by Maurizio Salvadori  and Aris Tsalouchos

Received: 19 January 2020;  Published: 03 February 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2001097

Immunosuppressive therapy in renal transplantation is divided into two phases as induction and maintenance therapy. Induction therapy is an intense immunosuppressive therapy administered at the time of kidney transplantation to reduce the risk of acute allograft rejection. In general, induction immunosuppressive strategies utilized by kidney transplant centers fall in one of the two categories. One approach relies upon high doses of conventional immunosuppressive agents, while the other uses antibodies directed aga [...]

by Federica Odaldi  , Vanessa De Pace  , Giacomo Frascaroli  , Giuliana Germinario  , Giorgia Comai  , Francesco Vasuri  , Gaetano La Manna  and Matteo Ravaioli

Received: 22 November 2019;  Published: 03 February 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2001096

Donation after circulatory death (DCD) is an increasingly used resource to alleviate chronic renal graft shortages. Organs from donors with progressively increased creatinine levels due to acute kidney injury are used, but the effects of this condition on kidney transplantation are still unclear. Ex-situ machine perfusion is emerging as a potential tool to preserve and resuscitate vulnerable grafts. We report a case of DCD kidneys discarded due to severe acute kidney injury with favorable histological Karpinski sco [...]

by Marco Minella  , Khan M.G. Mostofa  , Cong-qiang Liu  and Davide Vione

Received: 05 September 2019;  Published: 21 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.acr.2001004

Superoxide, produced photochemically as well as microbially, is an important reactant present in seawater and a major source of hydrogen peroxide. Superoxide decay may occur through catalyzed or uncatalyzed dismutation forming H2O2 and O2, through oxidation to O2, or through reduction into H2O2. Under definite circumstances, the redox processes that are different from dismutation could produce or consume H+, thereby altering the pH of seawater. In order to alter the pH, these processes have to involve, together wit [...]

by Garuth Eliot Chalfont  , Jane Simpson  , Fiona J R Eccles  and Christine Milligan

Received: 06 September 2019;  Published: 21 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2001102

The urgent need for innovative approaches to dementia treatment that are acceptable, effective and affordable underlies this research. Growing evidence supports ‘integrative medicine’ as a potential treatment approach aligned with and including conventional medicine. However, success will depend on addressing barriers, recognising needs of diverse communities and involving people in co-creating desired interventions. The three aims of this study were to, 1) describe conventional allopathic medicine and integrative [...]

by Kim Lawson

Received: 05 November 2019;  Published: 20 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2001049

Fibromyalgia, characterised by persistent pain, sleep disturbance, fatigue and cognitive dysfunction, is a central sensitivity syndrome that also involves abnormality in peripheral generators and in the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis. Heterogeneity of clinical expression of fibromyalgia with a multifactorial aetiology has made the development of effective therapeutic strategies challenging. Non-restorative sleep associated with poor sleep quality is a characteristic of fibromyalgia which is linked to symptom s [...]

by Julia Henderson

Received: 05 November 2019;  Published: 17 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2001101

none

by Michael Fossel

Received: 14 January 2020;  Published: 15 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2001100

none

by Joep Geraedts

Received: 13 January 2020;  Published: 14 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2001102

At the beginning of a new year it is always good to look both backwards and forwards and to highlight a few items that are relevant with respect to the long-term development of our journal. As everybody knows, the principle of open access publishing is that the authors pay fees (the article‐processing charges or APCs) to publish in the journal rather than that the readers pay subscription costs for the journal. Three years ago, OBM Genetics started as an open access journal publishing its first papers totally free [...]

by Jean Youngwerth  , Heather Coats  , Amy Jones  , Angela Wibben  , Elizabeth Somes  , Sue Felton  , Ashley Anderson  , Kathleen Flarity  , Kellar Elliot  and Jean Kutner

Received: 17 November 2019;  Published: 14 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2001004

The University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) implemented a Creative Arts Therapy (CAT) program offering CAT to hospitalized patients as a component of comprehensive palliative care (PC) services. The objective of this pilot program evaluation study was to evaluate short-term effects of CAT on patient symptoms and patient/family perceptions regarding their experience. The sample included adult patients hospitalized in an academic medical center who were seen by the Palliative Care Consult Service (PCCS) between October [...]

by Yan Yang  and Gerhard Litscher

Received: 08 January 2020;  Published: 14 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2001003

Acupuncture, being a unique method, is a millennia-old tradition in the field of Chinese medicine. However, it is surprising that there are very few scientific publications on acupuncture and its gender-specific effects. This article summarizes the previous work from the perspective of both Western and Eastern medicine, involving manual acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, and modern innovative laser acupuncture. There is scientific evidence that future gender-specific considerations should be included in the assessme [...]