Methodological Features Research Articles

Resting-State EEG Oscillations in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): Toward Mechanistic Insights and Clinical Markers

Introduction: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a complex, progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the degeneration of motor neurons in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord. Several neuroimaging techniques can help reveal the pathophysiology of ALS. One of these is the electroencephalogram (EEG), a noninvasive and relatively inexpensive tool for examining electrical activity of the brain with excellent temporal precision. Methods: This mechanistic review examines the pattern of resting-state EEG activity. With a focus on publications published between January 1995 and October 2024, we carried out a comprehensive search in October 2024 across a number of databases, including PubMed/Medline, Research Gate, Google Scholar, and Cochrane. Results: The literature search yielded 17 studies included in this review. The studies varied significantly in their methodology and patient characteristics. Despite this, a common biomarker typical of ALS was found—reduced alpha power. Regarding other oscillations, the findings are less consistent and sometimes contradictory. As this is a mechanistic review, three possible explanations for this biomarker are provided. The main and most important one is increased cortical excitability. In addition, due to the limitations of the studies, recommendations for future research on this topic are outlined to enable a further and better understanding of EEG patterns in ALS. Conclusions: Most studies included in this review showed alpha power deficits in ALS patients, reflecting pathological hyperexcitability of the cerebral cortex. Future studies should address the methodological limitations identified in this review, including small sample sizes, inconsistent frequency-band definitions, and insufficient functional outcome measures, to solidify and extend current findings.

Sources of moral distress in nursing professionals: A scoping review.

This article presents a scoping review aimed at mapping the main sources of moral distress among nursing professionals. The review was conducted according to the Arksey and O'Malley methodology, using the SPIDER framework to guide the systematic search in the BVS, PubMed, PsycArticles, Scielo, and Scopus databases. Initially, 2320 publications were identified. After the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 83 studies were selected for analysis in terms of their methodological characteristics, objectives, practice contexts, and various sources of moral distress identified. The analysis facilitated the grouping of these sources into specific situations, reflecting the challenges experienced by nurses under different practice settings. This review augments the knowledge of the causes of moral distress in nursing, highlighting the impact of this phenomenon on the physical and mental health of professionals, as well as on the quality of care provided.

Systematic Analysis of the Design, Methodology and Patient Population Characteristics of the Pediatric Direct Oral Anticoagulant (DOAC) Trials of Venous Thromboembolism Treatment.

The pediatric direct oral anticoagulation (DOAC) trials provide an opportunity to evaluate and characterize challenges in their design and execution to inform future antithrombotic trials. To perform a systematic review of pediatric DOAC trials for the treatment of venous thromboembolism to critically appraise their methodology and understand the feasibility and challenges. Systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and ClinicalTrials.gov (January 2002 to December 2022). Studies reporting the results of interventional trials of a DOAC for the treatment of acute VTE in children, and their respective design papers were included. Trial registration information was reviewed in clinicaltrials.gov. Discrepancies in study design, targeted populations, sample size and analyses between planned and actual trial conduct were examined qualitatively. Five published studies, and unpublished data for two additional trials were included. All trials had modifications to their design or methodology, and discrepancies between the trial's registration and the final published study, suggesting feasibility challenges. Modifications to the eligibility criteria, changes in sample size, challenges with recruitment of younger patients, and enrolled population not matching the clinical target population were identified for all trials. Discrepancies in outcome reporting, particularly for secondary endpoints, were also common. DOAC trials experienced feasibility challenges that led to design or methodology modifications. Future pediatric antithrombotic trials will need to be adaptive in their design, prioritize enrollment of younger children and input from clinicians providing care to target populations, ensure that enrolled populations match the clinical population, and select clinically meaningful endpoints.

Characteristic of Immunotherapy Trials in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: 2013-2023.

This research provides a comprehensive analysis of immunotherapy clinical trials for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, aiming to enhance future trial designs. We analyzed all clinical trials focused on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma immunotherapy registered on ClinicalTrials.gov from January 1st, 2013, to December 31st, 2023, examining general characteristics, methodological features, and types of immunotherapeutic drugs. The analysis included 727 trials, with 687 interventional (94.50%) and 40 observational (5.50%). Most trials were small-sized (64.37%), single-centered (56.67%), non-blinded (94.76%), and non-randomized (72.93%). Over half of the trials were conducted in North America (55.71%), but trials in Asia increased significantly in the past 5 years (9.88% vs. 32.38%, p < 0.001). Only 20.63% of completed trials updated outcomes, with most results published 6-12 months after primary completion (55.13%). Immune checkpoint inhibitors were the predominant focus, and neoadjuvant immunotherapy was the main regimen in trials with resectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (74.83%). There has been a gradual increase in clinical trials over the past decade, with most being interventional. Delays or absences in outcome submission were prevalent. Novel immunotherapeutic drugs and treatment regimens are a significant focus.

Creativity research in medicine and nursing: A scoping review.

Creativity fuels societal progress and innovation, particularly in the field of medicine. The scientific study of creativity in medicine is critical to understanding how creativity contributes to medical practice, processes, and outcomes. An appraisal of the current scientific literature on the topic, and its gaps, will expand our understanding of how creativity and medicine interact, and guide future research. We aimed to assess the quantity, trends, distribution, and methodological features of the peer-reviewed on creativity in medicine. We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases for peer-reviewed primary research publications on creativity in medicine. Screening, full-text review, and data extraction were performed independently and in duplicate by pairs of reviewers, with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer. We performed descriptive analyses, graphically displaying the data using charts and maps where appropriate. Eighty-one studies were eligible for review, enrolling a total of 18,221 physicians, nurses and midwifes across all studies. Most research on creativity in medicine was published in the last decade, predominately in the field of nursing (75%). Researchers from Taiwan (22%) and the United States (21%) produced the most eligible publications, and the majority research was cross-sectional in nature (54%). There was substantial variability in the definitions of creativity adopted, and most studies failed to specify a definition of creativity. Forty-five different measurement tools were used to assess creativity, the most popular being divergent thinking tests such as the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (24%) and Guilford Creativity Tests (16%). Peer-reviewed scientific research on creativity in medicine, mostly conducted in the nursing profession, is sparse and performed on variable methodological grounds. Further scientific research on the topic, as well as the development of medicine-specific definitions and measurement tools, is required to uncover the utility of creativity in the medical domain.

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIZING RESEARCH AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES DIRECTED TO FORMING RESEARCH SKILLS

The main principles of the formation of research activities in biological education and methodological features of implementation of project activities are analyzed in the research work. The use of active learning methods was systematized by using project tasks, laboratory works, interdisciplinary approaches and modern educational technologies. Ways of forming students' critical thinking, independent search for scientific information and the ability to analyze the results, as well as the ability to work with biological data and conduct independent experiments were studied. Based on the features of the factors contributing to increasing the level of learning motivation and deepening biological education, the principles of teaching were differentiated. Through the experiment of successful application of these methods in educational practice, their effectiveness in directing students to study and professional activities in the field of science has been proved.

Методичні особливості вивчення логічних основ математики в інтегрованому курсі «Математика» для учнів 7 класу НУШ

Currently, the reform of the Ukrainian school is aimed at ensuring that its graduates become fulfilled and happy citizens of a prosperous country in adulthood. For this reason, the basis of the “New Ukrainian School” (NUS) reform was chosen to be a competency-based approach to learning, which focuses the entire process of learning at school not on the formal acquisition of knowledge, skills and abilities by students in one or another subject area, but on the formation of relevant such personality characteristics that will allow them to ensure their successful self-realization in the future. The stages of implementation of the Ukrainian school reform were the approval of State Education Standards and model programs, in particular, in mathematics. According to these programs, appropriate textbooks were created, in particular, the textbook of the integrated course “Mathematics” for the 7-th grade of the author’s team Oleksandr Shkolnyi, Yevhen Nelin, Andrii Mylianyk and Yuliia Prostakova. This textbook is innovative and involves an evolutionary update of the content of school mathematics in the 7-th grade, in particular, the introduction of the adaptation topic “Concepts and their definitions, statements and their proofs”, which concerns the logical foundations of mathematics immediately before studying geometric material on an axiomatic basis. The purpose of the article is to highlight the methodological features of studying of math logical foundations in the 7-th grade mathematics course of NUS. In particular, in the article we show how to adapt seventh-graders to studying abstract geometry material, which has always caused difficulties. This adaptation is achieved by explaining the logical essence of concepts and statements using simple examples from everyday life. Students begin to understand why certain concepts are not defined, but only modeled in some way, and certain concepts are defined through undefined concepts and concepts whose definitions have already been given. It also becomes clear to seventh-graders how the truth of statements is established (on the basis of life experience and some agreements), why some statements are accepted without proof, and some of them are proved. Approbation materials of the mentioned textbook on mathematics for the 7-th grade testify to the students’ interest in the logical foundations of mathematics, and also show that after mastering this material, they more easily perceive studying of the simplest geometric figures properties. In the future, we plan to continue research in this direction, since this textbook is recommended by the MES of Ukraine for teaching mathematics in the 7-th grade of the New Ukrainian School.

Discordant Information on Blinding in Trial Registries and Published Research

Blinding of individuals involved in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) can be used to protect against performance and biases, but discrepancies in the reporting of methodological features between registered protocols and subsequent trial publications may lead to inconsistencies, thereby reintroducing bias. To investigate inconsistency in blinding as reported in trial registries and publications. An exploratory dataset and a validation dataset were created. The exploratory dataset consisted of RCTs included in systematic reviews of adverse events from the SMART Safety database published between January 1, 2015, to January 1, 2020. The validation dataset was based on a literature search on PubMed for all registered RCTs published within the same time frame. Eligible RCTs for the exploratory dataset included were those that specified drug safety as the exclusive outcome and included at least 1 pairwise meta-analysis involving 5 or more RCTs of health care interventions. The validation dataset included a random selection of RCTs without restriction on outcome. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guidelines were followed during data extraction. RCTs were matched to their registries and information on blinding was extracted from both the journal publication and trial registry. Extraction was performed by 1 author and cross-checked by 2 additional authors, with discrepancies resolved via consensus. The data analysis was conducted between July 2023 and January 2024. The primary outcome was inconsistency in blinding reports in the publication and the associated trial registry. Factors associated with the inconsistency were further investigated using multivariable logistic regression. The results were then compared with the validation dataset. A total of 1340 RCTs were included, with a median (IQR) sample size of 338 (152-772) participants. Of these, 749 (55.90%) were multiregional, 1220 (91.04%) were multicenter, and 835 (62.31%) were prospectively registered. The most frequently studied condition was cancer, representing 472 trials (35.22%). In the exploratory dataset, 1080 trials (80.60%) had inconsistent reporting of blinding in their published trial registry. Higher odds of inconsistency were associated with trials conducted as single-center (OR, 2.84; 95% CI, 1.24-7.74; P = .02) or those focused on cancer (OR, 3.26; 95% CI, 2.04-5.38; P < .001). Evaluation of the 98 RCTs in the validation dataset revealed that 70 (71.43%) had inconsistencies between the published trial and its registries. The occurrence of inconsistencies was significantly higher in the exploratory dataset than the validation dataset (P = .03). In this systematic review of RCTs, there were significant inconsistencies in the reporting of blinding between trial publications and their corresponding registries. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining consistency between registered protocols and published trial reports to ensure methodological transparency and minimize bias.

Parent-Implemented Interventions for Children with Special Needs in Türkiye: An Analysis of Single-Subject Research Studies.

This article summarizes single-subject research studies that investigated the impact of interventions implemented by parents or family members of children with special needs living in Türkiye. In this study, 22 research studies conducted between 2013 and 2023 were analyzed in terms of their participants, methodological characteristics, characteristics of the training program implemented, and outcomes. Most of the child participants were boys, and most of the children were of school age. Mothers dominated parental involvement, but siblings also played an important role. The most frequently used design in the research methods was a multiple probe across participants design. While intervention fidelity data are reported in many research studies, implementation fidelity data are often omitted. The outcomes of the reviewed research show that parents successfully implemented the intervention and taught target skills to their children after the intervention they performed. However, generalization and maintenance findings were limited. The lack of clear reporting of parent training procedures makes it difficult to draw inferences about the effectiveness of the training. In general, although there is methodological diversity in the research reviewed, there is a need to be more rigorous about the clarity of the processes.

Systematic review of interventions to promote colorectal cancer screening: Benchmarking effect sizes and screening rates.

The effectiveness of behavioral interventions is typically evaluated relative to control conditions using null hypothesis significance testing (i.e., p < .05) or effect sizes. These criteria overlook comparisons with previous interventions and do little to promote a cumulative science of behavior change. We conducted a systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions to promote colorectal cancer screening (CCS) and generated benchmarks via the percentile distribution of ORs, screening rates for intervention and control arms, and differential screening rates (intervention minus control rate) in respective trials. Literature searches identified 187 eligible tests (N = 371,018). Random effects meta-analysis computed a sample-weighted OR = 1.69 (95% CI [1.55, 1.84]) and meta-regression showed that there was no improvement in the effectiveness of CCS interventions between 1996 and 2022. Benchmarking indicated that the median effect size was OR = 1.32, equivalent to a 35.7% screening rate in the intervention arm, and a 5.9% differential screening rate. Benchmarks were also generated for different types of screening (e.g., fecal immunochemical test, colonoscopy), sample characteristics (e.g., race, socioeconomic status), and methodological features (e.g., control conditions). Interventions to promote CCS have a small effect and effectiveness has not increased over time. The percentile values for effect sizes and screening rates reported here can be used to benchmark the effectiveness of future trials. Benchmarking offers a way to evaluate interventions that are grounded in accumulated evidence and can inform judgments about tradeoffs among effectiveness, reach, and cost. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

An empirical study on 209 networks of treatments revealed intransitivity to be common and multiple statistical tests suboptimal to assess transitivity

BackgroundTransitivity assumption is the cornerstone of network meta-analysis (NMA). Investigating the plausibility of transitivity can unveil the credibility of NMA results. The commonness of transitivity was examined based on study dissimilarities regarding several study-level aggregate clinical and methodological characteristics reported in the systematic reviews. The present study also demonstrated the disadvantages of using multiple statistical tests to assess transitivity and compared the conclusions drawn from multiple statistical tests with those from the approach of study dissimilarities for transitivity assessment.MethodsAn empirical study was conducted using 209 published systematic reviews with NMA to create a database of study-level aggregate clinical and methodological characteristics found in the tracenma R package. For each systematic review, the network of the primary outcome was considered to create a dataset with extracted study-level aggregate clinical and methodological characteristics reported in the systematic review that may act as effect modifiers. Transitivity was evaluated by calculating study dissimilarities based on the extracted characteristics to provide a measure of overall dissimilarity within and between the observed treatment comparisons. Empirically driven thresholds of low dissimilarity were employed to determine the proportion of datasets with evidence of likely intransitivity. One-way ANOVA and chi-squared test were employed for each characteristic to investigate comparison dissimilarity at a significance level of 5%.ResultsStudy dissimilarities covered a wide range of possible values across the datasets. A ‘likely concerning’ extent of study dissimilarities, both intra-comparison and inter-comparison, dominated the analysed datasets. Using a higher dissimilarity threshold, a ‘likely concerning’ extent of study dissimilarities persisted for objective outcomes but decreased substantially for subjective outcomes. A likely intransitivity prevailed in all datasets; however, using a higher dissimilarity threshold resulted in few networks with transitivity for semi-objective and subjective outcomes. Statistical tests were feasible in 127 (61%) datasets, yielding conflicting conclusions with the approach of study dissimilarities in many datasets.ConclusionsStudy dissimilarity, manifested from variations in the effect modifiers’ distribution across the studies, should be expected and properly quantified. Measuring the overall study dissimilarity between observed comparisons and comparing it with a proper threshold can aid in determining whether concerns of likely intransitivity are warranted.

Beyond birth trauma: A scoping review on childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder and early relational health in the family system.

To promote optimal development for families negatively impacted by traumatic birth experiences, research is needed to understand the potentially unique effects of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD) symptoms on early relational health (ERH) in the family system. To examine the nature and extent of current knowledge on the effect of CB-PTSD on early relational health of the family. We utilized previously published scoping review framework and followed PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines. Databases searched included Google Scholar, PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL. Search terms included Boolean strings such as "childbirth-related PTSD" AND "mother-infant relationship", OR "early relational health". Eligible articles quantitatively assessed the predictive relationship between CB-PTSD and an early relational health construct and adequately distinguished PTSD symptoms related to childbirth from symptoms related to other traumatic experiences. Initial search yielded N = 695 records. The final study sample included N = 22 records published from 2007 to 2023. Data were charted and synthesized based on methodological characteristics and main findings. Current research specifically examining adverse effects of CB-PTSD symptoms on both the mother-infant relationship and co-parent relational health is limited and has produced conflicting results. Variation in study characteristics and methodology are discussed. CB-PTSD symptoms may have a significant impact on early relational health, although findings are unclear and vary by methodology used. Clinical relevance of findings related to prevention, screening, and treatment are discussed.

Methodological review to develop a list of bias items for adaptive clinical trials: Protocol and rationale.

Randomized-clinical trials (RCTs) are the gold-standard for comparing health care interventions, but can be limited by early termination, feasibility issues, and prolonged time to trial reporting. Adaptive clinical trials (ACTs), which are defined by pre-planned modifications and analyses that occur after starting patient recruitment, are gaining popularity as they can streamline trial design and time to reporting. As adaptive methodologies continue to be adopted by researchers, it will be critical to develop a risk of bias tool that evaluates the unique methodological features of ACTs so that their quality can be improved and standardized for the future. In our proposed methodological review, we will develop a list of risk of bias items and concepts, so that a risk of bias tool specific to ACTs can be developed. We will perform a systematic database search to capture studies that have proposed or reviewed items pertaining to methodological risk, bias, and/or quality in ACTs. We will perform a comprehensive search of citation databases, such as Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, the Cochrane library, and Web of Science, in addition to multiple grey literature sources to capture published and unpublished literature related to studies evaluating the methodological quality of ACTs. We will also search methodological registries for any risk of bias tools for ACTs. All screening and review stages will be performed in duplicate with a third senior author serving as arbitrator for any discrepancies. For all studies of methodological quality and risk of bias, we will extract all pertinent bias items, concepts, and/or tools. We will combine conceptually similar items in a descriptive manner and classify them as referring to bias or to other aspects of methodological quality, such as reporting. We will plan to generate pertinent risk of bias items to generate a candidate tool that will undergo further refinement, testing, and validation in future development stages. This review does not require ethics approval as human subjects are not involved. As mentioned previously, this study is the first step in developing a tool to evaluate the risk of bias and methodological quality of ACTs. The findings of this review will inform a Delphi study and the development of a risk of bias tool for ACTs. We plan on publishing this review in a peer-reviewed journal and to present these findings at international scientific conferences.

Russian Studies in the US: Past Experience and Today’s Problems

Russian Studies as an established discipline has been continuously evolving for over a century, with American socio-political and area studies thought delving into various facets of the Russian reality. This article delves into the origins of Russian Studies in the United States, its unique methodological characteristics, and offers a periodization framework authored by the writer, highlighting the developmental phases of the discipline over the past century. It is worth noting that Russian Studies is an interdisciplinary field of academic endeavor, bringing together insights from diverse areas within the social and humanities sciences. The article also addresses the challenge of delineating the subject matter of this discipline and the development of research approaches for studying Russia, particularly within the historical context of the latter half of the 20th century. There is a specific focus on nurturing the growth of academic researchers and experts that specialize in Russian Studies and Sovietology. In this regard, the article posits the idea that Soviet Studies carries practical political-ideological and political-technological significance. It has emerged as a pivotal ideological force shaping public opinion and influencing the decision-making processes of American elites during the Cold War era. The article concludes by examining the contemporary challenges and prospects facing Russian Studies. It primarily concentrates on the present state of «Russian Studies», encompassing its theoretical underpinnings, empirical research, and ideological dimensions. This assessment occurs in the context of evolving public discourse about Russia within the United States and the considerable deterioration of U. S.‑Russia relations.

Biological concentrations of DDT metabolites and breast cancer risk: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

The question of whether dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) exposure is related to breast cancer (BC) remains unanswered, possibly due to methodological constraints in the studies that have been performed. We aimed to update and synthesize the available epidemiological evidence on the relationship of p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT and p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'- DDE) biological concentrations with female BC, focusing in methodological characteristics not addressed in previous reviews. We conducted an overview of reviews and a systematic review and meta-analysis. We used six databases and one search engine to identify meta-analyses based on systematic reviews, pooled analyses, and individual studies published from January 2000 to December 2021. For the overview of reviews, we assessed meta-analyses' risk of bias and carried out a narrative synthesis. For the meta-analysis, we estimated summary association measures with fixed or random effects models for each compound stratifying for characteristics of interest. We estimated a positive summary association between p,p'- DDT biological concentrations and BC in prospective studies (nested case control) with >10 years of follow-up (sOR=1.41; 95 %CI: 1.06-1.88). Among retrospective studies (hospital or population-based case-control), BC was positively related with p,p'-DDE biological concentrations (sOR=1.15; 95 %CI: 1.02-1.30), and with p,p'-DDT in women with mean serum concentrations>100 ng/g (sOR=1.33; 95 %CI: 1.25-1.41). Moreover, we detected a positive association between o,p'-DDT and BC (sOR=2.24; 95 %CI: 2.15-2.34). Our results support a positive relationship between DDT exposure and BC, and are useful to reinforce its worldwide prohibition, since this pesticide is still used in some countries, has long persistence in the human body and disseminates to other geographic areas.

Agent-based modelling of Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission: a systematic review

BackgroundTraditional epidemiological models tend to oversimplify the transmission dynamics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) to replicate observed tuberculosis (TB) epidemic patterns. This has led to growing interest in advanced methodologies like agent-based modelling (ABM), which can more accurately represent the complex heterogeneity of TB transmission.ObjectivesTo better understand the use of agent-based models (ABMs) in this context, we conducted a systematic review with two main objectives: (1) to examine how ABMs have been employed to model the intricate heterogeneity of M.tb transmission, and (2) to identify the challenges and opportunities associated with implementing ABMs for M.tb.Search methodsWe conducted a systematic search following PRISMA guidelines across four databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, and Scopus), limiting our review to peer-reviewed articles published in English up to December 2022. Data were extracted by two investigators using a standardized extraction tool. Prospero registration: CRD42022380580.Selection criteriaOur review included peer-reviewed articles in English that implement agent-based, individual-based, or microsimulation models of M.tb transmission. Models focusing solely on in-vitro or within-host dynamics were excluded. Data extraction targeted the methodological, epidemiological, and computational characteristics of ABMs used for TB transmission. A risk of bias assessment was not conducted as the review synthesized modelling studies without pooling epidemiological data.ResultsOur search initially identified 5,077 studies, from which we ultimately included 26 in our final review after exclusions. These studies varied in population settings, time horizons, and model complexity. While many incorporated population heterogeneity and household structures, some lacked essential features like spatial structures or economic evaluations. Only eight studies provided publicly accessible code, highlighting the need for improved transparency.Authors’ conclusionsABMs are a versatile approach for representing complex disease dynamics, particularly in cases like TB, where they address heterogeneous mixing and household transmission often overlooked by traditional models. However, their advanced capabilities come with challenges, including those arising from their stochastic nature, such as parameter tuning and high computational expense. To improve transparency and reproducibility, open-source code sharing, and standardised reporting are recommended to enhance ABM reliability in studying epidemiologically complex diseases like TB.

False Confessions: An Integrative Review of the Phenomenon.

Confessions are an important evidentiary part of the legal process, and false confessions have been notable contributors to wrongful convictions. However, academic research in the psychology and law field primarily relies on student or volunteer samples in staged exercises, methodological features that lack ecological validity for replicating police interrogation or the pressures distinctive to high stakes crime investigations. Here, we provide an integrative review of research and data on false confessions during police interrogations with distinctions of key concepts, relevant case law pertaining to confessions including several U.S. Supreme Court decisions, updating the typology of false confessions, the quantification of false confessions, risk factors for false confessions, interrogation risk factors for false confessions, validity threats to false confessions research, and recommended directions for informing courts and the law.

Methodological features of microplastics extraction from samples of bottom sediments of water bodies

Methodological features of microplastics extraction from samples of bottom sediments of water bodies

Stress test protocols applied without treadmill and bicycle ergometer: procedures and interpretation

The article highlights the possibility of application of exercise tests without special equipment. The methodological features of conducting tests and their interpreting options are shown. Changed body position tests have been updated. The definitions of stress tests and exercise tests have been clarified. A classification of ergometers and indicators of monitored parameters has been worked out. Examples of medical reports are given. The application possibilities of stress tests were considered in real clinical practice at the stages of treatment and rehabilitation of patients with a wide range of nosologies. Tables for independently determining the exercise test results are presented. The methods can be used in pediatric practice. The article is addressed to a wide range of practitioners and functional diagnostics specialists.

Randomized controlled trials - The what, when, how and why.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are at the top of the pyramid of evidence as they offer the best answer on the efficacy of a new treatment. RCTs are true experiments in which participants are randomly allocated to receive a certain intervention (experimental group) or a different intervention (comparison group), or no treatment at all (control or placebo group). Randomization, along with other methodological features such as blinding and allocation concealment, safeguard against biases. This review will focus on parallel group RCT design as it is the most common design in the field of Pediatric Urology. RCTs can be designed using a superiority, equivalency, or non-inferiority hypothesis, and are usually preceded by a pilot, where the trial protocol is implemented in a small number of patients, mimicking the larger, definitive study. Even though regarded as the best available option to bring out scientific data, RCTs might be prone to mislead. If RCTs are small and underpowered, a difference of even one single event between groups, may completely change the trial results. To safeguard against RCTs weakness, a fragility concept of statistical significance was developed and called the Fragility Index (FI). RCTs may not be appropriate, ethical, or feasible for all surgical interventions. They may have limitations such as prohibitive cost and unrealistic large sample sizes. Nearly 60% of surgical research questions cannot be answered by RCTs. Therefore, clinical practice should be based on the best available evidence on a given topic, regardless of the study design. However, even in these situations, conclusions drawn from observational studies must be interpreted with caution.