Objective In recent years, there are several systematic reviews published on animal experiments of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis) guidelines provide a guarantee for significantly improving the reporting quality of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analysis (MAs) to a certain extent; however, there are still certain defects found in the quality of SRs/MAs of animal experiments of TCM. It has been found that especially, the descriptions of the rationale and animal characteristics of TCM interventions are inadequate. As a result, we have developed a novel reporting guideline for SRs/MAs of animal experimental in the field of TCM (PRISMA-ATCM) to overcome these problems. Methods PRISMA-ATCM reporting guidelines were formed by analyzing both the status and quality of published SRs/MAs of animal experiments and consulting experts in the related fields, and then by Delphi consultation, consensus meeting and revision. Results Among the 27 items on the PRISMA checklist, Title (1), Structured summary (2), Rationale (3), Objectives (4), Protocol and registration (5), Eligibility criteria (6), Data items (11), Planned methods of analysis (14), Study characteristics (18), Summary of evidence (24), Limitations (25), and Funding (27) have been extensively revised and expanded, to specifically include the details about TCM intervention and animal characteristics. In addition, illustrative examples and explanations have been provided for each item. Conclusion PRISMA-ATCM could markedly improve the quality SRs/MAs of animal experiments in the field of TCM.

Rapid recommendation is a novel methodological framework for developing clinical practice guidelines and this framework shares the basic features of classical guidelines but differs from classical clinical practice guidelines in its ‘rapid’ development process (typically within 90 days) with an aim of translat-ing practice-changing studies to recommendations. A recent global innovation of guideline development methodology is the proposal of a rapid recommendation framework for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which has the potential to add value to the translation of evidence to practice for TCM inter- ventions. Up to now, more than 180 rapid recommendations have been published, but none of them is pertaining to TCM interventions. Due to the nature of multi-dimensional evidence sources for TCM inter- ventions, including classical randomized controlled trials and real world evidence, a more sophisticated methodological approach to synthesize and evaluate the totality of evidence about effects of TCM in- terventions is required. Therefore, appropriate modification to the rapid recommendation framework is necessary. In the efforts to respond to these needs, we have proposed a specific approach to developing rapid recommendations for TCM interventions the Multi-dimensional Evidence Synthesis, Evaluation and Recommendations for TCM interventions (MESERT)

Background: Suicidality is common among patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). This meta-analysis aimed to assess the prevalence of suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempt (SA) in TBI patients. Methods: Databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP, WanFang Data, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) were searched for relevant literature from inception to 9th January 2021. Random effects models were used to estimate the prevalence of SI and SA. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Subgroup analysis was performed based on the geographical location of the institutions. Results: A total of 16 studies involving 1,146,271 patients with TBI were included in our meta-analysis. The prevalence of SI and SA were 19.1% (95% CI 13.6-24.6%) and 2.1% (95% CI 1.8-2.4%), respectively, while the prevalence of SA in Asian and non-Asian countries were 2.0% (95% CI 0.3-3.7%) and 2.0% (95% CI 1.6-2.3%). Meta-regression analyses revealed that the publication year and age were positively associated, while the geographical location of the institution and sample size were negatively associated with the pooled prevalence of SI. On the other hand, the geographical location of the institution, sample size and age were negatively associated with the pooled prevalence of SA. Limitations: The overall heterogeneity between studies was high. Conclusion: SI and SA are common among TBI patients. Therefore, targeted preventive measures are paramount to manage TBI-related suicide.