by Donald Moss

Received: 20 January 2020;  Published: 19 February 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2001007

The face of illness has changed with progress in public health, immunizations, and antibiotic medication. Today, medical clinics are more likely to see patients with chronic illnesses, stress-related conditions, and complex bio-psycho-social conditions. This is a global trend, affecting patients worldwide, as Western lifestyle and diet have produced increases in chronic lifestyle-based disorders. Integrative medicine, which attends more fully to psychosocial dimensions of illness, appears to offer promise for today [...]

by Gerhard Litscher

Received: 03 May 2020;  Published: 07 May 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002026

The present moment lacks any reliable vaccine or treatment for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the resultant disease COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease-2019). Laser medicine like photobiomodulation (PBM) or photodynamic therapy (PDT), and laser acupuncture may possess some potential to interact and relieve the symptoms of this disease. PubMed lists only two results for the search term ‘PBM or PDT and COVID-19’, indicating the paucity of validated scientific clinical studies on the subject. On the contrary, it does not mean th [...]

by Ana Cruz del Álamo  , María Isabel Pariente  , Alejandra Sánchez-Bayo  , Daniel Puyol  , Rosalía Rodríguez  , Victoria Morales  , Luis Fernando Bautista  , Gemma Vicente  , Juan Antonio Melero  , Raúl Molina  and Fernando Martínez

Received: 31 July 2021;  Published: 28 October 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2104027

Hospitals are one of the key contributors of pharmaceutical contaminants of emerging concern to the sewer systems. Hospitals wastewaters contain concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds between 3 and 150, which are higher than urban wastewater streams. However, dedicated treatments of the hospital effluents before discharge to the sewer system are not compulsory. Besides, conventional wastewater treatment plants have not been designed to remove pharmaceutical compounds effectively, and consequently, these micropo [...]

by Jenny Berrío  , Weiwen Wang  and Bart A. Ellenbroek

Received: 22 February 2019;  Published: 14 March 2017;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1701001

Antipsychotics have been a pillar in the treatment of schizophrenia since their introduction more than 60 years ago. Their variety in structures and receptor binding properties confers on them a complex clinical profile of effectiveness and risk of adverse side-effects. Although antipsychotics are best known for their therapeutic effects in schizophrenia, these are limited to the positive symptoms, with much less influence on negative symptoms or cognitive deficits. Moreover, although the newer (so-called second-ge [...]

by Jonathan Manh Dang  , Luma Bashmi  , Stephen Meeneghan  , Janet White  , Rebecca Hedrick  , Jelena Djurovic  , Brigitte Vanle  , Dennis Nguyen  , Jonathan Almendarez  , Paula Ravets  , Yasmine Gohar  , Sophia Hanna  , Itai Danovitch  and Waguih William IsHak

Received: 28 March 2018;  Published: 25 June 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1802011

Background: An increasing number of patients and practitioners are using mindfulness meditation programs despite uncertainty about the evidence supporting these programs’ health benefits. Aim: To review the current evidence on the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) on depressive symptoms and quality of life (QOL) among patients with depression comorbid medical conditions and those with major depressive disorder. Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and PsycINFO was performed [...]

by Racha El-Hajj Ghaoui  , Dorothy Hung  and Bhavna Padhye

Received: 24 December 2018;  Published: 17 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1902073

Hypodiploidy has a low incidence in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Patients are usually stratified into three subgroups, to allocate the correct treatment according to their ploidy level: high hypodiploidy (40-45 chromosomes), low hypodiploidy (33-39 chromosomes) and near haploidy (23-29 chromosomes). In this paper, a case is presented of near-haploid childhood ALL where fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) provided an insight into the near-haploidy chromosomal aberration initially missed on ro [...]

by Zoi Portokalidou  , Anna Huysse-Gaytandjieva  and Madelon L. Peters

Received: 09 January 2022;  Published: 12 July 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2203027

Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disease affecting mainly middle-aged women. Hormonal replacement is the most common therapy; however, it tackles only the functionality of the thyroid and not the autoimmunity components. Thus, patients experience persistent somatic and psychological symptoms, thereby affecting their quality of life. The cause of HT remains uncertain. Primary evidence suggests that adverse experiences in childhood are associated with autoimmune disease manifestation in adulthood; therefor [...]

by Lotta Lounasmeri

Received: 26 November 2021;  Published: 06 April 2022;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2202012

This paper examines the building of a new nuclear plant as a greenfield operation in Pyhäjoki, Finland. A newly-founded energy company, Fennovoima, was granted a license by the Finnish parliament to build a new power plant in 2010. In the years following this Decision in Principle the project faced several obstacles. Through interviews with key actors, this paper identifies the interests and core beliefs associated with building the plant. It posits that, in Finland, the underlying ideas and values surrounding nucl [...]

by Sravanthi Nandavaram  , Hannah Twist  , Rickey Evans  , Sravanthi Paluri  , Ana Castellanos  and Andres Pelaez

Received: 31 January 2024;  Published: 10 April 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2402211

Thrombotic Microangiopathy (TMA) is a syndrome characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA) and thrombocytopenia. The presence of schistocytes on peripheral smear, a negative Coombs test, elevated lactate dehydrogenase, increased reticulocyte count and low haptoglobin are often the clues for MAHA. The microvascular process often targets vasculature in kidneys, brain, gastrointestinal system, heart, and skin. A timely diagnosis and treatment are often crucial to prevent severe end organ damage and death [...]

by Fengxia Liang  , Qi Huang  , Rui Chen  , Song Wu  , Gary Lu  , Jianmin Liu  , Jia Li  , Lu Wang  , Hua Wang  and Gerhard Litscher

Received: 19 February 2017;  Published: 08 May 2017;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1702002

Qigong is a form of traditional Chinese exercise combining breathing, movement, and meditation to improve fitness for the purpose of preventing disease and prolonging life. We review the clinical efficacy and underlying mechanism of the application of Qigong in the healthcare setting. In addition, we discuss topics such as the impacts on respiratory, cardiovascular function, and immune function, as well as studies of the influences on brain function and mental health. In summary, there is strong evidence of the cli [...]