World Evidence-Based Healthcare Day 2024

4 October 2024
4 October 2024

This virtual issue, curated for World Evidence-Based Healthcare Day 2024, supports the aims of fostering interdisciplinary and intersectoral discussion and contributing to global discourse on how to take action to build better evidence support systems during a polycrisis. Presenting the latest health evidence from across our multidisciplinary Health Sciences portfolio, the included articles address the themes of Intersectoral action for health; new and old technological and communication innovation and people, policy and power reimagined. Find out more about World Evidence-Based Healthcare Day here.


World Evidence-Based Healthcare Day 2024

Intersectoral action for health

Open Access

Cardiovascular disease mortality and air pollution in countries with different socioeconomic status

Cardiovascular disease mortality and air pollution in countries with different socioeconomic status

Age-adjusted cardiovascular disease mortality rate attributed to air pollution (per 100,000 population) in countries with different socioeconomic status, 2019 year, both sexes.

Open Access

Causality between COVID-19 and female reproductive function: A Mendelian randomization study

Causality between COVID-19 and female reproductive function: A Mendelian randomization study

The two-sample Mendelian randomization and linkage disequilibrium score regression analyses revealed no association between coronavirus disease 2019 and estradiol levels, menstruation, and female infertility. However, the infection may causally influence sex hormone-binding globulin and total testosterone levels in females, while its impact on female reproductive function appears to be largely independent of the disease severity.

Multidimensional structural racism and estimated cancer risk from traffic-related air pollution

  • First Published: 26 August 2024

Significant associations were observed between high levels of structural racism and estimated cancer risk from traffic-related air pollution. These findings can inform policy interventions that address racial inequalities in exposure to traffic-related air pollution.

New and old technological and communication innovation

Open Access

Association of optimism and social support with health-related quality of life among Australian women cancer survivors – A cohort study

Association of optimism and social support with health-related quality of life among Australian women cancer survivors – A cohort study

The study found that lower optimism was associated with poorer health-related quality of life (HRQL) across all domains. Social support and its interaction with optimism were significant in women with any cancer or breast cancer across various domains, highlighting the crucial role of psychosocial support for better HRQL.

eviQ Cancer Treatments Online: Providing evidence-based information to improve cancer patient outcomes

eviQ Cancer Treatments Online: Providing evidence-based information to improve cancer patient outcomes

 eviQ Cancer Treatments Online (www.eviQ.org.au) is an Australian, open-access website providing evidence-based and consensus-driven cancer treatment protocols and information. This mixed method evaluation demonstrated eviQ is widely used and highly valued by Australian clinicians and that users agree eviQ contributes to improved patient health outcomes and quality of life.

Open Access

Prediction of death rates for cardiovascular diseases and cancers

Prediction of death rates for cardiovascular diseases and cancers

A novel health system reliability method has been developed and applied to cardio and cancer death rate data. Accurate disease multiregional prediction is done.

Open Access

The Man Van: A pilot study of using mobile targeted case-finding to address health inequalities in prostate cancer

The Man Van: A pilot study of using mobile targeted case-finding to address health inequalities in prostate cancer
What's New?

Men from deprived groups are at increased risk of delayed prostate cancer diagnosis. To ease access to PSA blood testing and follow-up for ethnic minority men and men in deprived communities, the Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research in the United Kingdom initiated Man Van. Here, comparison with health screening in general practice shows that the Man Van model yields higher levels of prostate cancer diagnosis at early stages. Other health conditions, including hypertension and erectile dysfunction, are also readily detected. The findings highlight the utility of the Man Van model in facilitating disease detection in hard-to-reach groups.

Open Access

Quantitative imaging workshop XIX: Utilizing quantitative thoracic imaging to optimize population health final summary

Quantitative imaging workshop XIX: Utilizing quantitative thoracic imaging to optimize population health final summary

What's new?

Tobacco use is associated with the development of lung cancer, emphysema, and coronary artery disease. With these three thoracic diseases representing the three leading causes of premature death across the world, the potential of lung cancer screening to save lives is enormous. The specific goal of the 2022 Quantitative Imaging Workshop was to advance the use of quantitative CT imaging to detect not only lung cancer but other major thoracic, smoking-related diseases occurring in older individuals. A strategy is needed to ensure the development of carefully validated computational tools to responsibly advance the use of this important public health approach.

Open Access

Nonviral vector system for cancer immunogene therapy

Nonviral vector system for cancer immunogene therapy

Immunogene therapy has become an effective and significant clinical strategy for cancer therapy. Enhancing the response rate to immunogene therapy is significant to controlling side effects and improving efficacy. Improved nonviral vectors combined with immunogene therapy efficiently deliver genes to the desired tumor cells and activate immune response to fight tumors while alleviating adverse reactions, which is a promising treatment approach for cancer.

Open Access

New era for emerging therapeutic targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER 3) in advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer and metastatic breast cancer

New era for emerging therapeutic targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER 3) in advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer and metastatic breast cancer

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) overexpression represents a negative prognostic biomarker associated with poor survival. Targeting HER3 has shown some promise in early phase trials in both nonsmall cell lung cancer and metastatic breast cancer in heavily pretreated patients with varying degrees of response. Identifying a predictive biomarker will aid to better select patients that will respond to treatment.

Open Access

What place for radiographers? The appropriateness of preliminary image evaluation in New Zealand emergency departments

What place for radiographers? The appropriateness of preliminary image evaluation in New Zealand emergency departments

Radiology services in New Zealand are under significant pressure. Preliminary image evaluation (PIE) by radiographers can have a significant positive impact on patient care in this constrained environment and should be supported.

Open Access

Meaningful consumer engagement in medical radiation sciences: enhancing quality improvement and research projects

Meaningful consumer engagement in medical radiation sciences: enhancing quality improvement and research projects

This article describes how we incorporated consumer engagement into a quality improvement activity and a research study. In demonstrating consumer engagement steps, considerations and our learnings, we aim to encourage further consumer engagement activities amongst medical radiation professionals.

Open Access

Accelerating the integration of ChatGPT and other large-scale AI models into biomedical research and healthcare

Accelerating the integration of ChatGPT and other large-scale AI models into biomedical research and healthcare

This review provides an overview of large-scale AI models, including language models (e.g., ChatGPT), vision-language models, and language-conditioned multiagent models, and discusses their potential applications in medicine, as well as their limitations and future trends. We also propose how large-scale AI models can be integrated into various scenarios of clinical applications.

Free Access

Tailoring language for genitourinary function in patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer to facilitate discussions in diverse populations and overcome health literacy barriers

  • First Published: 10 September 2024

Poor comprehension of common prostate cancer terms for genitourinary function creates health literacy barriers to treatment discussions. Tailoring medical terms with alternative colloquial words preferred by patients was helpful regardless of health literacy.

Generative artificial intelligence as a source of breast cancer information for patients: Proceed with caution

  • First Published: 30 August 2024

Generative artificial intelligence large-language models like the chatbot interface generative pretrained transformer (ChatGPT) have gained rapid popularity. The authors evaluated the accuracy and appropriateness of ChatGPT as a source of breast cancer information for patients.

People, policy and power reimagined

Open Access

Exploring patient reported quality of life in lung cancer patients: A qualitative study of patient-reported outcome measures

Exploring patient reported quality of life in lung cancer patients: A qualitative study of patient-reported outcome measures

Much of what we know about QoL and PROMs in lung cancer care has been developed by researchers in the setting of drug trials aiming to identify symptoms reflective of drug-related adverse effects. These symptoms are important but may not fully reflect patient-defined experience and value in cancer care.

Open Access

Perspectives of vitamin C upregulating regulatory T cells in the era of thrombopoietin receptor agonists for immune thrombocytopenia

Perspectives of vitamin C upregulating regulatory T cells in the era of thrombopoietin receptor agonists for immune thrombocytopenia

Gross platelet deficiency marks idiopathic thrombocytopenia's pathophysiology: normalization of the regulatory T cells (Tregs) through demethylation may well reverse the abnormal DNA methylation. Despite thrombopoietic receptor agonists’ recognized effectiveness, strongly demethylating (yet safe and affordable) ascorbate (e.g. with a plasma level of >1 mM several hours/week) could prevent their undesirable “rebound phenomenon” upon routine discontinuation, especially if abruptly mandated by refusal/adverse effects. [In Figure 1, star-shaped objects are platelets; Y-shaped objects are autoantibodies; in Figure 2, pro-inflammatory T helper 17 (Th17) cells are characterized by RORγt: a transcription factor (encoded by the gene Rorc) of the retinoic acid-receptor (RAR)-related orphan receptor (ROR) family. In ITP, Tregs expressing forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) are crucial for controlling ITP: in Figure 3, TET: ten-eleven translocation enzymes; 5mC; 5hmc: 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (the initiating step of active DNA demethylation. A cofactor fostering this process is vitamin C which acts synergistically with retinoic acid (RA)].

Open Access

Glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

Glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

ON is a complex and multifactorial complication of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). However, the pathophysiology and risk factors for ON in patients with SLE have not been fully determined yet. Here, we review the epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment options for glucocorticoid-induced ON, with a specific focus on patients with SLE

Open Access

International Anal Neoplasia Society's consensus guidelines for anal cancer screening

International Anal Neoplasia Society's consensus guidelines for anal cancer screening

What's new?

Recently, treatment of anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) was found to reduce anal cancer risk in people living with HIV. However, there are no current comprehensive anal cancer screening guidelines. The International Anal Neoplasia Society (IANS) recommendations provide evidence-based consensus guidance for which populations should be offered anal cancer screening and for management of abnormal screening results, considering currently available screening tools. The IANS guidelines provide a basis for expansion of anal cancer screening infrastructure to all at-risk populations.

Open Access

Development and validation of a prognostic model incorporating tumor thrombus grading for nonmetastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma with tumor thrombus: A multicohort study

  • First Published: 20 July 2023
Development and validation of a prognostic model incorporating tumor thrombus grading for nonmetastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma with tumor thrombus: A multicohort study

Inspired by the metastasis-seeding potential of VTT in ccRCC, we identified for the first time that pathological grading of VTT could serve as an unheeded prognostic factor. By incorporating VTT grading, TT-GPS score was constructed, displaying superior discriminatory ability for risk stratification in nonmetastatic ccRCC patients with VTT. This study highlights the significance of introducing VTT grading or TT-GPS score into routine pathological reports to improve the efficacy of risk assessment.

Open Access

Chemoimmunotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma—Summary and discussion of recent clinical trials

Chemoimmunotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma—Summary and discussion of recent clinical trials

A large majority of clinical trials demonstrate the promising results of the addition of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) to the existing treatment strategy for patients with advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Therefore, this article aims to discuss the results of these trials and to highlight the changes and future of ESCC treatment.

Open Access

Proton therapy in Asia Pacific: current resources, international disparities and steps forward

Proton therapy in Asia Pacific: current resources, international disparities and steps forward

The burden of cancer in Asia Pacific, a region home to over four billion people, is growing. Because of sheer demographics alone, the Asia Pacific region arguably has the highest number of patients who can benefit from protons over conventional x-rays. However, only 39 out of 113 proton facilities globally are in Asia Pacific, and 11 of them are in low- and middle-income countries where 95% of the regional population reside. We draw attention to present resource distribution of proton therapy in Asia Pacific, highlight disparities in access, and suggest steps forward.

Open Access

Burden of severe periodontitis and edentulism in 2021, with projections up to 2050: The Global Burden of Disease 2021 study

Burden of severe periodontitis and edentulism in 2021, with projections up to 2050: The Global Burden of Disease 2021 study

Severe periodontitis and edentulism remain major public health challenges in 2021, with the number of affected individuals projected to rise significantly in the coming decades.