by Elisabetta Barbara Cortesi  , Sonia Baccetti  , Maria Valeria Monechi  , Mariella Di Stefano  , Barbara Cucca  , Tommaso Conti  , Antonella Traversi  , Filippa Terranova  , Roberto Montelatici  , Sylvie Yvonne Barberousse  , Federica Sabatini  , Catia Vuono  , Christian Bini  and Marco Picchi

Received: 26 September 2018;  Published: 28 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1902028

Introduction: Pain in musculoskeletal disorders is a common problem that involves high social and individual costs. Systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials show that a number of treatments usually applied in this field are not effective. On the other hand, there is clinical evidence of the effectiveness of physical exercise, acupuncture, and auriculotherapy. Side effects of current medication limit their use. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of auriculotherapy on the pain of patients suffering from ch [...]

by John Glasson  , Bridget Durning  and Kellie Welch

Received: 06 July 2022;  Published: 16 November 2022;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2204037

The article examines the nature of impacts of the rapidly growing Offshore Wind Farm (OWF) industry on tourism and recreation in coastal communities, especially in the UK. The multi-methods research approach includes reviews of literature, content of OWF Environmental Statements (ESs) for predicted impacts, recent practice for actual impacts, and the use of mitigation and enhancement measures. Findings from literature indicate that the overall impact on tourism appears relatively benign, and sometimes positive. The [...]

by Simonetta Bernardini  , Francesca Bechini  , Giulia Braccesi  , Franco Cracolici  , Rosaria Ferreri  , Roberto Pulcri  and Andrea Serafini

Received: 30 September 2018;  Published: 17 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1902024

Since 2011, the Tuscany Regional Authority has been funding the use of Integrated Medicine (IM) in a clinical setting in Pitigliano Hospital, with the aim of testing the true efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in a hospital setting. The clinical setting also comprises the Manciano rehabilitation facility whose services include post-stroke rehabilitation. This study aims to establish if IM helps to improve the rehabilitation performance of stroke patients. The study compared 212 patients divide [...]

by Jeremy M. Quintana  , Alexandra L. Stinchcomb  , Jessica H. Kostyo  , Blair M. Robichaud  , Michael A. Plunk  and Robert R. Kane

Received: 08 October 2018;  Published: 28 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1804036

Islet transplantation has proven to be a viable treatment for individuals suffering from both Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1D) and chronic pancreatitis. However, a variety of challenges limit the effectiveness of this procedure by reducing the number of islets that survive the harvesting and transplantation processes. Increasing islet survival would increase the long-term effectiveness of the procedure and allow this technique to be used in more patients. A number of factors have been shown to improve the outcomes of [...]

by Chrisann Fahy  and Lisa Hollis-Sawyer

Received: 19 January 2018;  Published: 10 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1804014

Background: The growing aging population requires care support resources which engage older adults in many different aspects of human functioning and experiences [1]. The purpose of this applied research project was to develop, and pilot test a holistic enrichment program manual used with Institutionalized Residential Care Facilities (IRCF) that encompasses motor skill, social, cognitive and self- enrichment outcomes, and to pilot test the enrichment program manual to be both cost-effective and a time savings to IR [...]

by Pei-Chen Lo  , Bo-Ting Lyu  and Wu Jue Miao Tian

Received: 30 July 2018;  Published: 01 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1902021

Background: This research aims to develop new methods to investigate the cardiorespiratory interaction of Zen-meditation practitioners (Zen-meditation group) and healthy ordinary young people (control group) by quantitatively evaluating respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) behavior. Methods: Twenty-five voluntary controls and seven Zen-meditation practitioners were recruited. The experimental protocol involved five sessions of different mental-stress levels (control group) and five sessions of Zen-meditation practice [...]

by Sharon Freeman Clevenger

Received: 25 November 2018;  Published: 31 January 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901007

The cornerstone of health care practice is the provision of competent, compassionate care. Compassion is generally considered an important component in the provision of health care; however, self-compassion may be of equal importance for health care practitioners (HCP) to observe and develop. Self-compassion promotes well-being and overall mental health and may reduce fatigue and “burn-out” for HCPs [1]. Estimates of burn out in physicians and nurses range from 35-50% and is associated with emotional exhaustion, hi [...]

by Geeta Pokhrel  , Hongmei Gu  , Douglas J. Gardner  and Shane O'Neill

Received: 07 December 2021;  Published: 09 February 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2201003

This study is expanding the previous studies that were focused on the material properties and transportation costs of the two alternative feedstocks for manufacturing wood-plastic composites (WPCs): wood flour and pellets. Besides the material properties and cost analysis, life-cycle assessment (LCA) is equally important to assess the environmental impacts of these two alternative wood feedstocks to manufacture WPCs and gain the knowledge of influences from the manufacturing and transportation processes. The main g [...]

by Rachel Mills  , Louisa Jackman  , Mithila Mahesh  and Ian James

Received: 12 December 2018;  Published: 11 February 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1901032

Background: Research suggests that the use of lies and deception is prevalent within dementia care settings, despite ongoing debates raised about the ethics of this approach. There has been increasing exploration of when and why deceptive practices should be used, but the lack of clarity as to what constitutes a lie has caused difficulty in ensuring that lies are used ethically. The aim of this study was to widen our understanding of the key dimensions that underpin the use of lies, and further to use this informat [...]

by Mark Jaradeh  , Mark deBettencourt  , Edgar Yap  , Yesha Patel  , April Alcantara  , Conrad Stasieluk  and Edwin S. Meresh

Received: 02 March 2022;  Published: 23 May 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2202123

Catatonia, particularly malignant catatonia (MC), continues to manifest in severe sequalae such as hyperthermia, rhabdomyolysis, cardiovascular collapse and failure, and even death as, although identification of the syndrome has significantly improved once its developed, several precarious factors continue to inhibit prompt and efficacious treatment. In this context, we evaluated the cases of six patients who were treated at our center for eventual MC manifestation with the aim of elucidating a pre-MC sensitive pre [...]

by Jacques Pédron  and Frédérique Van Gijsegem

Received: 25 July 2019;  Published: 26 November 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1904098

Background: Genus Dickeya comprises aggressive soft rot plant pathogens with wide geographic distribution and host ranges. Ten Dickeya species were characterized. Seven of them (Dickeya chrysanthemi, D. dadantii, D. dianthicola, D. fangzhongdai, D. solani, D. paradisiaca, and D. zeae) group causative agents of maceration-associated diseases that impact a wide variety of crops or ornamentals as well as isolates from fresh water. The other three species (D. aquatica, D. lacustris, D. undicola) were recently isolated [...]

by Robert J Emanuel

Received: 09 January 2019;  Published: 21 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1901040

The amount of patients who suffer with dementia is set to rise with an ageing population. As well as living longer, patients will be retaining their natural teeth into their later life and will be less reliant on dentures. From both the current evidence available in the literature, and anecdotally from clinicians experienced in treating patients with dementia, it can be concluded that on balance, patients with dementia appear to be at a greater risk from dental caries (dental decay). However, more research in this [...]

by Madalina Neacsu  , Susan E. Anderson  , Pola Verschoor  , Nicholas J. Vaughan  , Graham W. Horgan  , Toine Hulshof  , Sylvia H. Duncan  , Susan Duthie  and Wendy R. Russell

Received: 08 October 2021;  Published: 17 December 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2104002

Wheat bran cereals are an important source of dietary fibre. The aim of the study was to investigate if a high intake (120 g) of fibre rich breakfast cereal (which delivers the UK Government guidelines for fibre intake in one serving but is three-fold higher than the manufacturers recommended serving) has additional potential health benefits compared to the recommended serving (40 g, containing 11 g of dietary fibre). To assess this, the study determined the short chain fatty acid (SCFA) profiles in human faecal, u [...]

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 Irina Bakloushinskaya  and Sergey Matveevsky

Received: 16 May 2018;  Published: 22 July 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1803023

Species of mole voles Ellobius demonstrate a broad variation in sex chromosomes and autosomes, which is unique among mammals. In four species, a Y chromosome was lost, and X0 or XX sex chromosomes in both sexes were obtained. The key testis-determining Sry (Sex-determining Region on Y) gene is absent in these species, and the regulation of its target, the Sox9 (SRY -box 9) gene, is questionable due to deletion in the key enhancer. In a single species, E. fuscocapillus, with routine XX-XY, the same deletion is prese [...]

by Khaliq Ahmed  , Periasamy Vijay  , Moses Tadé  , Amirpiran Amiri  , Zongping Shao  and Karl Föger

Received: 31 July 2020;  Published: 18 January 2021;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2101004

This report is an account of research and development activities undertaken by the Centre for Process Systems Computations, Department of Chemical Engineering at Curtin University, Western Australia in the area of solid oxide fuel cells. The focus of work of the group included 1)effect of cell macrostructure and microstructure on electrochemical performance with a view to optimise both macro- and micro-structure 2) electrochemistry modeling for simulating electrochemical performance 3) internal reforming aspects im [...]

by Daniel Z. Lieberman  , Sara Teichholtz  and Brenna R. Emery

Received: 25 February 2019;  Published: 28 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1902030

Is it ethically permissible to sacrifice the life of one human being in order to save the lives of five others? This question forms the basis of the famous thought experiment called “the trolley problem.” Surveys have found that 90 percent of people agree it is permissible when the victim to be sacrificed is described as off in the distance, whereas the opposite result occurs if the victim is described as up close. No consistent ethical principle has been identified that account for these results. In this paper we [...]

by Taylor Lawrence  and Therese M. Murphy

Received: 29 October 2018;  Published: 19 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1804055

Telomeres are TTAGGG repeats located at the end of chromosomes that maintain DNA stability. Telomere length (TL) has been widely implicated as a marker of biological age, and is associated with several human diseases, including depression, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Twin studies and cohort studies estimate heritability of TL between 78-82%. Moreover, several genomic loci which influence TL have been identified. Despite the success of genetic studies in furthering our understanding of telomere biology, ident [...]

by Özlem Özbek

Received: 16 June 2024;  Published: 12 December 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2404274

Genetic diversity allows plants to adapt to changing environmental conditions to survive and increases their ability to respond to yield, production, pests and diseases. The application of molecular markers developed due to developments in biochemistry, molecular biology, and plant technology has shed light on plant genetics and breeding studies and produced an enormous amount of knowledge. The theoretical knowledge will guide in determining the scope, amount, and distribution of different aspects of genetic divers [...]

by Omar Alelweet  and Sara Pavia

Received: 09 June 2021;  Published: 13 October 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2104041

Alkali activated (AA) materials have been investigated for decades as an alternative to Portland cement (PC) products. Most consist of a silicate waste activated with alkalis, which leads to lower green-house gas emissions and a substantial drop in the use of unrenewable material resources. This paper studies the durability of AA materials made with a ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) from Dublin, activated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3), both combined and separately, and cure [...]

by Mohamed Abutineh  , Nicholas Pizzo  , Nicholas Nifakos  , Xiao-Lu Jin  , John M Harlin  and Xing-Hai Zhang

Received: 26 October 2020;  Published: 18 February 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2101124

Citrus is an important group of globally produced fruit crops, holding great economic, cultural, and health value. Belonging to the Rutacaeae family, the genus Citrus includes some of the most iconic and widely appreciated variants of fruits such as the orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, and tangerine. The spread of various diseases threatens the worldwide production of citrus fruit crops. Diseases such as Asiatic citrus canker, citrus tristeza virus, citrus leprosis, and especially citrus greening disease (also know [...]

by Jennie Cao  , Valentina L Kouznetsova  and Igor F Tsigelny

Received: 30 January 2019;  Published: 01 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1902071

Cancer is the leading cause of death in dogs, and 50 percent of dogs over the age of 10 develop cancer at some point. The most common cancers in dogs include lymphoma, mast cell tumors, osteosarcoma, mammary gland tumors, and melanoma, and many of them share marked similarities with their human counterparts. Although canines are afflicted with many of the same types of cancers as humans, the genetic basis behind these cancers are not as well understood. Thus, the aim of this study is to elucidate some of the molecu [...]

by Heloísa Maria de Oliveira  , Francisco Alex de Sousa Silva  , Tellys Lins Almeida Barbosa  and Meiry Gláucia Freire Rodrigues

Received: 06 December 2022;  Published: 13 March 2023;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2301012

In an attempt to synthesize nanomaterial concerning chemistry, the sustainable synthesis of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticles by a low-cost approach through the recycling of waste mother liquors was explored and then indicated the potential to remove chlorhexidine (CHLX) from an aqueous solution. ZIF-8 was produced under solvothermal reaction at 25°C and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, adsorption/desorption of N2, dynamic light scattering and con [...]

by Hideya Mizuno  , Ayako Taketomi  and Toshikatsu Nakabayashi

Received: 27 June 2018;  Published: 27 September 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1803021

St. John’s wort (SJW), or Hypericum perforatum, is a perennial herb that is used to treat depression in several countries. Based on the available evidence, it can be hypothesized that SJW would also have beneficial prophylactic and therapeutic effects in patients with metabolic syndrome. In this review, we summarize and discuss the best designed studies that have investigated the effects of SJW extract on adipocyte differentiation, the inflammatory process, and glucose metabolism, all of which are relevant to [...]

by Harry G. Hong

Received: 10 December 2018;  Published: 25 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901019

Background: Electrodermal measurement of acupuncture points has been correlated to physiologic and pathologic conditions with clinical and laboratory studies. Emerging evidence indicates that in addition to therapeutic effect, acupuncture points may also have diagnostic properties. However, physiologic basis of this phenomenon is still unknown. Objective: To determine how electrodermal activity of acupuncture points on hands and feet responds to exercise-induced sympathetic stress and how electrodermal measurement [...]