Duplicate Elimination Research Articles

Effectiveness of virtual reality in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Systematic review.

Virtual reality is on the rise and is currently postulated as one of the most innovative and promising techniques in the management of pain and anxiety in cancer patients, in the face of painful processes or the stress involved in chemotherapy treatment. The objective has been to find out the effectiveness of virtual reality in patients undergoing chemotherapy. Several literature reviews were conducted between November 2023 and January 2024 in the Pubmed, Web of Science and PEDro databases. The keywords "virtual reality," "cancer," "oncology," "exercise" and "chemotherapy" were combined using the Boolean operator AND. 641 manuscripts were selected as potential manuscripts and after elimination of duplicates and application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, six articles comprised the final review sample. Virtual reality has proven to be an effective technique in reducing the anxiety, pain, asthenia and stress suffered by patients diagnosed with cancer and chemotherapy treatment. The distraction generated by this therapeutic modality, with a wide range of scenarios, helps to reduce the painful perception and worry of these procedures. However, there are no standard application guidelines or application protocols that demonstrate the superiority of one technique over another. Virtual reality could be a valid complementary tool in the treatment of patients undergoing chemotherapy, showing positive results in pain reduction, anxiety, stress or asthenia. More studies are needed, with larger sample sizes and long-term follow-ups to establish treatment protocols in relation to the frequency, intensity, duration and periodicity of interventions with virtual reality.

Treatment variants in hepatorenal syndrome. Systematic review

Introduction: hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a form of acute renal failure that occurs in patients with advanced cirrhosis and presents high mortality.Objective: to describe the therapeutic alternatives in hepatorenal syndrome. Methods: a search for information was carried out using the PubMed, TripDatabase and Cochrane databases; MeSH terms were used. Initially, 1749 articles were obtained; subsequently, 5 articles used in this systematic review were selected through the use of filters, review of titles, and elimination of duplicates. Results: 548 patients were included. 325 patients received Terlipressin and 223 patients received Placebo. A reversal of SHR was evidenced in 35,8 % in patients receiving Terlipressin vs. 12,1 % placebo. Overall survival without liver transplantation was 36,7 % for the Terlipressin group and 21,1 % placebo. Adverse events were higher in the Terlipressin group. Conclusion: Terlipressin is effective in improving renal function in patients with cirrhosis and hepatorenal syndrome type 1 (HRS-1). However, its use is associated with serious adverse events, such as respiratory failure. The combined treatment of terlipressin and albumin shows a greater improvement in renal function compared to the use of albumin alone. Further studies are needed to determine whether the improvement in renal function translates into a survival benefit for patients. Liver transplantation remains the most definitive treatment, and should be considered early in the course of the disease

Ambulatory care sensitive diseases/conditions in adult patients. A systematic review

Aim. To summarize the published data on the nomenclature of ambu­latory care sensitive diseases/conditions (ACSCs) in adult patients as one of the tools for a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of primary health care (PHC) measures implemented.Material and methods. The study was implemented in 4 following stages: 1 — search for articles by keywords in electronic bibliographic databases; 2 — duplicate elimination; 3 — review of abstracts with an as­sessment for compliance with the inclusion/exclusion criteria, fol­lowed by a search for full-text versions and final selection of pub­lications; 4 — systematization and analysis of data on the ACSCs. Articles published in the period from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2022 and containing information on ACSC nomenclature were searched in 4 domestic and foreign electronic bibliographic databases (Elibrary, NLM (PubMed), MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE). The PRISMA (Preferred Re­porting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) system was used in the preparation of the systematic review. Systematization of information on the obtained results was carried out in Microsoft Office Excel 2016 spreadsheets.Results. In total, out of 10898 initially found publications, 11 full-text pa­pers describing studies that fully met the inclusion/exclusion criteria we­re admitted to stage 4 and were included in the final analysis. In none of the 11 publications was ACSC nomenclature identical to any other pub­lication included in stage 4 of the analysis. Variability in the total num­ber of ACSCs was noted in each of the assessed papers. In 100% of the analyzed publications, the NCAs included chronic obstructive pul­monary disease/chronic bronchitis, heart failure, diabetes, and hypertension. In 91% (10 publications), the ACSCs included angina pectoris, asthma, iron deficiency anemia, dental and oral diseases, urinary tract infections, acute skin infections, and gastroenteritis.Conclusion. The nomenclature of the ACSCs in different countries is characterized by variability due to demographic, epidemiological, organizational, and other features. The conducted systematic review showed that the nomenclature of the ACSCs has not been defined in the Russian Federation. The data obtained in this work can serve as a basis for initiating a project aimed at developing a domestic nomenclature of ACSCs as one of the tools for a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of PHC measures implemented.

Effectiveness of functional communication training in the regulation of self-injurious behavior in children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: an empty systematic review

Background: Self-injurious behaviors are highly prevalent in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), occurring frequently in those with associated intellectual disabilities as well as in those without intellectual impairment. Single-case studies have found that functional communication training helps regulate self-injurious behaviors and repetitive behaviors, particularly in children with ASD. However, no review identifies whether there is experimental evidence to support the use of this treatment. Objective: Our review aims to determine the efficacy of functional communication training for regulating self-injurious behavior in children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD. Methods: A systematic review was conducted.PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for single-case experimental studies and randomized clinical trials. Results: A total of 67 studies were initially identified, of which 16 remained eligible after duplicate elimination and selection based on title and abstract. However, a thorough review of each text revealed that some needed to meet the inclusion criteria or had exclusionary elements. Therefore, they did not qualify for the next stage of the process. As a result, no publications were found that provided robust evidence to support the efficacy of functional communication training in regulating self-injurious behaviors in children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD. However, four publications met the secondary objective of identifying relationships between the proposed variables and presenting variations of the proposed intervention prototype. The quality of these publications was assessed and discussed according to the transparency recommendations of the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care guideline for reporting reviews without eligible or empty studies and the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Conclusions: There is an urgent need for more research in this area, given the harmfulness and self-injurious behaviors, in addition to their high incidence in individuals diagnosed with ASD. This study's results help identify existing knowledge gaps and suggest new directions for research in this area.

Risk Factors Associated With Seizure After Treatment of Chronic Subdural Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Chronic subdural hemorrhage (cSDH) is a prevalent neurosurgical pathology, marked by blood collection between the dura mater and the arachnoid membrane. The aim of this systematic review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the risk factors associated with seizures after cSDH treatment. We systematically searched the following databases for studies conducted until September 28, 2023: PubMed, Embase, SCOPUS, Cochrane Central, WOS, and EBSCO. We selected all studies aiming to assess risk factors associated with seizures after treatment of cSDH. Observation studies written in English, Spanish, and Portuguese were included. The quality of studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for observational studies. A total of 1830 studies were screened after the elimination of duplicates. A total of 18 studies were included, representing 4966 patients. The pooled proportion of seizures after treatment of cSDH is 10% [95% CI 7%, 13%; I2 = 93%]. The risk of seizures was lower in patients undergoing burr hole surgery compared to craniotomy, with an odds ratio of 0.23 (95% CI [0.10, 0.55]; I2 = 0%). Additionally, the risk of seizures in patients receiving prophylactic antiepileptic treatment compared to those without was higher, with an odds ratio of 2.62 (95% CI [0.53, 13.06]; I2 = 66%). Burr-hole treatment after cSDH presents a lower risk of seizures compared with craniotomy, and the use of prophylactic antiepileptic treatment did not conclusively affect seizure outcomes. Standardization in the reporting of outcomes and more comparative studies are needed to enable better recognition of risk factors of seizures after cSDH treatment.

Accurate Sampling-Based Cardinality Estimation for Complex Graph Queries

Accurately estimating the cardinality (i.e., the number of answers) of complex queries plays a central role in database systems. This problem is particularly difficult in graph databases, where queries often involve a large number of joins and self-joins. Recently, Park et al. [ 55 ] surveyed seven state-of-the-art cardinality estimation approaches for graph queries. The results of their extensive empirical evaluation show that a sampling method based on the WanderJoin online aggregation algorithm [ 47 ] consistently offers superior accuracy. We extended the framework by Park et al. [ 55 ] with three additional datasets and repeated their experiments. Our results showed that WanderJoin is indeed very accurate, but it can often take a large number of samples and thus be very slow. Moreover, when queries are complex and data distributions are skewed, it often fails to find valid samples and estimates the cardinality as zero. Finally, complex graph queries often go beyond simple graph matching and involve arbitrary nesting of relational operators such as disjunction, difference, and duplicate elimination. Neither of the methods considered by Park et al. [ 55 ] is applicable to such queries. In this article, we present a novel approach for estimating the cardinality of complex graph queries. Our approach is inspired by WanderJoin, but, unlike all approaches known to us, it can process complex queries with arbitrary operator nesting. Our estimator is strongly consistent, meaning that the average of repeated estimates converges with probability one to the actual cardinality. We present optimisations of the basic algorithm that aim to reduce the chance of producing zero estimates and improve accuracy. We show empirically that our approach is both accurate and quick on complex queries and large datasets. Finally, we discuss how to integrate our approach into a simple dynamic programming query planner, and we confirm empirically that our planner produces high-quality plans that can significantly reduce end-to-end query evaluation times.

Case Report and Literature Review on Tongue Schwannoma

Schwannoma is a neoplasm originating from cells surrounding and insulating axons in peripheral nerves. It usually presents benign behaviour with slow growth. A significant portion of cases occur in the head and neck region but rarely in the oral cavity, where the tongue is the most frequently affected organ. This article describes the case of a man presenting an asymptomatic mass on the dorsal aspect of the tongue that sought attention at the Integrated Therapies in Otorhinolaryngology Department of the Policlinico Campus Bio-Medico Foundation in Rome. After clinical and radiological examinations, the patient underwent surgical treatment under local anaesthesia. A literature search was conducted on PubMed and Google Scholar. Only complete case reports published in English from 1923 to 2023 were selected. A total of 183 cases were considered after the selection of relevant articles and the elimination of duplicates. The resulting data confirm that the most common presentation of this pathology consists of a painless mass in the oral tongue; usually, this lesion is removed surgically via a transoral approach, but different variations were described depending on the dimensions and position of the lesion.

Real-world pharmacovigilance analysis of galsulfase: a study based on the FDA adverse event reporting system (FAERS) database.

Associated with enzyme deficiencies causing glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) accumulation, mucopolysaccharidosis type VI (MPS VI) is lysosomal storage disorder. In the treatment of MPS VI, galsulfase (Naglazyme) is commonly used as an enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). There remains a need for comprehensive real-world data on its safety and associated adverse events (AEs). An analysis of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database will be conducted to identify potential risks and adverse reactions associated with galsulfase in real-life settings. The FAERS database was used to extract data from Q2 2005 to Q4 2023. A total of 20,281,876 reports were analyzed after duplicate elimination, with 3,195 AE reports related to galsulfase identified. The association between galsulfase and AEs was investigated by utilizing four algorithms: reporting odds ratio (ROR), proportional reporting ratio (PRR), Bayesian confidence propagation neural network (BCPNN), and multi-item gamma Poisson shrinker (MGPS). The analysis focused on the timing of onset, signs of AEs, and clinical significance. Twenty seven organ systems were involved, and significant system organ classes (SOCs) included respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders, and infections and infestations. At the PT level, 72PTs corresponding to 15 SOCs were identified, with some AEs not previously mentioned in the product label. AEs associated with galsulfase had a median onset time of 1,471days, with over half of the cases occurred within the first 5years of treatment initiation. This investigation delivers an exhaustive and indicative assessment of galsulfase's safety profile, grounded in authentic, real-world evidence. The findings emphasis the importance of continuous safety surveillance and the emergence of new AEs. The identification of previously unreported urologic adverse events, such as glomerulonephritis membranous and nephritic syndrome, warrants further investigation. The study emphasizes the need for enhanced pharmacovigilance to ensure patient safety and the effectiveness of galsulfase treatment.

An efficient learning based approach for automatic record deduplication with benchmark datasets

With technological innovations, enterprises in the real world are managing every iota of data as it can be mined to derive business intelligence (BI). However, when data comes from multiple sources, it may result in duplicate records. As data is given paramount importance, it is also significant to eliminate duplicate entities towards data integration, performance and resource optimization. To realize reliable systems for record deduplication, late, deep learning could offer exciting provisions with a learning-based approach. Deep ER is one of the deep learning-based methods used recently for dealing with the elimination of duplicates in structured data. Using it as a reference model, in this paper, we propose a framework known as Enhanced Deep Learning-based Record Deduplication (EDL-RD) for improving performance further. Towards this end, we exploited a variant of Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) along with various attribute compositions, similarity metrics, and numerical and null value resolution. We proposed an algorithm known as Efficient Learning based Record Deduplication (ELbRD). The algorithm extends the reference model with the aforementioned enhancements. An empirical study has revealed that the proposed framework with extensions outperforms existing methods.

The Effect of Ketamine Administration on the Incidence of Delirium After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A Scoping Review

Context: Delirium is a common complication observed in patients undergoing open-heart surgery, leading to adverse outcomes and increased healthcare costs. Ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist with analgesic and neuroprotective properties, has been reported to have potential protective effects against delirium. In this scoping review, we aim to explore the existing literature on the effect of ketamine administration in open-heart surgery on the incidence of delirium. Evidence Acquisition: In the latter part of 2023, a retrospective analysis was conducted to investigate the impact of administering ketamine on delirium occurrence following coronary artery bypass surgery. Researchers utilized Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) to identify key terms and searched various databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane, as well as search engines like Google Scholar, alongside Iran SID and Iran ISC databases. Following the elimination of duplicates and irrelevant studies, the review encompassed six studies from Iran, Turkey, Canada, the United States, and Thailand. Results: The search strategy yielded 1100 articles, of which 100 were excluded due to duplicates. After excluding conference papers, systematic reviews, unrelated languages, unavailable full texts, and book chapters, 87 full-text studies were reviewed. Finally, 6 studies (5 studies in English and one study in Persian) met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Conclusions: Recent trials have shown that the effect of ketamine administration on the incidence of delirium after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is equivocal. While some studies suggest that ketamine may serve as a promising solution for reducing the incidence of delirium, others suggest that it may lead to adverse experiences and raise concerns about its safety. Further research in this area is necessary to optimize postoperative recovery and minimize risks. Currently, physicians must carefully evaluate the potential benefits and side effects of ketamine for each patient and be aware of the latest evidence.

Evaluating the web as a source of information for patients with chest wall deformities: insights into engagement and disparities.

Recent data highlight the internet's pivotal role as the primary information source for patients. In this study, we emulate a patient's/caregiver's quest for online information concerning chest deformities and assess the quality of available information. We conducted an internet search using combination of the terms "pectus excavatum," "pectus excavatum surgery," "funnel chest," "pectus excavatum repair" and identified the first 100 relevant websites from the three most popular search engines: Google, Yahoo, and Bing. These websites were evaluated using the modified Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) instrument. Of the 300 websites generated, 140 (46.7%) were included in our evaluation after elimination of duplicates, non-English websites, and those targeting medical professionals. The EQIP scores in the final sample ranged from 8 to 32/36, with a median score of 22. Most of the evaluated websites (32.8%) originated from hospitals, yet none met all 36 EQIP criteria. None of the evaluated websites pertaining to pectus excavatum achieved a flawless "content quality" score. The diverse array of websites potentially complicates patients' efforts to navigate toward high-quality resources. Barriers in accessing high-quality online patient information may contribute to disparities in referral, patient engagement, treatment satisfaction, and overall quality of life. IV.

Analysis of questionnaires from the perspective of hospitalization risk prediction. Systematic review

One of the key tasks facing the medical community and health professionals is the identification of patients at high risk of hospitalization, including emergency one. Currently, various approaches are used to obtain information about certain predictors in a patient that are as­sociated with an increased hospitalization risk, but there is no consensus on which of them are most effective.Aim. To summarize data from studies that has analyzed the prognostic value of various predictors used in questionnaires or patient surveys associated with an increased hospitalization risk.Material and methods. We search for full-text articles in 8 Russian and foreign electronic databases (Scopus, PubMed, BMC Health Services Research, BMJ Research, Google Scholar, e-library, Oxford Academic, Wiley Online Library), published in the period from January 1, 1993 to January 1, 2023 and containing information about questionnaires on hospitalization risk prediction. The study was carried out in 4 following stages: 1 — search for articles using keywords in electronic databases; 2 — duplicate elimination; 3 — search for full-text versions of articles and their assessment for compliance with inclusion/ exclusion criteria; 4 — data analysis, systematization of hospitalization predictors used in questionnaires.Results. In total, out of 28133 initial publications, 13 full-text papers describing studies that fully met the inclusion/exclusion criteria were admitted to stage 4 and were included in the final analysis. These studies were devoted to the description of 11 questionnaires, their modification or testing. The majority of the articles found (53,8%) were conducted in the United States. When analyzing questionnaires to assess the hospitalization risk, among 61 identified predictors, the following were most often used In questionnaires: "age ≥75 years"; "≥1 hospitalization within one to two years preceding filling out the questionnaire"; "taking ≥5 prescription medications"; "male sex"; "history of diabetes", and "satisfactory/unsatisfactory self-perceived health status". A more detailed analysis of questionnaires to assess the risk of one-year hospitalization among people ≥65 years old found that the following predictors were most often used: "age ≥75 years", "≥1 hospitalization in the period from one to two years before filling out the questionnaire", and "taking ≥3 prescription medications".Conclusion. Evidence is summarized on predictors used in questionnaires on hospitalization risk assessment. Additional research is needed to validate established predictors in the Russian population, their cause-and-effect relationship, and to search for novel predictors influencing the hospitalization risk among the working age and post-working age population.

Abstract PO5-12-02: Landscape analysis of oncology nutrition research among patients being treated for breast cancer

Abstract The American Institute for Cancer Research/World Cancer Research Fund and the American Cancer Society regularly conduct systematic reviews on the evidence supporting nutrition interventions during cancer treatment. These reviews have found that the evidence to support clinical oncology nutrition practice guidelines is limited. It is unclear how many oncology nutrition studies are currently being conducted, especially among patients being treated for breast cancer. The goal of this project was to conduct a landscape analysis of nutrition research being conducted among breast cancer patients over the past 10 years. Methods: This analysis was part of a larger effort to describe the oncology nutrition research landscape for all cancer sites. Searches of ClinicalTrials.gov were performed on 1/8/2023 using the following search terms/combinations: “cancer AND nutrition”, “cancer nutrition”, “oncology AND nutrition”, “diet AND cancer”, “cancer, oncology, neoplasms, nutrition, diet”. Search results were downloaded as .csv files and uploaded to RStudio for merging and data cleaning (elimination of duplicates, and exclusion of studies registered in ClinicalTrials.gov before 1/1/2013 or after 12/31/2022). The resulting harmonized dataset was then uploaded to REDCap, and each entry was reviewed for eligibility by one of the authors. To be included in this landscape analysis, studies must have included data collection from patients who were actively receiving cancer treatment at the time of the study and the study had to be first posted to ClinicalTrials.gov between 1/1/2013 and 12/31/2022. Studies were excluded if they: 1) focused on the role of diet in primary cancer prevention, 2) focused on cancer survivors who had completed primary treatment for their cancers. Following eligibility review, the study datafile was returned to RStudio for further cleaning and analysis. Results: The initial ClinicalTrials.gov search identified 4,345 unique study listings. After review, 1,267 studies met the inclusion criteria, of which 132 (10.4%) studies were specific to breast cancer (117 intervention studies and 15 observational studies). Among breast cancer studies, reasons for exclusion were: study focused on diet/nutrition in the prevention of a primary cancer diagnosis (n=40), study participants had already completed their cancer treatment (n=128), study did not include a diet/nutrition intervention or assessment (n=31). The largest number of breast cancer specific studies were based in the United States (n=55, 41.6%), Italy (n=11, 8.3%), France (n=10, 7.6%) and Canada (n=9, 6.8%). Dietary supplement interventions were the most common type of intervention (n=50 studies, 42.7%), followed by behavior change interventions (n=22, 18.8%), diet in relation to a drug intervention (n=25, 21.4%), diet in relation to a device/procedure/radiation intervention (n=16, 14%), fasting/time-restricted feeding studies (n=13, 11.1%) and ketogenic diet interventions (n=3, 2.6%). Changes in weight or body composition (n=52, 39.4%), quality of life (n=45, 34.1%), adverse events (n=24, 18.2%), survival (n=20, 15,2%) and fatigue (n=17, 12.9%) were the most common outcome measures. Sixteen (12.1%) studies were supported by NIH funding and 9 (6.8%) studies were industry funded, although the majority (n=124, 93.9%) reported funding from “other” sources. Of the 41 studies that started between 2013-2017 (five years prior to the January 2023 ClinicalTrials.gov search), only 21 (51.2%) were listed as being “completed” and of those, only 7 were listed as “has results”. Conclusion: More research is needed to support evidence-based supportive care guidelines for oncology nutrition interventions during breast cancer treatment. Efforts should be made to support researchers in completing studies and disseminating research findings. Citation Format: Kim Robien, Heather Wopat. Landscape analysis of oncology nutrition research among patients being treated for breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO5-12-02.

Integrating management systems in the energy sector: the case of the electricity industry in New Zealand

The New Zealand Electricity Engineers Association (EEA) asked for advice about development of a guide for a public safety management system (PSMS) for electricity distribution networks based on ISO45001 Occupational health and safety management systems. This would help eliminate overlap between legislation and standards while maintaining compliance with legal requirements. At Victoria University of Wellington we have been working on such an integrated approach and this article reports on the project and suggests how the results can be extended to include other areas of management while retaining the ability for appropriate elements to be audited and certified in accordance with systems required by legislation. The project reviewed an earlier report and literature review on PSMS for the Electricity Networks Association. Development of the legal requirements for a PSMS were reviewed and use of the International Standards Organization (ISO) framework for all management system standards proposed to encompass ISO45001 and similar standards. Relevant management content was incorporated in the high-level structure and key stakeholders contributed technical content. Use of the ISO Annex SL as a template enabled development of an integrated management system incorporating other management system standards, that would still support legal compliance while enabling elimination of duplication and clutter, and waste of resources at a time of technology change. The work was carried out in New Zealand (NZ) and may not apply in other countries with different legal requirements. Auditors may resist integrated management systems although this may not be a limitation if documentation is appropriately written. The electricity networks businesses in NZ may move to implementation of the PSMS guide but this will be an internal decision and results may take some years to declutter documentation and reduce overlapping audits under management system standards. Over the next decade the context of the New Zealand electricity industry will undergo major shifts with the need to adapt to increasing expectations for occupational health and safety and public safety, adaptation to climate change and accelerated implementation of new technologies. The electricity industry will need to apply its resources to those changes while avoiding duplicated efforts to implement multiple management systems. Developing an integrated management system that incorporates several management systems and public safety may aid protection of non-workers who cannot otherwise be “controlled” by a business.

DUEL: Duplicate Elimination on Active Memory for Self-Supervised Class-Imbalanced Learning

Recent machine learning algorithms have been developed using well-curated datasets, which often require substantial cost and resources. On the other hand, the direct use of raw data often leads to overfitting towards frequently occurring class information. To address class imbalances cost-efficiently, we propose an active data filtering process during self-supervised pre-training in our novel framework, Duplicate Elimination (DUEL). This framework integrates an active memory inspired by human working memory and introduces distinctiveness information, which measures the diversity of the data in the memory, to optimize both the feature extractor and the memory. The DUEL policy, which replaces the most duplicated data with new samples, aims to enhance the distinctiveness information in the memory and thereby mitigate class imbalances. We validate the effectiveness of the DUEL framework in class-imbalanced environments, demonstrating its robustness and providing reliable results in downstream tasks. We also analyze the role of the DUEL policy in the training process through various metrics and visualizations.

An Appraisal of the Progress in Utilizing Radiosondes and Satellites for Monitoring Upper Air Temperature Profiles

Upper air temperature measurements are critical for understanding weather patterns, boundary-layer processes, climate change, and the validation of space-based observations. However, there have been growing concerns over data discrepancies, the lack of homogeneity, biases, and discontinuities associated with historical climate data records obtained using these technologies. Consequently, this article reviews the progress of utilizing radiosondes and space-based instruments for obtaining upper air temperature records. A systematic review process was performed and focused on papers published between 2000 and 2023. A total of 74,899 publications were retrieved from the Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science databases using a title/abstract/keyword search query. After rigorous screening processes using relevant keywords and the elimination of duplicates, only 599 papers were considered. The papers were subjected to thematic and bibliometric analysis to comprehensively outline the progress, gaps, challenges, and opportunities related to the utilization of radiosonde and space-based instruments for monitoring upper air temperature. The results show that in situ radiosonde measurements and satellite sensors have improved significantly over the past few decades. Recent advances in the bias, uncertainty, and homogeneity correction algorithms (e.g., machine learning approaches) for enhancing upper air temperature observations present great potential in improving numerical weather forecasting, atmospheric boundary studies, satellite data validation, and climate change research.

A Critical Appraisal of Gluten in Skin Disorders, the Evidence So Far, and Updated Recommendations.

Gluten, a polypeptide hapten, found in many cereals such as barley, wheat, rye, oats, and others, has been recently implicated in a range of cutaneous disorders ranging from chronic plaque psoriasis through psoriatic arthritis, urticaria (chronic as well as paediatric onset), and angioedema to lichen planus, vitiligo, and rosacea. The evidence for them is still not well reviewed. To generate evidence for the causal role of gluten in various dermatological disorders. The Pubmed, MedLine, and EMBASE databases were searched using the keywords "Gluten" and one of the dermatoses, namely, "Atopic Dermatitis", "Vasculitis", "Psoriasis", "Psoriatic Arthritis", "Acne", "Alopecia Areata", and "Immunobullous disorders". All articles published in English for which free full text was available were taken into consideration. The search strategy returned in a total of 1487 articles which were screened for relevance and elimination of duplicates. Ultimately, around 114 articles were deemed suitable. The data were extracted and presented in the narrative review format. A simple and cost-effective solution to many of these chronic and lifelong conditions is to restrict gluten in the diet. However, the dermatologist would do well to remember that in the vast majority of dermatological disorders including the ones listed here, gluten restriction is not warranted and can even lead to nutritional deficiencies. The evidence varied from Grade I for some disorders like psoriatic arthritis to Grade IV to most disorders like acne, vitiligo, vasculitis, and atopic dermatitis. Herein, we review the evidence for each of these conditions and make practical recommendations for gluten restriction in them.

Tranexamic acid for the prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage in resource-limited settings: a literature review.

Postpartum haemorrhage is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Early recognition and appropriate treatment are crucial for managing postpartum haemorrhage. This literature review aimed to evaluate the efficacy of tranexamic acid in the prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage in resource-limited settings. This literature review was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A computerized systematic search of the MEDLINE (PubMed), Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases using a combination of the following Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms for PubMed: [(obstetric haemorrhage OR postpartum haemorrhage OR massive obstetric haemorrhage) AND (tranexamic acid OR antifibrinolytic drugs) AND (prophylaxis OR prevention) AND (management OR treatment) AND (resource-limited settings OR resource-limited area OR developing countries)] to find articles published in English since 2010. Studies on the obstetric population who underwent vaginal or caesarean delivery, comparing the use of tranexamic acid versus placebo (or no treatment) for treatment (or prevention) of postpartum haemorrhage with the outcome of postpartum haemorrhage rate, blood transfusion requirements, uterotonics requirements, hysterectomy, or mortality were included. In total, 5315 articles were identified. Following the elimination of duplicates, the methodological quality of 15 studies was evaluated independently, with eligibility determined based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as outcome variables. Finally, eight articles were included in the review. This review provides evidence that the administration of tranexamic acid has the potential to decrease the need for blood transfusion, incidence of postpartum haemorrhage, demand for supplementary uterotonics, and maternal morbidity and mortality with marginal adverse effects. Healthcare systems must develop and implement interventions that involve the use of tranexamic acid for the treatment of postpartum haemorrhage in resource-limited settings.

Policy and Executive Barriers in Preventing and Eradicating Neglected Tropical Diseases: A Systematic Review.

Tropical diseases inflict many of those living in tropical and subtropical areas each year. These populations because of these diseases suffer considerable financial and human losses. Some of these diseases are known as Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and they can be highly dangerous. Still, they have not received the attention they need. Given the necessity of eliminating these diseases, the present study is an attempt to examine the reasons for unsuccessful attempts to eliminate diseases like NTDs. The current study was a systematic analysis of literature on neglected tropical diseases that were found in the databases of the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Pro Quest, Cochrane, and Embase before April 2023. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) for articles and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria were used to conduct the study. Based on the systematic search, 3193 papers were found and after the elimination of duplicates and irrelevant ones, a total of 28 articles remained to examine the challenges to eradicate neglected tropical diseases. Four themes were found for the challenges of controlling and eliminating neglected tropic diseases including drawbacks of programs for disease management policies, environmental challenges, executive challenges, and research field challenges. Thirty-six subthemes were obtained in this study, which showed cases such as the presence of immigrants and refugees, weaknesses in public health infrastructure and programs, dynamic epidemiological settings, lack of executive prioritization appropriate to endemic countries, and highly customized research infrastructures. Ending neglected tropical diseases requires an innovative roadmap and global cooperation. To achieve important eradication goals, measures such as acceleration in practice are needed to plan, intensify executive and operational approaches, change application models, innovate processes, and promote culture are needed. In addition, to make possible the elimination of neglected tropical diseases, there is an undeniable need for providing financial, human, and research resources. In addition, there is a need for efficient health infrastructure management, paying attention to migrants and refugees, setting explicit targets, prioritizing based on local conditions, and paying more attention to political and social developments.

Створення інтегрованого освітнього середовища як педагогічна умова підготовки майбутніх учителів до організації змішаного навчання

The article describes the ways of creation of integrated educational space on the basis of blended learning as a method of rational formation of flexible system of educational process in high school. According to scientific resources the sources of integrated approach to education are explained. The main attention is drawn to positive aspects of integration in the process of education: the realization of the system and logics of the subject and those interconnections which exist among separate topics and issues; broad interpretation of phenomena and problems; elimination of material duplication; the creation of the whole system of opinions. The term “information (educational) environment based on the principles of blended learning” is proclaimed: it is a complex of components which provides systematic integration of information technologies means (means of communication – e-mail, notice boards, webinars, forums; the creation of on-line content on the subject; telecommunication means of testing and estimation on-line; multimedia environments; case-technologies), pedagogical technologies with information management system of educational process with the aim of increasing its efficiency. Key principles of the organization of modern educational process at a pedagogical university in integrated information environment based on the principles of blended learning are described. Integrated education environment is a system in which traditional, case- and network education are simultaneously presented and students’ motivation, optimality of combination of forms and methods of education, provision of high-quality educational process are taken into consideration too. On the basis of scientific resources analysis the contents of the terms “educational information”, “information provision”, and “information resources” are explained. The special meaning of information technologies in the creation of integrated education environment as a complex of methods, means, approaches which provide efficient activity with the help of program, apparatus and program-apparatus calculating complexes is analyzed.