Methods. Two-hundred and fifty community-dwelling older people (70-90 years) were assessed on the Icon-FES in conjunction with the Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I).

Results. Overall structure and measurement properties of the 30-item Icon-FES (evaluated with item-response theory) were good. It measured a single factor with 2 dimensions assessing fear about less and more demanding daily activities. It had high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.96) and excellent test-retest reliability. The Icon-FES distribution was considerably closer to normal compared with FES-I, indicating absence of floor and ceiling effects. Construct validity of the Icon-FES was supported by its relation with

FES-I and its ability to discriminate between groups relating to demographic characteristics

and fall risk https://www.selleckchem.com/products/azd5363.html factors. A shortened 10-item Icon-FES showed similar psychometric properties to the 30-item Icon-FES.

Conclusions. The Icon-FES is an innovative way of assessing fear of falling using pictures to describe a range of activities and situations. This initial validation study showed that the Icon-FES has excellent psychometric properties and showed close continuity with the FES-I. Main advantages of the Icon-FES over the FES-I are its normal distribution and its ability to assess fear of falling in high functioning older people.”
“Serine proteases of the S8A family and those belonging to the subtilase group generate a long-lasting inhibition of hippocampal evoked potentials, which shows little recovery and resembles long-term depression. The present work investigates the effects of subtilisin A on epileptiform activity induced in hippocampal slices. Interictal Anlotinib bursts were generated by perfusion with 4-aminopyridine in magnesium-free medium, whereas ictal bursts were produced by the addition of baclofen. Subtilisin A superfused for 10 min at concentrations of 50 nM and above reduced the duration of ictal

bursts, whereas higher concentrations reduced the frequency of interictal activity with little or no recovery, indicating similarity with the long-term depression reported previously. The anti-epileptiform activity was not prevented by inhibitors of phosphatases or several kinases, but the inhibition of ictal activity was selectively reduced by the tyrosine Elesclomol (STA-4783) kinase inhibitor genistein. The rho-activated coiled-coil kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y-27632 had no effect on the suppression of ictal or interictal bursts. Subtilisin applied at nanomolar concentrations to the surface of the cerebral cortex in vivo also suppressed epileptiform spikes induced by bicuculline. It is concluded that serine proteases of the subtilase group are highly potent inhibitors of epileptiform activity, especially ictal bursts, and that tyrosine kinases may be involved in that inhibition. The mechanism of inhibition is different from the long-lasting depression of evoked potentials, which is partly mediated via ROCK. (C) 2011 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd.