Age-related differences in neural strategies for motor learning are not fully understood. We determined the effects of age on relationship between network connectivity and skill acquisition, consolidation, interlimb transfer using dynamic imaging coherent sources. Healthy younger (n = 24, 18–24 y) older 65–87 adults unilaterally practiced a visuomotor task resting-state electroencephalographic ...

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) has been demonstrated to be a novel biomarker in acute and chronic kidney disease. We hypothesized that 24-hour urinary NGAL excretion may be a predictor for renal damage in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Thirty-four SLE patients with renal involvement (SLE-renal group), 8 SLE patients without renal involvement (SLE-nonrenal g...

OBJECTIVE To objectively compare the differences in knowledge and practices regarding healthy lifestyle among medical and non-medical students of Karachi along with assessment of any perceived barriers. METHODS This cross-sectional study included 350 students between ages 17-24 years from 6 private universities of Karachi--three medical and three non-medical Institutions. A self-reported ques...

BACKGROUND Sputum induction is becoming more commonly used to assess airway inflammation. Since it is a relatively non-invasive procedure it may be useful for repeated measurements over a short period of time. METHODS To assess the repeatability of the method over a 24 hour period, eight healthy, non-smoking, non-atopic subjects (four men) of mean age 30 years underwent sputum induction, repe...

PURPOSE To determine the efficacy of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in identifying the hemisphere associated with language by measuring changes in bilateral lateral inferior frontal blood flow during a word generation task in epilepsy surgery patients and healthy volunteers. METHODS Sixteen patients who underwent the intracarotid amobarbital procedure (IAP) and eight healthy right-handed/r...

Unstimulated whole salivary p53 was evaluated in non-involved subjects, in patients suffering from oral lichen planus (OLP) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). A total of 34 patients with OLP, 24 patients suffering from oral SCC and 41 non-involved participants were enrolled. The unstimulated whole saliva p53 level was assayed by ELISA. Data was analyzed by ANOVA followed by the Tukey post hoc t...

The presence of lipids in alveolar macrophages has been used clinically as an indicator of aspiration, a process associated with increased lung inflammation in animal models. The hypothesis is that the quantity of lipids in alveolar macrophages, measured as lipid-laden index (LLI), would correlate with lung inflammation in paediatric patients. Children with chronic respiratory symptoms (21 cyst...

A variety of foods have been implicated in symptoms of patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) but wheat products are most frequently cited by patients as a trigger. Our aim was to investigate the effects of breads, which were fermented for different lengths of time, on the colonic microbiota using in vitro batch culture experiments. A set of in vitro anaerobic culture systems were run ove...

AIMS The mycoflora of healthy grapes (i.e. without visible symptoms of rot) for wine production in Portuguese wine-making regions was assessed and its potential for ochratoxin A (OTA) production evaluated. The OTA content of grapes was also determined. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 386 fungal strains were isolated by plating methods. The most frequent genera found in grapes were non-ochratox...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether multiple computer use behaviours can distinguish between cognitively healthy older adults and those in the early stages of cognitive decline, and to investigate whether these behaviours are associated with cognitive and functional ability. METHODS Older adults with cognitive impairment (n = 20) and healthy controls (n = 24) completed assessments of cognitive and...