by Adolfo Toledano-Díaz  , Ma Isabel Álvarez  and Adolfo Toledano

Received: 18 December 2019;  Published: 09 May 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2002117

Neurons, from the time of their birth until their death, are always accompanied by neuroglial cells, maintaining very close morphological and functional relationships among themselves. Classically three main neuroglial families have been considered within the central nervous system (CNS): astroglia, oligodendroglia, and microglia. However, using morphological and immuno-cytochemical criteria, several different types/subtypes of neuroglial cells have been identified, each exerting specific physiological and patholog [...]

by Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse  , Anne-Sophie Nyssen  and Marie-Elisabeth Faymonville

Received: 14 February 2020;  Published: 09 May 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002028

Hypnosis is a modified state of consciousness widely used to decrease pain perception in research protocols and clinical practice. In recent decades, hypnosis has been increasingly proposed to patients to re-engage their resources and capacities to modulate pain and emotional distress and to improve their treatment and recovery of well-being. Neuroimaging research helps clinicians to understand better how hypnosis works in terms of brain modulation. Hypnotic suggestions dramatically influence the self and environme [...]

by Xiang Li  , Yuan Xue  , Ryan Dehoff  , Costas Tsouris  and Patricia Taboada-Serrano

Received: 09 April 2020;  Published: 09 May 2020;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2002007

Hierarchically-structured, electro-catalysts consisting of a titanium core with controlled macro-porosity and a thin titania surface-layer with controlled nano-porosity were synthesized via combination of additive manufacturing and in-situ anodization. The electrodes were tested for hydrogen evolution reaction and depicted competitive electro-catalytic activities, with Tafel slopes between 40 and 56 mV dec-1. The electrodes also depicted competitive onset and over potentials when compared with other electrode alter [...]

by Lucy Watts  , Joanna Smith  , Wilfred McSherry  , Michael Tatterton  and Alison Rodriguez

Received: 08 May 2020;  Published: 08 May 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002027

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 Allison Ramsey  , Christine Natori  , Kristen Cisneros  , David J. Ross  and Abbas Ardehali

Received: 27 March 2020;  Published: 06 May 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2002107

Biomarker surveillance after solid organ transplant is an advancing field with promise for further elucidation through high-throughput analyses and “omics” technologies. To date, Gene Expression Profiling (GEP; AlloMapâ) is the only FDA-cleared genomic assay as surveillance for moderate-severe TCMR versus allograft quiescence after heart transplantation. Clinical validity and utility, however, have been recently established after kidney and heart transplantation, for analysis of donor-derived cell-free DNA in the a [...]

by Megan Schutt  and Harvey Seim

Received: 10 April 2020;  Published: 30 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2002006

SODAR wind profiler measurements from a land-based site within 1000 m of the coastal ocean are compared with predicted wind profiles based on upwind conditions and a stability-based model. The thermally dynamic influence of the Gulf Stream near the site of measurement, Cape Hatteras, has been found to complicate wind speed estimation at height through its impacts on atmospheric stability and the resulting changes to wind shear. The COARE 3.0 algorithm was used to calculate a Monin-Obukhov Similarity Theory (MOST) s [...]

by Yuqi Tang  , Xuejun Qian  , Darrin J. Lee  , Qifa Zhou  and Junjie Yao

Received: 24 October 2019;  Published: 30 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2002056

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) causes severe cognitive dysfunction and has long been studied for the underlining physiological and pathological mechanisms. Several biomedical imaging modalities have been applied, including MRI, PET, and high-resolution optical microscopy, for research purposes. However, there is still a strong need for imaging tools that can provide high spatiotemporal resolutions with relatively deep penetration to enhance our understanding of AD pathology and monitor treatment progress in fundamental r [...]

by Frederick H. Silver  , Nikita Kelkar  , Tanmay Deshmukh  , Istvan Horvath  and Ruchit G. Shah

Received: 04 February 2020;  Published: 29 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2002010

Elastic moduli of tissues and synthetic polymeric materials are important design properties needed to develop new implants. In this paper we report the use of vibrational optical coherence tomography (VOCT) to measure the resonant frequency and calculate the modulus of tissues and synthetic polymers non-invasively and non-destructively in vitro and in vivo. Values of tissue and polymer moduli were obtained by applying an audible sinusoidal sound wave to the surface of each specimen. The sound wave travels to the in [...]

by Jeffrey T. Apter  and Kaylee M. White

Received: 01 December 2019;  Published: 29 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2002116

The Amyloid and Tau Hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease once thought to be the key have shown marginal results but are bolstered by the recent revival of the Aducanumab study and some positive data on some anti-Tau drugs. It still behoves us to look at other mechanisms which include whole blood transfusions, an Epigenetic approach, a-derivative of a Parkinson's drug a low dose of an anti-epileptic drug, an antibiotic against P Gingivitis and many new approaches not directly involving Amyloid and Tau. Other newer appr [...]

by Max F. Platzer  and Nesrin Sarigul-Klijn

Received: 28 January 2020;  Published: 29 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2002005

The current status of a project is described which aims to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of converting the vast wind energy available over the globe’s oceans and lakes into storable energy. To this end, autonomous high-performance sailing ships are equipped with hydrokinetic turbines whose output is stored either in electric batteries or is fed into electrolysers to produce hydrogen which then is compressed and stored in tanks. In the present paper, the previous analytical studies which showed [...]

by Manuel Legree  , Jocelyn Sabatier  , Fabrice Mauvy  , Abdel Salam Awad  , Matthieu Faessel  , Frederic Bos  and Jean-Louis Bobet

Received: 04 March 2020;  Published: 28 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2002004

This paper focuses on hydrogen production for green mobility applications (other applications are currently under investigation). Firstly, a brief state of the art of hydrogen generation by hydrolysis with magnesium is shown. The hydrolysis performance of Magnesium powder ball–milled along with different additives (graphite and transition metals TM = Ni, Fe, and Al) is taken for comparison. The best performance was observed with Mg–10 wt.% g mixtures (95% of theoretical hydrogen generation yield in about 3 min). An [...]

by Barbara Schmidt  , Teresa Deffner  and Jenny Rosendahl

Received: 11 December 2019;  Published: 28 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002025

Patients in the intensive care unit are confronted with an extreme situation that may cause stress and anxiety. The negative experiences may cause patients to suffer for the long-term after leaving the intensive care unit. One such stressor in the intensive care unit is non-invasive ventilation. Positive therapeutic suggestions under hypnosis can help patients in intensive care to enhance their well-being by helping them to deal with specific stress like being ventilated. The aim of our study is to assess the effec [...]

by Heidrun Männle  , Birthe Osorio  and Karsten Münstedt

Received: 09 March 2020;  Published: 28 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002024

Palliative care is a steadily growing component of medicine that focuses on treating individuals with life-limiting diseases such as cancer. It aims at improving the quality of life and alleviating cancer-related symptoms, including anxiety, pain, dyspnea, cough, nausea/vomiting, and constipation, which could result in significant physical and mental impairment. Integrative palliative care (IPC), as a subspecialty of palliative care, includes complementary approaches to treat patients holistically in their biopsych [...]

by Lorraine Cowley  and Mari Jones

Received: 30 December 2019;  Published: 26 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2002108

This paper explores views of healthcare professionals (HCPs) in genetics and foetal medicine settings on offering pre-natal diagnosis (PND) for adult onset cancer susceptibility (AOCS) genes. Study participants came from different disciplinary backgrounds and all had considered implications of offering PND for AOCS, directly or indirectly, from professional and personal perspectives. Foetal medicine and genetics teams are accustomed to offering PND with the possibility of terminating an affected foetus on the basis [...]

by Giuseppe De Benedittis

Received: 18 February 2020;  Published: 24 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002023

There is increasing evidence demonstrating that hypnosis could be effective in the down-modulation of pain sensation in both acute and chronic pain states. In the neurophysiological context, recent evidence has deciphered, to a certain extent, the mystery of pain relief upon hypnosis. It is probable that hypnotic suggestions of analgesia are able to modulate pain processing at multiple levels and sites within the central nervous system (CNS). At the peripheral level, hypnosis may modulate the nociceptive input thro [...]

by Haris Muhammad  , Muhammad Hammami  , Peng-sheng Ting  , Cem Simsek  , Behnam Saberi  and Ahmet Gurakar

Received: 02 February 2020;  Published: 24 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.2002046

Liver transplantation has steadily increased worldwide resulting in a large number of patients on the waiting list. Due to the opioid epidemic in the US, the pool of Hepatitis C seropositive donors increased significantly in recent years. Direct acting antivirals played an instrumental role in making liver transplantation with hepatitis C positive allograft an acceptable option. Although hepatitis C positive liver transplantation to hepatitis C positive recipients is a common practice, there is limited data and agr [...]

by Line L. Olesen

Received: 01 February 2020;  Published: 21 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2002115

The knowledge about digoxin, the associated cardiac and extracardiac effects, its pharmacokinetics and dynamics, indications, dosing, and side effects is important with the objective of deriving its maximum benefit without the risk of intoxication. Although the dosing of digoxin has been standardized and its usage has declined, digoxin intoxication still occurs frequently. Due to the risk of fatal complications, it has a negative prognosis. The knowledge about the etiology and symptoms of intoxication is critical f [...]

by Tyler Campbell  and Sergey Stolbov

Received: 16 February 2020;  Published: 20 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2002003

In the search for new efficient photo-catalysts for hydrogen production through water splitting, the main attention has been paid to tuning the band gap width and its position with respect to vacuum level. However, actual electro-catalytic activity for the water oxidation reaction on a catalyst surface is no less important than those quantities. In this work we evaluate from first principles the thermodynamics of the reaction on relatively new candidates for water splitting: two-dimensional C2N and that doped with [...]

by Valérie Morin-Alain  , Eddy Larouche  , Anne-Marie Chouinard  , Marie-Claude Audet  , Sonia Goulet  , Louis-Simon Rousseau  and Carol Hudon

Received: 23 November 2019;  Published: 17 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002022

Peripheral inflammation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dysregulations in circulating levels of different inflammatory mediators are detectable as early as the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage towards AD. Depressive symptoms, another risk factor of AD, are often found in individuals with MCI and associated with heightened levels of peripheral inflammatory mediators. Diminution in depressive symptoms and alterations of peripheral inflammation profiles have been obs [...]

by Paulo Henrique Fernandes de Oliveira  and Reginaldo de Carvalho Silva Filho

Received: 29 December 2019;  Published: 15 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002021

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin characterized by facial papules, pustules, erythema, and telangiectasia. Emotional factors such as stress and anxiety may induce and aggravate the symptoms of rosacea. It is hypothesized that tongue acupuncture, a technique that has been used successfully in the treatment of various neurological and psychiatric diseases, could be beneficial in relieving rosacea symptoms. This study evaluated the immediate effect of tongue acupuncture at specific anatomical point [...]

by Jean-François Cadranel  and Jean-Baptiste Nousbaum

Received: 21 August 2019;  Published: 15 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.2002045

The literature on the prevalence of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in cirrhotic outpatients who visited the hospital for therapeutic abdominal paracentesis was reviewed in order to assess the usefulness of urinary strips in this setting. The authors reviewed the studies published as peer-reviewed articles on the prevalence of SBP in ambulatory outpatients who visited the hospital for therapeutic paracentesis. Five such studies were available in the literature. It was found that the prevalence of SBP was in [...]

by Lisa Vogelgesang  , Damien Moore  and Paul D. Loprinzi

Received: 12 April 2020;  Published: 15 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002020

by Erik B Karlsson

Received: 29 December 2019;  Published: 13 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2002009

Decoherence is a relatively recent concept in the field of quantum mechanics. Although the pioneers of the field must have understood that loss of phase coherence in quantum superpositions is the reason underlying the appearance of definite outcomes in the quantum measurement problem, the latter was not treated in terms of decoherence until sixty years after the formulation of quantum mechanics as described in a report by Joos and Zeh in 1983 [1]. However, soon after, the theory was developed in further detail, and [...]

by Ronald J. Pekala  and Kevin Creegan

Received: 20 January 2020;  Published: 13 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002019

Noetic analysis is a methodology to quantify the mind during hypnosis, meditation, or other stimulus conditions/states of consciousness in a reliable and valid manner. The methodology uses retrospective phenomenological assessment (RPA) to comprehensively assess subjective experience. By having the participant complete a first person, self-report questionnaire, the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI), in reference to a short stimulus condition, the researcher can generate a “snapshot” of the mind, and it [...]