Category: Featured Database

Author: Brailovskaia, Julia; Margraf, Jurgen; Schillack, Holger; Kollner, Volker Description: BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to investigate differences in variables of positive mental health (PMH, i.e., emotional, psychological and social well-being) and negative mental health (NMH, i.e., somatoform complaints, depressiveness, social stress and insomnia) between clinical inpatients who use the social platform Facebook and those who do not use Facebook. Furthermore, the link between duration of daily Facebook use and mental health should be considered. METHODS: In two subsamples of inpatients of a psychosomatic rehabilitation clinic in Germany (Facebook users:…

Author: Hardy, Bruce W.; Castonguay, Jessica Description: The relationship between using social networking sites (SNS) and mental health is a thriving area of research producing mixed results. While terms such as “Facebook depression” have gained popularity in the mainstream press, there is not a consensus on the relationship between SNS use and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Mixed results from past research hint that age might moderate the SNS/mental health relationship, yet no specific tests of this interaction have been previously reported. In this study, we examine…

Author: Bastin, Jean-Francois; Clark, Emily; Elliott, Thomas; Hart, Simon; van den Hoogen, Johan; Hordijk, Iris; Ma, Haozhi; Majumder, Sabiha; Manoli, Gabriele; Maschler, Julia; Mo, Lidong; Routh, Devin; Yu, Kailiang; Zohner, Constantin M.; Crowther, Thomas W. Description: Combating climate change requires unified action across all sectors of society. However, this collective action is precluded by the ‘consensus gap’ between scientific knowledge and public opinion. Here, we test the extent to which the iconic cities around the world are likely to shift in response to climate change. By analyzing city pairs for…

Author: MacPherson, Amanda; Kimmelman, Jonathan Description: The process of developing new and complex stem-cell-based therapeutics is incremental and requires decades of sustained collaboration among different stakeholders. In this Perspective, we address key ethical and policy challenges confronting the clinical translation of stem-cell-based interventions (SCBIs), including premature diffusion of SCBIs to clinical practice, assessment of risk in trials, obtaining valid informed consent for research participants, balanced and complete scientific reporting and public communications, regulation, and equitable access to treatment. We propose a way forward for translating these therapies with the above…

Author: Alipour, Masoume; Nabavi, Seyed Massood; Arab, Leila; Vosough, Massoud; Pakdaman, Hossein; Ehsani, Ehsan; Shahpasand, Koorosh Description: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the sixth leading cause of death globally and the main reason for dementia in elderly people. AD is a long-term and progressive neurodegenerative disorder that steadily worsens memory and communicating skills eventually leads to a disabled person of performing simple daily tasks. Unfortunately, numerous clinical trials exploring new therapeutic drugs have encountered disappointing outcomes in terms of improved cognitive performance since they are not capable of halting or stimulating…

Author: Zhang, Yuehou; Hu, Wenzhi; Ma, Kui; Zhang, Cuiping; Fu, Xiaobing Description: One of the most crucial branches of regenerative medicine is cell therapy, in which cellular material is injected into the patient to initiate the regenerative process. Cells obtained by reprogramming of the patient’s own cells offer ethical and clinical advantages could provide a new source of material for therapeutic applications. Studies to date have shown that only a subset of differentiated cell types can be reprogrammed. Among these, keratinocytes, which are the most abundant proliferating cell type in…

Author: Luque, John S.; Okere, Arinze Nkemdirim; Reyes-Ortiz, Carlos A.; Williams, Paula M. Description: Objectives: To evaluate medical marijuana patients’ perceptions of therapeutic benefits for self-reported medical conditions. Design: The study was a concurrent mixed methods study with adult medical marijuana patients. Survey data were collected using a web-based survey, and interviews were conducted in person or over the phone. Setting: The study recruited 196 medical marijuana patients to complete surveys and 13 patients to participate in qualitative interviews in Florida. Measures: A validated patient survey was distributed via Florida…

Author: Ebbert, Jon O.; Scharf, Eugene L.; Hurt, Ryan T. Description: Medicolegal realities surrounding “medical marijuana” or “medical cannabis” are rapidly evolving in the United States. Clinicians are increasingly being asked by patients to share information about or certify them for medical cannabis. In order to engage in informed discussions with patients or be comfortable certifying them in states with medical cannabis laws, clinicians may benefit from an understanding of the current state of medical knowledge about medical cannabis. Intended for the generalist and subspecialist, this review provides an overview…

Author: Amin, Md Ruhul; Ali, Declan W. Description: The Cannabis plant has been used for many of years as a medicinal agent in the relief of pain and seizures. It contains approximately 540 natural compounds including more than 100 that have been identified as phytocannabinoids due to their shared chemical structure. The predominant psychotropic component is delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9-THC), while the major non-psychoactive ingredient is cannabidiol (CBD). These compounds have been shown to be partial agonists or antagonists at the prototypical cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. The therapeutic actions…