Public health utility of cause of death data : applying empirical algorithms to improve data quality

Background: Accurate, comprehensive, cause-specific mortality estimates are crucial for informing public health decision making worldwide. Incorrectly or vaguely assigned deaths, defined as garbage-coded deaths, mask the true cause distribution. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study has developed methods to create comparable, timely, cause-specific mortality estimates; an impactful data processing method is the reallocation of garbage-coded deaths to a plausible underlying cause of death. We identify the pattern of garbage-coded deaths in the world and present the methods used to determine their redistribution to generate more plausible cause of death assignments. Methods: We describe the methods developed for the GBD 2019 study and subsequent iterations to redistribute garbage-coded deaths in vital registration data to plausible underlying causes. These methods include analysis of multiple cause data, negative correlation, impairment, and proportional redistribution. We classify garbage codes into classes according to the level of specificity of the reported cause of death (CoD) and capture trends in the global pattern of proportion of garbage-coded deaths, disaggregated by these classes, and the relationship between this proportion and the Socio-Demographic Index. We examine the relative importance of the top four garbage codes by age and sex and demonstrate the impact of redistribution on the annual GBD CoD rankings. Results: The proportion of least-specific (class 1 and 2) garbage-coded deaths ranged from 3.7% of all vital registration deaths to 67.3% in 2015, and the age-standardized proportion had an overall negative association with the Socio Demographic Index. When broken down by age and sex, the category for unspecified lower respiratory infections was responsible for nearly 30% of garbage-coded deaths in those under 1 year of age for both sexes, representing the largest proportion of garbage codes for that age group. We show how the cause distribution by number of deaths changes before and after redistribution for four countries: Brazil, the United States, Japan, and France, highlighting the necessity of accounting for garbage-coded deaths in the GBD

Multiply Robust Weighted Generalized Estimating Equations for Incomplete Longitudinal Binary Data Using Empirical Likelihood

In clinical trials, missing data may lead to serious misinterpretation of trial results. To address this issue, it is important to collect post-randomization data (such as efficacy measurement data and adverse event onset data). Such post-randomization data are called auxiliary variables and they can be useful for constructing missingness and imputation models. A multiply robust estimator using an empirical likelihood method was previously proposed by Han and Wang and by Han. However, that estimator was developed for cross-sectional data and situations in which no auxiliary variables are missing. This is contrary to actual clinical trial settings, in which some auxiliary variables will invariably be missing. Consequently, to apply Han’s method to longitudinal data, missing auxiliary variables need to be imputed. This article proposes a new method that extends Han’s method to a longitudinal outcome model by applying weighted generalized estimating equations with new weights. Monte Carlo simulations of a repeated binary response with missing at random dropouts demonstrated that the proposed estimator is multiply robust and exhibits better performance than that of augmented inverse probability weighted complete-case estimating equations under several simulation scenarios. We also successfully applied the proposed method to plaque psoriasis study data.</p

Additional file 1: of Active contact and follow-up interventions to prevent repeat suicide attempts during high-risk periods among patients admitted to emergency departments for suicidal behavior: a systematic review and meta-analysis

List of selected publications. (DOCX 34 kb

Additional file 11: of Active contact and follow-up interventions to prevent repeat suicide attempts during high-risk periods among patients admitted to emergency departments for suicidal behavior: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Four patterns of suicide attempts within 12 months in the active contact and follow-up group. (DOCX 33 kb

Additional file 3: of Active contact and follow-up interventions to prevent repeat suicide attempts during high-risk periods among patients admitted to emergency departments for suicidal behavior: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Interventions (psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and miscellaneous interventions). (DOCX 30 kb

Additional file 6: of Active contact and follow-up interventions to prevent repeat suicide attempts during high-risk periods among patients admitted to emergency departments for suicidal behavior: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Adherence to intervention and follow-up rate. (DOCX 84 kb

Comparison between the group with suicide-related or mental health consultation-related internet use and the control group who completed T2 survey.

<p>The t-test was employed for continuous data, and the chi-square test was used for categorical data.</p

Real-World Treatment Patterns of Novel Drugs in Relapsed or Refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients in Japan - supplementary material

   Figure S1. Distribution of the number of white blood cell tests. The tests were performed within one month prior to the index date, from one to six months after the index date, and more than six months after the index date. Figure S2. Distribution of the number of hemoglobin tests. The tests were performed within one month prior to the index date, from one to six months after the index date, and more than six months after the index date. Figure S3. Distribution of the number of platelet tests. The tests were performed within one month prior to the index date, from one to six months after the index date, and more than six months after the index date. Figure S4. Distribution of the number of aspartate aminotransferase tests. The tests were performed within one month prior to the index date, from one to six months after the index date, and more than six months after the index date. Figure S5. Distribution of the number of alanine aminotransferase tests. The tests were performed within one month prior to the index date, from one to six months after the index date, and more than six months after the index date. Figure S6. Distribution of the number of neutrophil tests/ The tests were performed within one month prior to the index date, from one to six months after the index date, and more than six months after the index date. Figure S7. Distribution of the number of lymphocyte tests. The tests were performed within one month prior to the index date, from one to six months after the index date, and more than six months after the index date. Figure S8. Distribution of the number of alkaline phosphatase tests. The tests were performed within one month prior to the index date, from one to six months after the index date, and more than six months after the index date. Figure S9. Distribution of the number of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase tests. The tests were performed within one month prior to the index date, from one to six months after the index date, and more than six months after the index date. Figure S10. Distribution of the number of bilirubin tests. The tests were performed within one month prior to the index date, from one to six months after the index date, and more than six months after the index date. Figure S11. Distribution of the number of creatinine tests. The tests were performed within one month prior to the index date, from one to six months after the index date, and more than six months after the index date    Table S1. Disease codes    Table S2. Drug codes    Table S3. Laboratory test codes </p

Additional file 8: of Active contact and follow-up interventions to prevent repeat suicide attempts during high-risk periods among patients admitted to emergency departments for suicidal behavior: a systematic review and meta-analysis

List of psychometric measures. a: Suicidal ideation. b: Hopelessness. c: Sense of belonging. d: Depression, anxiety, and general mental health. e: Alcohol-related problems. f: Quality of life and global functioning. g: Problem solving. h: Others. (DOCX 359 kb

MOESM1 of Implementation of gatekeeper training programs for suicide prevention in Japan: a systematic review

Additional file 1. PRISMA checklist