in Google Trends searches for 21 PP-related terms in English internationally(which practically dwarf searches in other languages),in the years 2017-2021.Additionally,we assessed local searches for selected terms,in English and local languages,in countries where a rise in PP has been reported.Searches were collected in Relative Search Volumes format and analyzed using Kendall’s Tau test,with a statistical significance threshold of P<0.05.RESULTS Internationally,searches for three PP-related terms showed no noticeable change over the study period,while searches for eight terms showed a decrease.An increase was found over time in searches for nine PP-related terms.Of the 17 searches in English and local languages,in countries where a rise in PP has been reported,5 showed a significant increase over time.CONCLUSION Over the study period,more than half of the search terms showed little change or declined.The discrepancy between internet searches for PP and the reported increase in the literature is striking.It would be expected that a true increase in the incidence of PP would also be aptly reflected in Google trends.If our findings are valid,the literature may have been biased.The known secular trend of decreasing age of puberty may also have played a role.
