Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-570X/1410015

Neural Stem Cells and their Niches in Neuroregeneration

Jong-Hang Chen, Mei-Shu Chen, Su-Liang Chen and Ing-Ming Chiu

Article Type: Review Article | First Published: December 21, 2015

Stem cell-based therapies in alleviating symptoms or reversing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases and nerve injuries have been investigated extensively. In this review, we first summarize our current understanding of the ontogeny of neural stem cells (NSCs) and their mobilization in vivo. We then focus on the cellular reprogramming in generation of iP-NSCs, iNeurons and iNSCs, and applications of NSCs and iNeurons in cell-based therapy, disease modeling and drug discovery. NSCs belong...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510027

Aspirin-Triggered Resolvin D1 Versus Dexamethasone in the Treatment of Sjogren's Syndrome-Like NOD/ShiLtJ Mice - A Pilot Study

Justin T Easley, Joel W Nelson, Rachel E Mellas, Salah Sommakia, Chunhua Wu, Bryan Trump, and Olga J Baker

Article Type: Research Article | First Published: December 17, 2015

Resolvin D1 (RvD1) and its aspirin-triggered epimeric form (AT-RvD1) are endogenous lipid mediators (derived from docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) that control the duration and magnitude of inflammation in models of complex diseases. Our previous studies demonstrated that RvD1-mediated signaling pathways are expressed and active in salivary glands from rodents and humans. Furthermore, treatment of salivary cells with RvD1 blocked TNF- -mediated inflammatory signals and improved epithelial integrity. T...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510026

A Rare Coexistence of Seronegative Enthesopathy and Arthropathy Syndrome with Familial Mediterranean Fever

Hakan Genc, Alper Gumustepe, Fikriye Figen Ayhan and Aynur Karagoz

Article Type: Case Report | First Published: November 18, 2015

The juvenile-onset spondyloarthropathies begin at age of 16 years or younger and are associated with the HLA-B27 allele. They are classified as the enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) subgroup of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) by the international league of associations for rheumatology (ILAR) [1]. Although the adult form has inflammatory low back pain as the predominant clinical symptom, the juvenile form has peripheral enthesitis and arthritis as its main clinical features. For this reason...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510025

In the Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies, How Significant is Creatine Kinase Levels in Diagnosis and Prognosis? A Case Study and Review of the Literature

Travis C Sizemore

Article Type: Case Report | First Published: November 18, 2015

The clinical significance of creatine kinase [CK] levels in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies [IIM] has varied between studies. CK levels continue to be the most sensitive laboratory marker for muscle disease in IIM but vary depending upon the disease entity. The goal of this article was to further elucidate the clinical significance of CK levels in the setting of IIM, including role of CK in diagnostics and prognostication. A case report was described with a subsequent literature review comple...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5726/1510024

Hypercoagulation in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Correlates with Activation of Act1/NF-kb Signaling Pathway

Pingheng Zhang, Jian Liu and Bing Tan

Article Type: Research Article | First Published: November 16, 2015

Peripheral blood samples were taken from 30 RA patients and 20 healthy volunteers, as controls. Ex vivo correlates of disease severity, such as C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide and rheumatoid factor, and immunological activation, such as interleukin (IL)-10, IL-17 and IL-6 were measured biochemically. Factors derived from the coagulation fibrinolytic system were also determined, such as the number of platelets, platelet activating factor, plat...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5823/1510025

Cross-sectional Survey: Public Attitude toward Mental Illness in China

Anson Chui Yan Tang

Article Type: Review Article | First Published: December 31, 2015

Public attitude toward mental illness is usually negative in many western and Asian countries. Both qualitative and quantitative studies have reported that Chinese societies possess a lower benevolence toward and impose more social restriction on the mentally ill. People with mental illnesses are being labelled as dangerous and aggressive, and their families are being disapproved of and devalued....

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5823/1510024

Making IPE Work: Idea to Actualization

Kimberly A. Udlis and Stephanie Stewart

Article Type: Commentary | First Published: December 31, 2015

According to the World Health Organization Interprofessional Care (IPC) is linked with improved outcomes in family health infectious disease humanitarian efforts, responses to epidemics and non-communicable disease. Others improvements with IPC are noted in access to care and coordination of services, appropriate use of specialty care, chronic disease outcomes and safety. Safety indicators include complications and error rates, lengths of stay, conflict among care givers, staff turnover and mort...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5823/1510023

Combining Breastfeeding and Employment: The Salient Beliefs of Nurses Working Shift Work in a Hospital

Sarah Mestepey, Susan K. Steele-Moses and Annette Knobloch

Article Type: Research Article | First Published: December 28, 2015

Combining breastfeeding and employment has been a struggle for mothers for many years. Working mothers are pressed to find a balance between employment responsibilities and the duties of motherhood. Until recent legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, there were essentially no federal regulations to protect a woman's breastfeeding rights; even the latest legislation is far from inclusive toward the protection of a woman's liberty to maintain lactation once she return...

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-5734/1510020

Prevalence of Taurodontism in Mandibular Molars among Patients at a Dental Care Institution in Nigeria

Yemitan Tolulase Abosede and Adediran Virginia Efunyemi

Article Type: Original Research Article | First Published: November 18, 2015

Taurodontism involves enlargement of the body of the tooth and shortening of the roots. This anomaly could be an isolated trait, or could be in association with other anomalies or may be a component of a syndrome. This study aims to determine the prevalence of taurodontism in mandibular molars of a Nigerian sample. The objectives are to test the hypotheses that there is no gender preference in taurodontism, and that there is no preference for either left or right side of the mandible....

 Open Access DOI:10.23937/2469-570X/1410014

Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptor 2 Regulates the Migration, Proliferation, and Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

S Tucker Price, Thomas H Beckham, Joseph C Cheng, Ping Lu, Xiang Liu and James S Norris

Article Type: Research Article | First Published: December 02, 2015

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a multipotent cell population acquired most prominently from bone marrow with the capacity to differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes, and others. MSCs demonstrate the capacity to home to sites of injury and contribute to tissue repair. Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a biologically active sphingolipid impacting proliferation, apoptosis, inflammation, and angiogenesis with changes in S1P concentration providing significant implications for vari...