by Gerhard Litscher

Received: 10 November 2025;  Published: 10 November 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2504049

During this year’s World Congress on Medical Acupuncture, the ICMART (International Council of Medical Acupuncture and Related Techniques) Science Award 2025 was presented in recognition of excellence in research and innovation within the field of medical acupuncture. The award honored pioneering work on acupuncture and moxibustion in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), conducted in collaboration with the team at Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan. The study, a randomized controlled trial ( [...]

by Norbert Maurer  , Helmut Nissel  , Reginald Bittner  , Richard Crevenna  , Marion Mucha  , Erich Gornik  and Georg Feigl

Received: 11 November 2024;  Published: 09 November 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2504048

Morphological evidence of peripheral glial cell involvement is lacking. Therefore, we investigated the presence of Schwann cells in acupuncture meridians. Eight legs of four unembalmed cadavers were used. Along the stomach meridian and a control meridian, quadrangular samples were taken from skin to the deep subcutaneous fascia and embedded in paraffin. 5 µm sections were stained for H&E and processed for immunolabeling using antibodies against S100 and NFP, respectively. In the stomach meri [...]

by Marcus A. Henning  , Philippa Miskelly  , Marta Gil-Lacruz  , Gary Cheung  , Frederick Sundram  and Ruth Teh

Received: 11 June 2025;  Published: 29 October 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2504047

Across the globe, countries are facing an ageing boom, with the proportion of the older adult population growing compared to younger age groups because of increased life expectancy and declining birth rates. Along with the ageing boom, there is increased interest in the wellbeing of older adults. Healthy ageing and social frailty are two constructs that have emerged in studying older adults and their quality of life. In this paper, we critically review salient literature defining and describing [...]

by Antonella Sansone  , Peta Stapleton  , Alan Patching  and Zoe Lawrence

Received: 21 May 2025;  Published: 26 October 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2504046

Pregnancy and the postpartum period are times of significant transition for women, with changes in maternal physical and mental health. The relationship between a mother and her infant has been recognised as laying the foundation for later child development. There is considerable evidence that this early relationship is influenced by a woman’s wellbeing during pregnancy and in the early post-partum period. Mindfulness has been found to have positive health outcomes, primarily in reducing materna [...]

by Félix Neto  and Joana Neto

Received: 10 July 2025;  Published: 24 October 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2504045

International students represent a significant sojourner group. Increasing international student numbers makes it ever more relevant to understand the determinants of their psychological adaptation. This research investigates the question of how perceived cultural distance (PCD) impacts acculturation variables (social contact with host nationals and host national identity) and outcomes such as saudade and life satisfaction among African international students. The sample comprised 422 college st [...]

by Gerhard Litscher

Received: 15 October 2025;  Published: 16 October 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2504044

The International Exchange of Professionals – Thematic Event in Life Science, held on October 15-17, 2025, in Nice, France, inaugurated a global congress series focused on frontier topics in biomedical sciences. This editorial summarizes the first day of the event, including the opening ceremony, keynote forum, and welcome banquet. With more than 150 participants from over 35 countries, the event created a platform for cross-disciplinary exchange and collaboration. Key themes included translatio [...]

by Jozélio Freire de Carvalho

Received: 10 September 2025;  Published: 10 October 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2504043

Transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a non-invasive method that regulates the autonomic nervous system via electrical stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. Recent literature demonstrates that taVNS can decrease systemic inflammation, attenuate emotional disorders, modulate autonomic functions, and facilitate neural plasticity. This review examines the neurophysiological mechanisms of taVNS, including stimulation paradigms (short- and intensive, prolonged) [...]

by Daniel Szoke  and Holly Hazlett-Stevens

Received: 17 June 2025;  Published: 09 October 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2504042

Chronic stress increases a person’s vulnerability for physical and mental health conditions that take root in the “common soil” of inflammation. Dispositional, or trait, mindfulness has been identified as a protective factor against perceived stress. However, the theory that trait mindfulness can prospectively predict lower perceived stress in natural settings has yet to be thoroughly tested. The current study used a daily diary prospective design to observe perceived stress in response to diffi [...]