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Jan 2025
J. O’Brien TylerCorresponding author
A phenomenological qualitative study was conducted to obtain facts and details about the lived experiences of Ohio funeral directors during their first five years of licensure. The goal of the study was to understand these lived experiences as told by funeral directors to understand better the factors that impact the attrition and retention of new licensees. The data was analyzed using the Colaizzi 1978 method. The collected data aided in professional development programs offered to Ohio funeral directors and embalmers which increased the discussion and interest in factors that impact attrition and retention rates of new funeral director licensees at the local and national levels. The information from the study can be applied to allied helping professions such as healthcare, ministerial, and education. The stories and experiences as told by Ohio funeral directors provides new insight into the factors that impact attrition and retention rates of new licensees.
Jan 2015 DOI 10.14302/issn.2379-7835.ijn-14-606
Michael J. GladeCorresponding author
Telomeres are strings of DNA that are not themselves genes but that extend every chromosome beyond its last gene. Terminal telomeres are sacrificed during every mitotic event in human cells (“telomere attrition”), preserving the functional genome despite the “end replication problem.” However, the “telomeric theory of biological aging” suggests that when an individual cell has reproduced itself a sufficient number of times (the “Hayflick limit”), some the its telomeres have become critically shortened (“telomeric crisis”) and cannot completely “cap off” a chromosome, and any further attempts to replicate such a chromosome would produce damaged DNA and a dysfunctional cell (“cellular aging”). As cells enter telomeric crisis, they usually initiate intracellular signaling cascades that arrest DNA replication and mitotic activity, converting biologically active cells into inactive cells (“cellular senescence”). The progressive accumulation of senescent cells impairs the healthy functioning of tissues and produces “biological aging.” Oxidative stress damages telomeres and accelerates telomere attrition and biological aging. Premature biological aging is associated with degenerative diseases and diminished quality of life. Reducing the level of systemic oxidative stress can ease the oxidative drive toward cellular senescence and premature biological aging. Increased intakes of antioxidant-rich foods and specific antioxidant nutrients (such as fruits and vegetables, α -lipoic acid, astaxanthin, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, trans-resveratrol, N-acetylcysteine, methylsulfonylmethane, lutein, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, and γ-tocotrienol) may decrease cellular and systemic oxidative stress and decelerate biological aging.
Jun 2026 DOI 10.14302/issn.2474-7785.jarh-26-6358
Marks RayCorresponding author
Hip fractures, which remain an immense public health concern, have been subject to study and prevention efforts for many decades, but with limited success in averting either incident, second or subsequent hip fractures, commonly attributed to a combination of age related proclivity to fall, low bone and muscle mass. This review examines second hip fracture incidence rates and determinants of this serious functionally debilitating injury as observed over time remains a current 2026 public health concern. It specifically explores if more preventive efforts are currently warranted in this regard, and in what respect, if indeed, more frail older adults are living longer, but may be in excessively poor health, fearful of moving or falling, malnourished, weak with poor balance, or depressed. Based on what is published, it is concluded 1) second hip fracture incidence rates remain considerable, especially among those who are frail with osteoporotic bone disease, poor vision, heart/or cognitive conditions, plus those with muscle deficits of the lower limb, live alone and have a falls history; 2) studies to identify possible mitigation approaches appear promising in this regard, along with more routine efforts to minimize falls risk and bone attrition.
Jul 2017 DOI 10.14302/issn.2574-4372.jesr-17-1705
Varma VijayalakshmiCorresponding author
Biomarkers and Alternative Models Branch, Division of Systems Biology, National Center for Toxicological Studies, Jefferson, AR
Drug-induced cardiotoxicity is one of the predominant reasons for drug attrition and withdrawals. This is of critical concern when potentially cardiotoxic drugs are administered to individuals with inherited arrhythmogenic cardiac diseases or with metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, which are key risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Pathophysiological alteration prevalent under such conditions can alter or exacerbate cardiotoxic responses. The growing incidence of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome subject a significant percentage of the population to drug treatments, thereby augmenting their risk for drug-induced cardiovascular toxicity. Hence, screening for drug-induced cardiotoxicity early in the preclinical stages of drug development, by using appropriate human disease models, can be effective in ensuring safety in clinical trials and preventing late stage and post-marketing drug withdrawals owing to cardiotoxicity. The advent of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes are revolutionizing safety/toxicity screening in human cells by providing relevant human-specific, renewable model systems to explore human drug toxicity. The ability to generate patient-specific iPSCs that can model cardiac diseases, now offers a valuable option that can further improve drug safety assessments and enable a more accurate prediction of toxicity that occurs in the representative population that are prescribed the drugs. Use of appropriate disease models will not only provide cost savings by decreasing potential drug attrition and withdrawals, seen with many drugs, but will also be a promising option to advance precision medicine