by Florence Durand  , Noomane Bouaziz  , Sonia Braha-Zeitoun  , Clémence Isaac  , Palmyre Schenin-King Andrian  and Dominique Januel

Received: 12 March 2018;  Published: 11 June 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1802005

Background: Mild Cognitive Impairment [MCI] is a transition stage between normal aging and dementia. It seems to be useful to treat MCI before the onset of early dementia, though no pharmacological treatment is recommended [1]. These case studies aimed to assess the efficacy of long-term repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation [rTMS] treatment on cognition, and clinical changes, in elderly MCI patients. Methods: Three patients with MCI were treated by rTMS with different parameters of stimulation, targeting th [...]

by Katie M. Hinsey  , Karen E. Atler  , Christine A. Fruhauf  , Ruby A. Bolster  , Marieke Van Puymbroeck  and Arlene A. Schmid

Received: 07 March 2018;  Published: 11 June 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1802010

Background: A fall prevention intervention was delivered to people with chronic stroke (Merged Yoga and Occupational Therapy intervention-MY-OT). All caregivers were invited to also attend the 8-week intervention and were included in these analyses. Methods: The aim of this study was to examine changes in caregiver burden, positive aspects of caring, and caregiver's experiences after participating in the MY-OT intervention. This was a secondary data analyses and the purpose of this mixed-methods study was to quanti [...]

by Bridget W. Brox  , Darren J. Day  and Bart A. Ellenbroek

Received: 01 February 2018;  Published: 07 June 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1802010

(1) Background: Drug addiction places a heavy burden on those affected by it but only a small percentage of individuals (~20%), regardless of their drug of abuse, go on to develop the compulsive behaviours that define drug addiction. Clinical studies have shown that genetic variations that reduce serotonin transporter (SERT) activity increase the vulnerability to developing a variety of psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety and drug addiction. (2) Methods: To investigate the influence of reduced SERT fu [...]

by Preeti Chhabra  and Kenneth L. Brayman

Received: 02 April 2018;  Published: 05 June 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1802010

Pancreas or islet transplantation is the only reliable cure for Type 1 Diabetes. However, shortage of donor tissue supply, longitudinal graft attrition due to innate and adaptive immunity and the recurrence of autoimmunity, as well as the harmful side-effects of chronic immunosuppressive therapy limit the wide-spread acceptance of islet transplantation as a mainstream cure for autoimmune diabetes. Herein, preclinical and clinical stem-cells based research approaches aimed at obtaining large quantities of islets for [...]

by Alberto Dionigi

Received: 16 February 2018;  Published: 31 May 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1802009

Clowning has a varied tradition and a long history. Recently, clowns have been adopted in the medical setting with the aim of decreasing the negative emotions that can be experienced during hospitalization and medical procedures, as well as inducing positive feelings in patients, their relatives, and the hospital staff. Due to an increase in the number of clowns working in hospitals and the large amount of interest shown in utilizing this approach, an increasing number of studies have focused on testing the efficac [...]

by Gina Sizemore  , Brandon Lucke-Wold  , Charles Rosen  , James W. Simpkins  , Sanjay Bhatia  and Dandan Sun

Received: 12 January 2018;  Published: 31 May 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1802009

The brain is an integrated network of multiple variables that when compromised create a diseased state. The neuropathology of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), stroke, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) demonstrate both similarity and complexity that reflects this integrated variability; TLE with its live human tissue resection provides opportunity for translational science to demonstrate scale equivalent experimentation between the macroscopic world of clinical disease and the microscopic world of basic science. The ext [...]

by Anita Verma  , Katharina Sophia Weigel  , Sim You Kuan Dexter  and Anil Dhawan

Received: 26 March 2018;  Published: 29 May 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1802009

Invasive fungal infections (IFI) remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in hospitalized and immunocompromised or critically ill patients. The incidence of IFIs has been declining in liver transplant recipients (LTR). This is likely due to the evolving immunosuppressive drug regimens, improved surgical techniques and targeted antifungal prophylaxis. However, IFI still contribute to high mortality and are associated with high economic burden due to consumption of costly newer antifungal agen [...]

by Emily Gutierrez  and Yousef Elyaman

Received: 04 March 2018;  Published: 23 May 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1802008

Lifestyle and dietary interventions can have a significant impact on patients with dyslipidemia and should be encouraged with the use of dietary supplements. With new research, there is evidence that using dietary supplements, specifically nutraceuticals can be helpful for cholesterol management. Four commonly used supplements are: Red Yeast Rice, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Niacin and Berberine.

by Thomas Liehr  , Monika Ziegler  , Nadezda Kosyakova  and Ahmed B.H. Al-Rikabi

Received: 16 March 2018;  Published: 17 May 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1802021

Background:Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) can be performed on metaphase- and/or interphase cells. Metaphase cells can exclusively be obtained and studied after time-consuming cell culture. Therefore, this technique is suitable only for cells derived from peripheral blood, bone marrow or fibroblasts, the latter including skin, tumour or "prenatal tissues", such as the amnion or chorion. On the other hand, interphase cells can be gained from many different cells and even without cell culture. Methods:Here, [...]

by Habibur P. Rahman  , DaiRicky H Bhogal  and Patricia F. Lalor

Received: 05 February 2018;  Published: 16 May 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.1802007

Background & Aims. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication of liver surgery and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The incidence of AKI following hepatic surgery can be as high as 94%, with highest rates seen following orthotopic liver transplantation, particularly when extended criteria grafts are used. Strategies to identify patients at risk of AKI may enable early interventions to prevent or minimise AKI. Methods. A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Medline, Cochrane and [...]