by Richell Booijink  and Ruchi Bansal

Received: 27 March 2019;  Published: 21 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.1902024

Chronic liver diseases affects millions of people worldwide each year. Upon chronic liver injury, a wound healing process ensues, leading to the accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. If the injury persists, this leads to liver fibrosis with excessive scarring of the liver and loss of liver function. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a signaling molecule has shown to be involved in various biological processes, including wound healing process. Elevated plasma levels of LPA and its catalyst autotaxin (ATX), [...]

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 Thomas Frei

Received: 12 October 2021;  Published: 24 November 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2104030

Climate change has a major impact on nature and influences ecological systems. The increase in the CO2-concentration in the atmosphere is a major driver of global warming. This study showed that global warming has a major impact on the release of pollen, and hence, on the people suffering from allergies in Switzerland. Basel is a station where long-term pollen observation is conducted, and the data was used to investigate the change during the last 52 years. There are stations throughout the world to measure the at [...]

by Pål-Dag Line

Received: 20 December 2017;  Published: 24 December 2017;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1704006

by Igor Val Danilov  and Sandra Mihailova

Received: 16 August 2024;  Published: 10 January 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2501263

This review aims to explore research on the development of emotions in organisms at the simple reflexes substage of the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development. We review the literature on alterations in spontaneous blinking in children under 6 months of age. Then, we extract the data from the selected studies that allow us to examine whether simple reflexes in infants reveal the emotion signature in the altered reflective responses. The significance of this study is that it is the first review to demonstrate t [...]

by David Bayo  , Olufunso Adeniyi  , Adebayo Adeniyi  and Oluwole Ariwoola

Received: 27 February 2021;  Published: 12 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/acr.2102013

The present study investigated the level of heavy metals in selected fruits sold commonly in Jos, Nigeria. The fresh fruits (Avocado pear, Black currant, Egg Plant, Golden melon, and Soursop) were purchased from five major markets (Terminus, Farin Gada, Building materials, Bukuru, and Fobur) in Jos. Each fruit sample was collected in triplicate and analyzed using standard procedures. The concentration of heavy metals (Fe, Cu, As, Cd, Zn, Pb, Mn, and Cr) was determined using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectr [...]

by Mauro Turrin  , Lucia Fornasiero  and Antonio Navarro

Received: 08 January 2023;  Published: 27 June 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2302240

We describe the clinical case of a 74-year-old male patient who received the second Comirnaty/Pfizer anti-COVID-19 vaccine dose. After 3 weeks he showed the clinical signs of polymyalgia rheumatica. The history included mild chronic normocytic normochromic anemia and hypogammaglobulinemia, osteoarthritis disease, livedo reticularis, hypercholesterolemia, and arterial hypertension. Despite prolonged treatment with NSAIDs and dexamethasone, the disease evolved into remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pi [...]

by Lotte Gerholt  , Casper N. Bang  , Eva Gerdts  , Anne Cecilie Larstorp  , Sverre E. Kjeldsen  , Stevo Julius  , Kristian Wachtell  , Peter M. Okin  and Richard B. Devereux

Received: 20 December 2021;  Published: 09 March 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2201194

It remains unknown whether left atrial systolic force (LASF), a measure of left atrial function, can be used as a predictor of new-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF). Furthermore, the effect of the treatment with atenolol and losartan on LASF is unclear. A total of 758 patients without atrial fibrillation at baseline were enrolled from the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint (LIFE) reduction in hypertension echocardiography sub-study. Participants of the LIFE study were randomized to either atenolol-or losartan-based [...]

by Gerhard Litscher

Received: 02 April 2024;  Published: 03 April 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2402022

Acupuncture, as a promising complementary therapy for cancer patients, offers personalized symptom management and improved quality of life alongside conventional treatments. With its proven efficacy in alleviating chemotherapy-induced side effects such as nausea, fatigue, and pain, acupuncture stands as a holistic approach to cancer care. Tailored to individual needs and boasting a favorable safety profile, acupuncture addresses both physical symptoms and psychological distress, promoting resilience and quality of [...]

by Kazuki Mochizuki  , Ayumi Osaki  , Yuko Inamochi  and Toshinao Goda

Received: 18 December 2017;  Published: 30 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1804046

Background: Histone modifications, including acetylation and H3 lysine 4 (K4) methylation, are thought to be associated with transcriptional activation during differentiation. Methods: mRNA and histone modifications around the sucrase-isomaltase (SI) gene in Caco-2 cells (a small intestine cell line) during differentiation were determined by qRT-PCR and chromatin immunoprecipitation, respectively. Results: Mono-, di-, and tri-methylation of histone H3K4 on the SI gene correlated with the induction of SI gene expres [...]