by Roy G Beran

Received: 30 November 2022;  Published: 13 February 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2301223

This paper reviews the relationship between RBD and PD and the pathophysiology. Most RBD patients develop PD within 14 years. PD pathophysiology is α-synucleinopathy with dopamine degeneration in nigrostriatal pathways. RBD pathology is poorly understood. Anomalies suggest RBD and PD are different, evidenced by smoking. RBD and PD are associated with glucocerebrosidase gene mutations (GBA gene), suggesting RDB with GBA gene mutation predicts PD. PET imaging, assessing vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), inde [...]

by Rotem Arieli  , Gina Lee  , Yeon ji Ryou  and Peter Martin

Received: 01 July 2022;  Published: 14 November 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2204211

This research aims to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of positive subjective well-being among centenarians and near-centenarians in the Health and Retirement Study. Participants who eventually survived to age 98 or older (N = 516) were included. Study variables included demographic characteristics, health and activities of daily living (ADL) functioning, cognitive functioning, and positive well-being. Additionally, a smaller subsample (n = 192) of participants with supplemental leave-behind qu [...]

by Ioannis Syros  , Panagiota Pervanidou  , Charis Liapi  , Filia Apostolakou  , George P Chrousos  and Gerasimos Kolaitis

Received: 01 March 2020;  Published: 11 June 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2002060

Data available on possible associations of lipids, steroid levels, and depression are conflicting. This study investigated their possible associations in a sample of youth with depression. Ninety-eight youth with depression and individually matched healthy volunteers on the basis of age and sex were enrolled for the study. The two groups had nearly similar body mass index. After fasting overnight, they underwent blood sampling for triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprot [...]

by Victor Dong  , Aldo J. Montano-Loza  and Andrew L. Mason

Received: 19 November 2019;  Published: 13 December 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1904094

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are idiopathic and progressive autoimmune hepatobiliary disorders that lead to liver failure and a need for liver transplantation in a proportion of individuals with poorly controlled disease. It is currently thought that an environmental agent triggers disease in a genetically susceptible host and to date, xenobiotics, bacteria and a human betaretrovirus have all been linked with PBC. However, there is no consensus on which agents predomina [...]

by Hassan-Ali Hakemi  and Ghazal Hakemi

Received: 05 December 2019;  Published: 03 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2001001

In this study, we explored the phase equilibria in blends of a nematic liquid crystal monomer and a nematic liquid crystal flexible polymer within the whole composition of the phase diagram. The crystal-nematic and nematic-isotropic transition temperatures, as well as the transition enthalpies and entropies, indicated the total miscibility in this mesogenic blend system. We also extracted an empirical axial ratio of 4.52 for the polymer from the nematic-isotropic transitions of the blends. Further, from the biphasi [...]

by Katharina Tigges-Limmer  , Stephan Ensminger  , Yvonne Brocks  , Scott Stock Gissendanner  and Jan Gummert

Received: 28 October 2018;  Published: 05 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1901056

Background: The participation of mental health professionals in multidisciplinary care teams for heart transplantation has become an international standard practice. The contribution of these professionals in this setting, which involves assessment and interventions, has not been the subject of systematic study. Methods: This paper explores how psychotherapists contribute to multidisciplinary decision making and care in transplant teams before, during, and after transplantation. To illustrate, it uses the case of a [...]

by Giacomo Farì  , Roberto Tedeschi  , Andrea Bernetti  and Danilo Donati

Received: 30 August 2024;  Published: 20 November 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2404255

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by direct or indirect forces is a prevalent issue in contact sports, leading to symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, and neck pain. These symptoms can have long-term consequences, including neurodegenerative diseases and mood disorders. This review fills an essential gap in the literature, as current studies on physiotherapy for traumatic brain injury (TBI) in sports are limited in scope, particularly in evaluating multimodal and personalized interventions. The review a [...]

by Alla V. Balueva  , Ilia N. Dashevskiy  and Patricia Todebush

Received: 12 May 2021;  Published: 27 October 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2104043

One of the ways to improve the fusion of an implant with bone tissue is through the use of biocompatible coatings, in particular, hydroxyapatite (HAp). It is important to assess the strength of the HAp adhesion to the implant. The measure of the strength of the bond of the coating with the substrate is the energy of this bond. Using density functional theory and molecular dynamics, the reaction path, reaction products, oscillation frequency, activation energy and bond energy between different combinations of compon [...]

by Anita Verma  , Katharina Sophia Weigel  , Sim You Kuan Dexter  and Anil Dhawan

Received: 26 March 2018;  Published: 29 May 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1802009

Invasive fungal infections (IFI) remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in hospitalized and immunocompromised or critically ill patients. The incidence of IFIs has been declining in liver transplant recipients (LTR). This is likely due to the evolving immunosuppressive drug regimens, improved surgical techniques and targeted antifungal prophylaxis. However, IFI still contribute to high mortality and are associated with high economic burden due to consumption of costly newer antifungal agen [...]

by Maria Simonenko  and Petr Fedotov

Received: 01 February 2019;  Published: 13 February 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.1901049

Sex and gender issues in heart transplantation

by Owen Sedej  , Eric Mbonimpa  , Trevor Sleight  and Jeremy Slagley

Received: 18 February 2022;  Published: 18 August 2022;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2203027

Waste-to-Energy technologies have the potential to dramatically improve both the natural and human environment. One type of waste-to-energy technology that has been successful is gasification. There are numerous types of gasification processes and in order to drive understanding and the optimization of these systems, traditional approaches like computational fluid dynamics software have been utilized to model these systems. The modern advent of machine learning models has allowed for accurate and computationally ef [...]

by Julia Baumann  , Eva Bönzli  , Franziska Wandrey  and Torsten Grothe

Received: 09 December 2024;  Published: 03 April 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2502305

The complex process of skin aging results in noticeable changes, including decreased collagen content, reduced elasticity, and decreased hydration. Interventions to preserve or restore collagen, a key structural protein, may help counteract these signs. The concept of "beauty from within” through nutritional supplements is of growing interest, particularly the use of plant-based alternatives to animal-derived or synthetic collagen. This study investigated the anti-aging potential of an extract from Moldavian dragon [...]

by Coad Thomas Dow  and Julia Szepieniec

Received: 01 August 2018;  Published: 25 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1804020

Improved understanding of the underlying cellular dysfunction and resultant neuropathology of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is needed to stem the anticipated public health crisis due to this increasingly common neurodegenerative disease. The four main risk factors for sporadic AD are age, female gender, genetic carriage of the APOE4 allele and type two diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Each of these four risk factors is associated with impaired and/or dysfunctional autophagy suggesting that perturbation of autophagy is [...]

by Eugene Stephane Mananga  and Lamisa Rusmeha

Received: 23 December 2020;  Published: 13 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2102012

Towards the end of 2019, an unanticipated outbreak, coronavirus also referred to as COVID-19’s first cases occurred in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. In early 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the pandemic as a Public Health emergency of international concern. COVID-19 is a transmissible disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The COVID-19 puts a spotlight on numerous issues varying from educational, social, political, and economic that were already prese [...]

by Andrew Williams  and Murray Thomson

Received: 25 September 2022;  Published: 13 December 2022;  doi: 10.21926/jept.2204041

This paper sets out a quantified scenario for the UK to reach net zero carbon emissions. Wind and solar are the main energy sources and their intermittency is accommodated through hydrogen electrolysis, biogas from anaerobic digesters, and their combination into biomethane. Hydrogen and biomethane stocks are tracked. A daily energy balance model is presented, using the most recent recorded weather data-2017 to 2021. Long periods of low wind in 2021 indicated the necessary energy storage capacities, which were adjus [...]

by Elisa Martín-Arévalo  , Carole Guedj  , François Cotton  , Gilles Rode  , Karen T. Reilly  , Fadila Hadj-Bouziane  and Laure Pisella

Received: 29 January 2021;  Published: 24 August 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2103105

This study integrated functional connectivity measures using resting-state fMRI and behavioral data from a single-case observation of patient (PER) one year after right-hemispheric hemorrhage in the intraparietal sulcus and superior parietal lobule (IPS/SPL). PER showed no sign of clinical neglect. Her behavioral performance in the visuo-manual pointing task and in the letter discrimination task under conditions of endogenous and exogenous attentional cueing was compared between the left (affected) and right (unaff [...]

by Jharna Gupta  and Madhu Agarwal

Received: 08 December 2022;  Published: 13 March 2023;  doi: 10.21926/cr.2301013

Waste marble powder (WMP) is Investigated for developing heterogeneous catalysts by calcination method and used in biodiesel synthesis by esterification-transesterification process from Pongamia Pinnata oil. Hammet indicators, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) techniques were also studied for the characterization of developed catalyst from waste marble powder (WMP). The conversion of calcium carbonate to calcium oxide in marble powder was found at 800 [...]

by Jade M Kozuch  , Kamyar Afshar  and Ashley Feist

Received: 15 November 2024;  Published: 20 February 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2501235

Lung transplant recipients represent a high-risk group for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and disease, even among solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, due to multiple factors. Additionally, CMV has significant consequences in this group including pneumonitis, acute rejection, and chronic lung allograft dysfunction. For the past two plus decades, treatment of CMV in SOT recipients has been limited to off-label use of 4 antiviral medications associated with significant toxicities including myelosuppression and n [...]

by Bart A. Ellenbroek  and Weiwen Wang

Received: 20 March 2018;  Published: 29 March 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1801008

by Ahmad R. Alsayed  and Andi Dian Permana

Received: 28 February 2024;  Published: 28 May 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2402237

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect bacteria, exhibiting specificity towards particular bacterial strains. Despite being overshadowed by traditional antibiotics in the West, interest in phage therapy has resurged due to the escalating antimicrobial resistance crisis. Understanding phage biology, selection, production, and pharmacology is crucial for their clinical application. Phages interact intricately with the human microbiome, influencing bacterial populations and potentially offering therapeutic [...]

by Diane B. Paul

Received: 29 March 2021;  Published: 14 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.2102130

This article explores difficulties encountered by those with no personal experience of a chronic disease or disability in accurately evaluating the quality of life with a condition present from birth. In most countries, cost-effectiveness analysis relies on ratings of health states by members of the general population, who must try to imagine what life for those affected is like based on (usually brief) descriptions of the conditions. That task is challenging for reasons that have been well-discussed in the literat [...]

by Joep Geraedts

Received: 05 June 2018;  Published: 23 July 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1803024

Both preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) and prenatal diagnosis (PND) are powerful tools to tackle the transmission of inherited disorders carried by families from generation to generation. Here, we present an overview of the current landscape of both methods and identify the pros and cons of each of these reproductive options. In prenatal testing, non-invasive diagnostic methods have become available as an alternative for invasive diagnosis. Different genome sequencing strategies have now been introduced that en [...]

by Hisayuki Komaki  and Tomohiko Tamura

Received: 19 April 2019;  Published: 23 August 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1903091

Background: Streptomyces avermitilis is an actinomycete that produces avermectins. The complete genome sequence of S. avermitilis K139 was determined in 2003. In our previous study, we revealed that S. avermitilis NBRC 14893T harbors two extra secondary metabolite-biosynthetic gene clusters (smBGCs), com and ptx, which are not present in strain K139. Methods: Whole-genome sequencing for S. avermitilis NBRC 14893T and ATCC 31267T was carried out by the SMRT DNA sequencing technology to determine the genomic loci enc [...]

by Maya Kudo  , Misa Hayashi  , Peng Tian  , Danyang Liu  , Lili Wu  , Wei Li  , Zhaoyang Hong  , Yitang Zhao  , Toshiaki Nishigaki  , Masaaki Nishihara  , Kazuo Koike  , Tonghua Liu  and Ming Gao

Received: 13 April 2020;  Published: 09 July 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2003033

Increased body fat mass can lead to lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that increases the onset of multiple diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, which are closely related to lipid metabolism; therefore, new prevention approaches and treatments are needed. Our study investigated the effects and mechanism of YNCRG on anti-obesity in metabolic syndrome model SHR.Cg-Leprcp/NDmcr (SHRCP) rats. Eight-week- [...]

by Mitsuro Chiba  , Masafumi Komatsu  , Satomi Watanabe  and Yoko Daimon

Received: 13 January 2021;  Published: 20 February 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2101006

The high prevalence of obesity is a global concern. However, obesity and inflammatory bowel disease have similarities in epidemiology, diet, and gut microbial dysbiosis. An omnivorous (westernized) diet replacement with a plant-based diet in inflammatory bowel disease achieved better outcomes in both the induction and quiescent phases. Educational hospitalization providing a plant-based diet was found effective in suppressing flare-up in ulcerative colitis. This case report was designed to assess whether a plant-ba [...]