The effect of muscle vibration on short latency intracortical inhibition in humans.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of muscle vibration (MV) on short latency intracortical inhibition (SICI) and facilitation (ICF) assessed by paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Methods: Nineteen right-handed healthy subjects were investigat ed without and with MV of the right extensor carpi radialis (ECR), using single- and paired-pulse TMS with interstimulus interval (ISI) of 3 and 13 ms. Intensities of the conditioning and test stimulus were 70 and 120 % of the motor threshold at rest.

Postural stability of canoeing and kayaking young male athletes during quiet stance.

We studied the postural stability of 23 canoeing and kayaking young athletes and 15 healthy untrained age matched subjects during quiet and sensory conflicted stance (standing on stable and foam support with open and closed eyes). We measured with a force platform the center of pressure excursions and applied mean sway amplitude (MA), mean sway velocity (SV) and their Romberg ratios, and sway dispersion index to evaluate standing balance. During standing with eyes open, the athletes in comparison to non-athletes showed in sagittal and frontal plane greater MA and SV when the support was stable and smaller MA and SV when it was unstable.

Genetic predisposition of some Bulgarian sheep breeds to the scrapie disease.

The aim of this study is to investigate the profile of ovine PrP gene by amino acid polymorphism at codons 136, 141, 154, and 171 for determining the genetic predisposition to the Scrapie disease for the tribal sheep and rams, with different numbers and distribution in Bulgaria. Three hundred twenty four animals originating from 41 tribal herds comprising eight breeds were included in the study. DNA was isolated from blood samples specifically amplified by PCR and sequenced.

Australian Schizophrenia Care and Assessment Programme: real-world schizophrenia: outcomes.

Objective: It has been increasingly recognized that there is need to assess patient outcomes in schizophrenia across a broad range of dimensions. But few studies have attempted to do this in clinical populations and no systematic study has broadly assessed outcomes in schizophrenia in Australia using a longitudinal design. Thus, a real-world study, the Schizophrenia Care and Assessment Programme (SCAP), was structured to collect comprehensive information over time to inform policy debate and extend current knowledge about the course of schizophrenia in an Australian context.