by Myrto Poulou  and Maria Tzetis

Received: 31 July 2017;  Published: 01 November 2017;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1704010

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is one of the commonest autosomal recessive genetic diseases that show a high carrier frequency amongst Caucasian populations. Although there has been tremendous progress in the available therapies, compared to the past, the disease is still associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Because of the severe clinical manifestations and the shortened life expectancy of patients, population based carrier screening, to identify heterozygous carrier couples at risk of having affected childre [...]

by Pal S. Mangat  , Shahriar Abubakri  , Konstantinos Grigoriadis  and Vincenzo Starinieri

Received: 24 June 2021;  Published: 09 October 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2104040

Microwave curing of repair patches provides an energy efficient technique for rapid concrete repair. It has serious economic potential due to time and energy saving especially for repairs in cold weather which can cause work stoppages. However, the high temperatures resulting from the combination of microwave exposure and accelerated hydration of cementitious repair materials need to be investigated to prevent potential durability problems in concrete patch repairs. This paper investigates the time and magnitude of [...]

by Subhomita Ghosh Roy

Received: 09 November 2022;  Published: 16 December 2022;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2204052

With the increasing human population, the protection of water resources is becoming a critical issue. Wetlands are one of the most important water resources, helping assimilate pollutants. Hence, the ecosystem integrity of wetlands is important. Plant bioindicators with phytoremediation (physiologically removing pollutants from the ecosystem by plants) capacity can be very helpful in this regard. Based on the current literature, this study specifically aims to overview plant bioindicators with phytoremediation abil [...]

by Shingo Nakamura  , Naoko Ando  , Masayuki Ishihara  and Masahiro Sato

Received: 09 August 2020;  Published: 16 November 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2004119

The liver is a major organ with a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and bile production. Liver dysfunction causes liver diseases such as hepatic cirrhosis and hepatitis. To explore the pathogenesis of these liver diseases, and the therapeutic agents against them, mice have been widely used as animal models. Genetic manipulation is easy in mice via the administration of nucleic acids (NAs) in the tail-vein. In particular, hydrodynamics-based gene delivery (HGD) is a method based o [...]

by Yash Aryan  and Anil Kumar Dikshit

Received: 26 July 2022;  Published: 09 November 2022;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2204035

Electric vehicles are becoming popular among consumers while BS-VI norms have been introduced and mandated for conventional vehicles in India. In the present study, the environmental impacts from the use phase of electric two-wheeler (EV) and gasoline two-wheeler (GV) have been evaluated and compared using the life cycle assessment (LCA) perspective. The functional unit adopted was 1000 km driven by one vehicle under Indian road and traffic conditions. CML 2001 and ReCiPe 2016 methods were used for the assessment u [...]

by Lucille Marchand  , Donna Lewin  and Leila Kozak

Received: 02 October 2020;  Published: 22 February 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2101007

Both palliative care (PC) and integrative medicine (IM) focus on the whole person to optimize wellbeing. Integrative palliative care combines the best of both approaches in relieving the distressing symptoms of serious illness and its treatment by combining evidence informed, pharmacological and nonpharmacological modalities that are aligned with the person’s goals, values and preferences. Healing is valued, as well as symptom relief, shared decisionmaking, person empowerment, compassionate care, and nurturing of h [...]

by Mieczysław Szyszkowicz

Received: 14 April 2021;  Published: 10 June 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2102014

Each country has its own characteristics of COVID-19 infection trajectory and epidemic waves. Differences in government-implemented restrictions and social regulations result in variability of the virus transmissions and spread dynamics. This in turn results in various shapes of the growth function used to represent and describe the propagation of infection. Statistical methods are applied to fit non-linear functions to represent daily time-series data of the cumulative numbers of COVID-19 cases. The aim of this wo [...]

by C. Shah Kabir

Received: 28 March 2023;  Published: 12 June 2023;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2302019

Investigations on two-phase gas/liquid flow in pipes have been under study for nearly six decades. These studies have significantly assisted in managing fluid flow in the wellbore and surface networks, leading to the separation of phases and transmission of oil and gas into the market. This study summarizes some of the main lessons learned in flow through wellbores. Besides understanding some of the fundamental principles, we focused on the practical items of interest: Conventional production scenarios for oil and [...]

by Kate M. Waldie  and Sriram Katipamula

Received: 31 December 2021;  Published: 22 February 2022;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2201006

Fuel cells based on renewable synthetic fuels are promising alternatives to fossil fuel combustion for efficient electricity production. Much focus has been placed on hydrogen as a chemical fuel, but being a flammable gas, there are challenges with its safe handling. Formic acid is an attractive liquid fuel for use in direct formic acid or formate fuel cells, and it can in principle be produced from the thermal or electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. Over the past ten years, advances have been made in the d [...]

by Allison Ast  , Margaret Meyer  , R. Elyse Heidelberg  , Jennifer M. Allen  , Amy Ly  and Holly Spraker-Perlman

Received: 02 December 2020;  Published: 08 February 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2101005

Children with cancer can experience intense suffering. Currently, despite our best efforts, symptoms associated with both cancer and its treatment result in physical, psychological, and emotional discomfort that can be difficult to manage with traditional Western medicine alone. Developing integrative services within a pediatric hematology-oncology program may help improve cancer-related symptoms by combining different modalities targeting overall health with traditional oncology care. This study details the initia [...]

by Robert Capizzi  and Heather Mary Kempton

Received: 15 September 2022;  Published: 06 November 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2304050

Relationships between nature connection, mindfulness and wellbeing have been observed through nature based therapeutic interventions, where mindfulness and nature appear to reciprocally influence each other in relation to wellbeing and is potentially consistent with attention restoration theory. However, previous studies have relied on examining nature based interventions rather than the role of nature connection in everyday lives. This investigation explored the relationship between nature connection, mindfulness, [...]

by Khatib Zada Farhan  , Ayman Sabry Shihata  and Adams Balade Abubakar

Received: 27 March 2024;  Published: 22 July 2024;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2403017

Over the past decade, developing geopolymer mixes to replace ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) composites has yielded positive results, leading to extensive research. The incorporation of fibers in geopolymers, besides impacting the mechanical properties, has also significantly impacted durability, mainly when dealing with the most pernicious forms of deterioration resulting from chloride attack, water penetration, sulfate attack, acid attack, as well as freeze-thaw, which occurred through chemical transgression. This [...]

by Mojtaba Ehsanifar  and Alireza Esmaeili

Received: 14 January 2025;  Published: 15 April 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2502284

Neurotoxicity occurs when exposure to a biological, chemical, or physical agent, especially a neurotoxin, alters the normal activity of the nervous system in a way that results in permanent or reversible damage to neurons and nerve tissue and disrupts the functioning of the brain and nervous system. Chlorpyrifos is a broad-spectrum organophosphorus insecticide that has been used worldwide for more than 50 years and can damage the nervous system of insects by creating neurotoxicity. Epidemiological studies show that [...]

by Chris R. Lavers  , Travis Mason  , Jonathan Mazower  and Sarah Grig

Received: 29 October 2020;  Published: 09 July 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2103018

High-resolution satellite imagery permits acquisition of critical data to observe climate-change and environmental impact on conflict-impacted indigenous communities with co-existing socio-economic factors, often within unstable regimes. Conflict may prevent direct access in remote regions to validate civilian conflict actor evidence. In such cases use of remote sensing tools, techniques, and data are extremely important. Software-based imagery assessment can quantify radiometrically calibrated or Normalized Differ [...]

by Nagarajan Paramasivam  , Martin Granzow  , Christina Evers  , Katrin Hinderhofer  , Stefan Wiemann  , Claus R. Bartram  , Roland Eils  and Matthias Schlesner

Received: 24 October 2017;  Published: 16 April 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1802017

Background: With genome sequencing entering clinics as a diagnostic tool to detect genetic disorders, there is an increasing need for bioinformatics-based solutions that enable precise causal variant identification in a timely manner. Workflows for the identification of candidate disease-causing variants usually perform the following tasks: i) identification of variants; ii) filtering of variants to remove polymorphisms and technical artifacts; and iii) prioritization of remaining variants to provide a small set of [...]

by Emory Ryan  , Tiffany Jong  and Ellen Sidransky

Received: 20 July 2022;  Published: 26 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2203165

Gaucher disease (GD) is one of the most common lysosomal storage disorders resulting from biallelic mutations in the GBA1 gene, causing a dysfunction of the lysosomal hydrolase, glucocerebrosidase (acid-β-glucosidase; E.C 3.2.1.45). Clinical manifestations are heterogenous and can include splenomegaly, anemia, and neurological impairments in the case of neuronopathic Gaucher disease types 2 and 3. Newborn screening, arguably the most important public health initiative to date, has been regularly conducted on n [...]

by Ganisetti Vijay Kumar  , Min-Ze Lu  and Chang-Ming Liaw

Received: 19 December 2020;  Published: 31 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2102023

This paper presents the development of a high-performance electric vehicle (EV) synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) drive and its vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-to-microgrid (V2M) bidirectional operations. The EV motor drive boostable DC-link voltage is established by a battery through a bilateral interface boost-buck DC-DC converter for good driving performance over a wide speed range. The motor efficiency is 92.3% near the rated load. In idle conditions, the embedded interface converter and inverter of the mo [...]

by Andrew C. Chien  , Eric Y. Lin  and Nicole J. Ye

Received: 26 April 2021;  Published: 11 June 2021;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2102024

The metallic copper, alkaline earth metal oxide, boron, and perovskite were incorporated on the surface of a Ni-cermet anode, and the performance of the modified Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) anode was evaluated. The cell performance was analyzed by voltage-current characteristics (V-I curve) and H2-CH4 step reactions (P-t curve) in a potentiostatic mode. Besides, we also determined if a metallic phase or high electronic conductivity of the anode is important for a cell to perform well when H2 is used as a fuel, whe [...]

by Charisse Chehovich  and Tammie Lee Demler

Received: 14 October 2019;  Published: 10 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2001099

Second-generation antipsychotics, have known metabolic side effects; specifically, clozapine is implicated in worsening or causing hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia and weight gain. Recently, there has been an increased interest in the safe use of clozapine in patients with diabetes. In March 2018, a 65-year-old female with a diagnosis of schizophrenia was admitted for inpatient hospitalization to a psychiatric hospital in Buffalo, NY for further stabilization after receiving two months of treatment at a comprehe [...]

by Julian Gross  , Karin Matko  , Jill Vennemann  and Holger Carl Bringmann

Received: 31 July 2021;  Published: 14 December 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2104054

Meditation-Based Lifestyle Modification (MBLM) is a complex eight-week mind-body intervention based on the traditional eight-fold path of classical yoga. MBLM was developed for mental health care, and it combines ethical living, physical yoga, and meditation. In this qualitative study, the subjectively perceived efficacy of MBLM was compared to the perceived efficacy of an individually tailored, multi-professional psychiatric treatment (MPT) in a psychiatric outpatient clinic. Twelve patients were interviewed for t [...]

by Miguel Mayo-Yáñez  and Irma Cabo-Varela

Received: 29 June 2020;  Published: 08 September 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2003072

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia in the world. This manuscript attempts to review the current knowledge of neurolaryngology and speech and language therapy in Alzheimer’s disease in order to distinguish it from other neurodegenerative diseases. Only a limited number of studies carried out on Alzheimer’s disease patients with speech or laryngeal disorders are found in the literature. Laryngeal (dysphonia, dysphagia, dry mucosa…) and speech symptoms (aphasic, rhythm alterations…) appear to exis [...]

by Heath Murray  and Mehdi Khaki

Received: 23 October 2020;  Published: 29 July 2021;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2103019

Inland water bodies are crucial for supporting human life in various parts of the world. Therefore, it is essential to accurately monitor its spatiotemporal variations for better water management. The main objective of this study is to investigate the application of remote sensing data for quantifying the surface area changes and the impact of climatological variabilities over Lakes Mead and Chapala. Historical time series of monthly surface area dynamics were developed using Landsat 1-8 scenes and the climate vari [...]

by Haruka Sawamura  , Kurumi Taniguchi  , Yuka Ikeda  , Ai Tsuji  , Yasuko Kitagishi  and Satoru Matsuda

Received: 16 November 2021;  Published: 08 March 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpn.2201007

Immune checkpoints have been aggressively investigated for anti-cancer immunotherapy. The power of microbiota on the outcome of this immunotherapy has attracted much attention. For example, intestinal microorganisms play a key role in the effectiveness of programmed cell death 1 (PD1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) blockade. Additionally, short-chain fatty acids produced in the gut may modulate anti-CTLA4 and anti-PD1 stimulated immune responses and their anti-tumor efficacy. Enhancing the [...]

by Navya Uppu  , Kelly McMahen  , Tasneem Khasru  and Mark A. DeCoster

Received: 02 August 2022;  Published: 17 October 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2204020

Green synthesis of nanomaterials endeavors to reduce the use of high energy methods with those that may include lower temperatures and pressures, use of natural products, and bottom-up self-assembly. Here we describe the generation of metal-organic biohybrids (MOBs) with nanoscale features synthesized at physiological (37°C) and room temperature (25°C). These MOBs utilized the naturally occurring amino acid dimer cystine as the biological component, and a series of metals, including copper, silver, and cobalt. The [...]

by Sumail Bhogal  , Matthew Minn  , Pranay Krishnan  and Reena C. Jha

Received: 18 February 2019;  Published: 18 November 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1904092

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the common locations of perihepatic fluid collections after liver transplantation, assess their complexity, and understand their natural history and clinical significance. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of 189 postoperative orthotopic liver transplant patients with a mean age 49.6 years was performed using serial CT or MRI to characterize perihepatic fluid collections. Location, size, complexity of the collections, and clinical course were evalua [...]