The Mental Health Act 2012

The new Mental Health Act, 2012 in the Maltese legislation is aimed to be in line and reflect changes in knowledge, medical and social developments in the field on a local level. The new law introduces the Commissioner as a monitoring body while it is the first Law in Malta of its kind which gives a legal backing to rights of users and their carers. It also aims to lead towards the necessary changes in perceptions and attitudes to ensure that people with mental health problems are considered ‘full citizens’. The law outlines practices which are to be followed to reduce the compulsory length of stay in hospital and fosters more community based services.peer-reviewe

Maltese society : a sociological inquiry

Review and analysis of the book titled "Maltese Society: A Sociological Inquiry" edited by Ronald G. Sultana and Godfrey Baldacchinopeer-reviewe

Tribute to Edward W. Said : 1935-2003

This article pays tribute to the life and work of Prof. Edward W. Said (1 November 1935 – 25 September 2003)peer-reviewe

The effects of suicide intent and history of self-harm on emotional reactions and willingness to help

The present study was a preliminary investigation of factors that affect potential helpers\u27 emotional responses, perceptions and willingness to help when confronted with information about a hypothetical friend who overdoses. One hundred and forty-two undergraduate students attending Edith Cowan University (Joondalup Campus) were randomly assigned to one of six conditions and read two vignettes. In the first vignette, information was provided of a hypothetical female friend\u27s overdose. The second vignette included information about the overdose that either supported or contradicted information in the first vignette regarding the woman\u27s history of self-harm. Participants then completed a questionnaire designed to measure their emotional reactions to the woman, their willingness to help, perceived motives for the overdose and predictions of future self-harm. The data from the study were analysed using mixed model ANOVAs. There was reason to believe from the literature reviewed, that participants would express more positive emotions and greater willingness to help when the stated intention for the overdose was to die and there had been no previous self-harm, than when the intention for the overdose was not to die and there had been a history of self-harm. Further, it was predicted that participants would choose interpersonal motives to account for the overdose when the intention was not to die and there had been a history of self-harm. Intrapersonal motives were predicted to have been selected when the intention was to die and there was no history of self-harm. Contrary to predictions, participants reported high positive emotions and claimed they would help regardless of the reported intention for the overdose and history of self-harm. In addition, the motives identified by participants as possible explanations for the overdose were not found to be associated with suicide intent and history of self-harm. As with James and Hawton\u27s (1985) findings, participants in this study reported a mixture of interpersonal and intrapersonal motives for the woman depicted in the vignettes, despite differences in suicidal intent and history of self-harm. Predictions of future self-harm were found to be associated with stated suicidal intent, with the likelihood of future self-harm being rated as higher when the stated intention for the overdose was to die than when it was not to die. The results from this study suggest information regarding suicidal intent and history of self-harm of a hypothetical overdose do not affect university students\u27 reported emotions and willingness to help. However, it would be premature to conclude that suicide intent and history of self-harm do not affect potential helpers\u27 judgements. Further methodological improvements and replication of the study with other population groups such as medical staff and other helping professions are required before such a conclusion can be drawn. The finding for predictions of future self-harm is encouraging and warrants further research

Clinical interventions proposed by a pharmacist in the intensive care unit.

Patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are at increased risk of adverse drug events due to underlying comorbidities, organ dysfunction and pharmacokinetic alterations in addition to being prescribed almost twice as many medications as patients in general hospital wards. The role of the pharmacist in this setting has developed considerably and includes working as a part of the multi-disciplinary team providing several clinical services. Locally, clinical pharmacy services were limited in ICU. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the interventions of a pharmacist in ICU by quantifying and categorising drug-related problems (DRPs) identified by, and determining the frequency and type of clinical interventions suggested by a pharmacist introduced in ICU. The study was carried out over eight weeks in ICU of an acute general hospital in Malta, during which the pharmacist reviewed medication charts of patients admitted to ICU over the study period and identified DRPs. DRPs and suggested pharmaceutical interventions (PIs) were discussed with ICU clinicians or nurses depending on type of PI, and the outcome was recorded. All data was recorded in a previously validated, adapted, and piloted data collection tool. Data was classified into type of DRP and PI, therapeutic class, and outcome relating to acceptance and implementation of PIs. During the study period, medication charts of 124 ICU patients were reviewed. The pharmacist identified 161 DRPs in 54 patients and suggested a PI for each DRP. The most frequently identified DRP categories were 'administration related' (29%), 'supratherapeutic dosage' (20%) and 'drug monitoring' (18%). The most common categories of suggested PIs were 'dose adjustment' (34%) and 'administration optimisation' (29%). Antimicrobials (46%) and medications acting on the central nervous system (17%) were the therapeutic classes most frequently involved in DRPs. The ICU clinical team accepted and implemented 95% of PIs suggested by the pharmacist. This research demonstrated the value of introduction of a pharmacist within ICU. The high rate of accepted PIs concerning a wide range of DRPs demonstrate that advanced collaboration between a pharmacist and the ICU team is possible. The proposed clinical interventions by the pharmacist reflect the contribution of the pharmacist to the reduction of DRPs in critically ill patients, thus, optimising treatment for these patients

Pape satan aleppe...

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Il-Għanja taċ-ċaqliq ta’ A. Buttigieg – Kelb xiħ tal-għassa ta’ A. Cremona – Il-fergħa tas-sagħtar ta’ George Zammit – L-infern tal-midneb! ta’ Karmenu Vassallo – Pape satan aleppe... ta’ Albert M. Cassola.N/

Physical characteristics underpinning repetitive lunging in fencing

Given the repetitive demand to execute lunging and changes in direction within fencing, the ability to sustain these at maximal capacity is fundamental to performance. The aim of this study was threefold. Firstly to provide normative values for this variable referred to as repeat lunge ability (RLA) and secondly to identify the physical characteristics that underpin it. Thirdly, was to establish if a cause and effect relationship existed by training the associated characteristics. Assessment of lower body power, reactive strength, speed, change of direction speed (CODS) and a sport specific RLA were conducted on senior and junior elite male fencers (n = 36). Fencers were on average (± SD) 18.9 ± 3.2 years of age, 174.35 ± 10.42 cm tall, 70.67 ± 7.35 kg in mass, and 8.5 ± 4.2 years fencing experience. The RLA test had average work times of 16.03 s ± 1.40 and demonstrated "large" to "very large" associations with all tested variables, but in particular CODS (r = .70) and standing broad jump (SBJ; r = -68). Through linear regression analysis, these also provided a two-predictor model accounting for 61% of the common variance associated with RLA. A cause and effect relationship with SBJ and CODS was confirmed by the training group, where RLA performance in these fencers improved from 15.80 ± 1.07 s to 14.90 ± 0.86 s, with the magnitude of change reported as "moderate" (ES = 0.93). Concurrent improvements were also noted in both SBJ (216.86 cm ± 17.15 vs. 221.71 ± 17.59 cm) and CODS (4.44 ± 0.29 s s. 4.31 ± 0.09 s) and while differences were only significant in SBJ, magnitudes of change were classed as "small" (ES = 0.28) and "moderate" (ES = 0.61)respectively. In conclusion, to improve RLA strength and conditioning coaches should focus on improving lower-body power and reactive strength, noting that jump training and plyometrics designed to enhance horizontal propulsion may be most effective, and translate to improvement in CODS also

Pensjonant

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: L-Imdina ta’ Anton Buttigieg – Ħsibijiet ta’ G. Z. A. – Judith ta’ Pawlu Mifsud – Belhieni ta’ Louis Buttigieg – Id-dell ta’ ruħi ta’ V. M. Pellegrini – Żmien modern ta’ Trevor Zahra – Il-qamar fuqi ta’ Ġorġ Borg – Pensjonant ta’ G. A. Cilia.peer-reviewe

The Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (OBON)

Ocean life-from viruses to whales-is built from "biomolecules." Biomolecules such as DNA infuse each drop of ocean water, grain of sediment, and breath of ocean air. The Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (OBON) is developing a global collaboration that will allow science and society to understand ocean life like never before. The program will transform how we sense, harvest, protect, and manage ocean life using molecular techniques, as it faces multiple stresses including pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. It will also help communities detect biological hazards such as harmful algal blooms and pathogens, and be a key component of next-generation ocean observing systems. OBON will encourage continuous standardization and intercalibration of methods and data interoperability to help enhance and future-proof capabilities. OBON's objectives are: 1) to build a coastal-to-open ocean multi-omics biodiversity observing system; 2) to develop and transfer capacity between partners; 3) to enhance marine ecosystem digitization and modelling and 4) to coordinate action on pressing scientific, management, and policy questions