OBJECTIVE To examine the effect of contraction frequency on energy expenditure and substrate utilisation during upper (UE) and lower (LE) body exercise. METHODS Twenty four college students were recruited: 12 were tested on an arm ergometer, and the other 12 were tested on a leg ergometer. Each subject underwent three experimental trials on three separate days, and the three trials were prese...

PURPOSE To evaluate shoulder complex kinematics in persons with chronic upper extremity (UE) impairments due to stroke and determine if kinematics predicts motor function based on the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment (FMA). METHODS Sixteen stroke survivors with chronic UE impairments (age range = 46-80 years, male = 8, female = 8, mean (SD) 66 (40) months post-stroke) performed the UE portion of t...

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of extraction methods on antioxidant capacities of red dragon fruit peel and flesh. Antioxidant capacities were measured using ethylenebenzothiozoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical cation assay and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP). Total phenolic content (TPC) was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent while quantitative determin...

BACKGROUND Electric stimulation (ES) has been recognized as an effective method to improve motor function to paralysed patients with stroke. It is important for ES to synchronize with voluntary movement. To enhance this co-ordination, the finger-equipped electrode (FEE) was developed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate FEE in improving motor function of upper extremities (UEs) in patient...

PURPOSE To determine the clinical characteristics during acute stroke that predicted dextrous function in the paretic hand at 6 months post-stroke. METHOD Fifty-seven patients within 5 days post-stroke were recruited in stroke wards. Recovery of dextrous hand function, indicated by a score of > or =35 of Action Research Arm Test, was assessed weekly in the first 4 weeks then monthly till 6 mo...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the diagnostic performance of unenhanced MRI (UE-MRI) for malignant breast lesions and its reproducibility. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively included 118 patients who had breast MRI. DWI and STIR images were read in combination and referred to as UE-MRI; the presence or absence of the malignant lesion was noted by two observers. Their results were compared with th...

We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic values of conventional ultrasound (US), ultrasound contrast (UC) and ultrasound elastography (UE) in distinguishing the benign and malignant thyroid nodules. A total of 100 patients with thyroid nodules receiving operative treatment were selected; they underwent the conventional US, UE and UC examinations before operation, respectively. The nodules received p...

D ue to the increasing availability and recent advances in computed tomography (CT) technology, use of CT has increased. In 2007, approximately 68.7 million CT examinations were performed in the United States. In comparison, in 1995 approximately 21 million CT examinations were performed. Many investigators have expressed concern for the rising cumulative doses of ionizing radiation delivered t...

Exosomes are nanovesicles of endocytic origin that are secreted into the extracellular space or body fluids when a multivesicular body (MVB) fuses with the cell membrane. Interest in exosomes intensified after their description in antigen-presenting cells and the observation that they can significantly moderate immune responses in vivo. In the past few years, several groups have reported on the...