by Alan J Pearce

Received: 05 July 2019;  Published: 27 September 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1903042

Background: Sport-related concussion is a growing public health concern. Defined as a injury that disturbs neurological functions, concussion is characterised by a constellation of signs and symptoms. However, clinical imaging methods do not reveal any structural damage. Recently, neurophysiological techniques such as single and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are being applied to quantify neurophysiological changes (specifically corticospinal and intracortical excitation and intracortical inhi [...]

by Jozélio Freire de Carvalho

Received: 10 September 2025;  Published: 10 October 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2504043

Transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a non-invasive method that regulates the autonomic nervous system via electrical stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. Recent literature demonstrates that taVNS can decrease systemic inflammation, attenuate emotional disorders, modulate autonomic functions, and facilitate neural plasticity. This review examines the neurophysiological mechanisms of taVNS, including stimulation paradigms (short- and intensive, prolonged), and clinical findi [...]

by Janusz Włodarczyk  and Alicja Włodarczyk

Received: 26 October 2020;  Published: 07 June 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2102171

Esophageal cancer is a disease with difficult clinical management, and palliative therapy is the only predominant treatment. This retrospective study analyses the results of clinical management of elderly patients (>75 years of age) who were treated with esophageal stenting for malignant dysphagia due to primary esophageal cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), as well as secondary esophageal malignant strictures due to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients with [...]

by Clint Sutherland  and Beverly S. Chittoo

Received: 29 July 2024;  Published: 28 November 2024;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2404024

Global efforts to develop low-cost solutions for the treatment of contaminants in wastewater continue unabated. The conversion of eggshells, a waste material, into a high-value product can be economical and environmentally sustainable. The recent developments in applying eggshells towards the biosorption of contaminants are presented. Eggshells effectively remove pollutants such as metal cations, metal anions, and reactive, basic, and direct dyes. Promising advances in modifying eggshells, elucidating the critical [...]

by Sylvie Bonin-Guillaume  and Patrice Rat

Received: 09 July 2020;  Published: 07 December 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2004141

Acute or persistent pain is a common occurrence and is often undertreated in older patients, especially those with an inability to communicate verbally (ICV). Regular comprehensive pain assessment, including self-rating and/or behavior scales, is critical but difficult to implement in routine clinical practice. The choice of the most appropriate scale for each patient is not easy, even for trained and skilled medical personnel. Indeed, the use of scales for short pain-behavior exposes to pain under-detection due to [...]

by Aleeha Muzaffar  , Usman Arif  , Faheem Akram  , Fatima Batool  , Sameera Hassan  and Bushra Rashid

Received: 29 August 2022;  Published: 09 November 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2204171

Climate change poses a substantial threat to global crop yield. Moreover, crop production is likely to reduce in the near future because of increasing average temperatures, widespread extreme climate events, and the loss of agricultural land. Abiotic stresses are the major factors limiting the growth and development of various crops worldwide. They cause the buildup of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which leads to cellular damage in a variety of subcellular compartments in plants. The metabolic rate of ROS is criti [...]

by Florence Naillat

Received: 25 August 2021;  Published: 26 April 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2202153

In the last four decades, transgenic and knockout mouse models have helped to understand the mechanisms of mammalian sex determination, germ cell development, and adult gonad functions. We have gained crucial insights into molecular factors and pathways of the cells generating either the supporting gonadal cells or germ cells of both sexes. In this review, we highlighted some of the main gene networks and regulatory mechanisms involved in the plasticity of sex-determining pathways that help to establish a functiona [...]

by Kazushige Kimura  , James F. Reichert  , Omid Ranjbar Pouya  , Ahmad Byagowi  , Xikui Wang  , Debbie M. Kelly  and Zahra Moussavi

Received: 25 May 2018;  Published: 09 August 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1803007

Background: In this paper, we describe the design of a virtual environment (VE) using Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) to scan and replicate a real environment (RE) in a virtual domain. Compared to using a CAD software, SLAM allows for the replication of an RE quite easily and quickly. Methods: To test the user’s performance in a SLAM-based VE, we developed an immersive virtual reality setup using a specialized wheelchair (VRNChair) and a head mounted display (Oculus Rift DK2), and employed a knowledge [...]

by Giacinto Libertini

Received: 19 February 2017;  Published: 13 April 2017;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1702002

Currently, geriatric medicine consists mainly of palliative treatment of the disorders that characterize senile decay. This is perfectly compatible with the prevailing view that aging is the inevitable result of multiple degenerative processes that cannot be treated effectively as they are, in themselves, inevitable and irreversible. This interpretation of aging clashes with a mass of data and arguments that, conversely, indicate that aging is a specific physiological function, favoured by supra-individual natural [...]

by Alexandria J Coughlan  , Kendall R. McEachron  , Mariya E. Skube  , Sydne Muratore  , Melena D. Bellin  and Greg J Beilman

Received: 29 October 2018;  Published: 24 January 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1901042

The current predominant location for allo- and auto-transplantation of islets is the liver. Despite the historical success of this site, recent studies have revealed multiple disadvantages. Portal hypertension, portal vein thrombosis, bleeding, low oxygen tension, instant blood mediated inflammatory reaction, inadequate alpha cell function, and delays in neovascularization are factors that continue to drive researchers to explore alternative sites for islet transplantation. Factors of an optimal site include: capac [...]