METHODS: A total of 2084 community dwelling older adults from wave I and II were recruited through a multistage random sampling method. TUG was performed using the standard protocol and scores were then stratified based on with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI), gender and in a 5-year age groups ranging from ages of 60's to 80's.

RESULTS: 529(16%) participants were identified to have MCI. Past history of falls and medical history of hypertension, heart disease, joint pain, hearing and vision problem, and urinary incontinence were found to have influenced TUG performance. Cognitive status as a mediator, predicted TUG performance even when both gender and age were controlled for (B 0.24, 95% CI (0.02-0.47), β 0.03, t 2.10, p = 0.36). Further descriptive analysis showed, participants with MCI, women and older in age took a longer time to complete TUG, as compared to men with MCI across all age groups with exceptions for some age groups.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Delphi consensus technique was conducted online to review and evaluate the framework module. A panel of experts, including rehabilitation medicine physicians, occupational therapists, and clinical psychologists in Malaysia, was invited to participate in this study. For each round, the expert consensus was defined as more than 90% of the expert panel agreeing or strongly agreeing with the proposed items.

RESULTS: A total of 33 practitioners completed the three Delphi rounds. 72.7% of the expert panel have been practising in their relevant clinical fields for more than six years (M = 10.67, SD = 5.68). In Round 1, 23% of the experts suggested that the framework module for attention training required further improvements, specifically in the language (M = 1.97, SD = 0.75) and instructions (M = 2.03, SD = 0.71) provided. In Round 2, 15% of the experts recommended additional changes in the instruction (M = 2.15, SD = 0.67) for attention training. Amendments made to the framework module in line with the recommendations provided by the experts resulted in a higher level of consensus, as 94% to 100% of the experts in Round 3 concluded the framework module was suitable and comprehensive for our breast cancer survivors. Following the key results, the objectives were practical, and the proposed approaches, strategies, and techniques for attention and memory training were feasible. The clarity of the instructions, procedures, verbatim transcripts, and timeframe further enhanced the efficacy and utility of the framework module.

METHODS: Twenty-five young and healthy university students performed a triceps push-down exercise at 45% one repetition maximum (1RM) with and without CS until task failure, and the rate of fatigue (ROF), endurance time (ET) and number of repetitions (NR) for both exercises were analyzed. In addition, the first and last six repetitions of each exercise were considered non-fatiguing (NF) and fatiguing (Fa), respectively, and the root mean square (RMS), mean power frequency (MPF) and median frequency (MDF) for each exercise repetition were evaluated.

RESULTS: The lateral and long head showed significant differences (P<0.05) in the ROF between the two exercises, and all the heads showed significant (P<0.05) differences in the RMS between the two exercises under NF conditions. Only the long head showed a significant difference (P<0.05) in the MPF and MDF between the two exercises. CS increases the ET (24.74%) and NR (27%) of the exercise. The three heads showed significant differences (P<0.05) in the RMS, MPF and MDF under all exercise conditions.

METHODS: Male Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to permanent bilateral occlusion of common carotid arteries (PBOCCA) or sham surgery. Then, PBOCCA rats received ip injections with, either vehicle (control group), the muscarinic receptor agonist oxotremorine (0.1 mg/kg), or the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine (0.1 mg/kg). Cognitive functions were evaluated using a passive avoidance task and the Morris water maze test. In addition, hippocampal LTP was recorded in vivo under anaesthesia.

RESULTS: The PBOCCA rats exhibited significant deficits in passive avoidance retention and spatial learning and memory tests. They also showed a suppression of LTP formation in the hippocampus. Oxotremorine and physostigmine significantly improved the learning and memory deficits as well as the suppression of LTP in PBOCCA rats.

OBJECTIVE: Capitalizing on these therapeutic effects, this study investigated for the first time the potential of VCO on memory improvement in vivo.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty male Wistar rats (7-8 weeks old) were randomly assigned to five groups (n = six per group). Treatment groups were administered with 1, 5 and 10 g/kg VCO for 31 days by oral gavages. The cognitive function of treated-rats were assessed using the Morris Water Maze Test. Brains were removed, homogenized and subjected to biochemical analyses of acetylcholine (ACh) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE), antioxidants [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GRx)], lipid peroxidase [malondialdehyde (MDA)] as well as nitric oxide (NO). α-Tocopherol (αT; 150 mg/kg) was also included for comparison purposes.

RESULTS: VCO-fed Wistar rats exhibited significant (p  33%) and NO (≥ 34%). Overall, memory improvement by VCO was comparable to αT.

Method: This study involves four main steps which translate text-based results from Extensible Markup Language (XML) serialisation format into graphs. The four steps include: (1) conversion of ontological dataset as graph model data; (2) query from graph model data; (3) transformation of text-based results in XML serialisation format into a graphical form; and (4) display of results to the user via a graphical user interface (GUI). Ontological data for plants and samples of trees and shrubs were used as the dataset to demonstrate how plant-based data could be integrated into the proposed data visualisation.

Results: A visualisation system named plant visualisation system was developed. This system provides a GUI that enables users to perform the query process, as well as a graphical viewer to display the results of the query in the form of a network graph. The efficiency of the developed visualisation system was measured by performing two types of user evaluations: a usability heuristics evaluation, and a query and visualisation evaluation.

METHODS: Short duration guided deep breathing videos consisting of 5, 7 and 9 min respectively were created and used on subjects training. The effect on cognitive control was assessed using a Go/NoGo task along with event-related potential (ERP) measurements at Fz, Cz, and Pz.

RESULTS: From the study, the significant outcome showed at the follow-up session in which participants engaged for 5 min deep breathing group showed a profound NoGo N2 amplitude increment as compared to the control group, indicating an enhanced conflict monitoring ability. An inverse relationship between the NoGo N2 amplitude and the breathing duration is observed as well at the follow-up session.

CONCLUSION: These results indicated the possibility of performing short duration deep breathing guided by a video to achieve an enhanced conflict monitoring as an alternative to other mindfulness practices and 5 min is found to be the optimum practice duration.

SIGNIFICANT: This study is the first to establish a relationship between deep breathing and conflict monitoring through ERP. The study population of young adults taken from the same environment reduces the variance in ERP results due to age and environment.

METHODOLOGY: A systematic review, using the PRISMA guideline, was conducted on articles published between 2002 and 2023 from three electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. A manual search was conducted for the references of the included articles using Google Scholar. Included articles must be in English and were based on empirical evidence published in peer-reviewed journals and focus on the assessment of domains of social frailty in older people aged 60 or over in the Asia-Pacific (East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania).

RESULT: A total of 31 studies were included in the thematic analysis, from which 16 screening tools measuring six social domains were reviewed. The six domains were: social networks, followed by social activities, social support, financial difficulties, social roles, and socioeconomic, arranged in four categories: social resources, social needs, social behaviors (or social activities), and general resources. The six social domains predicted mortality, physical difficulties, and disability incidence. Other adverse health outcomes were also associated with these social domains, including cognitive disorders, mental illness, and nutritional disorders (n = 5 domains each), dementia (n = 4 domains), and oral frailty, hearing loss, obesity, and chronic pain (n = 3 domains each).