Methodological review: A systematic narrative review of screening tools for conducting systematic reviews in educational research

In recent years, the increasing influence of evidence-based research and the rapid development of artificial intelligence have enabled the launch of many new reference screening software tools. Due to a dearth of research comparing different screening tools in educational research, researchers often choose the most convenient rather than the most suitable screening tool. This review aims to provide assistance for screening tool selection through a systematic narrative review and feature analysis of these tools’ functions and privacy policies. The current adoption rate of transparent tool reporting is low: by screening 191 studies published in the Review of Educational Research since 2015, we found that only eight (4.19%) studies reported screening tools. To locate available screening tools in the market, we consulted various sources and found 24 tools. Through citation search, we identified eight screening tools used by educational reviewers and ranked them in descending order of feature score: EPPI-Reviewer (tie), DistillerSR (tie), Covidence, Rayyan, Abstrackr, ASReview, RevMan, and Excel. For practitioners’ convenience, we concluded the paper with a decision tree to assist educational systematic reviewers in identifying suitable tools. This paper represents the first effort to provide educational researchers with guidance on how to navigate screening tools. Our results encourage researchers to report their tool usage in publications and select tools based on suitability instead of convenience.

Docking Molecular analysis of potential Aldosterone antagonists

Background: Aldosterone antagonists (spironolactone, eplerenone) inhibit the action of aldosterone in the collecting duct; as such, these agents cause modest diuresis but inhibit potassium and hydrogen ion secretion. We report first time Potential Aldosterone antagonists by in Silico approach, using AutoDock Vina and AutoDock 4 (or MGL Tool), estimated with Pyrx and AM Dock Software, calculating three different important parameters: Binding Affinity ( kcal/mol), estimated Ki ( in nM units) and Ligand Efficiency ( L.E. in kcal/mol). After a selective analysis of over 1000 drugs, processed with Pyrx (a Virtual Screening software for Computational Drug Discovery) in the Ligand Binding site pocket of the protein ( ID PDB 2OAX Chain A:), we noticed high values of Binding Energy , about -13.55 kcal/mol estimated by AutoDock 4 with AM Dock Software, concluding that it could be an excellent candidate drug, compared to everyone else Aldosterone antagonists. Indeed, from the results of AutoDock Vina and AutoDock 4 ( or AutoDock 4.2 ), implemented with Lamarckian genetic algorithm, LGA, trough AMDock Software, our results of Binding Energy are very similar to the crystallized Spironolactone in PDB 2OAX Chain A protein.

Evaluation of a screening software for amblyopia

AIM: To investigate the efficacy of a novel screening software for amblyopia. METHODS: Totally 324 preschoolers aged 3-6y old from outpatient department participated in the study in 2017. They were assessed for amblyopia by their parents, using the screening software and were reevaluated by ophthalmologists with professional eye tests. Sensitivity, specificity of the screening software was validated by comparing the results from the screening software and those from the professional tests. RESULTS: All 324 children (176 males and 148 females) completed all the procedures. Four amblyopes were found by professional tests. And 3 of them were detected by the screening software. The sensitivity, specificity was 75.0%, 90.0%, respectively. Professional tests cost an average of US$ 607.5/case of amblyopia detected, whereas the cost was near US$ 0/case for the screening software, except the cost of software development. CONCLUSION: The results from this pilot study indicate that the screening software for amblyopia is a simple, and highly effective, which offers a new option of amblyopia screening for developing countries.

How to perform spectrum-based LC-HR-MS screening for more than 1,000 NPS with HighResNPS consensus fragment ions

Introduction The ever-changing market of new psychoactive substances (NPS) poses challenges for laboratories worldwide. Analytical toxicologists are constantly working to keep high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) screening libraries updated for NPS. This study sought to use the online crowd-sourced HighResNPS database for spectrum comparison screening, thereby broadening its utility to all HR-MS instruments. Method HighResNPS allows formation of a set of consensus fragment ions for a NPS and prioritises among multiple entries of collision-induced fragment ions. A subset of 42 NPS samples was analysed in data-independent acquisition (DIA) and data-dependent acquisition (DDA) modes on two different instruments. HighResNPS-computed spectra were generated with either Absolute (all fragment ions set to 100%) or Fractional (50% intensity reduction of former fragment ion) intensity. The acquired NPS data were analysed using the consensus library with computed ion intensities and evaluated with vendor-neutral screening software. Results Overall, of the 42 samples, 100% were identified, with 88% identified as the top candidate. Three samples had the correct candidate proposed as the second highest ranking NPS. In all three of those samples, the top proposed candidate was a positional isomer or closely related compound. Absolute intensity assignment provided identical scoring between the top two proposed compounds in two samples with DIA. DDA had a slightly higher identification rate in the spectra comparison screening with fractional intensity assignment, but no major differences were observed. Conclusion The fractional intensity assignment was slightly more advantageous than the absolute assignment. It was selective between proposed candidates, showed a high identification rate and had an overall higher fragmentation scoring. The candidates proposed by the HighResNPS library spectra comparison simplify the determination of NPS for researchers and toxicologists. The database provides free monthly updates of consensus spectra, thereby enabling laboratories to stay at the forefront of NPS screening by LC-HR-MS with spectra screening software.