by Katerina G. Oikonomou  and Sarah Taimur

Received: 14 February 2019;  Published: 17 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902066

In non-endemic regions of the world, human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) is an uncommon pathogen in the transplant host, but can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Careful assessment for risk factors, targeted screening and heightened awareness of the clinical presentation of HTLV-1 associated disease is necessary for timely recognition and management in the transplant host. The use of antiretroviral agents in the management of symptomatic disease due to HTLV-1 remains controversial [...]

by Kurt Grüngreiff  , Thomas Gottstein  and Dirk Reinhold

Received: 15 March 2019;  Published: 13 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.1902023

Acute and in particular chronic liver disease of viral, alcoholic and non-alcoholic genesis is a large, often unnoticed health hazard around the world. It can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the course of decades. Liver fibrosis, conversion of functional parenchyma to connective tissue (scar tissue) as a consequence of chronic liver damage, is a connecting pathogenic process in all chronic liver diseases. Zinc is an essential micronutrient in human health, playing a fundamental role in cellu [...]

by Pras Ramluggun  and Sanj Nathoo

Received: 07 March 2019;  Published: 13 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1902036

The evolving, dynamic and challenging healthcare landscape requires that the art and science of nursing equip preregistration nursing students with the knowledge and skills to positively respond to these changes. Central to these students’ ability to demonstrate competence in the fundamentals of nursing care are core nursing attributes to meaningfully engage and attend to patients’ in delivering compassionate care and meeting their needs. The literature identifies the process of delivering compassionate care as a h [...]

by Dietmar Payrhuber  , Piero Sangaletti  and Josef Muehlmann

Received: 10 May 2018;  Published: 10 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1902035

(1) Background: The article provides insight into the mode of the immune system acting hierarchically when administering potentized remedies. Occasionally, this can be best seen in severe cases as available with cancer. (2) Methods: The careful anamnesis and subsequent prescription is based on Jan Scholten’s hierarchic classification of homeopathic mineral remedies. (3) Results: In such cases we find syndrome shifts of symptoms shifting from vital to less vital organs, from inside outside and from up downwards, e [...]

by Sheila Krishnan  , Chadi Hage  , Raymond Coakley  , David van Duin  and Leonard Jason Lobo

Received: 18 February 2019;  Published: 10 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902065

Lung transplant recipients are at greater risk of respiratory viral infections as compared to other solid organ transplant recipients due to constant exposure of the allograft to the external environment. There are no standardized methods for surveillance, prevention, or treatment of these infections despite their association with increased morbidity and mortality. Various studies have linked respiratory viral infections with acute cellular rejection and chronic allograft dysfunction, and emerging data indicates a [...]

by Michal Kawka  , Tamara MH Gall  and Long R Jiao

Received: 25 February 2019;  Published: 05 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.1902022

Background: Severe necrotising pancreatitis (SNP) is characterised by high mortality, severe complications and bad prognosis despite progress in understanding of aetiology and progression of the disease. Traditionally, necrotic changes were removed by open necrosectomy but the paradigm has shifted towards more conservative management and minimally-invasive surgical procedures. However, there is still no consensus on the best management pathway. Minimally-invasive procedures percutaneous drainage, endoscopic transl [...]

by Gilles R. G. Monif

Received: 06 January 2019;  Published: 04 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.1902021

Using the therapeutic intervention points identified by the Hruska Postulate, the probability of curing Crohn’s disease through destroying the anti-MAP template is discussed.

by Gary Stanton

Received: 22 March 2019;  Published: 04 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1902034

A 16 year old girl was evaluated for intractable hiccups for 6 six months, with a prior negative clinical and laboratory evaluation, and without any improvement with a variety of folk and medicinal therapies. A single treatment session of auriculotherapy produced a full clinical remission.

by Soo Liang Ooi  and Sokcheon Pak

Received: 29 May 2019;  Published: 31 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1902033

The Landscape of Current Meditation Research: An Overview to the Special Issue on “Health Benefits of Meditation”

by Terence Seedsman

Received: 29 January 2019;  Published: 24 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1902055

The history surrounding the notion of ‘informed consent’ is provided in the interest of setting a framework for the emergence of an ethics of aged care. Informed consent negligence is seen as a breach of duty involving potential litigation through the legal concept of ‘failure to warn’. Respect for the autonomy of older persons is highlighted as a cornerstone of care by medical professionals and family members. There remains the challenge, however, of caring for older people who do not have full decision-making cap [...]

by Lauren E. Guerriero  and Bruce F. O'Hara

Received: 12 February 2019;  Published: 24 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1902031

Meditation describes a large variety of traditions that are extremely variable, but all include the conscious focus or awareness of attention. By maintaining their attention, meditators experience both acute and long-term changes in physiology, anatomy, and cognitive performance. The literature shows that the type of performance benefits may depend on the specific type of mental training. During meditation practice there is a documented increase in neuronal coordination and slowing of neuronal firing across many re [...]

by James David Adams, Jr.

Received: 24 May 2019;  Published: 24 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1902032

Highlights of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Nervous System Conditions: An Interview with Dr. James David Adams, Jr.

by Gopalakrishnan Loganathan  , Michael G. Hughes  , Gregory L. Szot  , Kate E. Smith  , Abid Hussain  , Daniel R. Collins  , Michael L. Green  , Francis E. Dwulet  , Stuart K. Williams  , Klearchos K. Papas  , Robert C. McCarthy  and Appakalai N. Balamurugan

Received: 29 March 2019;  Published: 24 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902064

Background: Purified bacterial collagenase and protease enzymes are commonly used to recover human islets from clinical grade pancreata for subsequent clinical islet transplantation. The high cost of purified enzymes can be prohibitive for recovering human islets from research pancreata used for translational research or pre-clinical studies. In this study, we successfully isolated islets from human research pancreata using enriched collagenase products supplemented with BP Protease (DE Collagenase 800 or Collagena [...]

by Laurence Pougnet  , Gilles Nevez  and Solène Le Gal

Received: 17 December 2018;  Published: 22 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1902080

Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is the most frequent AIDS-defining disease among HIV-infected individuals in developed countries, and also affects immunocompromised non-HIV patients. Experimental studies on rodent models carried out in the early eighties have shown that Pneumocystis spp. can be transmitted via the airborne route. Unfortunately, this mode of acquisition and transmission has long been overlooked by physicians because PCP in immunosuppressed patients was considered to result from reactivation of a latent [...]

by Athina Chasapi  , Konstantinos Balampanis  , Anna Tanoglidi  , Eleni Kourea  , George I. Lambrou  , Vaia Lambadiari  , Fotios Kalfarentzos  , Erifili Hatziagelaki  , Maria Melachrinou  and Georgia Sotiropoulou-Bonikou

Received: 28 January 2019;  Published: 22 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.1902020

(1) Background: A great number of inflammatory mediators and metabolic biomarkers have been shown to contribute to the development and progression of obesity-induced pathologies, including insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Many of those mediators are either targets or activators of nuclear factor-κappa B (NF-κB), which is a key transcription factor and plays a pivotal role in the homeostasis and the regulation of inflammatory signaling pathways in the liver. (2) Methods: Our study po [...]

by Mamta Saxena  , Anne F. Farrell  and Kari Adamsons

Received: 25 February 2019;  Published: 20 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1902054

Background: Most individuals with disabilities in the US live in family settings; in some families, siblings are default long-term support providers. Although researchers have explored the roles of parent caregivers, the roles of sibling caregivers need attention. Methods: In this study, we examined caregiving processes and outcomes among 322 adult sibling support providers (SSPs) with a range of support roles. Adapting a model of caregiving outcomes, we used structural equation modeling to assess relationships amo [...]

by Boel De Paepe

Received: 28 February 2019;  Published: 16 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1902079

In order to successfully recover from damage, skeletal muscle tissue requires proper activation of a tightly orchestrated repair program. Non-coding RNAs actively participate in this complex process of demolition and rebuilding. In this review, the contribution of dysregulated non-coding RNA expression to disease-associated pathological changes is explored in hereditary muscular dystrophies and idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. Disturbances in spatiotemporal expression of non-coding RNAs appear to be key factors [...]

by Christine Demanche  , Jacques Guillot  and Magali Chabé

Received: 22 February 2019;  Published: 15 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1902078

Pneumocystis spp. are a group of fungi that are known for causing opportunistic infections in immunocompromised individuals. It was only at the end of the 20th century that the scientific community challenged the notion of a unique species in the genus Pneumocystis (i.e., Pneumocystis carinii) that drastically changed the understanding of the natural history of pneumocystosis. It is now accepted that the Pneumocystis genus comprises a group of heterogenous fungi having multiple stenoxenic biological entities. These [...]

by Hagit Daum  , Simcha Yagel  and Mordechai Shohat

Received: 11 March 2019;  Published: 15 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1902077

Background: Fetal exome sequencing is becoming a crucial modality for genetic investigation whenever fetal malformations are documented in the context of normal chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA). When ultrasound findings are non-specific, the robustness of exome sequencing may be the only way to achieve a molecular diagnosis during pregnancy. Case: We describe a case of multiple non-specific fetal findings with the eventual diagnosis of fetal Kabuki Syndrome by exome sequencing. Conclusions: This case stresses [...]

by Charles E. Carraher  , Michael R. Roner  , Jessica Frank  , Paul Slawek  , Francesca Mosca  , Kimberly Shahi  , Alisa Moric-Johnson  and Lindsey Miller

Received: 31 January 2019;  Published: 14 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.1902019

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of death in the USA. Treatment is seldom successful. A wide variety of organotin polymers exhibit good inhibition of human pancreatic cancer cell lines AsPC-1 and PANC-1. The AsPC-1 is an adenocarcinoma pancreatic cell line and PANC-1 which is an epithelioid carcinoma pancreatic cell line. Synthesis is rapid employing commercially available reactants and the interfacial polymerization that is employed in the commercial synthesis of aramids and polycarbonates.

by Laura Alonso Canal  , Cecilia Paredes Mercado  , María José Quiles Blanco  and Marco Motta Calderón

Received: 01 April 2019;  Published: 14 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1902028

Lyme disease is a spirochetal illness transmitted primarily through the bite of ticks. The disease has a broad spectrum of comorbid conditions including osteoarticular, cardiovascular, and neurological involvement. In addition, clinical variability depends on the age of affected individuals. The Center for Disease Control recognizes the disease as an epidemic and mentions it to be a major morbidity burden in our environment because of the frequent lack of diagnosis and early treatment. Scientific literature mention [...]

by Ekta Kumari  , Fernando J. Velloso  and Steven W. Levison

Received: 13 February 2019;  Published: 13 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1902027

A number of studies have highlighted the connection between infections during pregnancy in mothers and increased risk for neuropsychiatric disorders later in life leading to the view that maternal immune activation is a significant contributor to psychiatric illnesses. Meta-analyses have revealed associations between the incidence of premature birth and perinatal inflammation with smaller total brain volumes, cognitive, motor and behavioral deficits in childhood and adolescents. In animal studies where inflammati [...]

by Amanda B. Cooper  , Stephen M. Downs  , Nicholas J Skill  , Richard S. Mangus  , Chandrashekhar A. Kubal  and Mary A. Maluccio

Received: 18 March 2019;  Published: 13 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1902063

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal tumor, for which liver resection and transplantation are the only potentially curative treatments. No prospective, randomized study has compared survival in patients with compensated cirrhosis after the two operations Methods: Decision analysis modeling is an objective method to quantify risks and benefits. This study aimed to use decision analysis with a Markov model to estimate the impact of liver transplant and surgical resection on survival for patients wit [...]

by Karen Harrison Dening  and Zena Aldridge

Received: 26 February 2019;  Published: 10 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1902053

There has been a strong thrust to identify the needs of people with dementia against a background of person-centred care, however, people with dementia do not exist in isolation; they live within relational contexts with family members. Case management is a model of care that has its origins in supporting patients with a long term disease, however, a very practical approach to case management that can support the care needs of both the person with dementia and the family carers is emerging in the UK. Admiral Nursin [...]

by Paul D. Loprinzi

Received: 30 March 2019;  Published: 10 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1902026

Objective: The objective of this paper was to evaluate the extent to which exercise may influence long-term potentiation (LTP), a key cellular correlate of episodic memory function. Methods: Studies were identified using electronic databases, including PubMed, PsychInfo, Sports Discus and Google Scholar. Results: The computerized searches revealed 20 articles meeting the study criteria. Among these 20 evaluated articles, 17 were conducted in an animal model and 3 among humans. All 17 of these studies, with the exce [...]