Spatial Causality: A Systematic Review on Spatial Causal Inference

Psychopathology represents a leading cause of disability worldwide. Effective interventions need to target risk factors that are causally related to psychopathology. In order to distinguish between causal and spurious risk factors, it is critical to account for environmental and genetic confounding. Mendelian randomisation studies use genetic variants that are independent from environmental and genetic confounders in order to strengthen causal inference. We conducted a systematic review of studies (N = 19) using Mendelian randomisation to examine the causal role of putative risk factors for psychopathology-related outcomes including depression, anxiety, psychological distress, schizophrenia, substance abuse/antisocial behaviour, and smoking initiation. The most commonly examined risk factors in the reviewed Mendelian randomisation studies were smoking, alcohol use and body mass index. In most cases, risk factors were strongly associated with psychopathology-related outcomes in conventional analyses but Mendelian randomisation indicated that these associations were unlikely to be causal. However, Mendelian randomisation analyses showed that both smoking and homocysteine plasma levels may be causally linked with schizophrenia. We discuss possible reasons for these diverging results between conventional and Mendelian randomisation analyses and outline future directions for progressing research in ways that maximise the potential for identifying targets for intervention.

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Are there non-linear relationships between alcohol consumption and long-term health? Protocol for a systematic review of observational studies employing approaches to improve causal inference

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043985 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. e043985

Author(s):

Rachel Visontay ◽

Matthew Sunderland ◽

Tim Slade ◽

Jack Wilson ◽

Louise Mewton

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Causal Inference ◽

Study Design ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Alcohol Exposure ◽

Non Linear ◽

The Relationship

IntroductionThere is a substantial literature finding that moderate alcohol consumption is protective against certain health conditions. However, more recent research has highlighted the possibility that these findings are methodological artefacts, caused by confounding and other biases. While modern analytical and study design approaches can mitigate confounding and thus enhance causal inference in observational studies, they are not routinely applied in research assessing the relationship between alcohol use and long-term health outcomes. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify observational studies that employ these analytical/design-based approaches in assessing whether relationships between alcohol consumption and health outcomes are non-linear. This review seeks to evaluate, on a per-outcome basis, what these studies find the strength and form of the relationship between alcohol consumption and health to be.Methods and analysisElectronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase and SCOPUS) were searched in May 2020. Study selection will comply with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Articles will be screened against eligibility criteria intended to capture studies using observational data to assess the relationship between varying levels of alcohol exposure and any long-term health outcome (actual or surrogate), and that have employed at least one of the prespecified approaches to enhancing causal inference. Risk of bias of included articles will be assessed using study design-specific tools. A narrative synthesis of the results is planned.Ethics and disseminationFormal ethics approval is not required given there will be no primary data collection. The results of the study will be disseminated through published manuscripts, conferences and seminar presentations.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020185861.

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Are there non-linear relationships between alcohol consumption and long-term health?: Protocol for a systematic review of observational studies employing approaches to improve causal inference

10.31219/osf.io/jeqgv ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Rachel Visontay ◽

Matthew Sunderland ◽

Tim Slade ◽

Jack Wilson ◽

Louise Mewton

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Causal Inference ◽

Study Design ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Alcohol Exposure ◽

Non Linear ◽

The Relationship

Introduction: There is a substantial literature finding that moderate alcohol consumption is protective against certain health conditions. However, more recent research has highlighted the possibility that these findings are methodological artefacts, caused by confounding and other biases. While modern analytical and study design approaches can enhance causal inference in observational studies, they are not routinely applied in research assessing the relationship between alcohol use and long-term health outcomes. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify observational studies that employ these analytical/design-based approaches in assessing whether relationships between alcohol consumption and health outcomes are non-linear. This review seeks to evaluate, on a per-outcome basis, what these studies find the strength and form of the relationship between alcohol consumption and health to be.Methods and analysis: Electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase and SCOPUS) were searched in May 2020. Study selection will comply with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Articles will be screened against eligibility criteria intended to capture studies using observational data to assess the relationship between varying levels of alcohol exposure and any long-term health outcome (actual or surrogate), and that have employed at least one of the pre-specified approaches to enhancing causal inference. Risk of bias of included articles will be assessed using study design-specific tools. A narrative synthesis of the results is planned.

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Application of causal inference methods in the analyses of randomised controlled trials: a systematic review

Trials ◽

10.1186/s13063-017-2381-x ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ruth E. Farmer ◽

Daphne Kounali ◽

A. Sarah Walker ◽

Jelena Savović ◽

Alison Richards ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Causal Inference ◽

Randomised Controlled Trials ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Randomised Controlled ◽

Inference Methods

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Causal Inference Regarding Infectious Aetiology of Chronic Conditions: A Systematic Review

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0068861 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. e68861 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Sofia Orrskog ◽

Emma Medin ◽

Svetla Tsolova ◽

Jan C. Semenza

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Causal Inference ◽

Chronic Conditions ◽

Infectious Aetiology

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1168Are there non-linear alcohol–health relationships?: Review of observational studies employing enhanced causal methods

International Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/ije/dyab168.686 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

Rachel Visontay ◽

Matthew Sunderland ◽

Tim Slade ◽

Jack Wilson ◽

Louise Mewton

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Causal Inference ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Consumption Pattern ◽

Non Linear ◽

Functional Forms

Abstract Focus of Presentation Research has long found ‘J-shaped’ relationships between alcohol consumption and certain health outcomes, indicating a protective effect of moderate consumption. However, methodological limitations in most studies hinder causal inference. While enhanced methods for data analysis (e.g. G-methods) and alternative observational designs (e.g. Mendelian Randomisation) have been developed, they are not commonly applied to alcohol–health research. This presentation will report on a systematic review of observational studies that employ improved approaches to mitigate confounding in characterising alcohol–long-term health relationships (PROSPERO registration: CRD42020185861). Findings MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase and SCOPUS were searched in May 2020, yielding 16 published manuscripts reporting on cancer, diabetes, dementia, mental health, cardiovascular health, mortality, HIV seroconversion, and musculoskeletal health. Study findings were qualitatively synthesised. A variety of functional forms were found, including reverse J/J-shaped relationships for prostate cancer and related mortality, dementia risk, mental health, and certain lipids. However, most outcomes were only evaluated by a single study, and few studies provided information on the role of alcohol consumption pattern. Conclusions/Implications More research employing enhanced causal inference methods is urgently required to accurately characterise alcohol–long-term health relationships. Those studies that have been conducted find a variety of linear and non-linear functional forms, with results tending to be discrepant even within specific health outcomes. Key messages A systematic review found that those studies of alcohol–long-term health relationships employing enhanced causal methods are too few and inconsistent to establish whether non-linear alcohol–health relationships exist.

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A Causal Inference Approach to Network Meta-Analysis

Journal of Causal Inference ◽

10.1515/jci-2016-0014 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mireille E Schnitzer ◽

Russell J Steele ◽

Michèle Bally ◽

Ian Shrier

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Decision Making ◽

Causal Inference ◽

Randomized Trials ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Independent Contrasts ◽

Consistent Estimation ◽

Counterfactual Theory ◽

Model Independent

Abstract:While standard meta-analysis pools the results from randomized trials that compare two treatments, network meta-analysis aggregates the results of randomized trials comparing a wider variety of treatment options. However, it is unclear whether the aggregation of effect estimates across heterogeneous populations will be consistent for a meaningful parameter when not all treatments are evaluated on each population. Drawing from counterfactual theory and the causal inference framework, we define the population of interest in a network meta-analysis and define the target parameter under a series of nonparametric structural assumptions. This allows us to determine the requirements for identifiability of this parameter, enabling a description of the conditions under which network meta-analysis is appropriate and when it might mislead decision making. We then adapt several modeling strategies from the causal inference literature to obtain consistent estimation of the intervention-specific mean outcome and model-independent contrasts between treatments. Finally, we perform a reanalysis of a systematic review to compare the efficacy of antibiotics on suspected or confirmed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in hospitalized patients.

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Beyond metaphors and semantics: A framework for causal inference in neuroscience

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x19001389 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

Author(s):

Roberto A. Gulli

Keyword(s):

Causal Inference ◽

Causal Power

Abstract The long-enduring coding metaphor is deemed problematic because it imbues correlational evidence with causal power. In neuroscience, most research is correlational or conditionally correlational; this research, in aggregate, informs causal inference. Rather than prescribing semantics used in correlational studies, it would be useful for neuroscientists to focus on a constructive syntax to guide principled causal inference.

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The effects of low-ratio n-6/n-3 PUFA on biomarkers of inflammation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Food & Function ◽

10.1039/d0fo01976c ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yali Wei ◽

Yan Meng ◽

Na Li ◽

Qian Wang ◽

Liyong Chen

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Fatty Acid ◽

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid ◽

Inflammation Markers ◽

Pufa Supplementation ◽

Long Chain

The purpose of the systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine if low-ratio n-6/n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation affects serum inflammation markers based on current studies.

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Parent Education in Studies With Nonverbal and Minimally Verbal Participants With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2019_ajslp-19-00007 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 890-902

Author(s):

Lynn Kern Koegel ◽

Katherine M. Bryan ◽

Pumpki Lei Su ◽

Mohini Vaidya ◽

Stephen Camarata

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Parent Education ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Verbal Communication ◽

Fidelity Of Implementation ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Education Programs ◽

Minimally Verbal ◽

Parent Education Programs

Purpose The purpose of this systematic review was to identify parent education procedures implemented in intervention studies focused on expressive verbal communication for nonverbal (NV) or minimally verbal (MV) children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parent education has been shown to be an essential component in the habilitation of individuals with ASD. Parents of individuals with ASD who are NV or MV may particularly benefit from parent education in order to provide opportunities for communication and to support their children across the life span. Method ProQuest databases were searched between the years of 1960 and 2018 to identify articles that targeted verbal communication in MV and NV individuals with ASD. A total of 1,231 were evaluated to assess whether parent education was implemented. We found 36 studies that included a parent education component. These were reviewed with regard to (a) the number of participants and participants' ages, (b) the parent education program provided, (c) the format of the parent education, (d) the duration of the parent education, (e) the measurement of parent education, and (f) the parent fidelity of implementation scores. Results The results of this analysis showed that very few studies have included a parent education component, descriptions of the parent education programs are unclear in most studies, and few studies have scored the parents' implementation of the intervention. Conclusions Currently, there is great variability in parent education programs in regard to participant age, hours provided, fidelity of implementation, format of parent education, and type of treatment used. Suggestions are made to provide both a more comprehensive description and consistent measurement of parent education programs.

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