(ISSN 2638-1311)
OBM Geriatrics is an international peer-reviewed Open Access journal published quarterly online by LIDSEN Publishing Inc. The journal takes the premise that innovative approaches – including gene therapy, cell therapy, and epigenetic modulation – will result in clinical interventions that alter the fundamental pathology and the clinical course of age-related human diseases. We will give strong preference to papers that emphasize an alteration (or a potential alteration) in the fundamental disease course of Alzheimer’s disease, vascular aging diseases, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, skin aging, immune senescence, and other age-related diseases.
Geriatric medicine is now entering a unique point in history, where the focus will no longer be on palliative, ameliorative, or social aspects of care for age-related disease, but will be capable of stopping, preventing, and reversing major disease constellations that have heretofore been entirely resistant to interventions based on “small molecular” pharmacological approaches. With the changing emphasis from genetic to epigenetic understandings of pathology (including telomere biology), with the use of gene delivery systems (including viral delivery systems), and with the use of cell-based therapies (including stem cell therapies), a fatalistic view of age-related disease is no longer a reasonable clinical default nor an appropriate clinical research paradigm.
Precedence will be given to papers describing fundamental interventions, including interventions that affect cell senescence, patterns of gene expression, telomere biology, stem cell biology, and other innovative, 21st century interventions, especially if the focus is on clinical applications, ongoing clinical trials, or animal trials preparatory to phase 1 human clinical trials.
Papers must be clear and concise, but detailed data is strongly encouraged. The journal publishes a variety of article types (Original Research, Review, Communication, Opinion, Comment, Conference Report, Technical Note, Book Review, etc.). There is no restriction on the length of the papers and we encourage scientists to publish their results in as much detail as possible.
Publication Speed (median values for papers published in 2023): Submission to First Decision: 5.7 weeks; Submission to Acceptance: 17.9 weeks; Acceptance to Publication: 7 days (1-2 days of FREE language polishing included)
Special Issue
International Perspectives on Older Adult Social Isolation and Loneliness
Submission Deadline: August 31, 2025 (Open) Submit Now
Guest Editors
Pedro Forte, PhD
CI-ISCE, Higher Institute of Educational Sciences of the Douro, Penafiel, Portugal
Research Interests: Sports, health and exercise
Filipa Coelhoso, PhD
CI-ISCE, ISAMB; ISCE - Higher Institute of Lisbon and Taggus Valley
Research Interests: social education/pedagogy, Health Education, Health Behaviours and the Development of Personal and Social Competences throughout life
Marta Reis, PhD
CI-ISCE; Environmental Health Institute - ISAMB; ISCE - Higher Institute of Lisbon and Taggus Valley, Odivelas, Portugal
Research Interests: Mental Health, Sexual Health, Health Education, Prevention of risks behaviours
Helena Carvalho, PhD
Instituto de Ciências Educativas do Douro
Research Interests: Desigualdades sociais, Pobreza, inclusão e exclusão social, infância e juventude, educação social, envelhecimento, serviço social
Mónica Cardoso, PhD
Instituto Superior de ciências Educativas do Douro
Research Interests: Inovação social;emprrendedorismo social; Equidade social; Igualdade e não descriminação Juventude; Infância; Envelheciemento e coesão social
Cátia Vaz, PhD
CI-ISCE, Instituto Superior de Ciências Educativas do Douro, Penafiel, Portugal
Research interests: Third age; homophobia 3rd age; Alzheimer; intergenerationality, formal/informal carers; bullying
About This Topic
This Issue "International Perspectives on Older Adult Social Isolation and Loneliness" addresses the pervasive and complex challenges faced by aging populations worldwide. With an increasingly aging demographic, the issue of social isolation and loneliness among older adults has gained global attention. Cultural norms, economic disparities, urbanization, and technological advancements profoundly impact seniors' social connections across diverse societies. This topic explores the psychological, physiological, and societal implications of loneliness on the elderly, acknowledging its detrimental effects on mental health, physical well-being, and overall life satisfaction. Moreover, it examines regional and cultural variations in the experiences of social isolation, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions and support mechanisms. Researchers and policymakers delve into community-based initiatives, technological innovations, intergenerational programs, and healthcare strategies aimed at mitigating loneliness and fostering meaningful connections for older adults. Understanding these international perspectives not only sheds light on the commonalities but also unveils unique challenges faced by different cultures, informing the development of inclusive and culturally sensitive approaches to address this pressing global issue. This interdisciplinary exploration aims to pave the way for comprehensive and compassionate strategies to enhance the social fabric for aging populations worldwide.
Keywords
Elderly; Social isolation; Loneliness; Global perspectives; Cultural influences; Mental health; Well-being; Societal factors; Interventions; Support systems
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted through the LIDSEN Submission System. Detailed information on manuscript preparation and submission is available in the Instructions for Authors. All submitted articles will be thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process and will be processed following the Editorial Process and Quality Control policy. Upon acceptance, the article will be immediately published in a regular issue of the journal and will be listed together on the special issue website, with a label that the article belongs to the Special Issue. LIDSEN distributes articles under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License in an open-access model. The authors own the copyright to the article, and the article can be free to access, distribute, and reuse provided that the original work is correctly cited.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). Research articles and review articles are highly invited. Authors are encouraged to send the tentative title and abstract of the planned paper to the Editorial Office (geriatrics@lidsen.com) for record. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Editorial Office.
Welcome your submission!
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Vidhi is a Clinical yoga therapist; mentor for yoga therapy training in Krishnamacharya tradition. She holds a MSc in Public health from Kings College London.
Mirela Olympia Fagarasan Palmer
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Zhong-Ting (Justin) is a PhD student from Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). He holds BSc in Applied Chemistry and MSc in Environmental Engineering. He was a R&D researcher of NanoMaterials Technology Pte Ltd in Singapore (2006-2012). His current research interests are functional nanomaterials synthesis & design, and their application into environmental/chemical engineering. He has published near 60 SCI papers in Applied Catalysis B, Chemical Engineering Journal and so on with H-Index 23. He also serviced as reviewers over 40 Journals such as Appl. Catal. B, Water Research, Chem. Eng. J, ACS Applied Materials & Interface, etc. He was honored such as “The Bsic Research Achievment 1st Award of CIESC”, “The ZJUT Fund Breeding Distinguished Young Scholars” etc.
Rolf Teschke studied Medicine in Munich and Marburg, where he finished his MD thesis before starting a residency at the Department of Pathology, University of Marburg. Subsequently and with a fellowship of the Deutsche Forschungsgmeinschaft, he worked at the Bronx VA Hospital/Mount Sinai Hospital in New York during 1972–1975 together with Professor Charles S. Lieber and successfully isolated MEOS and expanded its characterization. Back in Germany, he was at the Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf with a focus on alcoholic liver disease, biochemical drug studies, and clinical intoxications by halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons, where he became a Professor of Medicine. In 1987, he was offered a chief position and appointed as Director of the Medical Department II, City Hospital Hanau, Teaching Hospital of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt/Main. His clinical and research interests are on liver injury by drugs and herbs including causality assessment by RUCAM in close association with Dr. Gaby Danan in Paris. A perfect cooperation exists also with Professor Tran Dang Xuan of the University of Hiroshima, Japan. Finally, he is the author of more than 275 publications including books and book chapters, and he is editor in chief of scientific journals and member of editorial boards.