Induced and spontaneous wheel running can alter the phase and period (tau) of circadian rhythms in rodents. The relationship between spontaneous running and the phase angle (psi) of entrainment to 24-h light-dark (LD) cycles was evaluated in C57BL/6j mice. With a wheel freely available, psi was significantly correlated with the absolute (r = 0.32) and relative (r = 0.44) amount of activity duri...

We studied polymorphism in all species of birds that are presently known to show intraspecific variation in plumage colour. At least three main mechanisms have been put forward to explain the maintenance of polymorphism: apostatic, disruptive and sexual selection. All of them make partly different predictions. Our aims were to investigate evolutionary causes and adaptive functions of colour pol...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate changes in activity of daily living before and after provision of electric-powered indoor/outdoor chair (EPIOC), discuss problems of current activities of daily living (ADL) evaluating tools for EPIOC users, and provide preliminary data to develop ADL evaluation tool for EPIOC user. METHODS A total of 70 users who were prescribed EPIOC and had been using for more than 1 ...

BACKGROUND This study assesses the association between socioeconomic factors and living arrangements with activity of daily living limitations (ADL) and the receipt of informal and formal care among non-institutionalized Brazilians aged ≥ 60 years. METHODS Data come from a nationally representative survey (the Brazilian National Health Survey), conducted in 2013. Outcomes examined include the...

BACKGROUND Non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) have become the top threat in China. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of major NCDs among the elderly population in rural areas in southern China and explore its associated social determinants. METHODS A multistage cluster random sampling methodology was adopted to select a total of 9245 rural elderly people from 3860 rural househ...

BACKGROUND Huperzine A is a Chinese herb extract used for Alzheimer's disease. We conducted this review to evaluate the beneficial and harmful effect of Huperzine A for treatment of Alzheimer's disease. METHODS We searched for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of Huperzine A for Alzheimer's disease in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and four major Chinese electronic databases from their inception t...

People with mild to medium cognitive impairments may have difficulty with remembering when to perform an activity of daily living (ADL). For people with more severe cognitive impairments, it can be difficult to learn and/or recall the sequence of steps needed to complete a task. In this paper, we present a survey of devices that provide step-by-step detail of ADL tasks with picture, text, audio...

BACKGROUND Many approaches are used to evaluate fall risk. While their properties and performance vary, most reflect performance at a specific moment or are based on subjective self-report. OBJECTIVE To quantify fall risk in the home setting using an accelerometer. METHODS Seventy-one community-living older adults were studied. In the laboratory, fall risk was assessed using performance-bas...

The authors describe their experience in the ambulatory treatment of varicocele. Forty-four patients were treated through an infrapubic approach and only one recurrence was observed. The authors conclude that ambulatory treatment of varicoccle is safe, easy to perform and the patient can resume his daily activity within 48.-72 h.